Today would've been my dad's 85th birthday. It's hard to believe he's been gone for almost 20 years. He had just officially retired and receiving his first few pensions when the Lord called him home. He was a good dad. He had a big heart and would do anything for anybody except when they ticked him off. Then he would mutter under his breath and smoke a cigarette. He was a quiet, gentle man who shyed away from social engagements and preferred talking to people one on one.

He was a God-fearing man who believed in following the Lord and living according to 'the rules'. He knew his Bible inside out. Both my parents do. I was blessed with such a heritage. He taught me many practical things and still left so many things unlearned without the opportunity to teach me.

I miss him even after all these years. He never really saw me grow up. He would've been proud of my work with people with disabilities. They always had a special place in his heart.

When Kit passed away I woke up with the thought of my dad welcoming him into heaven and saying 'well they finally sent me somebody useful'. My dad didn't like useless people. He liked people who couldn't do things themself and asked for help but not people who weren't willing to learn how to do things for themself.

Happy Birthday Papa.

Movin' on Up

We're in the middle of purging and packing and putting stuff into storage. Things are a little hectic around here. Not a lot of blogging going on.

Baby Easton is in the hospital with jaundice so we pray for his health and well-being. We haven't seen him yet but hopefully by next weekend he'll be up for visitors. I have an Aloha shirt with his name on it. It's only right. Necessary actually.

We bought a condo in Pitt Meadows, a quiet little town across the river. We're looking forward to being able to walk everywhere and enjoy the trails down by the river both for walking and cycling.

Sooooooo much to do in the meantime. We've also listed our cottage so that's going on as well. Whew!

The Miracle

Easton Joshua, weighing in at 6lbs, 13oz, healthy, happy baby boy! Such a blessing to have a new baby in the family. Everyone's ecstatic. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

* Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Ever have one of those hymns that you've sung all your life and it still continues to speak to you today? This is one of those hymns. I've known it as far back as I can remember singing it in the Baptist church we went to as a family waaaaaay back.

Last week I picked up a young guy with Downs Syndrome who goes to College every day. He's friendly and usually tells me really really bad jokes on the ride to or from his school. Just after I picked him up I had to pick up another lady from a Senior's residence. When she got on the bus she recognized him and said, "oh there's our singer, Driver have you ever heard this young man sing?" I said I hadn't and that previously he had only told me jokes. She encouraged him to sing telling me he could put more feeling into a song than anyone she knew so I told him to go for it.

And go for it he did. He pulled out all the stops. He had a book with him and this was the song he picked. All the verses to "It Is Well With My Soul". He poured his heart and soul into it. He didn't sing on key but he sang all the words with every fibre of his being and you know what? He blessed me right down to my socks.

Last year when we went on retreat we walked a labyrinth for the first time. If you haven't tried it, find one. It's a spiritual experience. I walked and talked to God at the same time and asked Him for a word for me for what I was going through at that time with a family issue. I was being challenged and stretched and not sure that I would make it through to the other side without falling apart. And the word God gave me was "It is well with your soul" and I knew then that things would be ok. And they are.

I find so often today that church music is just all flashing lights and a big show and speaking only for myself, I don't get a thing out of it. I miss the days of singing the songs that mean something. I've often asked "what on earth are they going to sing to us in our nursing homes when this is what they're learning now?" But that's a whole other subject.

So for today, It Is Well With My Soul.

And I'm Back...............

One thing about a week is that it goes by very quickly. We arrived home bright and early Tuesday morning. The week was wonderful. Lots of Mother and daughter bonding, me running beside my mom down the street saying "can you not slow down even a little"?








We had the best weather ever imaginable. Warm, sunny days, not too much humidity and hardly a cloud in the sky. Just the right climate for walking and walking and walking, because it IS what BB does best. We walked everywhere and enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of Hawaii.








We visited with friends at our familiar places. Becky took us to Halekulani to listen to sweet Hawaiian music and watch the hula. We liked it so much we went the next night on our own.















We sat and listened to the sweet sounds of the slack key guitar under a star-lit night with the moon hovering over Diamond Head just before it dropped.














We drove around just spending time together in the car with a dear friend who's lonely and just wanted to hang out. We had lunch together at the Country Club where we always go and oohed and aahed over the scenery just like we always do.
















We went for a second tour of Shangri-La, the home of Doris Duke, a wealthy heiress who invested not only her wealth but her time and energy into creating an oasis built by the beach. The place is incredible and only available to see by appointment.



















We went to church down at the beach and although the service was disappointing the highlight was the girl doing the gospel hula to "I Know My Redeemer Lives". That was fabulous and a real treat.









For Mother's Day we went to the top of Waikiki to the revolving restaurant and enjoyed fabulous food and endless scenery. It was a great way to end the week. Every year BB says "this is my last trip to Hawaii, I'm old you know" but I always tell her I think she's got one more trip left in her. Here's to you BB!

Aloha!!! I'm leaving Monday for a week in Hawaii with Bad Betty. We'll be fine, don't worry about us. LOL. We can find our way around, we've done this before. Ala Moana Shopping Centre here we come! So cheap on da Bus too! We'll be visiting friends, enjoying good food and laughs, walking the beach in the morning and along the canal in the early evening.

Until we return I leave you with these pics:

Craziness

Since we've decided to put our house on the market we've been out looking at other people's homes. As potential buyers we look for size, the shape it's in, the location, stuff that's important to us. We've seen lots and it amazes me the amount of work people put into selling a home. Or not. Some homes are like walking into a magazine show place...oooh, ahhhh, very nice. Some, not so much. Like, you did know you were having people through your home this afternoon didn't you? Flushing toilets is always a good way to start freshening up your home. Little tip for ya.

Yesterday I THINK we saw it all! We went on a tour of homes available that meet the criteria of our wish list. Our realtor took us to see a few units that we really liked (especially the first one). AND THEN. She said, "I have one that's fabulous, the only thing is it belongs to a 95 year old lady and it's a little cluttered." No biggee we said, we can handle clutter, we like old ladies, it'll be fine.

OMG! First, the people were home. Soooo much easier viewing homes when they're not home but oh well. This odd looking man opened the door to let us in and mumbled some apology about "you know, Mother's here with us, it's not very tidy". In amongst the piles of stuff that was everywhere was a recliner with a very old fragile looking lady. We said hello to her, no problem. Then I saw the Christmas tree. With all the lights on.

We kept moving. Strange man went and sat on the couch, old lady still in the recliner as we followed our realtor into the kitchen. She climbed over some more piles of stuff and said "Watch yourself" as we followed behind. There wasn't an inch of countertop space without something on it in the kitchen. Food everywhere, old magazines, stuff on top of stuff. Cupboards open and drawers spilling over.

Went to see the patio off the kitchen. Very nice. Private little patio across from a park. We could picture ourselves having coffee out there in the morning. Not so bad. We went back inside and the realtor started heading down a hallway and a lady called out "Not yet, don't come in" So we waited patiently outside a bedroom door until we got the word to 'come on in'. OMG.

We were in the master bedroom and a lady who appeared to be the daughter of the 95 year old lady was standing there who began apologizing. She thought we were coming the day before and they "worked until 5:00 before they realized they had the wrong day". I thought to myself, what was this place like before you worked on it? The master bedroom closet had a huge rack full of clothes. Unfortunately the rack wasn't strong enough for the large burden of clothes and it all laid on the floor. Everything, all of it, on the floor on top of the 122 pairs of shoes. But her wedding dress was hung up on the doorway! Whew, wouldn't want the wedding dress to get crunched! Then she showed us the bathroom and there was a coat in the bath tub and she told us that BC Hydro had a new policy of people wearing their coats in the bath tub and not using up so much hot water. Alrighty then, that's when I was starting to get scared. She went into the shower and pulled out a nylon coat that was hanging there and began to tell us this story that the coat was lined with possums when she got it and wasn't it beautiful. Well, really what can you say to that? "No crazy lady, your nylon coat isn't lined with possums?" I wasn't about to argue with her as I couldn't remember exactly where the nearest exit was at this point.

It just went downhill after that. By this time Chris was breaking out into a sweat and look of panic went across her face - that look that says "Get me out of here now"
Oh yeah, I can read her.

After the laundry room tour that included her telling us how she had painted it pink to make it nice (it wasn't pink at all)(and it wasn't nice) to showing us the second bedroom and all the tables in it because her husband can't see the clock at night and wakes her up to know what time it is. (Maybe that's her problem? Not enough sleep?) I don't know. I just know that by this time we were ready to scream and high tail it out of there. Our realtor was in stitches when we finally got ourselves out.

As we walked around the front of the building the crazy lady was standing on the patio waving to us saying "Have a nice day". Oh we will lady, now that we're not in your crazy house.

The sad thing is when we got home we looked up the listing and saw that it was a beautiful home, not cluttered at all when it got listed over a year ago. The clutter's happened since then and the poor old lady's probably slept through most of it while the crazy ones took over. It's been on the market for over a year. Nice place, just needed a little work. Oh, and the crazy people removed.

Happy Birthday John. Today would've been John's 56th birthday. I can't imagine. He was sick for so long and hung onto life by his toe nails so many times. I remember one year he told me he had been in emergency 79 times in one year. More than once he'd had a mild heart attack, someone called an ambulance. En route to the hospital he had a more serious one and he was told "if you hadn't been in an ambulance you wouldn't have made it". It wasn't his time to go then. When it was his time to leave us he did it peacefully at home on his couch. I still miss him a lot. I miss his big voice and his quiet gentle spirit that loved the Lord so much. He was one of a kind.

Family Day

A glorious day. All of John's kids were able to join my Mom and me for brunch in White Rock. Every April we all try and get together but this is the first year that everyone could make it. It's wonderful to see the kids and the darling great granddaughter Alaia, what a doll.




Derek's looking good. I haven't seen him for a few years. He's the bartender at the most expensive hotel in Vancouver and loving it. He moves jobs a lot and can't seem to quite settle down anywhere or with anyone but that's Derek.


Josh and his wife are expecting their first child in June. Just last week Gina had to go for her yearly check-up at her cancer doctor's. He wanted her to walk with him on the cancer ward and introduce her to others who had the same cancer she had 5 years ago. He said it was to show them hope. Here she is, working full time and pregnant! They are both so excited.



Josh is launching out on his own as a graphic artist after working full time for years and free-lancing. Good for him. He's talented, hard-working and very creative. He's like his dad in so many ways.



Niki is always the sweetheart and brings her Oma flowers. She's a great Mom and it's hard to believe that Alaia will be starting kindergarten in the fall. Wow!~ Where does the time go? Alaia was off to dance class in the afternoon and pretty excited about that.

Happy Easter

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

It has been GORGEOUS weather these past few days, wow! After a horrible winter (we didn't think the pile of snow in the mall parking lot would ever melt) we finally have some sunshine!

Sometimes I feel like I have the best job in the world. Today on a beautiful sunny afternoon I drove a bus load of seniors from a Care facility around White Rock and Crescent Beach. Just because that's what they wanted. Their faces lit up when we got close to the beach and they could see the ocean from the bus. They talked about the cottages at Crescent Beach and what they remembered about going to White Rock when they were younger.

It's been a little crazy around here with purging and painting and cleaning and all of that but it's happening! We saw a few places on the weekend that we both really liked and felt like we could call home. But we don't know. So much is unknown right now, so we'll wait and see in the next few months what will happen. In the meantime we know that God is in control and as we trust Him for the big picture the little things will take care of themselves.

It's Been Awhile

since Bad Betty and I went to Hawaii so we're looking forward to going in May. It'll be Mother's Day and my birthday all rolled up into one nice weekend celebration. We are such creatures of habit. We like to stay at the same place - done. Contact the same people - done. Plan the same menus - done. same activities - done. Why? Because it's what we love. It's what we enjoy. We are people who enjoy doing things over and over again, making wonderful memories and enjoying the time we have together.

This May marks what would've been my parents 60th Wedding Anniversary. So that means it's 20 years since my dad went to be with the Lord. We like to remember those times and as my mom ages I feel it's important to spend that time with her, remembering.

To All My Fans

If I haven't been around much it could be because there's been lots of cleaning and sorting and painting and trimming going on around here. We're putting our townhouse on the market and not sure what we're doing after that. We are looking for something that will meet our need for space while living closer to town making Chris's commute easier.


Oh, and in the meantime we've decided to sell the cottage so we're putting that up for sale as well. We just have to get ourselves up there to get things ready to do that.

Then, there's the cat who needs to have his stitches out today because of the biopsy they took 2 weeks ago to see what's wrong with his sweet little self.

The only one ho hum around here is sweet little Benson. He just runs into the nearest closet and hides. Maybe he's onto something.

look what I found

My mom and I are going to get together on Saturday to have a picture day. She has lots of family pics and I am trying to put together a heritage album for our family. We have very few family photos as there were a lot of years members of my family didn't speak to each other for whatever reason.

This is Summer 1977 after my nephew Derek was dedicated. I was home from Hawaii and John and Lynne had bought their first home. I can't remember if Ralph and Lani were together or not or had just come for the dedication. There are a few years that are rather hazy on their relationship. John and Lynne separated many years later.

It's not hard to see why Chris is my mom's favorite daughter-in-law.

Maggie

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

Helen Keller




Today Maggie went to live in happier hunting grounds. I hope she's chasing lots of balls and eating lots of snausages and sleeping by lots of fireplaces. Those are the things that made her happy. Her health concerns just became too great for her and for us and after talking to our Vet we all came to the decision that it was Maggie's time to go.



We had Maggie for 4 years and she brought a lot of love into our home with her gentle quiet nature.
We'll miss you Maggs.

Friends

Last night we went out to our local community theatre and saw a delightful play called "Marion Bridge". The story of 3 sisters who return home to see their mother before she passes away. It was interesting on many levels to see the different roles the sisters took in their family and how we relate to those roles.

The oldest daughter was very artsy, lived in the 'big city' but was very lonely and drank to escape loneliness and lack of success. The story unfolded of how she'd had gotten pregnant as a teenager and was forced to give the baby up for adoption. She reconnects with the daughter and although you don't see a visible reconnection the emotions are there in the dialogue.

The middle daughter is the 'good one' who grows up to be a nun because she wants to serve God with her whole self but in the meantime loses sight of God and wonders just to whom she is loyal when she tries so hard to be so very good.

The youngest daughter is the 'funny one' and yet gets overlooked and dismissed because she's crazy. On a memorable trip to Marion Bridge as children the 2 older sisters have vivid memories of the day yet don't remember that the youngest had to stay home because she had chicken pox.

It was a good story and well done. There was quite a crowd of us that went from church and afterwards we enjoyed meeting at a friend's house for dessert. Good times.

It's great to have friends in the midst of all of life's changes. As I get older I find myself appreciating my friends more. Maybe because neither Chris nor I have a sister we find ourselves connecting with other women around us and enlarging our group of friends.

We All Need a Laugh So Here's Yours

What Religion is Your Bra?



A man walked into the ladies department of a Macy 's and shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said, "I'd like to buy a bra for my wife."

"What type of bra?" asked the clerk.

"Type?" inquires the man. "There's more than one type?"

"Look around," said the saleslady as she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, color and material imaginable. "Actually, even with all of this variety, there are really only four types of bras to choose from."

Relieved, the man asked about the types.

The saleslady replied: "There are the Catholic, the Salvation Army, the Presbyterian, and the Baptist types. Which one would you prefer?"

Now totally befuddled, the man asked about the differences between them.

The Saleslady responded, "It is all really quite simple ... the Catholic type supports the masses; the Salvation Army type lifts the fallen; the Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright; and the Baptist type makes mountains out of mole hills."

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters used to define bra sizes? If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood for, it is about time you became informed!

{A} Almost Boobs...

{B} Barely there...
{C} Can't Complain!...

{D} Dang!...
{DD} Double dang!...

{E} Enormous!...
{F} Fake...

{G} Get a Reduction...
{H} Help me, I've fallen And I can't get up!...

They forgot the German bra. Holtzemfromfloppen

Random Act of Kindness

Last winter when I was working nights all the time I told our night dispatch N. (who's a sweetheart) that while she was away in Mexico suntanning a memo had come out saying that from now on during the cold weather drivers would leave their car keys on her desk and when they called in at the end of the shift to say they were clear and coming in, she could then pick up their keys, go out to the bus yard, scrape the ice off and warm up their car for them. I thought it was a wonderful suggestion. Don't you think? She just laughed and told me how funny I was. After she told me she hadn't gotten the memo of course. I told her to keep looking.

Last week it was really really cold and I was working a night shift. After driving through a blizzard and hazardous road conditions I was more than ready to come in after clearing my last client. I called in and said I was on my way in. A few minutes later N. called and said it sounded like we were all heading in and she was just going to go outside and warm up her car. Niiiiiiice. So I reminded her of the memo. After a big guffaw she asked me where I had parked my car. I told her. "Out in the bus yard beside a big yellow bus." Another guffaw and then a hearty 'seeya when you get here'. Big laughs.

I pulled into the yard and waved at N. as she was scraping the ice off her car and warming it up, kept going to the far end of the lot where I had left my car, jumped into my car and started warming it up. Lots of snow, lots of ice, very cold car. About 10 minutes later after I had parked the bus and my car was all warm and toasty I drove up to the office to drop off my keys. N. was standing there in amazement. She asked me where I had parked my car and I told her, 'at the end of the lot'.

"OH NO" she said, I've cleaned the wrong car! What she didn't realize that one of the other night drivers has EXACTLY the same car as me and so sweet N. being kind went and scraped off his car for him! I bet he was surprised.

Moral of the story, when you're being kind to someone, make sure you've got the right person. You'd hate to be kind to the wrong person. LOL.

I Been Churchified

Yesterday was the day for all things churchy. In the morning we went to witness my friend Christine get baptized in the Baptist church, the full dunk kind. Christine and I have been friends for many years and this was a big step for her. She's more like how I used to be. I'm not sure if that's bad or good but going back to the Baptist church made me so much more aware of how my view of God has changed over the years. I'd forgotten just how much guilt gets heaped in an everyday sermon. Whew! I was glad that was over, especially when the Pastor started talking about the church finances being $14,000 in the hole and they were going to be looking for where the 'sin was in the church'. Oh my.

I guess it's been awhile since I've been in a guilt-ridden church, you know, attending the one we do now is really low on guilt so I'd forgotten just how much of a worm I am.

Then, last night we went to church AGAIN but this time back to the church where it all began for Chris and I as a couple. It was nice to see our old buds again and enjoy worshipping with them. The Pastor and I go back many many years to a ministry team in a Pentecostal church. He lost his credentials with the denomination when they found out his roommate meant more to him than just someone who helped pay the rent. After reconciling his faith with his sexuality and more years of ministry at other GLBT churches he began this one. I reconnected with him there and met Chris.

It's all been such a journey for all of us. From the guilt ridden conservative church to the liberal "anything goes" church. In between a healing balm for restoration of soul and spirit. It's all part of the journey.

Won't it be great when we get to heaven and we're accepted into His Kingdom just as we are? There sure will be some surprises. For everyone.

9 years smoke free

Today marks 9 years since my last cigarette. Oh the poundage! But the poundage is still better than the bondage. The best thing I ever did. Well, one of the best things anyways.