Thankful! .... and photos

Our house is a disaster zone! Pretty weird opening sentence for a post about thankfulness, hey? But we are just coming up to our last week in Hepburn, and we have been sorting, packing, filing, and storing like crazy! The mess is necessary and even.. good! We moved to Hepburn in a mad rush, so this opportunity to be methodical and strategic is VERY welcome.
This is our bedroom.. how do you like my new cardboard dresser?!

Note to those in Hepburn: our shed is full of stuff we'd like to sell or give away.. feel free to stop on over anytime and check it out! There is still a porch swing, some shelves, some cookbooks.. all sorts. We're not kidding!

Here are a few summery pictures...

Syd and Abby at Martin's Lake. Ab as usual pretending the camera doesn't exist.


Owen, Trev and Braden with Eryka.


The sweet guy I've been married to for FIFTEEN years. :)


My very handsome nephew, Bradley!

The boys spent two days spreading gravel on our driveway. Our tenants will be happy not to contend with the puddles and mud after a rain!

Haily sharing (shoving?!) her food with Syd.

Eryka in my 'weed bed'.

This past week, my sister Karen and her husband Bryan helped us out. I am so grateful for their effort.. they drove all the way to Hepburn from Winnipeg because they are just that amazing. I am deficient when it comes to organizing. Once I have an idea I can run with it, but two of my sisters (karen and Lorrie) are MASTERS at figuring things like this out. I know we'd have done okay without them, and I know we have awesome friends in Hepburn who were very willing to help. But somehow, this was just the right thing. I am really, really appreciative! Thanks for the time, the drive, the fun memories, the heavy lifting, the sorting, and the great day at the BEACH. (Karen and I also had a fun night at Prairie Ink Saskatoon, where she bought their last copy of the 43 things book!) Both kids were super glad Karen helped them with their rooms, because I tend to just get annoyed with the mess. So does she, but somehow they're more okay with that.

And finally.. Owen and Joey at the speedway last weekend. An 'epic' shot, according to O!

15!

Its rather late and I really need to get to sleep.. but I had to sneak in a little post about Bren. It's our 15 year anniversary today. FIFTEEN YEARS since we said "I do".
This is a big milestone and we have a lot to celebrate.
We are both very much 'the same' as we were the day we were married - Bren is as laid back, easy going, and kind hearted as he's always been. And he never stops being so much fun!

At the same time, we're both very different people from who we were on our wedding day.. kids'll do that to you! Actually, its a lot more than having a family that has changed us.. but that is perhaps another post.

For now, a few photos of my wonderful husband:


(with a very ugly fish likely caught in the Red River.. with his beautiful daughter at Auntie Lisa's wedding... and with Linda Pauls and Monty Hall at a Variety event) (quite a random assortment, I know.. as I said.. its LATE!)

Who, being loved, is poor?
-- Oscar Wilde

As I think about these 15 years, the reminder to LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE, AND LEARN comes to mind. Doesn't that sum up the journey? We have lived through many wonderful seasons, we laugh til we cry often, love really HAS held it all together, and the learning never stops.

an awesome day

I spent the day in Saskatoon with my wonderful friend Gloria. Before I tell you about the day, let me tell you about Gloria. I am blessed to know many caring and thoughtful people, but Gloria is among the caring-est and thoughtful-est. She has been my friend since the first day I moved to Hepburn, and I've thanked God for her more times than I can count. She seems to be there whenever you need a kind word, a good friend, or someone to pray with in safe silence.

We wanted to check out the 2nd Ave Sidewalk Sale and the Rouge Gallery. We happily did both as well as lunching at an awesome English Pub and visiting a most excellent 2nd hand store!

We spent a good hour or so in the gallery, and both picked out some favorite works from the many on display there. Gloria is drawn to tree filled, nature-y pieces, while I am drawn to more abstract ones. I think trees remind her of growing up in Northern Saskatchewan - a beautiful part of the country.

(If you have time to browse the gallery site, check out Celebration by Sandor Monos, Manipulate by Rick Pilling, and Interpretation by Chris Bowman - these three spoke to me. I could have spent the day there! I would have posted the images, but its not allowed.)

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."- Anais Nin

so we're more typical than we thought... ?!?!?

Have you checked out 'stuff white people like'? Its a funny look at North American society. I am ashamed of how close to home it comes sometimes, but no matter what its usually hilarious! (There's a book available in addition to the blog!)

#120 is about how white people like to take a year off periodically in life. Sometimes they serve or volunteer in order to pad their resume during this 'year off'.... :) hhaaahhhaaa.

Thanks Paul for posting the link.

Engaging

Both in online and in person conversation lately, the subjects of the emerging church, tradition, social justice, and unity/disunity have come up quite often. Surprisingly so and in interesting combinations. Here are a few links to check out if you're interested in this discussion.

Lisa posted this link on Facebook today. The post talks about how we can veer too far in the direction of either engagement with or devotion to Jesus, at the exclusion of the other. Interesting thoughts.

Jamie's blog featured this post about the new 'Jesus manifesto' (Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola)a couple of weeks ago.. he also linked to an interesting response to Sweet and Viola's manifesto.

I'm interested in this dialogue. I'm learning as I read scripture, talk to friends, read others' thoughts, and just ponder it all.

One of my 'responses' came from some extended time spent journalling while on holidays last week. I really enjoyed leafing through some old magazines, collecting images that 'spoke'. The result was a prayer collage of pictures, quotes, and stories that remind me of some important things, like:
-the world is so much bigger than what I can know or see
-eternity is unfathomable
-one size doesn't fit all (nor does one expression of love)
-the church is always engaged in mild, moderate, or extensive reformation
-beauty always exists, hope does prevail (even though broken community and injustice are so painfully real... and excruciatingly necessary)

For tonight, I'm encouraged about the 'engaging' I've noticed..
I'm encouraged about the passion I've heard.
I'm encouraged about how much emphasis there is on love.
I'm encouraged by genuine devotion to Jesus.

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else..." From 1 Thessalonians 3

(wow.. this is two posts in one day... don't miss our holiday pictures below!)

holiday pics

Couldn't resist putting some photos of our holiday on ... I only have one of our cameras, though, since one stayed with Syd who promptly used up all the room available at the Jonas Brothers Concert in Winnipeg on Sunday night! She had seats that were PRIME (thanks Uncle Jon) and had a great time going with Auntie Karen.


Cousins sharing guitar knowledge. Brad can now play 'the Final Countdown'.
The general craziness of a shared meal!


I AM Canadian.

Naw, I don't look like Daddy at all.

Lisa is always the Gourmet Breakfast Cook. This year's offering: French Toast with Brie and White Chocolate.

Four amazing husbands!

A little sniper action from the roof. Getting down was somewhat of a problem, though... :)

Our little girl on her last day of elementary school. Honestly, how is this possible?!?!?

Just one more non-vacation shot; Fathers Day lunch at Venice House. We laughed and acted a little silly this day, good times! On Mother's Day, we make charts, plan for the future, and evaluate our family priorities. On Father's Day we have food fights in public. That sums up our family dynamics!!

April Raintree

We just got back from our yearly family vacation in Whiteshell Park. We had a great time!! This year was a bit different, we added a new cabin to the mix and couldn't really plan in advance for the ways it changed the dynamic of our time there. As always, we were all sad when Sunday morning arrived and packing up started.

On the long drive to Manitoba, I read April Raintree aloud to the family (well, mostly Brendan, the kids think my reading is dumb now that they are so old! - but Owen did listen to the last third or so of the story...)

Have you read this Canadian classic? If not, or if its been a while, you should pick it up again this summer. Beatrice Mosionier is the author. It is a fictional (but entirely plausible) account of two biological sisters and their journey as women of Aboriginal ancestry, as they reconcile personal and cultural realities. It is an easy but profound read.

Here is an excerpt from book, written by one of the sisters:

White Man, to you my voice is like the unheard call in the wilderness. It is there, although you do not hear.
But, this once, take the time to listen to what I have to say.
Your history is highlighted by wars. Why is it alright for nations to conquer one another in an attempt at dominion?
When you sailed to our lands, you came with your advanced weapons. You claimed you were a progressive, civilized people....
White Man, when you came, most of our tribes began with peace and trust in dealing with you. We showed you how to survive in our homelands. We were willing to share with you our vast wealth. Instead of repaying us with gratitude, White Man, you turned on us....
When we, the Indian People, realized your intentions, we rose to do battle, to defend our nations, our homes, our food, our lives. And for our efforts, we are labelled savages. Our battles are called massacres.
When our primitive weapons could not match those that you had perfected through centuries of war, we realized that peace could not be won, unless our mass destruction took place. And so we turned to treaties.. and ran into your cunning trickery. We lost our lands, our freedom, and were confined to reservations. And WE are held in contempt.
White Man, there is much deep, simple wisdom from our forefathers. We were here for centuries. We kept the land, the waters, the air, clean and pure, for our children and for our children's children.
Now that you are here, White Man, the rivers bleed with contamination. The winds moan with the heavy weight of pollution. The land vomits up the poisons that have been fed into it. Our Mother Earth is no longer clean and healthy; she is dying.
White Man, in your greedy rush for money and power, you are destroying. Why must you have power over everything? Why can't you live in peace and harmony? Why can't you share the beauty and the wealth given to us by Mother Earth?...
White Man, you say that we are a people without dignity. But when we are sick, weak, hungry, poor, when there is nothing for us but death, what are we to do? We cannot accept the life that has been imposed upon us.
You say that we are drunkards, that we live for drinking. But drinking is a way of dying. Dying without enjoying life. You have given us many diseases... the worst disease, for which there is not immunity, is alcoholism. And you condemn us for being its easy victims. And if you don't condemn us, you weep for us and pity us.
We, the Indian People, are dying. The land we lost, it is dying too.
Weep not for us; weep for yourselves.
Weep for your children.
Because you are taking everything today.
And tomorrow, nothing will be left for them.


I found so many parallels to scripture in this little essay. Can you hear Mark's admonition to have eyes that see? Can you envision one of the prophets delivering a stern, profound message like this? Can you see Jesus reaching toward, offering dignity that had been unjustly robbed?

Might is NOT right. I pray that someday, we, the powerful will get that.