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Things Hidden, Things Revealed
The headlines blare with the news of massive amounts of wildfires in our province. In our county many are forced to evacuate their homes because of fire out of control. It is tenuous times with much anxiety for many. I live in 75 acres of trees. Having wildfires close at hand creates many moments of wondering If we too will be forced to find shelter somewhere else. Going through my home, finding all those special and valuable items, is bittersweet. Many lovely memories are tied to some of these things. The thought of their loss is deeply saddening. At the moment, I feel better with some of these things packed…
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The In Between
Have you ever been caught hanging, not really in one place or in another – that wretched place of indecision, confusion, or disillusionment? Those days of not knowing can cause havoc with our systems – both physical and emotional. As I sit in the in between at this moment, my heart is heavy. My brain is foggy and concentrating seems impossible. I am lethargic and strained. This generally out of sorts feeling just drags me down. At moments like these, hope seems fleeting. It is incredibly easy to delve into the bad aspects of the situation and lose sight of the positive. The waiting seems indefinite and my patience weakens.…
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Where Did I File That?
In my work as a teacher, one of my tasks is to help my children learn how words are put together in order to both read and write them. After a few days of doing excellent work on spelling words on their individual whiteboards I asked my students to write a story. As I made my rounds, checking student work in progress, I was surprised to see many of them incorrectly spelling words in their stories that we had been working on lately in word study. The next day as I talked about the importance of putting what they learned about words into practice, I grabbed a piece of paper…
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Imitate What is Good
You’ve met them. They frequent almost every crowd and ease their way into situations where they are not welcome. On the outside they might appear to be all they should be, but they harbour deep feelings of entitlement and superiority. These people figure their agenda is always the correct one. After all, they know better than everyone else, so they think. A connected value they seem to share is that of selfish ambition. They are thinking more of their own advancement and power than the needs and wants of others. The Church is not immune to the influence of people like these. Most church groups have those that fit this…
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Could I Have a Compliment Please?
My head is reeling. Where do these words come from? How can someone I think of as a friend say something so hurtful? I had been happily walking along my school hallway when I met up with someone whom I trust very much. Our conversation was short, yet it pummeled me in the gut. All my old insecurities reached for the surface and pain took over. I struggled through the remainder of the afternoon and when I reached my car at the end of the day, the tears flowed freely. As I made my long commute home, I tried to process all that was said to me. Having someone question…
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Miracles From Heaven
Sometimes something comes across your path that just inspires you. God is like that. He reaches out to us in so many ways, touching our hearts with His message of love and hope. Recently I watched the movie Miracles from Heaven. It is a moving true story about a young girl who has an incurable stomach disorder. Her journey of pain is a difficult one to watch – throwing up constantly, being fed through a tube, living with a distended stomach, enduring multiple procedures and tests. My mother heart ached as I watched the mother in the story fight to find out what was really wrong with her daughter and…
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The Ripple Effect
My students are enjoying a scientific study of liquids this month. We have liquid races to determine viscosity. We take water and see how it changes between steam and ice. They love exploring all the properties of different kinds of liquids. One thing that intrigues my students is the pattern of water when you drop a single stone into it. This ripple effect is beautiful to watch and the students marvel as the circular ripples fan out from the initial impact point. When we went to speak to our pastor about funeral arrangements recently, one thing he spoke about was the ripple effect that my in-laws have created. It is…
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The Call to Grief
It’s the middle of the night. We awake from a solid sleep to the sound of the loud ringtone of our cell phone. Phone calls in the night are rarely a good thing. This call is no different. A family member is dead and life will never be the same. The phone message starts the spiral of grief. As we mechanically move to get ourselves dressed and out the door, our brains are in a fog. We put the car in drive and speed through the night on autopilot to get to our dear ones. The scene we encounter at the care home is both heart wrenching and peaceful. Our…
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When Danger Beckons
I drive along and all is quiet. It is pitch black outside with snowflakes hanging tenuously on the spruce trees I pass by. Pristine countryside surrounds me and the radiating light of the stars is refreshing. The beautiful scenery and calm are deceiving, however. As I continue my journey, not much is visible ahead even though my high beams are on. As I move ahead, I pray for a safe journey. Then I see it. Just a whisp of light reflected in something. It moves and turns. I slow to a creeping pace, feeling that something is out of place. There it is again – that ever so subtle reflection…
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Reaching Out to Those Who Need Us
Some days I really wonder what God is doing in my life. As I trudge through my day, I question why life has to be so hard at times. How am I supposed to move forward with so many obstacles? If I constantly focus on the obstacles themselves, I get weary and downtrodden. This kind of attitude really doesn’t get me anywhere. It helps to have a change of perspective. God is working in our lives each and every day, through both good and bad circumstances. While we may question His purpose and plan when things are tough, He does have a reason when He allows us to traverse through…
