Unexpected

These last 7 days have been quite interesting for me. It was of those times in my life that when I look back it will bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart!

Last Tuesday I came home from work with a slight cough and thought nothing much of it. That is until I woke up in the middle of the night with a painfully sore throat and a fear to cough knowing how much it was going to burn in my chest. In a mere few hours I went from feeling ok to I am no longer sure what is happening. When I woke Wednesday morning my throat was still sore and I felt horrible. As the morning progressed it all got worse to the point of not going to work. Sore throat. Coughing but would much rather hold my breath as it hurt so bad. Fever. Sweating. I guess you could say I was sick. But being I am stubborn I just didn't realize how sick until much later that day and into the evening.

That evening my dear sweet friend Pam, after much convincing and straight talk, had me packing a bag and heading to her place to be taken care of. I was more concerned about them catching this from me then being taken care of but boy am I glad I went. Upon arrival I dropped my bags at the door and made my way to the all too familiar lazy boy. I thought I would be sick for the night and back at work the next day. Was I wrong!! I finally made it back to work Monday....5 days later.

But I learned a few things in 5 days of being taken care of while sick that I don't think I would have learned if I wasn't sick. Interesting sometimes how life works out the details.

I learned...
~ Friends are priceless and will do whatever it takes when they can. My friend graciously gave up her bedroom for me. She opened her home to someone very sick. She tended to my needs. She showed a love that had no conditions attached. She ran errands for me, made tea with honey, cooked meals, bought medications, made sure my cats were fed and even a run or two to Starbucks was done.

~ Rest is a good thing. there were times she had to be stern in telling me to rest as 'resting' is not something I do well....but I am learning.

~ Friends come in all ages...young and old. Richard bless his heart, is an amazing 10 yr old. He was so concerned about my fever that one night he put a cold cloth on my forehead, a frozen towel on my neck and then knelt beside me with a bowl full of cool water in which he would dip his hand and gently run it on my arm. This simply blew me away!!

~ You can't always leave when you want to. I tried to leave Friday morning to go to work and then head home only to break out in a fever once again. My bags were all packed, the bedding changed and I thought I was on my way. My body had other ideas. So back to bed I went yet again.

~ You need shoes to go home. Richard decided at one point to hide my shoes so that I could not go home. I thought this was a genius idea!

~ Sometimes you can't plan. I never planned on getting sick and surely never planned on staying at Pam's for so many days but through this journey I learned a lot.

~ Love is not always something felt....it can also been shown.

Even though I was sick I would not have changed any of these past 7 days.

I believe it is at times like this that a friendship grows stronger. When we are not at our best is when we are most ourselves. I wore pj's and bedhead for most of those sick days and it didn't matter to Pam or Richard what I looked like, what mattered was on the inside.

I know I am truly blessed and loved! What a GREAT feeling!!

Vacation Time

Well I am finally on vacation! It has been a long haul since a break at Christmas time. My vacation actually started August 1 but this past week I was kept busy with a few things; so as of today I am officially on vacation until August 30!!

I have had so many people ask where I am heading for my vacation and I have said I would be staying home; I live in the Okanagan surely what more could someone want for a place to rest and relax. As I sit on my deck this evening and enjoy the cooler evening air for a change; from where I am sitting everything is as it should be.

Sure I have a list of things I want to accomplish while I am off and likely some will not get crossed of the list but that is ok with me. I want to spend time at the beaches and parks, I have a few books I would like to read, I would like to work on my book, spend time with friends in making memories, maybe every now and then have a nap in the afternoon but most of all make sure I am rested and ready to go back to work in 3 weeks.

So far this summer has been interesting. There have been challenges and there have been eye opening experiences and days where I feel I have been run over by a truck. There have been blessings that really came out of nowhere, when things looked rough God stepped in and turned things around when I never thought it was possible.

Usually I head to my mom's in Alberta for the beginning part of my vacation time but this year I didn't and it was odd to be at home but at the same time it was good. Last weekend I had Pam and Richard at my place (which is a one bedroom apartment) as their place was so hot due to the weeks of heat and their home facing south. They really needed a place to sleep and veg that was cooler and thankfully my place worked out well for that to happen. We made the sleeping arrangements work with very little effort and even my cats figured out the new temporary routine. Thanks guys for coming! It was a great weekend!!! It did my heart good!!

August for me is a time to pull back a bit and figure out what the rest of the year will look like. All too soon Christmas shopping will be upon us and I will be wondering where summer and the fall went. I am very much a planner and thinker; although I am getting better at having times of just 'living in the moment'. It has been easy to learn that but I have a great teacher showing me by example.

How are you spending your summer or your vacation time?

May 2010....family, friends, laughter and more!

May long weekend of 2010 is one I won't soon forget! It was a weekend full of fond memories, laughter until my stomach and back hurt, a wicked towel/PJ fight, quiet time in the country swing gazing up at the 80 foot trees and many more memories to look back upon.

I had the privilege of being at my mom's in Sundre AB with my dear friend Pam and her son Richard. Let me just say it was a weekend of 'first's' for Richard and I am positive some for Pam too.

Richards 'firsts':

Thursday; first time in car for a long road trip and first time to Alberta. Honestly I didn't know what to expect from a 9 yr old boy during a long car ride. Thanks to Gravol he slept for the first bit and then once awake we started to have fun. We sang crazy songs, we laughed and continued to answer the age old question 'are we there'. He was so good in the car in fact often you wondered if we didn't leave him at one of our stops along the way he was that quiet.

Friday; first campfire, first time roasting smokies, first time roasting marshmallows, first time poking around in campfire with a stick, first time sleeping in a cabin and first time driving a golf cart in the RV park. This night for me was special. I was honored to witness so many things this night that Richard did for the first time. At first it was odd to think he never did these things before as my childhood consisted of this stuff so how on earth could someone's childhood not! I guess not all childhood activities are the same.

As most of us know a campfire is interesting to watch as the flames dance from log to log. Sparks can fly at you in a moments notice and in the next your eyes are shut tight as the smoke has blown your way. My mom took Richard into the shed and shared her secret on how to get colors in the flames. She puts a copper pipe in the fire with a secret ingredient inside of the pipe and once it becomes hot the flames turn colors from purple to blue and green and of course surrounded in orange.

Saturday; first time playing a game of scrub baseball, first time having a lemon meringue tart (he was ok till my mom said the top was an egg as he thought it was a melted marshmallow), first time getting hit by baseball in scrub game on the leg (left a bit of a goose egg).

Sunday; first time attempting to pet a donkey, first time feeding horses, first time tossing rocks in the local creek and first time to a country church. Did you know donkeys are stubborn!! They got just close enough to the fence for us to not be able to reach them. However we did find a life size Donkey from Shrek!

Monday; first time entering BC coming from Alberta, first time at Emerald Lake for lunch and first time to survive a long road trip!

People are very interesting. And when you take people from different life styles or backgrounds and put them together for a few days it is a kind of wait and see mentality of what can or will happen. We adjust to each others needs and wants and enjoy each others company as you never know when it will end. I know I tried to make the most of each moment.

I so enjoyed this weekend. Time with family is invaluable! Time with friends is priceless and life changing. I distinctly remember one evening lying on the bed and laughing with Pam so hard I could barely move.

And when you stay in a cabin that has a holding tank for waste water instead of sewage you learn quickly how to improvise and we learn even faster how spoiled we are to live in the city with all the cushy amenities. I actually like the simpler lifestyle and I think partly as I have started to become more earth conscience in regards to reuse and recycle. At first it was just a concept....now it is part of life. Of course my simple life style still includes internet and TV, but there is something so soothing about sitting on the porch in the fresh air enjoying what God has so carefully created for us.

There was a moment were I had to be a redneck plumber and below is a picture of my weapon of choice! Not going to explain why.....you can use your imagination. If you know anything about marine toilets you'll understand.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend and I can't wait to do it again!!

She is Here!

She is here!! My sweet little niece is here. She was 6 weeks early; born March 3 instead of her due date of April 12. Her name is Iris Katherine and she weighed in at 4 pounds even. Even though she is early she is strong! She is breathing on her own, has a few leads on her and a feeding tube, but so far she is proving though she is tiny she is mighty!! Thank you Jesus for her safe arrival and that Lord you have already made her a fighter!!

I can't wait to meet her. I can't wait to be a part of her life. What that looks like I have no idea as my brother lives in NL, but God knows and he will provide ways that are greater then I could ever imagine.

My sister in-law continues to recover and my prayers are with her. I also pray for Iris to continue to get stronger each and every day and that soon they can go home as a family.

Auntie Jan

2010

Ok so it is not an original title for this blog...but for me it works.

I have also been locked out of my blog until today so yes this is a bit late getting posted but none the less it is now posted.

I much the same of most of you can’t believe another year has gone by. It seems as though the first day of a new year is a day of reflection of the year just past. As I sit at my laptop today putting thoughts into words and I am intrigued by what 2010 can hold. The possibilities are endless!!

I have never been one for making New Years resolutions for several reasons but to me it just seems to be a useless idea. If you have to wait 365 days for a New Year to make a change in our lives was that change really that important or worth waiting for to begin with?

Then of course there is the idea of a clean slate. And seriously do we have to wait for a new year to get a clean slate; doesn’t Monday morning for all intensive purposes work the same way? All diets start Monday morning, all daily exercise programs start on a Monday, all the wonderful thoughts of not having a crazy hectic week start on a Monday but are only foiled later on during that week. Do we really need to wait for a new year or a Monday morning? What would happen if we just purposed that in the next moment whatever we need to change in our own lives or habits we just change? We don’t wait but we seize the moment for what it is and run to it with everything that we have.

I know for me this year I have things that must change! And I honestly can say I didn’t wait for the New Year to come so that I can begin those changes. For me at this moment in time it is a revelation of newness, a revelation of change that can and will only bring great things into my life!

When I awoke January 1, 2009 I didn’t know what my year would like. I had no idea of the valleys, turns and mountaintops I would be on or in. At times I felt like I was on a road that only had switchbacks, you know the ones so sharp that you need to look out your side window of the car as your windshield is not quite pointed in the right direction yet. Many times I found myself at a fork in the road with of course one road looking much more appealing then the other and yet knowing it was the less attractive road that I needed to be on. God has blessed me immensely in 2009 by taking the less traveled road.

I am excited to see what 2010 holds. I know I have a new baby niece on the way in April and I can't wait to meet her!! I am open to opportunities for God to use me in ways of leading worship in my home church and outside my home church. I am open to God growing me into the person he has created.

So will your 2010 look the same as your 2009? Will there be significant changes in your life? Will you take the less traveled road and be wonderfully blessed?