Procrastination must DIE!

Okay, so that might sound a little dramatic... I was hoping to catch my own attention with that lead in!

Are you a procrastinator about anything? OR are you one of those people who just do each thing as it comes along and TA DAAA, it is all done and you never need to make a list?( this is a photo of me and my buddy Danny at the Faith and Sharing Retreat this summer, we did a spoof on AXE Body Spray!)

Pfffft! If you never need to make a list I need your cheat sheet! I find that sleeping comes easiest when I have a pen and paper near to my bed, so if I wake in the night with 'things' in my head, I can write them down, then I can sleep...for real.(this one is a photo of a small portion of the people who came to our housewarming a few weeks ago,we all wore crazy hats...I have a few! The party hosted about 70 ppl for which myself and Wayne did all of the food for, and I organized and we decorated, but Sue helped to decorate too!)

One of the things I have noticed in my post 30's portion of life, (yeah some of you can quit snickering now... you don't have a lot of room to snicker about!) that the only reason I ever feel BORED, is when I am procrastinating about doing something I don't really want to do.( Me and Manu getting some things organized for the party in the parking lot, many hands make light work, it is true...time for procrastination? NOT!)

Example #1:

There is a 5' x 5' storage unit up town that really needs my attention.... you will note that it is ONLY 5 little tiny feet by 5 more tiny little feet, sigh. May as well be 25 x 25 for the volume of brainspace it consumes. I have known more than one compulsive task master in my time ( you know who you are!) but as much as I wished for a tiny bit of it to rub off onto me...it never did. What the heck is that all about anyway?

Once those 'little' things are done that I don't really want to do, I am on easy street. Did I just say that? in my outside voice? Easy street?! Oy, where did that come from?

(this photo is of me making a MILLION tuxedo strawberries for a bbq in McLeary Washington last week... such a lazy bum!)

A few months ago, I was feeling a little ripped off by the circumstances in my life. I told a dear and wise friend about it, she chuckled and said, "Where in the world did you ever get the idea that your feet were supposed to land squarely on the ground and stay there for any amount of time!?" Okay, so she caused me to stop and think a little bit. It was good.

Another time I was asking God if I could just have a boring life for a day. Ya wanna guess what happened? Sheesh! Yup...it all cranked up... suppose the life I had been living up to that point HAD been the boring life... at least the one I was being allotted? Heaven forbid the people whose boring lives are more up in the air and wild than mine... who could stand it?(in this one I was at my dear, dear sistah-frenn's house and she had a hankering for cinnamon buns, so I whipped up a couple dozen...slackah!)

My thought life alone would do many people in! I have mentioned before that you do not even want to know how my mind twists and weaves and whirls and soars. NOT KIDDING!

It is all I know, so I am comfortable with it....

Interesting sidebar: Today, a friend/co-worker witnessed one of my very quick ( and funny I might add!) comebacks to a potentially less than wonderful moment in the office. She told me that she is always impressed with my speed of quick and usually quite uplifting remarks, she wishes she could be so quick thinking. My comment, and comfort, to her was, "But along with that 'gift' comes a whole pile of other things that you do NOT even want to know about! It is a package deal...sort of like when you get the family mansion but have to take the crazy old aunt and her 47 cats with it."

There is a reason why there is a saying something like, "Be careful what you wish for, you might actually get it."

On that note, I think I have successfully procrastinated my way to the "too late for tonight" portion of the list I am avoiding.

Whew, I was almost tempted to do something I don't want to in order to prevent another procrastination self-flagelation session. Got out of that just in time....think I will go watch a movie now.

NOTE: you must realize, if you have read any of my other stuff, that I can be a total hambone? I do struggle with procrastination in some areas, but I also have picked up a trick or two from the amazing "DOERS" in my life.

(Me finishing the decoration of the converted little boys room to HOCKEY ROOM>>>>just for love!)

Thanks friends, I am always able to learn valuable lessons from you and through you when I am willing. I love all of the opportunities I have to participate with you.... guess what... that storage unit? It doesn't have an expiry date! Whew!

Life as it happens, sometimes good, sometimes not so good.

Well, it has been quite a week.

I wasn't able to go to a old friends' brothers memorial this past Saturday as I already had an obligation out of town for the weekend. He was young, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, an uncle and a husband. Thursday evening I got a call that a lovely man, the father/father in law of very close friends had passed away unexpectedly. His memorial is this Saturday. Today I rec'd an email letting me know that a very dear lady who volunteers at my work has passed away and her memorial is on Thursday. Her passing is not completely unexpected, but sad for those left behind none the less.

What is it about getting a few years under our belts that seems to increase the ration of memorial invitations? Is it that we know so many more people or is it that time passes and it is just an inevitable part of life? I have pondered this for years.

Figuring it out isn't the goal, but understanding why has always been part of my thinking. DNA I suppose.
I have a strange affinity for death, dying, memorials, and funerals. There is no way to explain how this has come to be a part of my life. Even I do not understand it. My desire to support those in times of loss is huge. In 1986, when my aunt passed away in her 30's, I was 20 years old. It became apparent to me at that time that no matter how much people genuinely cared, there was nothing that they could say that was going to change the way I felt or bring a loved one back. It's true isn't it? Yet we strive, as humans (in general) to offer the very best of condolences, almost as if it will brighten someones day.
Hmmmmm, while I appreciate the gesture of compassion, it usually seems to fall a little flat of what the intention behind it was. While we are grieving, in the early stages, when it is still raw and ragged, really all most of us want to do is just hunker down and hide out, or snuggle under big duvets and sleep, or tune out via television or movies... or maybe sort through our loved ones personal effects, languishing in the memories and heart stirrings that are prompted by a smell or a photo, or the feel of something left behind.Not for a moment am I suggesting that we should not reach out, no matter how awkwardly, with a hand of compassion, a tender look, a loving word, or even food. I am merely trying to acknowledge the reality of what these situations create.
Stirrings of emotion, or even whelms of emotion, insane laughter sometimes, desperate tears and anguish other times. One may follow closely upon the heals of another with out warning. We may feel foolish, or angry, relieved or sad. Although we may laugh, I do not have a personal experience of being happy in these times. Deep seated joy may reside within us upon reflection of special times, when the one we loved was well and we shared something together that caused us to reflect upon that joy.
It is an exhausting week for many in our Valley, 3 families that I know of in particular are suffering the aftermath of loss even as I type this.

My heart goes out, sincerely, to the families of Chris, Bob, and Lorraine. May God cover them all with His peace that passes all understanding. Oh let them have moments of reflection of that deep seated joy I was referring to, enough to allow them to come through to the other side of the pain. In the mighty name of Jesus, I cry out for them. Beloved, let us love one another. We all have our gifts, let's use them to bless those that are hurting right now. Even if it feels unnatural....stretch out your hands. You may be surprised to realize a blessing of your own when you do.

Bless you my friends.

Love in a Bucket

Have I ever shared my Bucket Theory with you? some of you will have heard it for sure. I have about 5 mins before I need to carry on with the rest of my wildly crazy busy weekend.

So the Bucket Theory has been in my life for many years, at least ten I think. Oh wait, more, 13? Long enough for me to think of it familiarly...and fondly.



We have only one life on this earth. If you look at it like a Bucket, it is easy to see that only so much can fit into the Bucket. We choose what we put into it. We can fill it with all kinds of so-so stuff .....leaving no room for the incredible, amazing and awesome things that are just waiting to fill our Buckets... or we can leave room. Wait. Don't just fill.
Recently my Bucket tipped over, everything that was in there got sloshed around and some of it spilled out.

Guess what? God has put some pretty crazy fantastic breath taking stuff in there since then.
One of the things is my Beloved, all of you. I recognize that I, at 45 years of age, have been blessed with the priceless gift of LOVE. All of the people in my life who love me, show me love, speak love to me, write me love on my FB wall, in emails, via text, hug me, share with me, are real with me, you are all my priceless Gift.
Hallelujah for revelation of the priceless gifts available to me , I believe as a result of trusting and obeying the leading of my Great Big God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you Beloved for being in my Bucket, it is full and doth runneth over at times, wow.


P.S.
These exquisite roses were a love gift from my beautiful friend Claire in June.....tears well in my eyes at the beauty behind such gifts.

In Light of New Friends

Life has been happening steadily since my last post. There have been a few inquiries as to when I would resurface. Well... here I am! As far as new material goes, there has been no shortage. Many of your heads would spin just in the retelling of my daily adventures, let alone the living the really wild stuff. I am here to be your buffer. Oh don't I make the mundane of life sound wonderful? Ha ha ha!

I have made a new friend and that relationship is what prompted me to write a more current blog story. Fathers day was great and all but really- June? More than a few days ago for sure! (I Love you Dad!)

Since my last post many big things have happened in my daily life. The biggest and most exciting of which is my twin grand-boys! Seriously! Julia is having twins and we know they are boys. I am so excited. I was sharing with my friend today that as I watch her, and feel the babies move from inside of her beautiful burgeoning tummy, my heart wells up and comes right out of my eyes. True story!

My other children are all very excited. This is a big event for all of us. First grandbabies, first nephews, first Great grand babies. Wow. God is so good, we are blessed. Okay so maybe we are still reeling a little, but we know we are blessed none the less.

I have been spending quite a bit of time with friends lately who have 3 boys, all under the age of 10. They are beautiful, lively, and ALL boy. While I was over there this morning I mentioned to their mom that I could just see the time when the twins are about 5 yrs old and they are looking to her boys as the heroes and role models... how amazing that is going to be. As a parent, I have seen so many layers of this process. So now I am looking forward already to the next layer.

In my office I have 2 pairs of Crocs, size 6 months, they are hanging beside the art cards that we have for sale. Many a conversation has begun with , "whose are these?" Oh, let GiGi (double gramma) tell you about these cute little crocs! and on my desk are 2 pairs of the cutest little socks with little bear faces on them, they are formed with cardboard support shaped like little feet, on the top of each of them is a little tiny hat. Can you say CUTE!? I am hooked. Before they even arrive I am in love with them. Praise God for His perfect timing... I certainly hadn't entered this on my calendar yet! I actually blogged sometime ago that I might be ready in 10 years... okay, so I have adjusted my calendar! Bring 'em on.... I am ready.

The people who already know me are not surprised at my enthusiasm...but for those who don't know me, you may wonder how I can be so excited when not all of the details in this "fairy tale" are perfect.

Hmmmmm, could it be that I recognize that we are only in control of so much in our wordly lives? and the rest is given to us for us to choose how to embrace it or not? I choose embrace. I choose Love no matter what. I love these babies. Thank you Jesus! Oh I wish I could describe my emotions effectively in words. You would squirm!!

I have 4 children, and to be quite honest, having any children was not at the top of my "wanna do" list. Over the years I have commended God for saving my life by giving me these 4 incredible miracles. They have saved me time and time again. Just by being. Hallelujah! by Loving those little beings that came from within my broken and battered physical body, I have realized a capacity to love that I could never have known.

The end of my sharing today is followed with a photo of me and my "little" brother Kelly. The funny part is that Kelly is 2 yrs, 2 mos & 11 days younger than I am... but at this point he is about 10 inches taller! This photo was taken in about 1969, we lived in Victoria, B.C. My amazing and loving mumma woke us from a nap to shine for the photographer. This is the DNA line that precedes my grandboys. It makes me happy and it makes me smile as I recapture the memories. Family...isn't it just the most incredible gift? Not always what we think we want, not always easy or what we would choose....but oh, how unforgettable. I am thanking my Great Big God. A gift I may not have chosen. Priceless. Thank you Jesus. I love my family. Unconditionally. Forever.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

Can you believe it is Fathers Day tomorrow? Blink....time just flies..is it my age? or is this phenomenon happening to every other person around the globe also?

I will dig back into my memory for my very favourite time with my dad.

The age I was during the time of this memory is very vague to me at the moment.... maybe 7 yrs old? We were camping in our truck and camper, with our good friends the McKinney's. Jim and Linda were really good friends of my mum and dad, hunting/fishing buddies actually. They had 2 boys, Grant and Paul. G was my age and P was my brother Kelly's age, or very close anyway. My geographical memory is void of any particular point on the map, but the event is VERY clear.

We were trout fishing at a lake somewhere on Vancouver Island. Trout fishing had already become one of my favourite pastimes by the age of 7. It remains so to this day...close to 38 years later...oops, telling on myself again!

For some reason my brother was not out in the boat with us, the only people I really remember out their were Jim, my dad, and me. This may not be accurate, bear with me...the cobwebs also serve as clear memory blockers!

We had been out in the boat for quite some time, I remember this as I had had utilize "the coffee can"...yeah, boat lingo for "biffy"! A distinct recollection is being aware of how unfair it was that the males in the boat could so easily express themselves (smirk) by just standing at the front of the boat and letting loose! Today there is a phrase that resembles "***** envy" ...LOL...I think you get the idea.

As far as my memory serves, and on this I am POSITIVE...I was the only one in the boat to catch any fish. Darkness was falling, rain was falling, and I was slaying trout! WOO HOO! Good times.

Eventually we found our way back to ground zero, I felt victorious. What a great experience. In that moment, a stone was laid solidly in the foundation of my life.

Through out the years we spent a lot of time out in the bush, or at black powder rendezvous, climbing down the side of many a dirt road or highway to get to a potential fishing spot.

Those are the memories I cherish. That is the gold I store up.

My daughter is expecting my first grandchildren, yes that was plural. Twins, we know that one is a boy for sure, the other one was a little more discreet... so for now...baby A and baby B. I look forward with great anticipation to sharing that story and others with them. It is part of the legacy I hope will carry on. There is a very good chance of that happening since their mum's dad is also a great outdoorsman.
(this photo is a couple of years old...my daughter Julia (mum to be), Me, my daughter Chelsea, and my dad)
Gratitude for those priceless moments, that have paved the way for other priceless moments to come~that is what I am thinking about today.

Thanks Dad, I love you.

Lenders and Borrowers Beware

LIviNg LiFe to the fullest often means getting down and dirty with your friends. There are many ways in which that could be construed although I have a particularly dirty piece in mind.

Lending & borrowing. Are you a lender? A borrower? Or both? I happen to be both. The way we were brought up in my house was that if you needed to borrow something, you were better to be prepared to replace it in case anything happened to. If we lent something out we needed to consider it given away, if it came back in good shape that was a bonus. If we weren't able to do either of those, then we would be better off to refrain from borrowing or lending altogether.

Well, now I am all grown up, at least that is what the birthdate on my drivers license suggests! One of my favourite bands is the Barra MacNeils, my favourite album of theirs is called " The Question". On that album is a song called "Goin' Back" one of the lines is "and now I think I've got a lot more than a skipping rope to lend." True story.

So, quite some time ago, I was with a mini-gaggle of women. Oh yeah, it was fantastic! We know how to rip it up on iced tea, let me tell ya. The topic of borrowing and lending came up. As you can imagine, we ALL had a story or two (or twelve!) to share.

One time, in another life and in another land far away, there was a family that liked to borrow rather than purchase. This is an accepted practice when it is occasional. But, if you are going to take up skiing as a family hobby, and you have purchased a family seasons pass for …..oh let’s say…. Mount Swish…..BUY YOUR OWN EQUIPTMENT! Oops, my outside voice came into the house again! One member of the gaggle who has asked to remain anonymous shared a story. I will call her Blossom.

Blossom Responsible and her hubby are very organized, and take very good care of their belongings. Their children are being raised to take care of their belongings as well. So much so in fact, that after attending the annual ski swap that is held in the area of Mt.Swish, and purchasing their own 2nd hand equipment, they resold it the next season for higher value. Tell you anything?

So, enter Biff and Sissy (maybe not their real names), they are good friends of Blossom and Fred. They had decided to try skiing. Excellent! They borrowed the Responsible families’ equipment and hit the slopes of Mt.Swish. It was awesome! They loved it! They decided it would be no biggie if they used the equipment again the next weekend. Their thoughts were that Blossom and Fred wouldn’t mind if they used it, with out checking, and so the pattern continued throughout the season. Okay…so that was last season. Blossom and Fred, along with their Responsible kids, didn’t ski last year. This season they were pulling the gear together, making sure everything was in order, as they were planning to ski every weekend for their family outings. A long overdue call to Biff and Sissy resulted in the return of the toothpick and metal recycling quality gear being returned.

Hmmmmmmmmm, that would not have passed muster in my family’s manner of borrowing. Unfortunately Biff and Sissy had NO clue. Blossom and Fred did not want to create an issue out this painful learning experience. Lesson learned I suppose, but…there was a funny moment that came out of it.

On the night of the mini-gaggle gathering, we were hashing over the what if’s and how to’s to deal with this type of situation….I came up with a great idea! Okay, more bizarre or ridiculous than great…2 sets of everything! Easy peasy! If I am gonna be a lender, I just buy 2 sets: one to use and one to lend! That way, I always have my gear in great shape and ready to use whenever I want, and my Biffy/Sissy friends are happy too.

Lots of people would be really happy with this! The realtors are gonna benefit because now I need a way bigger house! Vendors and manufacturers are happy because now I am spending double on things that an average family would only buy one of! Biff and Sissy are happy because they can buy more shoes and polo shirts since they don’t have to spend their money on the sporting equipment, camping gear, and lawn care essentials.

What do you think? Good idea? Or all to familiar and painful? Are you Biff or Sissy? Hmmmmm, can I borrow your new…..LOL! Kidding, I don’t wanna borrow anything. But I know someone who does!


Note:
It was written, in 1602From Shakespeare's Hamlet,:
Spoken by Lord Polonius to his son Laertes:

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.*

Literally it would be written:

Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
For a loan often loses both the loan and the friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of the economy.*

(*www.enotes.com/hamlet-text/act-i-scene-iii)

Life

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Man plans and God laughs."? It is not biblical if that is what you are thinking! I love it. There must be a strong GOD DNA line in my gene pool, I laugh at myself a lot!

When I was 5 years old, there was nothing beyond going over to Brenda's to play dolls on my mind. Certainly not what kind of job opportunities would I be looking at in my 40's. Yet, here I am, looking at job opportunities. And Life.

Reflection can be a very harsh thing, but it can allow grace as well. My life has been filled with both.

The saving grace (other than Jesus!) has been my sense of humour. Hallelujah for that!!

I have found pieces of the most incredible humour in the midst of crisis, the death of a family member, the crumbling of a marriage, the loss of a job, or even the end of my uterus!

Is it indeed DNA? Or is it a choice? A decision. In moments I may succumb to my circumstances, but for the most part, I choose life, humour and optimism. Why not!

On the evening of September 10th, 2001, I was blessed to be one of a few hundred people at a seminar in Vancouver. The speaker was Patch Adams. The title was "Laughter in Healing". It was actually being put on for the medical community. My girlfriend Kelly is a nurse and saw the advertisement on a bulletin board at work. I will be eternally grateful to her for inviting me.

Patch is one of the most humble, lovely, eloquent, heart driven people I have ever seen in my life. Did I mention his sense of humour? We laughed and we shed a few tears, we laughed some more, and yes, we shed a few more tears. He has worn clown clothes for about 30 years. His hair is long, 1/2 of it was blue, he has this terrific showpiece of a mustache. Family, as in the human race, is his passion. Loving them no matter what. Going into orphanages in Russia with a group of 20 or more other love filled passionate people with terrific senses of humour. They brought smiles, laughter and hope to children and adults who had none. They splashed colour onto a country that was broken, gray, in despair. Hopelessness fills the land. Bring in the clowns!

We ended the evening, so grateful to be able to take a bit of that with us. I had furiously written notes throughout the entire evening. I still have them.

My mum and I were staying with a friend that night. We had a wonderful time, regaling her with the stories from the evening, we had aching stomach muscles by the time we went to bed.

The next morning at 5 a.m., Merrilee woke us up as I had to get mumma to the airport by 7 a.m. The television was on, Merrilee looked haggard. None of us will ever forget what happened on September 11, 2001.

The funny part....yes there is one! Country Bumpkin #1-Rebecca & Country Bumpkin #2-Mumma never bothered to stop and process any of the information that was being broadcast continually on EVERY television station in the electronic world....even in Vancouver! Yeah..... so, Bumpkins #1 & #2 proceeded to shed a few tears with our host, and all the while in shock and awe about what was happening on the other side of the continent (so how on earth could it affect us?) travel as planned to Vancouver International Airport.

You are shaking your heads in amazement.... no kidding. Imagine what we were doing when we finally came to!

As we were driving up the long road that is part of the airport entry way, Country Bumpkin #1 & Country Bumpkin #2 were in an incredulous state at the number of RCMP vehicles and Local Police cars and Airport Authority vehicles everywhere. WOW! Wonder what is going on here? Huh? We were stymied! (this is so hilarious that I am not even slightly embarrassed!)

Mumma hopped out of my car, kiss kiss hug hug, "Call me when you get back to Kelowna!"

I proceeded to head to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. I have this visual that I like to share. As I was leaving the airport, in complete Bumpkin Oblivion, that horrific morning of 9/11, I can totally visualize the gates locking, the bridges being blocked, the Authorities setting up check points ....bang bang bang, right behind me all the way. Can't you just picture it??? Dum dee dum, dum dee dum.....la la la la dee da dee da dee da.

When I arrived at the ferry terminal, there was no sailing for about 2 hours, Imagine That! So I got out of my car and headed over to the stalls of lovely things tourists love to buy. I found a fantastic hat stall, bought the most incredible black hat, it is my 9/11 hat. You will find hanging in a state of prominence among my other 47 hats.

Conversations were filling every available space, people were clustered, speculating, often suggesting they knew exactly what happened that horrifying morning. I couldn't stand listening to it anymore. With hat in hand I went straight back to my car. The windows and doors were shut tight, I pulled out my notebook from the night before. There was hope on those pages. I managed a few smiles while remembering stories that had been drawn from the heart of a man who lives to bring joy. Joy in the ashes.

Even on that day, I was able to realize moments worth smiling about. As the day progressed and we learned more about what actually happened, I was so grateful to have been able to enter and walk through the day with a different perspective. There was nothing on earth I could do on that day to change what had already happened. So I chose to look up and ahead. I chose life.