A Thoughtful Gift & A Pleasant Walk

"I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun."
Charles Swindoll

Yesterday I had a package from my blogging friend John of John's Island.  We have been friends for awhile now and have come to find we enjoy certain things that speak to simple pleasures in life.  One of those is coffee.

John lives in Seattle and I live in Vancouver. Both of our cities share similar weather patterns and the residents of both simply love their coffee. Do you think it has anything to do with all the rain both of our cities get over the winter months?

My wonderful care package; coffee mug included.

This morning I enjoyed my first cup of these "new to me" coffee. It was very nice!I even got a wonderful mug showing the Seattle Skyline.

It is a dark roast and I usually drink medium roast but I enjoyed this coffee very much. I even drank it black when I normally take cream. 

Receiving the gift was a lovely thoughtful gesture.

You meet some of the nicest people through blogging.

Most of  my regular viewers will know that we've been having a very hot summer
this year with little rain to speak of. One can see the dry grasses everywhere in a city that is known for lush greenery.

Still you can't beat the walks along the waterfront.

 

Joining in with Our World Tuesday

Updated - Giveaway for a Cause

Hello friends,

I wanted to share this really cool giveaway (from Joy) and a  craft exchange with fellow crafters.

Its being organized by blogging friend Joy, a talented crocheter who lives in England.

The poster says deadline is February 14, 2015 but Joy has extended the deadline to February 20th to allow all you crafters time to participate.

Please read how it all works at Joy's blog here.  You have a bit beyond February 20th to get your craft item ready for shipping. I know I like to receive something from another crafter far away. It's almost like Christmas :-)

Thanks so much!

Changing Skies and Moving Forward

 I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

~ Nelson Mandela

Ever since I was a child I always had a sense of optimism and hope.  My faith in God is a big part of that.  But even before I knew what faith in God was I had a sense of optimism and looking forward to future possibilities, joy and dreams.  If I wanted to do something, I didn't think of the obstacles; only the fact that it could be done.  I realize that not everyone feels this way and I know I didn't exactly get it from my parents.  So where does the joy and hope come from?  The idea that things can get better or will improve? That all is not lost?  That there is still life to be lived?  I think it must be a gift from God himself and for that I am very blessed.  I start this new month of February feeling oh so very tired but hopeful for a wonderful month ahead.  Even baby steps in a future direction are better than no steps.

We have had a delightful winter weather-wise because we've seen more sun and had less rain than I can ever remember over the winter season. It has helped me to get my walking exercise in and I haven't suffered quite as much in the knees.  With the start of rain again I can surely notice the difference but I have hope for a brighter day ahead. My hope comes not just from my faith but also seeing some results in how I feel physically as a result of exercise, better diet, acupuncture and herbs. I am still going to sleep far too late and I'm working on trying to do better in this area.  One night though I was up so late (or early depending on how look at things) and I snapped this photo with my camera phone.

My night photos aren't the best but I love how the city lights twinkle in the dark.

The past week has also been busy with a number of things I won't write about it all but I told you in this post that I was going to attend a fashion workshop with a friend.  We went on Friday night.  There were about 17 ladies altogether.  We sat through an interactive 2.5 hour long workshop on fashion and dressing for your body type. The young ladies who gave the presentation are designers and they were a lot of fun. They brought in  all kinds of clothing and modelled them while they gave their talks.  It made for an interesting show.  Next week we are doing a clothing exchange.  Each of us has also been assigned to wear a particular colour.  No doubt the colours will illustrate why the colour is good (or bad) for us.  I've been assigned to wear magenta which I already know is a good colour for me.  But I cleared out my closets a few weeks ago so I will have to dig deep to find something suitable.

A friend I haven't seen for a long while told me he is moving out of the city, albeit temporarily. He will likely return this summer to commence a new chapter in his life by returning to university for his 3rd degree. In the meantime he is off on a holiday and for an extended visit with family members.  We had occasion to get together for coffee and reminisce a bit before he had to pack, be out of his apartment and fly off in the early hours of Saturday morning.

News of family illnesses kept me close to the phone this week. I have one cousin who was infected with MRSA a few weeks ago and has been in hospital on life support for a few weeks.  Just yesterday she was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and into a regular ward. I have no idea how long she will be in hospital but am grateful she is on the mend and that she has the support of her church. I can't even go and visit her because she is about 1200 miles away. One of her sisters who lives even farther north had been visiting with her but unbeknownst to me was also scheduled for major surgery to remove one of her kidneys.  She underwent the surgery on Wednesday this past week and was already discharged and flew home today.

It is hard for me to believe how they could send someone so far from home on such a long journey before her stitches have even healed. My cousin lives in a very remote community where there isn't even a hospital. I just pray she will be okay. Her husband has been "holding the fort" and keeping the money coming in as my cousin couldn't work while keeping company with her sister. Living in a remote northern community can be very nice and has advantages but it is also incredibly expensive and the downside is being so far from extended family and not having any available medical or hospital facilities.  I've been praying for both of my cousins and am so happy that one of them who was so near death, has revived.  I had just talked to her in late December and was shocked that a week or so later she was struggling for life in hospital.  It really drives home how fragile life can be.

To relax a bit I've been reading more this week.  Reading is one of my favourite hobbies but I've been trying to cut it down a bit this year so I an focus on other things.  This isn't really working, lol.  This time I've picked up "Long Walk to Freedom" which is Nelson Mandela's autobiography. I decided to  read it after recently seeing the movie.  The book fills in a lot of gaps about Mandela's early life, education and political development.

This book is currently half price through Amazon or Chapters.

 
I was out and about in another part of the city the day before and took these photos for you.  This corner of the city is called Granville and Broadway.  Both of these are very prominent thoroughfares in the city and I thought it would be interesting for those of you who have never been to Vancouver to see what a typical street looks like.

This view is on Broadway facing East. Kaplan signage & building  has been there ever since I first came to Vancouver many years ago but most of the corner has changed.

Broadway Street facing East. If you carry on this way you will get to the neighbourhoods of Kitsilano and farther on you will get to the University of British Columbia.

This is the shop right on the NW corner of Broadway & Granville. Tea is sold here.  The window is reflecting Kaplan's across the street.

This is at the corner facing south on Granville Street.  Head south and you will eventually get to the Vancouver International Airport.   If you visit Vancouver and take a taxi into the city you will come down Granville Street.

The "Aristocratic" signage on the window of Chapter's Bookstore is in homage to a restaurant/diner that occupied this corner of Vancouver for decades.

Little flowers stalls like these dot the city but there don't seem to be as many of them as there once was.

This is at Granville & Broadway facing north on Granville. You can see the downtown highrises. You must cross the Granville Street Bridge to get to downtown.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday
 and
Weekend Reflections
 and
Mosaic Mondays
and
Our World Tuesday 
and
Blue Monday

Start to the Week

 Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest... It's about who came, and never left your side...

- Unknown

Another week begins. I am blessed that though we were having cold weather, it has warmed up a few degrees.  Better still we are having clear skies and lots of sunshine.  This is a rare treat at this time of year and it is supposed to last all week! Yah!

On Friday I bought a new pair of flannel sheets. I already have some neutral coloured sheets but I wanted some plaid ones to change them out when I am doing the laundry. I bought this blue, red and white tartan and they kept me very warm during my first night of use.

I've been wanting something in shades of red and gray for some time.  The neutral pillow cases in the back are also made of flannel.

 
You might remember that on Friday I also went out shopping for a few little gift items and for a food care package for my mom.  I am hoping that she will be feeling a little better by the time the package arrives in a day or two and she will have some thing to eat late at night.  Where she lives they give her a snack after dinner.  But a few years ago she started a habit of having a bite to eat before bed and the care homes do not provide food after 7:30 p.m.  She gets agitated if she doesn't have anything to eat.  My brother and I buy her food for a few weeks during our visits. Once in awhile I post something to her in the mail and other times we have something delivered.  Delivery doesn't work so well because they don't shop for just the right things at the right price. You get what you get.  Sadly they don't seem to be able to provide anything at her residence for late night munchies even though the residents pay a fortune to live there.

On Saturday I prepared the care package for mom and prepared a few other small parcels and cards for posting.  I took them in to the post office though they won't actually get picked up for delivery by the mail man until Monday morning.  It is better if I take the cards and letters in over the weekend.  That way they will go out very early Monday morning before I am even ready to go out for errands.

Parcels and envelopes ready to go. My table is a mess (again).

I am so glad to have some of my parcels done.  Though the real Christmas mail rush has not quite begun I already missed one of the cut off dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery to Africa.  I am still hoping the mail gets delivered earlier than expected.

I spent a part of the weekend resting because I feel like I'm coming down with something.  My tummy doesn't feel quite right and my chest feels very unusual too.  I did get the flu shot but that is no guarantee of anything. My mother got the flu shot too and she is currently fighting a very bad case of the flu.

Saturday evening I continued reading this book I picked up 2nd hand entitled, Below the Peacock Fan:  First Ladies of the Raj. It is a very interesting account of 4 British ladies, all of whom lived in India at different points during the time of British Colonial rule.  It's fascinating to read what their lives were like a few hundred years ago in India.  Soon I will also finish the wonderful book, The Perfume Collector, by Kathleen Tessaro.

I'm looking forward to meeting a few friends tonight for a cooking session.  We cook in pairs and work on different parts of the menu.  Then we all sit down and eat together. It is always nice to see friends.

If you are part of the Crochet-A-Long on Thursdays, I probably won't be updating again until I finish the afghan. It may take awhile.


Have a wonderful week ahead!

A Glorious Day After All

Everyone must have felt that a cheerful friend is like a sunny day, which sheds its brightness on all around; and most of us can, as we choose, make of this world either a palace or a prison. ~ John Lubbock

 Today started off cloudy and threatening to rain.
(I didn't get a photo of the cloudy sky for comparison).

I was getting together for breakfast with a friend from Alberta, who if I am lucky, I get to see once a year.

Last year it was coffee and muffins at my home. This year it was breakfast out. Her treat.

We dined, drove around, then dined some more.

I forgot to take photos of the food.

Well it wasn't much. 

She had a BIG salad. I had clam chowder soup and a fresh Caesar salad. It was the first time I've had Caesar salad without the romaine lettuce leaves being torn into bite sized pieces. But the capers were certainly nice!

The day turned  out to be sunny and warm.

The scenery from my chair was spectacular.

I love days like this.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.


Joining up with Our World Tuesday.

Monday & Meeting a Blogger Friend

Today is a beautiful, sunny day in Vancouver.  Though there are some grey clouds around it is a bright and beautiful day.

Taken Monday from my balcony.

Yesterday, it was so lovely to meet Kay from Medicine Hat and her Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel blog.  Kay came into the city while visiting family and friends in the Lower Mainland. We had a chance on Grey Cup day to meet and get to know one another over coffee.

The coffee shop was jam packed with students studying and cramming and people watching the Grey Cup game on the courtesy screens. At times it got a little loud, but we carried on talking over the din.

Kay and I have a mutual blogging friend, Jo, and that is how we came to know each other's blogs.  Kay has a kind heart as she was one of the people who contributed to help this little boy in Kenya.  We didn't get a chance to take a photo together.  Perhaps next time.

This is Kay.

 Kay is such a world traveller and we had a lot to talk about.  If I keep on travelling perhaps I can catch up to her journeys and perhaps some day we will have another chance to meet again.

I'm happy because this is the second blogger buddy I got to meet in person.  Both experiences have been wonderful. I hope I get even more opportunities in future to meet more blogging friends.

 To cap off the day, the BC Lions won the Grey Cup!! Yeah!!!

I was pleased to see I had captured seagulls in flight in both my photos today.

Mom's Friend, Jean

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.

John Churton Collins

Mom has a good friend with the same given name "Jean".  They have been friends for many years now.  Jean was actually the pastor's wife at the little church where I went to Sunday School as a child. Her husband was a school bus driver who pastored the small church where I was allowed to attend on Sundays and during the week even though my family were not Christian.

I loved that church. I loved going to Sunday School and learning scripture verses. I especially enjoyed Christmas and the re-enactment of the biblical story of Jesus' birth. Jean's son would faithfully arrive at our  home several times each week to take my siblings and I to church services and functions.  Once or twice a year, my mother would attend church too and "pretend" she was a Christian. We laugh about it years later when mom realized she wasn't fooling anyone but herself.  Yet everyone was so gracious and loving toward her.

After we moved away from that small town and the "little church" as I like to call it, the pastor and his wife Jean moved to Alberta, the province next door.  A few years later he died of a heart attack.  His wife and only daughter, the youngest of the children,  have been living together ever since. I've never seen them since I was a child but my mother and Jean have kept in touch over the years, especially after mom became a Christian and a widow herself.

I wanted a pink brooch for Jean but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. This pin was the closest I could come to finding what I wanted. I think the addition of the pearls matches nicely with the winter white pashmina shawl.


Through the years the two women have remained firm friends, seeking each other out for heart to heart conversations and for prayer for family and health needs.Jean is about 10 years older than mom.   Mom's health has steadily declined in recent years and not too long ago mom asked me to help her buy something for her friend, Jean. Of course I readily agreed.

A friend loves at all times.

Proverbs 17:17

After some reflection of Jean's age and limited needs, I decided upon a nice shawl and pin which Jean could wear to church.  She could also wear the shawl around the house if she feels a child.  Since I was buying a gift for mom's friend. I also bought something similar for mom.  She can wear them when she attends church services at the residence where she now lives.

You can't really tell but the shawl does match with graduated rose and plum colours which are picked up in the crystals.

My mother and Jean enjoying a long and wonderful friendship has been a comfort to me.  Over the years they have confided in one another and prayed with one another through many health episodes and other challenges.  As Jean advances in age and increasingly gets sick herself, my thoughts turn to her and her daughter and I offer prayers for their needs too.

In this year's Thanksgiving remembrance, 
I give thanks for my mom's enduring friendship which has not only blessed my mother,
but the entire family.

What are you most thankful for this year?

Meeting Jo

What a wonderful treat I had when I visited Kenya recently. I got to meet a blogging buddy and she is a treasure.

I met my blogger friend Jo in Nakuru Town when she and her husband made a pit stop on their way back from Nairobi to Kimwarer Valley. I was so grateful because it would have been a pity to be so close to her and yet not meet her. Through God's design and Jo's perseverance we were indeed able to meet and see one another in the flesh.

This is Jo!

Our meeting was brief but long enough for me to sense the special treasure that Jo is. She really is a delightful, gentle spirit.  Jo and her husband hail from South Africa but are currently living in the Kimwarer, Valley near Eldoret, Kenya.  I had a moment to introduce her to the three boys I was treating to lunch and they were thrilled.  In case, you don't know Jo yet, please see her wonderful blog here.

From left to right:  Martin, Hillary Joseph and Moses. You can read more about them here.

Thank you Jo for making time to meet with me. I hope we get another chance to talk in depth some day, Lord willing.

Friendship

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I stumbled upon this wonderful quote over at Hope Filled Magazine

Sunset over English Bay, Vancouver, Canada, Summer 2009

 

I'll Be Away

Hi friends,

I will be away for awhile visiting family so you might not hear from me while I'm gone. Though I will have my laptop my time on it will be limited since the wireless costs after using the allowable "bytes" is very expensive.

I have set up a few posts which will publish while I am away. 

I hope you enjoy them. 

As always, I love hearing from you.

People come into our life disguised as angels, and sometimes angels come into our life disguised as people. It is possible to see God anywhere. All it takes are open eyes and ears and the willingness to see miracles. They are everywhere. God is as available as we are. Having friends that inspire us to rise to higher and greater levels is an awesome gift. Surround yourself with people that inspire you to do better and inspire your friends as well. It is a profound truth that the people we spend time with shape the path that we travel.  http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/quotes/

Plans

Hi friends,

I hope you have all been doing well the past week or so that I have been away. Some of you know I am away at mom's trying to help her. I cook, do some light cleaning and shopping as needed. The real reason I am here is to help her sort her personal belongings and try to figure out what to give away, what to keep and what to pack as mom needs to move soon.

She lives in an apartment building that is difficult for wheelchair accessibility. She has lived in this difficult situation for some time now and has been after me to help but with work and sickness, I haven't had the kind of time that is really required. Now I am finally a bit "free" to assist her for more than a few days.

I haven't actually gotten started on the real sorting as there has been so much day to day stuff to get caught up on. The things that most of us can do ourselves; pay bills, buy daily food needs, cook, do dishes, wash floors, shop for household and personal items. These are the things that we often are not too fond of doing but when you can no longer do them, you surely wish you could!

Today (Saturday), we were supposed to start on mom's bedroom by putting away and sorting clothing but we were a bit lazy. Instead, we listened to some old George Jones tunes, I made some head cheese sandwiches and salad for lunch, simmered a chicken rice soup in the slow cooker for dinner & made a dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in the microwave (mom has no kitchen oven), cleaned and chopped red peppers, celery, carrots & turnips for juicing tomorrow and washed oodles of dishes.

Late tonight, after scanning the local paper for apartment rentals & making enquiries for senior care attendant services, I started dusting a seldom used bookcase. Oh my! There was so much dust and mom has so many allergies, especially to dust. I set about wiping down the shelves and all the books. It is now almost 3:00 a.m and I think it is more than past time for sleep. I will leave you with a few pictures of the "dust bunny free" books.

In a day or two, we plan to clean and sort all the clothing in the master bedroom and then begin sorting all the books and videos in the living room and kitchen. At the same time, I must try to find out what housing options are available and I also have some coming business of my own in Vancouver and meetings here where mom lives to sort out my niece's housing needs.

In all of these things, I trust and lean on the Lord God, the maker of Heaven and Earth. Otherwise, I would worry and fret. The plans of loved ones are riding a lot on my shoulders and I can plan and execute to the best of my ability. But most importantly, I must not forget to pray and lean on God in all things; for direction, wisdom and guidance. It has also been a great help to get the prayers of friends and supporters when times are particularly challenging. I am grateful for those that always to stand with me in prayer. They are a true treasure.

For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Tweety Bird

Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest.
...but about who came and never left your side.

Proverbs 18:24

. . . there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

NOTE: I am not the owner of these photos. A friend sent them to me and I am not sure who took them. I had to share them so you could see the miracle of friendship/love with your own eyes. God bless xoxo

Friends & Clutter

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:21

Yesterday I met a friend I haven't seen in a very long time for lunch. It took us three, almost four weeks of telephone tag to organize a luncheon date. Normally, I would give up after two phone calls due to low energy levels. But this time my friend was good at her own follow up, so we managed to get together.

I tried an organic green and beef salad with blue cheese. This is the second time I've tried it. The first time was absolutely pleasing to the eye and delicious to the palate. This second time was not nearly as aesthetically pleasing. Can one use the word "aesthetic" when it comes to food presentation? I'm not sure. But oh well, I just did! The salad plate was missing the eye catching red grape tomatoes I'd had the first time around. Sadly too, the organic spring greens mix looked as if they were wilted by the hot sun we've been having.

I did request, and receive, some grape tomatoes which made the salad look more appealing and I found that the taste wasn't too far off the mark. My friend had a veggie and cheese omelet with multi-grain toast. She didn't complain or comment so I guess it was fine. I didn't get photos because we were both a little hungry by the time lunch was ready.

Besides eating, it was simply nice to see my old friend again. As always when we haven't gotten together for awhile, we have a lot to catch up. But our luncheon and conversation did not seem rushed which was nice. She had to come downtown today for an appointment not too far from where I am staying. She was taking some kind of course for diabetics at the hospital in the neighbourhood so it was easy to schedule a get together once we finally did connect by phone. She later reported that her regimen of diet seems to be keeping the diabetes in check and that was wonderful news!

It seems that she and I are both at the stage of down-sizing and decluttering for potential moves. In her case, she needs to start thinking about the long term future as a senior citizen and is looking for a place with medical care on site and an elevator rather than stairs. In my case, I simply want to simplify for two reasons. Firstly, to make any future moves easier. Secondly, I just have too much accumulated in my small apartment, especially books and clothing.

My involvement with Kenyan missions made me realize how much "stuff" I have accumulated and how much I used to spend weekly or even daily; most of which was totally unnecessary. What I spend on one meal out can be translated to a set of bedding sheets or a mattress for a villager or school supplies for an orphan child, even medicine for a sick child or widow.

[Victor receives school supplies]

[Mercy, another child who needs your help]

I'm learning to be more frugal, do with less and send more to the mission field. I'm not feeling guilty about it. I've just come to realize that material things and accumulating more of them, holds little value in the big scheme of life. I've always realized this, but these past few years I have a much deeper appreciation for what this really means.

By consuming less, I save more of the green stuff. Both green money to send to Kenya and the green earth which we inhabit. Involvement in Kenyan missions has prompted me to examine my spending habits very carefully and make some adjustments. What I learned in the process about the kind of steward I am was quite eye opening.

I've always tried to be a good steward but I think there is always room for improvement. For the last two and a half years, I've been embarked on a continuous quest for improvement in this area. May I challenge you to look at your own spending and see if you can do more to help the Kenyans? There are really so many more needs at several missions. Much more than I can meet on my own. If you want to do something and see the results first hand, let me know.