Our Budding Artists

Yesterday was Pop's birthday! He was on the road, driving his truck and got a phone call from all of us to wish him a ver HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Although we weren't able to big together for his special day - with the wonders of technology - we were able to email him the kids drawings after I scanned them in ... what an amazing age we live in!! Yes? (I'll bet you can remember when Ford introduced the combustible engine, right Dad? Oh the things you've seen :0) heehee ... BTW - Louis' drawing has Pop catching the "maximum amount of fish allowed by law" while Regina's fish "overflow-ith" ... Louis figures she's breaking the law, while I think it's ok to FANTASIZE a little (right, Dad?) Unless, they're actually Nonna's fish and she's just gone to get a bigger boat :0) Maria's picture is a tracing of Shooting Stars (wonderful mountain wild flowers.)

Anyway, the kids were so quiet this morning - I was able to have a little sleep in. I woke up to a call from Tony at work ... just checking in. He's so good that way - thanks, hun! I appreciate the way you "check up on me" ... Haven't decided if today will be a LOTR day or a Matrix day yet :0) But it's definately going to be a jammie day ... too cold to be outside! I've already had requests for bagels (I guess Mom's pancakes just don't cut it, hun :0)

Well, the troops are hungry - so I better get to it. Have a great day! Here's a quote to take with you today:

"The gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere...any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ." John Wycliffe

Christmas Is Here, Bringing Good Cheer :0)

I've got the Vienna Boys' Choir in my head singing the 'Carol of the Bells' ... I was editing a recording of theirs this morning to use in an email and I kept thinking about when I was a little girl - my dad took me to see them. I remembered being so excited! We were all dressed up and I felt so special and grown up being able to go to such an amazing concert. What a wonderful memory.

It got me thinking about my own kids. The way we spend time with them and what it is that we do together as a family. We have game night and we try to have at least 2 of our 3 meals sitting together at the table or around our island. Tony and I try to have at least a couple of times a month that we each spend individually with each of the kids. They always look forward to that time - and so do we. They're quite different when they're on their own :0) We also have the common bond of music and most importantly the Lord, to draw us together. But most of our activities take place in our home. We tend to drive everywhere we go and never discover our little neighbourhood. We went for a short walk on the weekend and were amazed to see the tremendous amount of construction going on! Houses that were not there less than a year ago had sprung up - it seemed like overnight!!!

I had an interesting conversation with a lady on the plane home from the States who is from Winnipeg but now lives in Connecticut. We talked about the fact that in the states you can actually get a tax credit for owning an SUV!!! (Tony and I had noticed the great number of shiny BIG SUV's we saw driving around everywhere). We also lamented the way that strip malls have sprung up all over the place recently where we live - it's not like having the little grocery store on the corner that you walk to and get to know the owner. Big business has swallowed up alot of that. In our old community, they've created a wonderful "inner-city" business AND living area that allows for an intimate relationship with your community. The problem is that pricing for this area is THROUGH THE ROOF!

Enough of my soap-box this morning :0) Anyway ... we've decided to do alot more cross country skiing this winter. My heart aches for the time I used to spend outdoors (like I did when I was growing up). Even on our recent vacation, Tony and I walked miles upon miles - it was great!!! We used to be outside ALL the time when I was a child. Growing up in the mountains provided a vast playground of hills, trees and rocks to climb and explore. There was always a 'pack' of kids playing some kind of game (hide n' seek, kick the can, street hockey, tag, or just racing down the hill on our bikes/skateboards/toboggans/knees/faces ... :0) Our kids just don't get that ... It was like growing up in God's playground!

I guess it's about living "intentional" lives when we realize that we have a desire for something different than what we have now. The only thing we need to do when we have a desire for change is CHOOSE ... we always have a choice to make - sometimes we have to be a little creative and patient if what we want is out of reach financially, emotionally, spiritually or relationally. But, we still have the choice. That makes me think about what I was reading the other day - it was a paper on Augustine (Calvin) vs. Arminius (J.Wesley) ... my brain hurt a little after that one :0) so I'll save that conversation for another day ...

Here's a quote to leave you with - a favourite of mine :0) I pray that you would know you are loved and blessed abundantly! :0)

"Important as it is that we recognize God working in us, I would yet warn against an over preoccupation with the thought. It is a sure road to sterile passivity. God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, ‘Oh Lord Thou knowest.’ Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints" A.W. Tozer

Pop's Birthday!

It's coming up fast!!! 

Louis' Birth

 

Regina and Louis

 

Maria's Birth

 

La Misericordia y Gracia de Dios

As you can tell, we had church tonight :0) The "Mercy and Grace of God" is what has made my heart thankful today and caused me to praise Him. I was so touched by what Pastor Jairo said tonight. I felt like God was whispering in my ear and saying, "See? I hear you and know how you feel ... you are not alone - I AM here." In the midst of every moment of our days, God is with us and knows our experience - He really does know our every need. He is our comfort, our strength and our truth.

Hebreos 4:14-16 says, "Por lo tanto, ya que en Jesus, el Hijo de Dios, tenemos u gran sumo sacerdote que ha atravesado los cielos, aferremonos a la fe que profesamos. Porque no tenemos un sumo sacerdote incapaz de compadecerse de nuestras debilidades, sino uno que ha sido tentado en todo de la misma manera que nosotros, aunque sin pecado. Asi que acerquemonos confiadamente al trono do la gracia para recibir misericordia y hallar la gracia que nos ayude en el momento que mas la necesitemos."

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us them approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Another verse that our Pastor used tonight at church was from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. The apostle, Paul is explaining:

"But He said to me: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Tonight, I remembered how God brought me through those three painful and difficult events. I remembered exerting a tremendous effort to maintain focus on RELAXING and TRUSTING that my body could carry out this task ... A task, that when I LOOKED at with earthly eyes - felt that there was no possible way that these babies were going to be able to get out! (In fact, I remember saying those exact words to Tony when I was in labour with Louis :0) Yet, here they all are!

During my labour with Regina, everything happened so fast that I was unprepared - yet I didn't need to be. I new what to expect - I'd been through it before - but I had taken for granted that I would be able to focus my energy again and failed to spend time thinking through the birth process before her labour! By the time I was in the "throws of labour" with her, I almost lost control of my ability to relax and it wasn't until my midwife held my face in her hands and made me look into her eyes while she spoke to me, that I began to regain my perspective.

During my pregnancy with Maria, I became quite ill - I suffered from insulin resistence symptoms and would have to sit quietly for ages to try and get my heart to stop racing away. It was during these hours that I learned to meditate and pray! What a wonderful opportunity I had to spend time reading Scriptures and listening to the Lord's still small voice. When I finally went into labour, the experience was joyful and full of wonder and amazement. I wasn't panicking or worried. Tony and I actually spent alot of time dancing together in between contractions!!! (I'm not kidding . . . :0) And when the pain became too great to stand, I got into my 'fishy pool' (in the middle of our living room) and heard the words of the apostle Paul, over and over again, in my mind: "When I am weak, then I am strong ..." The Lord truly became my strength - I have never been weaker than in those moments - yet I knew that I could overcome the pain and extreme effort by just TRUSTING in Him.

Sometimes I wonder how a God who came to earth as a man can truly sympathize with me as a woman? How could He possibly know how hard it was to give birth? Yet, Hebrews says that He is able to sympathize with my WEAKNESSES because He has been TEMPTED in every way. I think this can be true because our physical weaknesses are only the surface of our need ... Our weakness goes much much deeper than just physical pain - our souls are in much worse condition than our bodies could ever be and our need for physical healing is a reflection of our spiritual needs.

I am so thankful for the way God reveals Himself every day to all creation. God I pray that You would open our eyes to see and our ears to hear - You first, then to see Your people the way You do ... perfectly redeemed! En el Nombre de Jesus, amen.

A New Arrival :0)

At approximately midnight tonight, Tony's cousin will be arriving from El Salvador via the U.S., via Toronto with Tony's mom. He has quite an amazing story to tell of how he came to finally arrive in this part of the world. Tony has not seen his cousin for about 14 years ... we are all looking forward to meeting him and welcoming him into our family. He has gone through a huge process to finally be on his way here. We keep chuckling at how cold he's going to be when he arrives :0)

God alone knows the struggles "Kike" (Kee-kay) has endured in this years-long process to pursue a dream. I pray that we will bless him as a family in his arrival here and truly show the love of Christ to him. Naomi and Jaime played a great part in the opportunity God provided to be a part of this process and were able to share some precious time with him. I hope God will bless our time with him as well. (This is Kike and Paul when they were ALOT younger ...)

Well, I better be on my way. I am joining the Worship Team at church for the first "official" time tonight and Tony's already started supper (tortellini, salad and steak with our new 'sea-salt and garlic' spices from Epicure :0) Thanks, Cathy . . .

May I leave you with a prayer . . . from the book of "Ephesians - Chapter 4 and 5"

May we, as children of the Light, live our lives in full view as righteous and holy, unafraid to open the 'darkest closets' of our soul to You - by the grace and power of God who brought us to Himself, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. May we build others up according to their needs in kindness and compassion. May we be forgiving as we have been forgiven. Lord, grant that we may reflect Your glory in our thoughts, word and deed as we seek to worship You out of surrendered hearts. Father God, may we, as dearly loved children and out of changed hearts, be pure, holy and thankful for the inheritance we have received through Christ our Lord. In Jesus Name, may all that we are be pleasing and holy unto You, Lord. Amen.

Good To Be Home ...

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is on, Louis is building with his Lego, Gina is snuggled with her kitty under a blanket on a chair and Maria is desperately trying to finish her last few green beans :0) It's good to be home . . .

Last night, the kids and I watched 'King Kong' and made a giant anatomy puzzle on the floor. We missed the kids so much while we were gone - I find myself impulsively hugging them and staring at them. "Love you, Mom" . . . oh, my heart . . . "Thanks for supper, Mom" . . . what could be better than that? "Can I pray for you, Mom?" . . . please don't ever stop :0)

Lately, I have read alot of quotes about "excellence". After being faced with so many of the same kinds of thoughts and ideas, I usually (if I'm 'awake' :0) start asking, "OK, Lord, are you trying to tell me something?" I don't believe in coincidence . . . I've been thinking about the pressures of performance and perfection and how much I desire for the Body to know God's peace, unity and joy. How much do we need to pray for each other and seek the Lord everyday!

We live in a world that values 'success' and 'accomplishment'. Even in Scripture, we find verses related to perfection and striving towards the goal. If we're not careful, we can start to mesh the world's idea of performance with Christian spiritual transformation. However, these two concepts could not be more polar opposite. How often do we view others with our earthly eyes and determine that an individual's talents, gifts and purpose have value only when they meet up to the expectations placed on them by the world's standards? Forgive me if I'm getting on my soap box here - but in my search for sincerity within the Kingdom of God, I have often been left shaking my head in disappointment with the "business of Church". I wonder if the Lord feels the same? God help me not to judge, only discern, in the Name of Jesus. Grant us all a clear vision and understanding of the Worship You desire.

Out of our relationship with Jesus, flows the desire to love, forgive and bless others - just as He does. In that love is Grace, Truth, Wisdom, Mercy, Compassion, Strength, Courage, Patience, Kindness, Self-Sacrifice and the Knowledge that our lives are no longer our own. When we receive Him, we desire to Worship Him. I have often wondered about the "every-man" of Christian faith . . . the one who goes through life desiring only to know the Lord more and be changed by that knowledge. There have been well-known leaders throughout history who have effected changes in great ways around the world. What about the millions of believers whose names we will not know until we reach our own end and how did they effect those around them for God?

Vulnerability and excellence do not seem to pair well. How can one be vulnerable and acknowledge weakness while pursuing excellence? It is in our need that Jesus meets us. Even He, in the garden of Gethsemene prayed for the cup of sacrifice to pass by Him - to the point of sweating blood. If that's not vulnerable, I don't know what is . . . I am so thankful to know that side of our Lord - the part that allows us to see that even though we walk a path that can be pain-filled and full of hardship and toil - that He knows our sorrows, He knows our pain, He knows what it is to desire a different path yet chose to stay His course to the glory of God. Is this not perfect excellence? It is this Truth that caused Paul to sing in the dungeon!! I wonder if the guards thought Paul wasn't a good singer and probably shouldn't worship "that way" for all to hear in that prison? Perhaps if he'd only had a better voice, more souls would have been saved?

Forgive my cynicism. I too am in process and need the Lord's wisdom and mercy moment by moment. I too hope to see the glory of God revealed in His people . . . to experience the renewing of my mind by His Word and to give Him all the worship He deserves.

Somehow, I don't think this is going to happen when our focus is on our own performance instead of HIS. I know my own 'performance' is fairly poor according to the world's standards . . . but I also know, without a doubt that it is only the love of God that causes me to become a blessing to others as it changes me from within. Does that mean I'll suddenly become a better pianist, writer, house-cleaner (yikes!), driver, friend, mother, wife, etc. etc. etc. ? No - but it does meant that I will be able to do whatever God has called me to do moment by moment with the strength and wisdom He provides out of a heart of longing to worship Him who has freed me from death.

It's much simpler than we tend to make it out to be . . .

So, as my children have their baths and prepare for another day tomorrow - I thank You, Lord, for the way You love us all. Help us to come together the way You've intended. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear. May our desires to worship You just as we are, be a blessing to You. And may You continue to grow and change us into the people You desire us to be. Grant us peace and unity by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray, as always, in the Name of the One whose death and resurrection has given me life in abundance, my Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Web Album - Photos

Here's a link to all of our photos from our trip . . . I was a pretty enthusiastic "shutter bug"! Being able to go on this trip with Tony has been one of the greatest memories of our marriage so far. Everywhere we went, we commented on how thankful we were to be able to have these new and exciting experiences and see things we'd never dreamed we see.

Being able to spend the time with Naomi and Jaime and the kids was wonderful. Naomi has been a part of my family almost as long as I have!! We became friends at 6 years old and time has really flown by! Now that we have both become part of Tony and Jaime's family, we share an even deeper bond. God has had a plan for our friendship! :0) In all the changes that have been happening in our family's lives recently (changing churches and meeting new people, as well as moving to a new area of the city) it really meant so much to me to be able to connect with my Na Na - she has been a touch stone for me throughout my life and I have been truly blessed to call her my sister.

The memories of our trip will stay with us for a long, long time. What a blessing to be able to have the kids stay with my mom and dad, too! Of course they were just as excited to be able to go on their own trip :0) Louis' chess skills have reached almost 'professional' proportions (he says, "don't use the 'scholar's mate' Pop, or I won't play with you!" WHAT EXACTLY IS A SCHOLAR'S MATE ANYWAY?! Apparently, Lou was able to even out the game's scores and beat the pants off his Non and Pop in "Connect Four" . . . Regina came home able to play her Christmas pieces without looking at the piano and Maria is seriously trying to speak without a lisp :0) My Ma is amazing!

http://picasaweb.google.com/AKAlbum

Well, here is the link to view all of our 455 photos of our trip ... they start in with New Hope then to Philadelphia, and on to Washington D.C. and finally to New York. Enjoy!

A Highlight of New York

One of the highlights of our very quick trip through New York was being able to get tickets for a taping of the David Letterman show - we were in the FRONT ROW! It aired last night (Friday night) and you could see my face and Tony's ear!!! :0) It was a lot of fun . . . 

The NYPD Museum

One of our favourite stops was at the NYPD Museum ... This is Tony looking at a tool-belt from a fallen PW (Police Woman) on 9/11 ... she and many others had amazing stories of bravery and courage. 

One of my favourites!!

Tony had a chance to visit with a couple of New York's finest . . .Violetta (from Columbia) and Fusario (a Brooklyn Italian . . . ) Very nice people! 

Across the street from Broadway

Here's one of the Broadway theatres as well as the David Letterman and CBS Studios 

When the moon hits your eye ...

...like a big pizza pie - that's amore!!! New York and "la bella luna" ... what more could a girl ask for?! 

From the top of the Empire State Building

This is what we saw on my birthday! 

The Love of One Good Friend . . .

What a great day we had! We walked miles upon miles around D.C. and enjoyed the fresh fall air. It was a wonderful family day.

I'm just a bill sitting on Capitol Hill . . .

Heehee! If you're as old as I am, you'll remember Saturday morning cartoons and the little "Bill" that sang that song (remember the numbers song to '12'?) Anyway . . . this was a great way to end our day . . . I have so many pictures in my mind of all the beautiful places we saw.

'Bou' Coffee, right Na?

We saw this little coffee shop on our walking travels - Na thought it read 'bou' coffee and we couldn't figure out how to pronounce it . . . 'bow' or 'boo' . . . until we realized that there was a post in front of the "CARI-bou" ... we had a few chuckles over that . . . Then I tried to take someone else's drink . . . Thank the Lord for forgiving hearts - I got in the way of someone else's caffiene! :0)

We're Back!!!

Well, we made it home ... touched down into Calgary Thursday afternoon to snow and a nice "cool breeze" ... ah CASA DULCE CASA (home sweet home :0)

What a wonderful trip we had. It was so great to be able to visit with Naomi and Jaime and the kids IN PERSON :0) Pennsylvania is a beautiful place ... I've never seen trees like that! Huge maple trees everywhere - and lots and lots of water!! We managed to hit 5 states in 5 days ... we were a little bit tired :0) We went through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York and New Jersey ... wow! The traffic was unbelievable - it almost always took us twice as long to get home from our travels.

I'm going to break my entries in half to be able to add some more pictures. These are picture from our trip with Na and Jaime and the family to Washington D.C. I was very overwhelmed by the history we encountered on our entire trip - but I was especially touched visiting the Abraham Lincoln memorial.

It brought me to tears to be able to read his words - and know that his passion for the freedom of all people was rooted in his faith in Jesus Christ. I have often experienced and seen misdirected passion - desires that are motivated by selfishness, greed, a self-centred need to be accepted, respected or recognized . . . to name a few. But, to ponder the effect that this one man had on the lives of so many because he was affected by the Lord, truly inspired me. To what? I'm not sure ... God only knows - but I'm so thankful for His presence and the ways He has worked and continued to work in each of our lives. It helped me to see that to acknowledge and embrace a purpose beyond ourselves - to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind ... and to love your neighbour as yourself - affects our motivations moment by moment. It removes fear. It breaths life into our souls and changes our perspectives.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy our photos ... we are glad to share them and hope to read your comments.