Grey Cup 2013 goes to the Saskatchewan Roughriders!  How can I NOT comment on this momentous achievement as a Saskatchewan country girl!
Just some trivia about my relationship with the Riders:
1. Born in 1966-the first year the Riders won a Grey Cup Championship
2. Married in 1989-the second win of the Cup by the Riders
3.  2007 - the year our ministry, Healing Hearts, purchased our own building and we threw an epic Grey Cup Party there-and the third victory-a van load of folks from our church drove/walked the Green Mile after the win!
4.  2013- watched the Roughriders climb to victory with my husband, son, sister & Dad in the General Hospital; a sweet victory!

The atmosphere around the city, where the Grey Cup was being hosted this year, truly was electric!  I didn't really attend any events or engage in the activities the week before the game, but newspapers, sports channels on tv, and radio shows were all about the upcoming game.  I went to decorate my Dad's hospital room for the event  about mid-week and couldn't find any "green" balloons, streamers or beads in a Dollar Store in the city! Crazy!
The closest I got to celebrity connections was on Friday night, when Walter, our son Daniel and myself were curling in our Rec league at the local Tartan Curling Club.  Randomly, the Grey Cup showed up at the curling club with Mike "Pinball" Clemons, Rod Black & some camera folks with TSN!  Rod Black commented to us all, "Bet you didn't know you were curling for the Cup tonight!"  Hilarious & exciting!

Now, its the day after the Roughrider victory and how do I feel?  Elated and deflated, I guess!  It was a happy win and double joy to win at home!  But now that its all over, I wish somehow I'd been able to be more a part of it-whether volunteering, taking in a Grey Cup event or even celebrating on the Green Mile!

But hey, no regrets!  I got to see the game, I can buy the tee-shirt and we can watch a rebroadcast with our kids sometime in the future!  The experience can live on...Go Riders!

I stood at the microphone with one minute notice that I was to do the "opening" for our worship service this morning!
Fortunately, I had something in mind that I might have spoken about during the sharing time later on...so I faced the milling congregation and called folks to find a seat.  Like most things at Healing Hearts, we're slow to start because people are visiting and enjoying one another.  I began to speak anyways, speaking loud enough to catch attention and be heard above the crowd.
As I shared about the kind of week I had and what God had done for me, I was encouraged by the ones who were listening and acknowledging they "heard" my heart.  But there was still a low-level buzz in the sanctuary and part of me felt like it is always a battle to gain order and be an "organized" ministry!
But what became apparent later on during the service was the reason for the noise.  Not any disrespect of people for God, nor the distraction of it being "Grey Cup" Sunday held in Regina...it was because we were having a "baby dedication" today!  Three new little ones had been born into our church family and today was to be the day the parents were dedicating these babies to God.
One family is new to Healing Hearts.  The young parents (with four children under 6 years old) stood at the front and declared their desire to teach their children the ways of the Lord.  While the pastors prayed, the three that could walk began a follow-the-leader game over and around the front row of chairs.  We knew they needed prayer & support to raise these busy little ones for Jesus!  They have shown forth a commitment to the church and ministry here and we are excited to see how God will use them in serving.
A single mom with two sons and a baby girl in her arms, stood before her church family to dedicate all three to the Lord.  She has challenges to raise these young ones without the help and partnership of a husband. She showed great courage and perseverance to bring forth her family to declare faith in Christ.  We're so proud of her and want to surround her with support.
Lastly, a young couple who have been "raised" within our ministry were now standing before us all and the Lord to dedicate their newest baby.  We have watched them grow up in the church; now they were devoting their children to be raised in the same church.  How thrilling to see Grandpa dedicate granddaughter and have another pastor pray over them all!
Yes, the noise and commotion of babies in a church is a bit distracting...but what a blessing to have that life and freshness in the church family.  I'll speak a little louder any day just to experience the joy of a vibrant time in the house of the Lord.

How do you measure if a day was "good"?
Is it a feeling of peace at the end of that day?
Is it a list of accomplishments completed?
Is it an mere survival of the events and responsibilities that were on our plates?
I am writing this after a day that began with a certain agenda and was diverted several times due to weather and other people's schedules.  So I am left to ponder how to measure whether I had a successful journey today.
If the measure is according to an agenda, I failed.
If the measure is a feeling only, I mostly feel tired so that's not a very reliable measuring tool.
How does God evaluate me at the end of the day?
I believe He has laid out His expectations in His Word. So when my first appointment cancelled out due to the very cold temperatures, I needed to regroup and ask the Lord what He wanted for my day.
Instead, I had the opportunity to have tea with my sister and niece (both home sick today).  I tried to spend time with them, listen to them, hopefully invest in them today.  I fit in some shopping before the next meeting~a belated birthday lunch with my other niece.  Some laughs, some joy, some time together.  Then up to the hospital to visit my Dad and decorate his room for the upcoming CFL Grey Cup game this weekend. More joy, goodness, patience as we wait for his recovery and make the most of the circumstances.
Rush home in rush hour traffic-more patience and gentleness needed-to make a quick supper.  Then a quiet evening at home with my husband and son.
So, not the day I thought was going to happen.
But as I reflect on the people I spent time with, FAMILY, I know it was a day well spent.  If at the end I can measure by the fruit of the Spirit and the Love Chapter, if I cared for people and loved them well, then I think God is pleased and blessed.
The "to do" list and the cancelled appointment can always be picked up another day.
I'm trusting that TODAY was a success in God's eyes and that's all that really counts.
Today was a "good" day after all!

Tuesdays are busy days for me.
In the morning, there is a prayer meeting I can attend when we are home and not on the road.  This prayer meeting started in a young mom's home a few years ago. She had a burden to pray for the neighbourhood of north central Regina, where her family had just moved into a "Habitat for Humanity" home.  About 4 or 5 women participated in this time of prayer in the beginning.
This woman now has a full-time job and an active ministry both in and out of our church called Healing Hearts Ministry.  So the prayer meeting has moved around a little but is currently at the Healing Hearts Ministry Centre (766 Angus St.).  Faces change but we try to stay focused on praying for each other and the community.
Then in the evening, a ladies' Bible study happens at 7 pm where a varying number of women meet to worship, share & pray together and study God's Word.  This ministry was my heart and soul while Walter & I were leading the church.  Again, I participate when I can. I am so blessed to see different women, some young, some young in their spiritual walks and some mature Christians who can balance out the discussions and ministry to one another.  I am so glad to see this ministry carrying on~we need each other to spur one another on to love and good deeds!
So, if you have trouble tracking me down on Tuesdays, I'm likely at the ministry centre.
Join me there, when you can.  You never know who will show up, where the conversations will lead and how God will touch people with His healing power.
He might even touch YOU!

Well, the 18-hour alone time extravaganza went fast!  Slept 8 of those hours, spent some time playing my guitar, and the rest of the afternoon driving in the snow/ice of Saskatchewan winter!
But, it was nice to be home with my husband in the evening, enjoying the warmth of the hot tub and the sight of softly falling snow.
I did have an interesting experience that day which made me feel both old but also appreciated for my "wisdom"! I arranged to take a baby gift to a young couple that Walter had married a couple years ago.  They had just bought a house when they realized they were going to start a family.  To find the address, I had to slog through the heavy snow that the city of Regina had not cleared yet.  So, I am driving in a neighbourhood Iwasn't familiar with and parked in front of the correct street address.  A few warning signs flashed in my mind ~the wrought iron fence, plastic sign on the gate and the lace curtains in the front window.  But I double-checked my phone to match the house number-yup 1759!
I rang the doorbell but no one answered.
I got back in my car.  I sent another text to confirm the address and ask for the colour of the house.  No reply.  So I drive down the block and stare at the street signs, which are completely covered in this fluffy, sticky snow.  Can't read the street name at all.  I drive to the next block and take a chance that I am getting close.  I see their car parked in front and then feel secure in ringing the doorbell.
I grab the gift bag and stroll up the sidewalk.  I'm greeted by the new dad, cradling the newborn baby girl and looking surprised.  I said "How are you?"  Hesitantly, he answers,"Gooood.  I guess.  We've been better..." and I glance beyond him to the new mom, who is bawling her eyes out!  "
"Oh, no! I forgot you were coming.  John, let her in!"  More crying.
Do I stay?  Do I drop off the gift and run?  Hormonal mamas may just need more sleep, not a visitor!
But she stood and reached out her arms to me, so I hugged her and she sniffled some.  Right away she grilled me on how to get a baby to sleep, how to get them on a schedule, what I did to get a routine...I was both flattered and flustered by her barrage of questions.  My baby is 20 years old-long time ago!  But, what she needed wasn't my answers, just a listening ear and assurance that she wasn't making big mistakes with their new baby.  So after lots of baby talk and my stumbling through some practical suggestions for baby scheduling (which is really a myth!), I got to hold the now-sleeping newborn while we chatted.
The new dad had disappeared into the basement while we visited.  Enough birth stories and nursing comparisons for him!
I left after two hours.  I felt appreciated for my expertise as a mother and felt that bond that all moms feel when figuring out the journey of motherhood.  I hope I was of some help!
I also felt old...my mothering experience was a little dated and maybe obsolete-babies are supposed to sleep on their backs now and the newest contraptions for wrapping babies in swaddling looked confusing!  But the main reason I felt my age was...getting lost on the way to their house!

Alone time.
For the next 18 hours I am by myself, able to do whatever I choose.
So many options and only a few hours to sleep, read, go to Curves, or just do nothing at all.
Every now and then its just good to spend time with ourselves.  If we cannot enjoy time alone, how can we truly enjoy time with others?  We need to love ourselves before we can love others.
So really, this solitude will benefit those I'm away from right now.  I will be richer, more settled, centered, at peace and have so much more to offer in relationships.  I will be renewed and recharged to give to those I care about.
No guilt. No "to do" list.
Just some time alone.

The journey with my Dad's health has been a new one that I haven't known how to "pack" for!
I've taken lots of trips and have packed my own suitcase since I was eight or nine years old.  It is easy as a kid-a few changes of underwear and shorts and tee-shirts.  Your parents make up the rest if you forgot something.  As I got older, my "needs" grew more complicated, so my packing involved medications, make-up and many more wardrobe options for the weather and special occasions.
Remember that travel game where one person says "I went on a vacation to Alaska and in my suitcase I packed..."; then the next person says your item and includes one of their own and so on...well, that's what this journey seems to be like.  I need to pack emotional strength; then on top of that strength, I need faith; then patience; then calmness...and then there has been the care and concern for my step-mom and all that falls on her shoulders while Dad is in the hospital.
Just when I think I've finished preparing for this new travel experience, I realize my children are processing this crisis, too, and they need us to comfort, explain, interpret and pray.
And then a change or a new physical development will happen in Dad's body and I need to add more information, new medical terminology and then reinterpret what that means for our daily lives.
This journey has stretched my suitcase!  The zipper is straining; the sides are bulging.
I am so grateful that God~who is ALWAYS prepared for every circumstance~ is able to supply every need I have for this journey.  When I think I am stretched beyond what I can bear, He hands me another package of perseverance.  Or another bundle of trust.  He rearranges my packing job and finds room for just a bit more love and kindness.
Perhaps the hardest part of this journey is that I don't know how long to pack for...is this for a month, or two?  Only God knows.
But I can trust Him.  With my packing.  And with all the details as the journey continues.