When someone you know passes away, you just get thinking - about life and what you do with it. How we spend most of our lives consumed with the unimportant - dragged down in busy-ness. Not always of course. But so many days just pass. Never to be experienced again.
It got me thinking about Reid's Aunt Mabel. Aunt Mabel is 102 years old and lives in Calgary, AB. She is beyond wonderful. An absolutely beautiful woman inside and out. I remember when I first met her- she was in her late 80's I think. She used to read 3 or 4 newspapers just so she could discuss anything with anyone at any time. She would walk around her block frequently. And she always sat at the back of her church so she could be the first one up and meeting the new people to invite them over to lunch. They used her in a documentary on the effects of a positive attitude in aging.
We visited her on our holiday in June. Here's our lovely family with the one and only Aunt Mabel.

The girls spent some time a couple weeks ago selling juice at the end of the drive way to raise money for cancer. They love to get out and sell drinks or cookies and in doing so, have raised a good deal of cash for some very worthy causes. I'm proud of them. They love giving away money - not once have they ever asked to keep it for themselves!

Things that make you say "hmmmmmmmm....."


LINCOLN, Neb. - A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response. One of two court filings from "God" came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.

"This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here — poof!" Friend said.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha sued God last week, seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear and causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers, a self-proclaimed agnostic who often criticizes Christians, said his filing was triggered by a federal lawsuit he considers frivolous. He said he's trying to makes the point that anybody can sue anybody.

Not so, says "God." His response argues that the defendant is immune from some earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction.

It adds that blaming God for human oppression and suffering misses an important point.

"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," according to the response, as read by Friend.

There was no contact information on the filing, although St. Michael the Archangel is listed as a witness, Friend said.

A second response from "God" disputing Chambers' allegations lists a phone number for a Corpus Christi law office. A message left for that office was not immediately returned Thursday.

Attempts to reach Chambers by phone and at his Capitol office Thursday were unsuccessful.

In loving memory of Susan Betts.

I met Susan a little over two years ago at a Ladies Bible Study that I teach. She was smart, honest, strong and funny. She was also battling cancer. This past weekend she lost. but then again, she won. She is in heaven, laughing and enjoying the Lord she loved - pain free.

You often read in the obituaries the words "...a courageous battle with cancer..." and I understand those now. Susan fought her disease every step of the way. And even at the end - it never defeated her. She was a positive, pro-active woman and she didn't like to be told what to do. Not even by her cancer.

I'm sad she's gone. I'm sad for her husband and children.

But we'll see you again Susan.

This may come as a shock to many of you - but I don't always understand God. Yup, there are many things I just don't get. But the truth, the down deep, underlaying reality is- I don't really want a God that I can understand. Yet so many people want to change the teaching of God creating us(man) in His image and want to create God in our image. Who wants to worship, trust, believe in a God who is just like me?? I much prefer a God who is greater, wiser and yes, far more mysterious than I am capable of grasping.

But sometimes, well, sometimes we just don't like it. Sometimes there are boundaries and restrictions that we may not understand or like. I was reading yesterday something that a woman wrote about a marriage conference she attended. The speaker said:

We really don't believe that God is good...if we REALLY believed that, we would joyfully accept His boundaries in our lives.

How true is that?! Because we are so afraid to fully trust in God and stick with the boundaries He places on us, we often choose outside His best. Which essentially is our best. So while our lips say that God is good. That He loves us. That He wants only that which is best for us - we don't often live this way. We just aren't willing to make the hard choices that we don't like or understand in order to walk in obedience to Him.

so we end up with a God who chooses the same things we would. He likes and dislikes the same things we do. We end up with a human being instead of a Holy God - a human full of inconsistencies, full of sin, and totally unreliable.

I may not like it all the time, but give me the perfect, holy and mysterious God - Who alone is worthy of glory, honour and praise.

School's back & so am I! It has been a while.

Two things we did in the last couple weeks that I recommend doing. We went to the Twilight Drive-in in Langley. What a blast. It was a triple feature (we only stayed for one) but it woulda been a hoot to stay 'til the last one ended at 3 a.m.! We saw Hairspray - which is worth it just to see John Travolta playing Edna - a great musical, lots of fun with a pretty good message thrown in! But a Drive-in. Well, it was a great experience. The last time I went to a Drive-in was to see Star Wars (was that 1977?) so it's been a while. Lots of people with their cars backed in, van doors up and pillows & blankets in the back, or chairs out in the front of their cars, kids throwing a ball in the field in the front. It felt like a throw-back to a different time. Lots of fun.

And FINALLY after months of trying to schedule it in - we finally went to see the 'Monet to Dali' show at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Okay, maybe this doesn't make you giddy - but it sure did us. All 4 of us LOVED it. To be within feet of great artistic Masters is just inspiring. It is truly amazing what we humans are capable of doing.