I'm Thankful For...

Today in church, the pastor talked about the importance of saying what we are thankful for. When we don't thank God for the good things it's easy to get distracted by the crap that happens and then complaining comes much more naturally than thanksgiving. WHICH is something I have found myself falling into lately SO, here it goes...

I am thankful for...

- The smell of rain, and getting drenched in torrential downpour (like i did today!).
- Jesus.
- Driving tractors...and other things with loud motors.
- Water droplets on lilly pads.
- Snail mail from far away friends.
- Taking pictures of people laughing.
- Sitting in the company of good friends.
- Star gazing.
- Swimming in the sunshine.
- Dutch Blitz.
- Road trips and adventurous detours.
- Sandwiches and cucumbers.
- The prairie skies.
- My Oma and Opa.
- Different languages.
- Music and cheap guitars.
- Good tea.

Roast Beef for Dinner?...

It's definitely a big change moving from Manitoba to BC. Different job, different friends, different food even. I never thought I would miss working at a school where the most served meal in the cafeteria was roast beef (we found out later that one of the students was paying for part of their tuition in cattle!). Last year was a big learning year for me. It was a hard year, but a good one at that. I really do miss my co-workers and students. From good conversation, to puddle sliding in the field, to catching the students in the act of committing their grad prank, God worked in so many unique ways. It was a good year. 


This year is a new year. It will also be a good year. Everything has its ups and downs; and things take time to get used to. I've been learning some things...


1) "Waiting for my life to begin" needs to stop now. It started long ago, and that wasn't after I graduated from college...
2) I like sushi! (Especially on Saltspring Island!)
3) Sleeping under the stars gets better each time.
4) Sleeping on hard ground doesn't. 
5) Rainy days don't ruin things. (Especially when you have a wonderful green rain coat and a pair of puddle boots!)
6) Community is something that's hard to find and hard to leave behind.
7) There's something wonderful about fosferescents on a rainy night and seeing the fish light up green as they swim out from under the dock that causes my heart to skip a beat.
8) Skype is a wonderful tool that makes it possible to feel like you're practically in the same room as those you love (...and also keep up with the renos going on at home!).
9) The sound of rain out my window as I dose off to sleep NEVER gets old. 
10) Waiting for mail takes longer than watching water as I wait for it to boil.
11) Summer weather can never stay too long.
12) There's always an adventure to be had. Sometimes it just needs to be found.
13) Thrift Store and Used Book Store shopping = true love. 
14) Canoe + ATV+me = pain.
15) Watching the sun rise is epic.
16) New beginnings are hard, but in the end they're worth it. 

Is it the Soy Milk or just my stomach...

It's on the verge of getting late. My alarm clock keeps falling off the bunk-bed step I use as a bed side table. I'm homesick for the first time in my life. Sleepless. Uninspired. Anxious. Uncertain. I'm yearning for community in a place that was once so full. Unsettled. Excited. Curious. Searching for adventure and belonging. My heart aches.

What is this something that causes me to know that there is more. More to life than going through the motions? Is it faith or truth or passion, or even reality. My heart races, and skips a beat. The muscle spasm in my foot reminds me that it's time to start moving. Time to stop waiting. Time to choose? Or just keep going? Or both? Or neither. Maybe it's something else.

Maybe the thoughts in my head are there just for the sake of thought. To prove to me that I am alive. To keep me going, to keep me certain there is something there. Something that's not just me. Where to go from here? Where do I start? What does the beginning even look like? Too many questions. Time to just go. Time to do.

Something a little different...

Yesterday I started working in the office after a few days on Maintenance preparing the Lodge for our Kaleo program students to come tomorrow. ( I can't believe they're coming already!) When I was first applying to work at Qwanoes year round, the thought of sitting in the office all day typing away at the computer caused me to be nervous; but truly, it hasn't been half bad! I've actually enjoyed setting goals for myself and reaching them before the work day is done.

I'm getting excited as the Lord and I embark on yet another different year long adventure. I am looking forward to the day when I won't have to wonder about what will happen next year, but I have a feeling the Lord may keep me guessing for a while yet.

Until next time,
peace out homeskillets...

Keep Your Bible Open...

I was talking with my aunt the other day. She had recently gone to a baby shower where all the women 40 and over were to share a tidbit of wisdom from their child-raising experience. "Always keep your Bible open." is what she said. She went on to share how one of her sons is off at Bible school where they had to write about someone who has had a significant impact on their life. He called home and told his mom that he wrote about her. He told his mom that growing up he had noticed that she always kept her Bible open. My aunt said that there were many times that she would just get a chance to sit down and open her Bible, when one of her four children would be crying or someone would need help with something so she didn't always get around to reading it right away; but she always left her Bible open. Her son saw this and took note. For him it was a reassuring thing to see that his mom was in the Word and spending time with God. This impacted him so much that he would write about it in his college paper. What an example she has set for her children. What a wonderful legacy to leave for her kids. I want to be like that.