Inktober

  In a couple of weeks, an annual event sweeps the globe. It's called Inktober. Throughout the month, people are challenged to do a pen and ink drawing a day then post the day's achievement on social media. There is a prompt list for inspiration but it isn't mandatory to follow. It can be found by searching "Inktober". There are plenty of images from previous years under the same heading should you need inspiration. There is amazing talent out there!
  This isn't just for artists. Doodlers are welcome to share their beside the phone creations, too!
  My thinking on this is to utilize the list in a couple of ways. The drawing, of course, but I thought it might be a good idea to explore the prompts from a Christian perspective. This would do a couple of things. One, encourage creativity but also help me blog on a more regular basis than I have for the last little while.
  I need this. It keeps me on track. It gives me my daily dose of faith embodied in God's Word that wraps the day in a blanket of grace and joy. In this busy ole world, those things are easy to misplace.

  Yesterday was spent mowing the shaggy, overgrown lawn and cutting back most of the gone-to-seed Black Eyed Susans. They lasted a long time this year but their demise is a sure sign that fall is around the corner. There are still some waiting for the shears in the back yard. Work for another day.

  In the process, three of these lovely wood frogs living throughout the yard caused me to pause in my labours. This little one got stalked until I could get a clear picture of it. It amazes me how much colour variation there is between them. One was a pale caramel, the other like a butterscotch and this one a darker brown.
  That's part of finding joy in the day, appreciating the little things God created in all their wonder.

  "O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all, the earth is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:24
 

Well of Patience

  So, God has given me a gift. It's the ability to listen. Time and again people share parts of their story they haven't ever told anyone before. Most of the time, it's about pain or loss or shame. I am honoured by these trusts but I need to work on forgetting because I find myself burdened by these stories.
  This has happened a lot in the last little while. Even my psychiatrist felt comfortable in sharing his frustration about the hospital's management yesterday. He was mostly angry because executive decisions had a direct, negative impact on his patients. He's one of the better psychiatrists. One who cares. I am sure he will channel his anger and passionately advocate for us. He laughingly told me he was well able to play the imperious doctor. I think the hospital management doesn't stand a chance.
  Perhaps he crossed a boundary but I've been seeing him long enough that it's okay for him to let his humanness show. It's good to know he is human. Again, it's an honour thing, his gift of vulnerability and honesty.

  A long time ago, I did a Bible study on the word "woman". One of the revelations was that women are receivers, that we take in everything. It's so fundamental that it's part of our physical design, this female body's purpose to take in that which has the ability to create new life. Yet, the receiving is also paired with giving on so many different levels.
  To form a child in our womb is sacrificial because our bodies are consumed by the growth of new life. That doesn't happen to the degree it once did thanks to vitamins and nutrition. At least, in a first world country with the money and resources to stay healthy.
  I'd never thought of the physical cost to those without these...

  So here's the tricky part. How do I receive these confidences without being consumed by them? Especially since it is a huge part of what I do at work. Ha! It's a huge part of who I am.
 
  Thank you, Lord. Here's the revelation: I've been using worldly tools to try and exorcise spiritual burdens. Burdens I need not bear because they are not mine to carry. (I just felt the tension in my shoulders vanish as peace has flooded in.)
  Old habits die hard. I need to remember that I am not the only one listening and that God's shoulders are way bigger than mine.
 
  "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit." Ephesians 3:14-16
 

Stretched

  There was an opportunity to take ASIST, a suicide intervention training. It's a program that is being taught all around the world and thankfully, in our small town so I didn't have far to travel. It was a full day Saturday and a full day Sunday. A tough couple of days. A tough topic but well worth investing the time for.
  But I am totally fried.
  And totally happy the only pressing jobs are to pay some bills and maybe mow the lawn once the dew has dried. At least until tomorrow when I hit the ground running again for a Dr.'s appointment then a follow up on my new eyeglasses. Which I am still not happy with.

  "Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 106:1


 
 
 
 

One Idea

  I have been drifting along for a while now. Part of it is having been away from home for most of the last couple of weeks. Yet, long before that I was feeling dissatisfied...lost...apart from God.
  But He was never apart from me.
  My TV was set to record a couple of programs. Home for the next many days and glad to sit for a while, fast forwarding through commercials, one phrase captured my attention.
  "If, in your tiny corner of the world, you impact others in a positive way, your corner of the world isn't tiny at all."
  I think that's close.
  After hearing this, I wandered into the yard to check the pond frog status (one is still there). A few quiet moments were spent watching waterfall ripples make the dying back lily pads dance.
  Ripples. One small act, a drop, has an impact far beyond what we can see or feel.

  A renewal of purpose has been breathed into my flagging spirit. That purpose is to be the drop that can change someone's world.
 ""And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you." Romans 8:11
 

Sky

  

 A thousand million tiny lights have brightened the clouds from below. The black, starless swathe above holds the merest pinprick of a flashing satellite holding its place in the sky.  The stars cannot compete with their earthbound cousins. Perhaps, if the photo was upside down, it might make more sense.

  The nights are closing in. Today held the first hint of autumn. After Thursday's record breaking heat, it feels especially cold.

  I know the writing has become a bit scarce, my time has been needed elsewhere. It will be for a few more days, until I return home.

  That's it. Only prayers of gratitude for how well my mom is doing.

Different View

  My folk's condo is on the south east corner of the building which means they have a window in the kitchen looking east. It makes such a difference, this added natural light. I can almost forget this is an apartment.
  I am amazed how well she is doing. Amazed and thankful.
  Helping her isn't a full time job so I have been able to putter around doing some work about the place. There was even a chance yesterday to head out to the local mega hardware stores to check out kitchen and bath ideas.

  By the time I'd spent a couple hours in one looking at appliances, cupboards, vanities, medicine cabinets, tiles, plumbing fixtures, door hardware and lighting, the ole brain was on sensory overload! I was relieved the other carried basically the same items.
  There are many decisions ahead. Having a one stop shop has enabled me to make a few selections at least.
  I might head back this afternoon and buy the bathroom vanity I liked so much. It will be the foundation for all the other colour choices in the room.
  There is a store at home that sells used household and hardware items. It might be a good idea to check that regularly. Often there are left over new tiles and flooring from someone else's reno. Sometimes there is a complete kitchen! Who knows what I will find that could offset some of the expenses.
 
  So today is a gratitude day filled with appreciation for God's hand in everything.

  "The master said, "Well done, my goodand faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!" Mathew 25:23
 

Different World

  My mom's balcony has quite the view. On the south eastern horizon is the Toronto skyline. It's been hazy the last couple of days so the CN Tower hovers like a ghost over the ghostly office towers and condos in the heart of the city.
  A little further east and a whole lot closer is Pearson International airport with its three terminals. I don't know how many runways. Jets from every corner of the earth are constantly going to places unknown or arriving. Are they full of people  holidaying? Working? Seasoned flyers or is this flight their first time on a plane? A plane full of stories I will never hear.
  I guess there are planes full of mysterious packages and parcels and mail doing the same thing. Is someone somewhere waiting for something that could change the course of their life?
  I have flown out of TO on the runway that grants me a clear view of the condo building. A view from the other side. I haved waved as the jet climbs even though no one would be able to see me. It's the thought that counts.
  Closer still is the 407 highway, the only toll road in Ontario. It is busy but no where near as busy as the highways with no toll. No one does the speed limit unless traffic volume makes speeding impossible or if a cop car shows itself. It's not so easy to spot them anymore. The new police car's official markings are holographic or none at all.
  City, airport, highway and a sea of homes...story upon story times a million millions. Lovers, fighters, new immigrants, families, students, a long list of possibilities.
  I confess I am glad to have moved out of the area so long ago. The noise, the traffic, the everyone-in-a-hurry impatience takes getting used to.
 
  "No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39