Rabbit Trails by Susan L.

  I've another little project to do. My mom's childhood bobsled has resided in my basement for a good number of years. It's made of wood with metal runners. I've decided to repurpose it and make it into a coffee table for the living room. It'll be nice for winter and come spring, the current trunk/toy box/table can be put back.
  The sled needs a base to raise it up to a decent height. I've plenty of wood left from building the book case that will do nicely. The build part will be a low table that the bobsled can rest on and will provide a shelf for magazines or whatever. It'll be painted or possibly stained black to match the fireplace.
  Here's the good part: this idea has been in my head for a number of years. The only thing holding me back was I wanted a clear tray to protect the sled and provide a smooth, stable surface. It wasn't something actively looked for and only came to mind from time to time.
 Yesterday, H and I had some business to attend to in the city. We stopped at a linen outlet store right next door to where we needed to go. It was full of bedding, towels, bathroom accessories, and some kitchen wares. Guess what I found? A large, clear acrylic tray. It was exactly what I wanted for the tiny sum of a few dollars. It felt like Christmas!
  As I was paying for it, the cashier said to me, "They sell these at Bloomingdales for $300."
  Okay. I got a deal. (Thank You, Lord.) And Bloomingdales, the famous high end geared to the rich department store, is committing what amounts to highway robbery.
  Yes, retail does mark up prices but not as much as you think. Stores have to make a profit as well as cover the costs of running a business. However, a mark up of nearly 300% is a bit over the top wouldn't you say?
  Years ago I went to Las Vegas for a long weekend. I didn't gamble much but spend most of that walking around looking at the glitz and glitter of a town geared to one purpose: to get as much of your money as possible. There was a shopping centre with stores which had beautiful and incredibly expensive things to spend your winnings on. (I never even came close to winning a fraction of their cost.)
  There were also countless pawn shops, a testimony to the darker side of gambling. They likely did more business than the mall.
  I thank God for His provision in all things that matter to me. A provision that includes finances and bargains. He's given me opportunities to learn the skills needed to tackle whatever project comes to mind. Most of all, He has filled my heart with contentment so I don't need to shop at Bloomingdales simply to say I shopped there. I am thrilled with road side finds. Home made, hand-me-down works as well.
  I've never been back to Las Vegas. Once was enough.
  "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things shall be added to you." Mat 6:32-33
 
 
 
 
 
 

Free Will by Susan L.

  Like my friend H responded to yesterday's post, and I paraphrase, "God has given us free will to choose to sin or to turn our eyes to good and Godly things."
  I agree with her comment. No, the devil didn't make us do it. We make the decisions.
  The devil simply puts temptation in our way.
  Or maybe it isn't that simple.
  Free will is an amazing gift. It's the biggest human right the devil wants to steal from us. He wants us to believe we have no choice, that the circumstances we are in dictate how we behave and fundamentally shape our identity. Or should I say the identity the devil wants us to believe in.
  In some cases choice appears to evaporate especially when abuse is part of the picture...No! That's not right. It's a combination of fear, intimidation and lies that keep us in unhealthy and crippling environments. I've got the souvenir t-shirt from that particular journey.
  How many of us believe we are simply not good enough for something better? I know I did and still struggle to overcome the whispers of the enemy when they start niggling at my mind. Is this what holds us back from being all we can be?
  "You've made your bed, now lie in it."  Ouch! That's definitely not in the scriptures yet is a pervasive lesson in our society. Who exactly is the author of that nasty gem? It's a falsehood of the grandest proportions! A couple more folksy sayings come to mind about choices, author unknown but I have an idea who penned them. It sure wasn't the Lord!
 "Between a rock and a hard place. D---ed if you do, d---ed if you don't." Both are engineered to rob of us our right to choose, to disempower us.
  I don't mind being between a rock and a hard place though. Jesus is my rock and I choose to turn to Him. Maybe not every time because my humanity still has a habit of getting in the way. It makes me glad there are such things as grace and forgiveness. Those I choose to embrace with all my heart because there is no greater feeling than knowing I have been forgiven the moment I choose to repent of my sins.
  And not just me, everyone who asks the Lord for His grace is forgiven.
  Seeing as this is blog is all about choices, I invite you to choose to accept Jesus as your Saviour if you don't know Him yet. Invite Him in to your heart. It'll be the most empowering and best decision you've ever made. In Jesus, our free will becomes a blessed gift that can change our world.
  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Mat 5:6
 
 
 
 

deviltry by Susan L.

  We're having a little Halloween party at the centre with games like bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving, and mask making. It takes me back a few years. I waffled back and forth about wearing a costume but simply can't do it. It goes against my faith.
  I even went so far as to make a funky wig out of scrap bits a yarn last night. The idea was to be a woolly mammoth, poking fun at my middle aged girth. It's not happening even though I used to love making costumes for the kids and occasionally for myself when invited to a Halloween party.
  That was then, this is now.
  We Christians don't talk about the forces of darkness. It's a topic that can get you some rather strange and often unbelieving looks so I am going to go out on a limb today. If we believe in angels and heaven, why is it so hard to admit that the devil has his minions as well? There are angels who watch over us, it's in the scriptures. The imps of satan are there too. (I won't capitalize his name. That is a show of respect and I have none for him.) Jesus delivered many from their grips and set them free.
  Unclean spirits, demons, sin all mean the same thing: the devil's very real minions are at work in our lives.
  In an age of science and technology we quickly ignore the scriptures relating to these issues as ancient superstitions, not applicable to this day and age. That, too, is the devil's work. It makes it easy for him to wreak havoc behind the scenes.
  I'll tell you a little story. When looking for a place to live, my uncle suggested a move to Hamilton to share a home with him. It made sense. He was getting older and it was a financially sound idea. However, the busy city was the last place I wanted to be. A country girl at heart, I knew the city wasn't a healthy place for me. I asked the Lord to give me a sign: a butterfly, when I'd arrived at the place He'd chosen for me to live.
  My son and I went to visit my uncle one sunny afternoon shortly after having that conversation with him and the Lord. When we arrived, his house was literally covered with hundreds of white, what I thought were butterflies. My heart dropped, panic filled my heart and tears came to my eyes. It would mean leaving my friends, my job, everything. It would mean being surrounded by noisy traffic and dirt and pollution. It would mean being away from nature where it is easy to connect with my Maker on quiet walks.
  I am thankful my son is a bug nut.
  "Mom, they're moths!"
  The devils "miracles" are but a shadow of what the Lord can do.
  I did get a butterfly when I arrived at the house I am in now. A single, rare, yellow on black swallowtail rested in the middle of the driveway gently fanning its wings.
  That was a huge lesson learned. Don't ask for a sign from God, it's a gateway for the devil to play havoc with my life. He and his imps are watching and waiting for the opportunity to do their worst because they can.
  If we let them.
  "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." Mat 4:11
 

Infidelity by Susan L.

  There's a hidden, rather nefarious lesson being taught by the media. "It's okay to do as you want." Television in particular keeps on ramming this idea home as fictional characters jump from bed to bed whenever things get rough in a relationship. Or even if things are good, they find it easy to yield to temptation. Honor, fidelity, loyalty, dedication, perseverance, and communication are quickly becoming ideas of the past.
  There was or maybe still is an entire show based on infidelity called "Mistresses". I've never watched it. I hope it didn't last.
  In reality, infidelity has a high price. Betrayal doesn't come cheap. Just ask Judas.
  This is still a terribly difficult subject for me even after all this time.
  Part of it is simply because the some of the wounds run deep, right to the innermost core of my being. My ability to trust on so many different levels was shattered by my own ex-husband's choice to find...I have no idea what he was looking for...it simply wasn't with me.
  I am grateful that I am not bitter. I am grateful that the Lord has brought an immense amount of healing to my heart, soul and spirit. Some things may not be fully healed this side of Heaven although I can hope and pray they will. That's okay, too.
  Sadly, in the media and in our youth, sex is regarded as a past-time, a hobby. The true meaning of making love, the intimate sharing of ourselves is a gift more precious than words, has been lost somewhere. We aren't taught and are failing to teach our youth that whenever we share ourselves in that way, we entrust part of ourselves to our partner.
  Chastity and chivalry have gone the way of honor, fidelity and loyalty.
  It's not about simply saying an arbitrary "no" to sex. It's about understanding the reason for that "no". It's about embracing the idea of how incredibly precious and valuable our innermost selves are! It's about understanding the magnitude of the gift we share, that it isn't just a body, but our entire self is being entrusted to them. This applies to both genders, not just women.
  It's about deciding who is worthy of such a gift.
  "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love." Eph 4:1-2

Little Things by Susan L.

  An email came yesterday from my insurance company. I'd never received one before and was rather nervous about its contents. It appears turning fifty has its benefits. My car insurance, mandatory in Canada, was drastically reduced! A rare thing in the insurance world. It helps I guess to have a clean driving record with only one speeding ticket ever and no accident in the last twenty-five. It was a bit like winning the lottery. A little one anyways.
   I picked up new, fairly inexpensive, curtains for the living room window yesterday. They were too long so they needed hemming. That's a major endeavour for someone who is challenged by straight line sewing. It is the first time in a long time the sewing machine was pulled out. It made me smile a bit since the work table specifically for sewing is no longer here. It was a recent get-rid-of-it item.
  I stood in the living room pondering where I was going to set up the machine. The thought flitted through my head that a little folding table would come in handy for such purposes. Then I realized I had one...It was staring me right in the face in the form of an ironing board with adjustable height. It had been hauled out to press the new curtains. Gotta love dual purpose items, especially in a small home. It worked beautifully!
  With some trepidation I cut them off after checking the length needed about four times and hung them. The woodworker's mantra of "measure twice, cut once" works in the sewing world, too! Like hemming a skirt, I pinned them up then took them down to be sewed. That was the easiest way because they weren't particularly well made to begin with and were slightly uneven at the top.
  They look okay but I prefer blinds. They are somehow tidier looking. Perhaps in the spring I'll get some custom fitted from a company that specializes in window coverings or attempt to make some Roman shades. For now, the curtains will do. They'll help keep the winter chill out of the room which is apparently right around the corner. They're calling for snow flurries on Friday.
  It is with deepest gratitude I acknowledge the Lord's provision in all things that matter to me. Sometimes it's an item needed that time after time has "somehow" come my way. Or it's the financial provision that is always there when I need it. Or better yet, it's the inspiration to utilize what I already have in unusual ways, like the ironing board.
  It's all God in these tiny, everyday miracles that are just that: miracles.
  "A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak." Eccl 3:7
 

Final Flight by Susan L.

  It was a lovely day yesterday, unusually mild with a watery sun because of the rain clouds making their way in from the south. I was over at my friend's place when a plane circled the rural property several times before landing on the freshly mowed private runway. The pilot was there to pay final tribute to my friend Wally, a former pilot himself, by taking his ashes into the sky for one last flight over his beloved farm.
  It was a beautiful send off. As the plane revved its engine for takeoff, it made me want to fly right along side of it. It sped down the runway, awkward and rumbling, until the wheels left the ground and it became a thing of grace. As it swooped over the property, the single prop, brilliant white plane glowed in the sun against the darkening sky.
  Wally's wife is a wonderful woman who I have admired for many years. We stood in the lee of the airplane hanger where Wally's earthbound plane still sleeps. We stood in silence watching the plane swoop and turn over the farm.
   I hooked arms with her as we walked back to the house after the plane had flown away and vanished in the distance. No words necessary. Sometimes there aren't any words needed.
  The gardens are still full of Snapdragons in all shades and colours, Wally's favorite. They haven't been touched by the frost yet and stood tall and nodding to us as we passed. It's a miracle they've survived this late in the season.
  Thank You, Lord, for that gift.
  "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance." Eccl 3:4

Seasons by Susan L.

  The glorious colours of autumn are winding down. Most of the leaves have fallen off the neighbourhood trees. The wind so very kindly brings them onto a corner of my front yard and the ditch was thick with them. Lawn mowers come in handy. The grass needed cutting anyways one more time before winter, the latest it's ever needed mowing! I used it to blow the leaves onto the road. It's so much easier on the back when a brisk breeze takes them dancing merrily down the road. They came to rest on the other side where no one lives except the local wildlife.
  It was a lovely day so I took care of a few other outside chores. The hose is drained and put away in the shed, along with the patio umbrella and pond pump. And I still have room to move around! How awesome is that! (Must remember to turn off the outside water before it freezes and bursts a pipe.)
  Each season has its chores doesn't it? Autumn is tucking in time: tools, harvest, getting snow tires put on the car, and hunting out the winter woollies for the bitterly cold days ahead.
  Winter is the time for inside tasks except for the inevitable snow shovelling. It's hobby time for me: sewing, painting, knitting...I have no idea what venue will inspire me this year. I'd like to make a new quilt for my bed but we'll see. There's a couple of unfinished knitting projects that are giving me the evil eye. Although, now I have a fireplace, curling up in front of it with a good book during a February blizzard sounds like a wonderful idea. I love the simple pleasures!
  Spring means getting the tools out, opening the windows to blow the cobwebs of winter out of the house, getting dirty in the garden by dividing plants, planting new ones. Then there's the wonderful delight of putting those winter woollies away!
  Summer is filled with maintenance: weeding, lawn mowing and the hard work of sitting in the shade with a cup of iced tea and something to read because the baking, humid heat of the afternoon makes work impossible. Must remember that when it hits minus forty.
  It's hard for me to choose  a favorite because each one comes with its own unique beauty, its challenges, and a variety of things to do: work and pleasure.
  "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Eccl 3:1