Advent 21

 Right. 

Let's get back at 'er. 

Of my three choices, I've decided to answer, "what made you laugh this year?"

I feel a little bit like the judges for the Oscars, the only movies you/they/I remember well enough to vote for are the ones that were released at the end of the year.  The Academy Award Winning movies are typically the ones that come out at Christmas. 

So when thinking about something or someone that made me laugh this year, all I can remember is the thing that happened recently. Did I laugh before that? Maybe? Does anyone remember me laughing at any point between January and November? 

ANYways, I laughed. 

It was the beginning of the month, and I was thinking about Christmas presents. I usually give a small token gift for everyone in my book club because affection. And book club is life giving and my favorite night of the month. We had gone on a Used Bookstore Crawl in Chilliwack, in July and I asked the owner of Nuggets to take a photo of us inbetween the bookshelves across from the til. 

I had taken a selfie of us (an ussie) in front of The Bookman, but my head is too big (I was in the foreground) so I asked him to take a pic where I wouldn't be the star. (See what I mean?)

So, for Christmas, I was had reprints of the Nuggets photo printed and I put them in frames, one for each of us. 

And THAT'S when I remembered that Marj wasn't able to join us. So the photo is incomplete. 

Not willing to abort a good idea, I wondered if I could get a designer-friend to photoshop Marj in, assuming I could find a suitable photo of her somewhere. 

I checked her Facebook page, and THANK GOODNESS that woman likes to load her pages with family photos because I was presented with a gold mine of incredible options. 

And, then, because I usually start projects at midnight, and don't go sleep til everything has been executed according to the vision I have in my head, I wondered if I could somehow add Marj, myself. Without needing to wake anyone up. 

Thanks to an Instagram Stories feature involving stickers, I FIGURED IT OUT. And as I stuck stickers of Marj into the bookstore ussie, I laughed. A serious, belly laugh. Complete with tears. I just couldn't stop. 

I sent them to London Drugs at, like, 3 am, to get printed and couldn't wait to pick them up to see if they turned out. And then it felt like an eternity til we had our December gathering on the 18th. I was so excited to share the fun.

Thank goodness Marj is The Absolute Queen of Riotous Laughter, and loved the photos as much as I enjoyed making them:

(Maybe you had to be there?)

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Today is Winter Solstice. Longest night of the year. The schlep to get here has been arduous and heavy and slow. It felt like the worst case of PMS. But today it ends and the light returns. 

I celebrated by joining Val (and her daughter and two granddaughters) and Karm (and her daughter and two granddaughters) and Edith (with her daughter and two granddaughters) (and Lois and Bruce) at the Christmas Hymn Sing at Clearbrook Church: 

All the grand girls are between 7 and 11 years old. They scared me.  There was a reason I was praying for a son each time I was pregnant. (hahaha.) (But seriously.) (Girls have hair. And nails. And sparkly accessories.) (And feelings.) (And say many, many words that I don't understand.)

2. I am thankful that I am still a work in progress. When I liken myself to a painted rock...(don't we all?) I am aware of the phases a rock goes through ... it starts with being chosen, washed and painted a base colour. 

Then layers of colours are dotted on, starting with white, one colour at a time, each layer looking only slightly better than the one before. 

The final touches are the Top Dots and they pull the whole thing together... 

I don't think I'm being Top Dotted yet, as He seems to still be adding new colours to His project. ("He" is God. And I'm His project in this scenario.) (Please try to keep up. I am in a spiritualizing everything phase.)

Above ^  : Chosen, washed, base coated black, first set of white dots added.

 

Above ^: Five layers of colours, then top dotted. All done. 

Above ^ : Half way through the colour layers.

Above ^: Final colours dotted on, then gold top dots added 

Maybe I'm being too metaphorical with rock dotting? Hahaha. All I'm saying is, I don't think the golden final touches have been added yet. 

3. Lastly, I am thankful for people who're all in, this advent season. Like, they are full of joy. And it just spills over like a boiling pot. 

 I mentioned an Instagram account on my Advent 2 post: I was thankful for THIS Instagram account. His sisters gave him 24 Advent gifts with instructions to hand them out/give them away every day. I'm totally invested in this project. For example, the Day 2 gift was supposed to be given to a Becca in Buxton. He had to go to Buxton (he lives in London, and ask around if anyone knew a Becka). Day 4 was for Charlie in Cardiology. He called around to hospitals to see if there was a Charles, Charlie or Charlotte who worked in the cardiology department. 

ANYWAY, so fun. 

And the other day, (Day 19) he had a present for a "Sam in Swiss Cottage". This whole thing is taking place in London, BUT the SAM in Swiss Cottage was a Canadian! From Langley! Who works at CLA church! 

I am totally trying to think of a similar scheme to put together for next year. 

If you're on Instagram and you wanna follow a young New York family who decorates their front stairs (it's called a stoop in the States) then this is wild: Stoop and the City. 

Lastly. (I know, I said lastly already, but this really is lastly.) I am thankful for writers who don't give up. Virginia Evans had been writing novels for 20 years and none of them had been published. And then, during Covid, she wrote one more book, the type of story that she likes to read. She wrote it in a dark, cramped, hallway closet between her hanging clothes and storage items, every morning from 4:30 - 7:00 am before she got her kids up for school and had to leave for work herself. Took her 6 months. 

This is that book. And it's my favorite of the year. It's also the one we read for book club in December, so there's my Academy Awards theory back in play. I can't remember what I read in January. Maybe it was better? But I don't think so. This one was just so very lovely. I recommend it. So do Marj, Kim, Sandra, Sheri, Sue and Laurel. 

Thanks for stopping by,

xo

Advent 12

 Let's just pick up where I left off. Those missed days are NBD.

(No big deal.)

To be honest, I'm finding these journal-type prompt questions uninspiring. (My dream December destination? or, My heart is filled with love when I think about ...) Blechk. 

But you know what I DO find inspiring? Conversation with friends who bubble with enthusiasm when they talk about something/anything with passion. 

Recently I was out for dinner with M. When I asked her what she's been up to lately, she started to glow when she told me she had just finished doing her favorite Christmas activity. "It's that Gift Giving Opportunity at London Drugs. The one where you take a name tag off their Christmas tree, and buy some of the items on their wish list. It's always for a senior, living in a care home. Someone who doesn't have family and receives no gifts. 

Every year I look forward to choosing a name. This year, I looked at a few name tag options, but when I saw the one for Alice, who is 85 and blind; I KNEW she was my gal. She asked for some sugar-free candy, and a sweater or tshirt in size medium.

I spent the afternoon choosing a number of high quality, super soft, beautiful coordinating sweaters and shirts for her, not able to decide which ones to give her. And, seeing I'm diabetic, I know the best low/no sugar treats out there. I was so excited to get a good assortment for her. 

When I got home, I asked B (husband) which clothing items he thought we should wrap, and he said, Give her everything. They're all so perfect."

RIGHT?!?

She was grinning and buzzing. 

I love it when I get to see the natural high people get when they've done something (outrageously) (anonymously) generous. Also (wildly) personal. And (totally) perfect. 

I don't think I've ever thought twice about that London Drugs Giving Tree. Or buying gifts for seniors. 

I just loved everything about her story. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After writing out that ^, I opened Facebook to grab a photo, and this was the first story on my feed:

We want to HELP if we can.

my name is Sam, my fiancé is Tori. we are life long locals, Chilliwack/langley and we feel an overwhelming sadness, and calling to help in any way we can.

we have 1 extra vehicle, we can lend. we have 2 dogs 2 rabbits, and we are able to house more if needed. we aren't able to provide any hospitality to livestock bigger than a goat but we would try if we could

if you need a place to stay we have a spare room. im a HD mechanic, with years of fab experience, i have access to any peice of hd equipment or lift you may need and tori is a commercial scuba diver. I also dive but I don't think there's anything we can help with under water. we both know boats so if yours is floating we could save it and keep it at our place in the driveway. our cars can be parked on the street. we are in a very safe neighborhood in north Vancouver.

neither of us knows what we can offer but we are both professionals who deal with water every day either above or below. if we can help you, we want to.

we are praying for you all and if there is anything we can do please ask. if you know someone who needs help please share. and if you can help and we get overwhelmed, I will forward them to you.

you aren't alone and tori and I want you to know that. please reach out even for the littlest thing.

I don't know this young couple, but whoa. People are amazing. 

(For anyone reading this blog post in the future, or from a part of the world that is unaware of our current situation, an atmospheric river dumped ten billion gazillion litres of rain water on us and the resulting floods have put parts of Hwy #1 (and surrounding low lands) under water. More rain is forecasted in the coming days. We. Are. Wet. )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three Things I'm Thankful For:

1. Inspiring meals this week with incredible friends. (On Tuesday I was with a friend who is writing a series of stories based on the Women of the Bible for a study with a group of older ladies (in their 80's and 90's). She read us the stories she'd written about Elizabeth (John the Baptist's mom) and Mary (Jesus' mom). OY. She made their lives real and honest and alive and relatable. 

2. I am so thankful for Canuck Place's Children's Hospice. (Karyn's niece is getting exceptional care, and her family is getting much-needed support during these difficult days. If you could contribute towards Karyn's goal of raising $150, you can do so here. )

3. I am thankful for machines that see deep inside us. And I'm thankful for smart people who know how to interpret those images. 

Thanks for dropping by,

xo

Advent 9

On Dec 9, 1976 at the Johnston Heights Jr. Secondary's School Christmas Dance (with live band, Bowser Moon playing) I experienced my first kiss. The chemical reaction of having two separate saliva systems mixing for the first time in my mouth caused the gum I had been chewing (for fresh breath) to dissolve into a million tiny pieces. Today is the 50th anniversary of that science experiment. 

It's also Day 9 of this Advent Project.

My options today are:

1. My home is cozy because ...

2. The most adventurous place I'd love to stay for one night is ...

3. Three things I wouldn't change about this year, no matter what.

I'm choosing to answer both 1 & 2. (The third question is just another way of asking the same question I've already answered previously. No need for me to talk about Clint and Karyn's or Drew and Mackenzie's engagements, or my hip surgery again.)

• My home is cozy because it is tiny. 

(For a more complete answer, it is cozy because it is a south-western corner suite with lots of windows, because I had some money and a vision for what I hoped it would feel like when I bought it, and because a million friends gave me plants when I moved in.)

• A place I'd like to stay for one night (not sure how adventurous this is... it's in Yarrow...) is the Hazelnut Inn. I've watched it being built/created over the years and I think it would be magical. 

It would feel like staying inside a cartoon, yes? 

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Today's lunch; which include life giving conversation and soft boiled eggs with soldier toast. FIRST time I'd ever had this and it was yummy. 

2. Also, thankful for Andrea who send me detailed instructions on how to retrieve content previously posted to 'Stories', after reading my blog post about those memories being lost forever.  Haha. I love having young(er) friends for exactly this reason.

(And other reasons of course. But their generosity when it comes to sharing their tech or social media knowledge is defo a bonus.)

In case you too are interested:

3. I am thankful for these friends, Rudy and Marg, who shared their story at church before they lit the second Advent candle. Rudy had a severe brain bleed (5% survival rate) in June and was on life support three separate times during his two month hospital stay. They are an amazing, inspiring couple; their journey has been difficult but their faith is rock solid. 

Here's a teaser one minute clip ... watch here. (Took me an hour how to figure that out. Please watch it so my work was not in vain.) 

Or, know what?  Just go ahead and watch the whole interview here: 

Time 18:00 - 24:00

Thanks for dropping by,

xo

Advent 8

To be honest, I've done better than I thought I would. Eight consecutive days of blogging. Yay, me. 

Haha. Of course these are pretty crappy posts. 

I'm not particularly proud of any of them. 

Today's blog prompt buffet includes the following selection:

1. This year I was good at ____

2. A place that's more enjoyable in the winter than summer ...

3. The people you spent the most time with this year (and what you did.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Might as well answer them all:

1. This year I got better at asking for help. I was heavily, pathetically, totally reliant on the kindness of kids and friends after my hip replacement surgery. It's hard to ask someone to lift your dead leg onto an ottoman. Or fill up the ice machine with more frozen bottles of water. Or keep your plants alive. (GAHHH, so many plants...) I am so grateful for all the kind responses to my neediness. 

That said, I'm very happy to be back to being my ol'  (semi) self-sufficient self. 

2. There is no place that is more enjoyable in the winter than the summer. 

3. The person I spent the most time hanging out with this year, cumulatively, (once a week for 3 - 5 hours) (= 200 hours, annually give 'r take) (plus 200 hours to get to and from her place) is my mom. We spend 100% of our time together talking. (But we also eat and sometimes shop). You know, typical mother-daughter stuff. 

She'll be 86 in a couple weeks. 

I spend more time with her than any other person.

There's a famous quote by Jim Rohn, "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with" ... (meaning, your habits, mindset and success mirror that of your inner circle's). If this is true, you should choose your friends, co-workers, and how you spend your days, wisely, because someday you'll be just like them. 

This "truth" (?) (quote) has crossed my mind often. When you're married, and live in a house with your children, and have a fulltime job; your five people are easy to identify. (Pssst, They're your immediate family and the co-workers you spend 40+ hours a week with.) Simply by their proximity they are your five. They 'rub' off on you, so to speak. Your similarities can include what you believe, how you play, how you spend your money, the type of foods you eat, your ancestry, and so on. When you're single, live alone, are not working, and have very independent sons whom you see every other month for dinner... (Me. I'm talking about me), then your 5 are harder to identify, and they are decidedly more intentional. 

We all have our own reputations... (Our character, our strengths, our weaknesses, our positive qualities, our offerings to society, what we bring to the table in friendships, our 'brands'), and without sounding crass, we're always evaluating and being evaluated. Who is choosing to spend time with me? Who am I inviting into my life? 

Three Things I'm Thankful For:

1. A cozy place to live when the weather is frightful. 

2. A God who listens when I go on and on about the same 'ol crap. 

3. A gym that is mostly empty one hour before closing time. 

Thanks for dropping by,

xo