On This Date in History -

October 14:

1066 - Battle of Hastings, in which William the Conqueror wins England

1322 - Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence.

1586 - Mary Queen of Scots goes to trial for conspiracy against Elizabeth

1862 - Baseballer James Creighton ruptures bladder hitting home run. (Dies 4 days later.)

1884 - George Eastman patents paper-strip photographic film

1913 - Explosion in coal mine at Cardiff kills 439

1922 - First automated telephones- Pennsylvania exchange in New York City

1926 - A.A. Milne's book "Winnie-the-Pooh" released

1933 - Nazi Germany announces withdrawal from League of Nations

1944 - British Troops march in Athens

1946 - Netherlands and Indonesia sign cease fire

1953 - Great Britian performs nuclear test in Emu Field Australia

1958 - U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1962 - U.S. U-2 planes locate missile launchers in Cuba

1964- Philips begins experimenting with color TV

1964 - Martin Luther King Jr wins Nobel Peace Prize

1966 - 175 U.S. airplanes bomb North Vietnam

1977 - Linda Ronstadt sings national anthem at the World Series

1980 - Bob Marley's last concert

1983 - U.S. Marine peacekeeper Sergeant Allen Soifert killed by sniper in Beirut

1983 - Grenada leftist coup under vice-premier Coard

1983 - I wore a white satin-and-lace dress and carried a bouquet of white roses

1986 - IOC decides to stagger the winter and summer Olympics

1990 - Jeff Golblum and Geena Davis file for divorce

2012 - Felix free fell from the edge of space

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I don't miss my marriage - we weren't very good at it, I guess. But I am sad for all the things that get lost and messy when a family is broken.

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Had a last minute showing early this afternoon, so I frantically washed floors and did dishes and bathrooms this morning. And then, while the rain POURED, I ran errands and got very wet. It was a dark day all round.

No gentle, soft transition from sunny and stunning to dark and wet.

I'm heading into my hardest month of the year - November. The view from the eleventh month? Nothing but winter as far as the eye can see.

Whoa. Debbie Downer or what.

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Spent some time with my dad tonight. I learnt a new thing. I learnt that I can handle, brush and clean my dad's dentures. Yup.

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Finished watching this 'complete series':

Seeing I got hooked on Downton Abbey earlier this summer, I thought this BBC production (Three young women from very different backgrounds meet, become friends and share experiences when they all gain positions as nannies in the wealthy households of London's exclusive Berkeley Square.)would be as fabulous.

Um. It wasn't.
It was OKaaaaay, but not brilliant.
I was not impressed with the film quality. It wasn't hi def, and boy that makes a difference.

It wasn't til I had finished viewing all three discs that I looked it up online.
It was a 1998 production!
It was a TV series that got cancelled after it's first season - leaving viewers like me, with a number of CLIFF HANGERS that will never got resolved.

Sad waste of nine hours.

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K. That's enough whining for one night.

Let's summon up some things I'm thankful for:

1. Great sermon on Saturday night. It was Rob Thiessen preaching, (former paster at North Langley) and I love his style. His sermon was the second message (Tony Campolo preached the first) reminding me of the power in the name of Jesus.

Like, just call on His name.

I don't do that much. I'm OK with God, but saying Jesus's name out loud? Not so much.

I've tried doing what Tony Campolo suggested; starting your morning, lying in bed, saying Jesus's name out loud. Satan flees at the sound of His name, so it creates a holy space for God and I to hang. So far, this past week, I haven't felt or noticed anything happen.

 This morning? A phone call woke me up, telling me I had a showing in a few hours. My stomach immediately bunched up in a knot and my mind was flooded with all the things that are not going smoothly in my life. So I stretched out, and said Jesus's name out loud a few times. YES. This does feel silly. (SO good I sleep alone.)

Weird thing?
My knot dissipated and my legs and arms tingled.
The tingling only lasted a minute, but I felt a moment of peace.
Of course, the tingling could be a result of stretch out too...

So there.
I'll keep starting my days this way. When I remember.
Don't worry. I'm not going all pentacostal. I like to think of it as being Mennonite with a twist.

2. On Saturday night, after church, while having dinner with my mom at the ABC in Clearbrook (yes, I almost qualify for the senior's discount), I got a call from a crying friend, needing a place to hang out. I told her I'd meet her at my place as soon as I finished up my chocolate peanut butter pie.

We met at my place 'round 9-ish, and talked and cried (mine were sympathy tears, keeping her tears company) for 4 hours. As she was leaving she observed, "You've never called me, crying. Who do you phone when you can't cope?"
"My mom."
"Man, you are so lucky."

I know I am.
Thanks, Mom. For always listening. We are going to have to figure out a way for me to call you in heaven after you're gone. Maybe by then there will be an app for that.

3. My house is clean.

Shalom,