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What is Your Worth?
Early morning on the 4th of September, 16 years ago, my mother entered her heavenly home. Mum was the letter-writer in our family. And I mean actual handwritten letters. So neatly and beautifully scripted – a letter came faithfully every week, almost until the month before she entered the Lord’s presence in 2008. I would wait for those letters. She would fill page upon page (front and back) on her letterhead stationery with news, advice, encouragement, bible verses and prayers. I was rearranging my cupboard recently and among all the girls’ treasures that I had saved, I found the box in which I had saved many of mum’s letters. The…
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Storms
The only time I’ve ever been on a boat of any kind was when we were in Dubai – probably about 22 years ago. It was a company event, and we were taken out to sea to watch the powerboat race. Unfortunately, though, the only thing I saw the entire day was the inside of a large pack of barf bags and a napkin holder that slid mesmerizingly from one side of the dining area floor to the other!! The waves apparently were 8 to 10 feet that day. After a couple of hours of a tossing boat and throwing up, I was certain we were all going to die!!…
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From generation to generation…
Note: Considering ‘worry’ has been my default button (especially where my children are concerned), for as long as I can remember, I always have to pause and remind myself of God’s truths, so many times, every single day. Where I was or am insufficient, He is more than enough. And He is called “Faithful & True”. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Psalm 22:6 This is a devotional (below), written by Becca, our oldest daughter. Yes, He’s the Faithful One… from generation to generation! You’ll find that I am my mother’s daughter. We share a…
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A new bride & an extreme phobia = ?
Now I’ve always been a storyteller, and some stories from my memory bank have over the years become family lore. It is always with great joy (and “glee” of course, if the story is to the embarrassment of another family member) that I regale the extended family with these stories during get-togethers and holidays. Here’s one such nugget from the time I was a new bride some 38+ years ago. It’s hard now to even imagine that at the age of 23, having known my husband for barely 3 weeks, I moved to Bahrain and into a home with my husband’s family – his parents, brother and sister. New husband,…
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*Kids say the darndest things!!
I remember very clearly (in fact, I will not forget), the year face-cleansing sponges came to the U.A.E. Though I do not remember the brand that brought it in, I recollect the big ad campaigns that took over all the supermarkets. Of course I was curious about it, but didn’t think it was something I particularly needed – and so ignored all the hype. We lived in Sharjah at the time and one Friday morning (our weekend), I found, along with our newspaper, a bag that had a small pack of complimentary face sponges. “Oh that’s fantastic! I’ll check it out right away,” I thought. Now our oldest daughter Becca…
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Holding Loosely
I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands. ~ Corrie Ten Boom As a family, it’s been tradition to make a celebration out of the evening set aside for Christmas decorating – and it’s usually around mid-November. Carols blare loudly, hot chocolate flows, and there’s happy talk, laughter, and friendly arguments as to who gets to put up the angel tree topper. However, over the past 17 years, there have been so many changes happening in quick succession, with moving to a new country, losing a parent each, our older girls getting married, leaving home and having babies,…
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The “Mum Code”
It might have been a year ago, or maybe two (?), that a friend of mine posted about a missing girl on Facebook. She was in a bright yellow Volkswagen, a little VW beetle, and should have been on her way home from somewhere in Northern BC. I don’t remember the details, but I remember that my friend had posted a picture of the car and asked for prayer. And I had been praying fervently that she be found quickly and safely. The next day I decided to take the scenic route to work and as I drove past an old, abandoned farmhouse, there parked out on the road, near…
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*As long as I’m living… my baby you’ll be
A few days ago, I was trying to find a picture of my mother and myself, and as always with pictures, it took me for a walk, way down nostalgia lane. I can spend hours there, rambling through long-forgotten memories… wistfully remembering times that went by far too soon! With all the pictures and albums on the floor around me, I came across one of Becca holding Sol, our first grandchild, with me sitting beside her. It was labelled, “Two mothers and two babies.” Two babies? I had to look again. Yes. There were actually TWO babies in that picture. And that thought triggered a memory, from 36+ years ago……
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Good Stewardship
It was early 2005 when I was told that I had to undergo a sinus surgery, in Dubai. Thankfully, at that point in my life, I had rarely used Google and so went into the surgery knowing very little of what it entailed – except for what the surgeon said. “Pain? Well… I wouldn’t really call it pain… I’d just use the word, ‘uncomfortable’!!” And looking back, all I can say is, he obviously needs a class on the definition of ‘pain’!! When I came to after the surgery, all I remember is pain. The first evening and night passed in a haze of pain. And as it continued into…
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The Rock of Ages
Autumn is my all-time favourite season. To me, it represents so much diversity…trees of flaming colours, gorgeous sunsets, bountiful harvests, and misty mornings. But this year, Fall came bringing with it nothing but storm after storm. I think in the past year I’ve heard phrases I’ve never heard before to describe our weather conditions. “Arctic freeze”, “heat dome”, “weather bomb”, and right now, our province, is experiencing something called “atmospheric river” caused by the “pineapple express”. These are storms, the likes of which no one has seen in over a hundred years. And it has wreaked havoc on our province – mudslides, flooding, evacuations, collapse of highways etc. The first…
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Out of the mouth of babes…
I used to journal a lot, and the joy I find in journaling is being able to go back in time… before the Instagram and Facebook era. This happened about 31 years ago… when our oldest daughter Becca was about 4 years old, and we had moved to Sharjah, an emirate of the UAE. We lived in a small apartment building next to the souq (a market place lined with beautiful small shops and restaurants), in a town called Rolla, and Becca was ecstatic to find that the apartment next to us had twins her age – twin girls named Ammu & Binu. The three of them soon became inseparable…
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The Cost of Love
Last week, Becca, our oldest daughter, and I were discussing life’s hard faith questions. And you know, as much as we discussed it, and quoted Scripture, there really were no answers to some questions. As Becca rightly said, “If we know everything about God, He wouldn’t really be God, would He? Some things we just accept in faith.” So, as I was contemplating these questions a few mornings ago, I realized that though there are many things about God that are a mystery and will be a mystery until we enter our heavenly home, there are some things He allows us to at least get a glimpse of – things…
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“Our” Father’s Heart
So, we as a family, have just been through a difficult time… when clinging to the Lord in tears, was all I was able to do. For someone who always likes to be in control, calling these past few weeks ‘hard’ is an understatement! Two weeks ago, I was sitting with my Bible, early one morning, but my mind was not on the text. It was with my child who had been admitted to the hospital the previous evening – after months of being unwell and in pain. It was hard not being there with her. And harder still that I could do nothing. My mind wandered to the time…
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Lessons from the ocean
Both the iPhone and Facebook reminded me yesterday that we took a family vacation Mexico, five summers ago. And, as I remember it, the best part of that week was the opportunity to do my daily devotionals on the beach [being of Indian origin, in the shade, of course 🙂 ]. It truly was a blessed time of reflection and rest… and a good reminder to me that God is the same… yesterday, today, and forever! Here are some lessons I learned from the ocean. Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger? Who has put all the earth’s…
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Summer 2021 was for…
Climbing trees 60th birthday celebrations with my family, near and far Visits to parks, spray parks and sunflower fields Sleepovers & lazy days Family dinners Impromptu late evening soccer games And the cherry on the cake… three whole weeks with my 92-year-old dad, who travelled from Calgary to celebrate this special birthday with me. This kind of summer sums up my life. You see, simple pleasures give me the greatest joy. Looking back down six decades, I would say some days definitely were long and hard, but days of joy have always spilled over one into the other… and for that, I give thanks! To God be the glory for…
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Praying Aright
I was visiting with our daughter Debbie, a couple of weeks ago, when her husband Tony walked in after a day of work, holding a small bag that caused the little boys great excitement. It contained a beautifully wrapped box, full of macarons, in a multitude of colors. And as the boys took their time choosing which one they wanted for a quick treat before supper, I heard Tony say, “Are you guys taking a bite out of each one?” I realized that was exactly what little Jax and Levi were doing – they were taking a little bite out of each macaron! 🙂 “Well,” said Debbie, “They’ve got to…
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Speaking Canadian… from duo-tangs to pasta
So it was a month after we got to Canada (and a few years before Google was the go-to research tool), that Abi, who was 8 at that time, remembered to tell me at dinner time that she needed a “do-o-tang” for school the next day. Whaat? Never heard of it. “Did teacher tell you what it was, Abi?” “No” was the swift response. And so all of us guessed at endless possibilities… Something for show and tell? Something to eat? Something to drink? Something to wear? Until… we gave up. The next day I went into school with Abi and confessed to the teacher that I had no clue…
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Exchanges
Our 2nd daughter Debbie has always been petite, and when her younger sister was born, she was 6 years old and pint-sized. Now Debbie was very unhappy with the newcomer and made her displeasure known very loudly by slamming doors when the baby was sleeping, and generally being a brat. So to appease this child of mine, when Abi received a gift of baby stuff that was tucked into a humongous baby bottle that was also a ‘piggy’ bank, I took out all the baby stuff, put a few silver dirhams (UAE currency) in, and gave it to her – a gift from the baby. Without exaggeration, the bottle and…
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Remember, the “can’t waits” add up to years
Now over the past year and some, grandsons #1 & #3 have been attempting to bolster their weight to get to the 40 lb mark – because it’s their goal in life to get out of child car seat and into a booster seat. And whenever I visit or they come over, I’m regaled with stories of what they ate to get to that milestone weight marker, and I’m given the task of taking their weight, and recording it. The other day, I watched one of those mandatory ads on YouTube of a baby in a mother’s arms transformed into a toddler taking her first steps, to a little girl,…
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The Saturday of Waiting
After a whole year of waiting, I was finally able to spend some time with all our grandkids, last week. And the funny thing is that all three of the older ones remember promises I made over a year ago. “You promised to take us to see all the jeeps, Gaga. We’re waiting.” “You promised the four of us a sleepover. We’re waiting.” And waiting seems to be the word of the season! All of us are waiting for the pandemic to be over; waiting for the vaccine; waiting to be able to move around freely; waiting for life to get back to some semblance of normalcy. But, pandemic or…
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Raising ‘Stars’!
I have coordinated a prayer ministry for almost 20 years now, and I find that a majority of prayer requests I receive (for personal prayer and to add to the prayer chain list) are for our children. And when I hear a parent’s heart as they struggle for their child or grandchild, I can empathize, sympathize, and pray with a burden for that need because I’ve been through (and am going through) many of those struggles too. I was at a bookstore the other day, and noticed that there were books galore on raising kids. It was second only to “How to get rich quick” books!! 🙂 As parents (and…
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Toasted White Bread
I woke up with a nagging sinus headache on a stormy, rainy day [very unlike the usual misty rain we have here all year round], a couple of weeks ago, and all I could think of as I opened my eyes was toasted white bread… dripping condensed milk!! Okay. Before you throw up your hands in horror and get all judgmental, let me explain the root of this weird craving. Now, in the sixties and the seventies, we grew up on traditional south Indian cuisine that definitely did not include bread. So bread (and there was only white bread) was a treat when one was sick. And sometimes, on rare…
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Epic Mum Fail!
So I was chatting with a friend this morning about mothering techniques and we were laughing about the mistakes we’ve made over the years, when I remembered the horror of this… epic mum fail! 🥴 To give you a background history: my girls must’ve been 13, 8 and 2 around the time of my story, and Debbie used to fight with her older sister Becca all the time. It drove me crazy!! Though Becca was older by 5 years, Debbie was crazy competitive. So you see problems brewing immediately, right? Everything her older sister did/played/took/ate/watched/wore was the exact thing she wanted to do at that very moment. And you have…
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Treasures of my heart…
I am so grateful for treasured memories that come spilling out at the drop of a hat! And being a mother brings me great joy, and has revealed my heavenly Father’s heart… just a little more clearly. Here are three “treasures” that took place over the span of probably 20 years. And I placed them in this order only because they opened my eyes to this Word. The Lord your God… He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Treasure #1: He will take great delight in you…As usual I was racing up and down…
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‘Scenic route’ drives
Little did we know that we would end up driving hundreds of kilometres since Abi said, “mum, take the scenic route”, for the first time, 15 years ago. You see, the province we live in is huge and has been dubbed “Super Natural British Columbia and “Beautiful BC” for a reason. We know that whichever route we take, we are bound to see forests and mountains, bears, deer and other wildlife, rushing streams, and of course, the mighty Fraser River which runs through the centre of the province, and is one of the largest salmon spawning rivers in the world. Both Abi and I enjoy an aimless drive. No destination…
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Is age just a number?
Now we have lots of family birthdays (including mine) in the first 7 months of the year, and this was the conversation between GS#1, GS#3, Abi & I, around this time, last year. GS#3: I’m a big boy. I’m 4 years old already. GS#1: I’m ‘bigger’ that you. I’m 6 years old. But you are ‘bigger’ than me, right Abi? How old are you? Abi: Guess. So the boys counted all the way from 6 to 22, to cries of well done & great! And then came the inevitable question: How old are you Gaga? Me: Guess (waiting in anticipation for the long count…) GS#3 (with no hesitation at all):…
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Just be…
As I walked into our backyard a week ago, I was very upset to find the remnants of ‘my’ bird’s nest scattered all over the lawn. It had fallen from our evergreen tree during the winds and rains we had during the night, and for some reason, that scene left a restlessness deep within me. The birds were long gone, but the empty nest always remained. That nest, or the frame at least, has lasted a few years now. And every year, early in the month of March, I would watch for a little mama bird to bring in tiny wisps of straw, leaves and twigs, and make her nest…
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The magical world of make-believe
*The time has come,’ the Walrus said, to talk of many things; And as I talk to our four little grandsons, I’ve discovered once again that the magical world of make-believe actually exists! You see, every time I’m with them, it’s a world of endless nonsensical discussions, games, and rules and laws that are enforced by 5, 6 and 7 year old minds. For eg. When we drive past fields that have a ‘marshmallow harvest’, we get ourselves a bag of fat white marshmallows and eat it immediately. That is non-negotiable! If we’re in a park or even just the backyard, we need to check out every single nook and…
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Driving on empty
I know nothing about the mechanics of cars, but I love to go on long drives. That’s when my mind is quiet and I’m able to let go of the things that happened prior to my closing the car door – and block out things that I’ll have to think about or do, once the car door opens again. In the car, it’s just me and my thoughts. Believe me, I have quite a few annoyed friends who claim I looked right at them and totally ignored their frantic waves, as they drove past me! 🙂 But it was about 5 years ago, on my drive home from work, when…
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Daughter #3
It was sometime during the Fall of 2018, when Abi, our youngest, who lived on campus, and studied at the university where I worked, decided that she needed a haircut. And this text exchange happened, in the middle of a hectic work day for me. Abi: I’m not going in to class today. Can I borrow your car? I need a haircut asap. Me: I don’t have my car today. I have *dad’s BMW. Abi: Ugghh! Tomorrow?Me: I’m off tomorrow. I really don’t have time for this. Can’t you go next week when I have my car? Abi: Oof! You’re literally ruining my life!!Me: You know, no one’s died ‘coz…