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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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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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“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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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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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…