This pretty much sums up the week

Apparently Johnny Cash's "To Do" List

Breakfast with Dad

Some of my most treasured memories are breakfast out with my dad. These outings have evolved over the years and they have varied in frequency, but they will forever be something I hold dear to my heart. I come from a large family where family gatherings are more about crowd control than quality time spent with loved ones. So breakfasts out with dad have always been a place to connect, share, listen and learn.

A couple months ago we met for breakfast and the topic of REDEMPTION vs. SALVATION came up. My dad mentioned that he thought Western Christians put too much emphasis on Salvation. He said that Salvation is a one time deal and doesn't in and of its self lend to growth or change. You are saved and thats it. There is no need to make the planet cleaner, or learn to love people more perfectly, because you are saved and salvation is personal.

Redemption, he says, on the other hand is like restoring an old house. You work at it, slowly, lovingly. Fixing the roof, painting the walls, restoring the foundation, adding a garden. Redemption is the process of improving and restoring a life that was broken and damaged into a life that has been changed, renewed. Redemption is a process, redemption could take a lifetime. But its loves work, its joyful work. You look back on your work and you see progress, you see the door you painted, or the panelling you fixed. You see that with Love anything is possible.

Im going to miss that guy.

footnote: loose translation of conversation.

TIRED OF THIS

OPEN YOUR EYES YOU IGNORANT KNOW IT ALLS. MAYBE, JUST MAYBE YOU DONT HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT. MAYBE JUST MAYBE THIS NEXT GENERATION HAS SOME WISDOM YOU DONT. MAYBE JUST MAYBE YOU SHOULD LISTEN AND LEARN INSTEAD OF BLABBERING ON ABOUT OLD WAYS OF DOING THINGS.

all y'alls

We were created by a creator to create

How does one create their life? I don't believe that life is just happening to me. I believe that I have a hand in creating it. That being said, what do I want to create? How do I want my life to look, feel, and smell? Where do I start?

BORED

!!!!

I love this man

It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. For the needs of today we have corresponding strength given. For the morrow we are told to trust. It is not ours yet.

- George Macdonald

A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear.

- George Macdonald

Attitudes are more important than facts.
George MacDonald

Friends, if we be honest with ourselves, we shall be honest with each other.
George MacDonald

How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset.
George MacDonald

It matters little where a man may be at this moment; the point is whether he is growing.
George MacDonald

I dont know what I learnt today, but it was heavy.

My choices affect those around me. As a stone dropped into a still lake causes ripples outward, my decisions affect those close to me more than I realized. As I choose to learn through experiences, the people close to me must also face their demons. Deep rooted fears of abandonment, trust, loss, and change. They did not choose to experience these things but my life choices have brought these feelings to the surface, and for that I am sorry. I am sorry for the disruption that my choices make in your life. But I am not sorry for making the choices I need to make. I am facing my fears too. I am scared. Of being myself, of making friends, of starting over, of falling back into my old habits. But I have chosen to face my fears and fight them, head on. Im sorry if you were not ready to face your fears. Im sorry that your life is changing. I love you.

I guess what I learnt today is: Loving people is messy.

Soon to be Josh's new style (if I have anything to do with it)

Where can you buy rubber boots in Calgary?

Moving to Vancouver offers a whole new realm of fashion items to invest in. First on my list was a pair of wellies. I hear that Vancouver winters are wet, and if I want to stay illness free I need to keep my feet dry. After searching and searching (well in reality, a quick loop around Winners, but who's counting) for the perfect pair, I impulsively bought a pair of grey Dollhouse oxfords. Impractical but SO cute. Oh well, what can a girl do! (;

To all the friends Im leaving behind

Dear Ladies,

Thanks for making Calgary livable. Thanks for the laughs, the cries, the parties. The realization that leaving Calgary means leaving you ladies hit me hard this week. I want you all to know that you will never be forgotten and that you will be missed dearly. Thanks for supporting me during my craziness; your love has given me the confidence to follow my dreams, and for that I will be eternally thankful. Please visit. Often.

My next project: feathers.

Im going to miss my bff

Im going to miss my best friend. I want to say more, but there seems just too much to say.

She knows all my secrets, we cant tell lies.

She makes me crazy, and she makes me sane.

Before I met her, life wasnt as bright.

Im gonna miss that face.

Whenever I see friends holding hands, I think of us.

Ill carry her with me, in my heart.

Untitled

Something to think about while moving.

Buddha once said, “In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”

Winter is upon us.

I saw the first snow fall through a child's eyes.

Wide with wonder and excitement.

Maple Syrup on powdery magic.

Snow Candy, sticky and sweet.

Thankful for the reminder of miracles.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4306i99LMXo

sounds perfect

Sundays...

Im into:

I cant do chatting

Currently I'm reading "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time", its narrated by an autistic teen who "cant do chatting". This book is peppered with wisdom and humour, and makes me think that maybe we are all a little autistic.

On the fifth day, which was a Sunday, it rained very hard. I like it when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty."
— Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time)

"Siobhan says that if you raise one eyebrow it can means lots of different things. It can mean 'I want to do sex with you' and it can also mean 'I think what you just said was very stupid."
— Mark Haddon

"The word "metaphor" means carrying something from one place to another . . . and it is when you describe something by using a word for something that it isn't. This means that the word "metaphor" is a metaphor.
-Mark Haddon

I think it should be called a lie because a pig is not like a day and people people do not have skeletons in their cupboards. And when I try and make a picture of the phrase in my head it just confuses me because imagining and apple in someone's eye doesn't have anything to do with liking someone a lot and it makes you forget what the person was talking about. "
— Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time)

but longed for still...

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom The free bird thinks of another breeze an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own. But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. Maya Angelou

Driving through the Mountains.

When a Deer totem enters your world, a new innocence and freshness is about to be awakened. New adventures are just around the corner and there will be an opportunity to express the gentle love that will open new doors for you.

Deer has entered your life to help you walk the path of love with full consciousness and awareness, to know that love sometimes requires caring and protection, not only in how we love others, but also in how we love ourselves.

New Beginnings have begun.

So its official. We have a place. After much consideration, we decided against the Gastown loft and opt'd for a lovely apartment on Fir and W 12th. Its near Granville, has lots of storage and we will be blissfully happy there. Oh, and the best part, we are around the corner from the BEST hotdogs you will ever experience.

For Kasey: things she likes.

Last Day here

Goodbye Vancouver, Ill be back soon.

My DailyOM today...

Once the sun rises, it doesn't go backward but instead follows its path in one direction. It may appear to stand still for a moment in time, or to move more slowly at some point or another, but really it is steadily moving forward on its path. We are the same way, and once we have moved through something we can never really go back. We may be resting or revisiting issues that seem old, and it's natural to feel stuck, but in truth we are always taking the next important step forward on our path.

.

So awhile ago I started this saying.

There comes a time in everyone's life when things go missing. Your keys, the dogs leash, your favourite coat, your sanity. And in these times, I have found that saying, "I cant find it anywhere", always makes it appear in a magical and unexplained way. I cant explain how it works, but I think it has something to do with giving up control, relinquishing the need to do things on my own power, and giving everything, even the smallest of things to "god" and letting go.

I did that today, with this seemingly eternal house search. I said, "I cant find anything". Meaning; Im at the end of my leash, Im tired, I have no more strength, I need the creators strength.

Well see what happens, Ive never been let down by LOVE before...