The Clock Ticks Slowly But Surely

How quickly the time passes. It was only a few weeks ago and the flowers were beginning to blossom and the plants began to peek out of the ground. New growth seemed to be there every day. Now the plants are starting to die, the flowers are now losing their bloom and soon we will be harvesting the crops and the old dead growth will be burned and destroyed. The life and beauty that brought so much joy and satisfaction is once again fading away for another year. It won't be long and the snow and cold of winter will replace the green and warmth of the summer. The changing seasons reflect the changing of the times of our lives. In just a twinkling of an eye our lives change from summer to fall and then to winter. Time passes so quickly by and we can do nothing to slow it down. If we only realized "that it is not how long we live but what we do with how long we live that matters". Is the life we live one that brings help and hope to others or is it a life that is lived only for our own selfish wants and desires? Life lived only for self is life not lived at all.

I have spent the last 10 days beginning to write a book of my life. It is my hope that it will be of interest to my children and grandchildren in the years to come. I have often wondered about my parents and grandparents lives and would like to make it possible for my family to know about my life. What I am finding amazing is the number of instances and remember and the detail that I can remember. Some things it is almost like reliving them all over again the memories are so real.

I would like to think that this would be a good exercise for all of us.

Just How Helpless We Are

On Saturday July 18 the city of Edmonton was struck with a series of thunderstorms. Two storms, in particular, were very powerful. Trees were knocked down, power outages were present across the city, people were stranded in the wind, rain and hail. Thousands of people were at Capital Ex when the storms hit. Eventually the exhibition grounds were closed down and the people had to leave. Unfortunately, the LRT was not running because of the power outage. There was pandimonium for a time. The winds that struck and the power of the storm was reminescent of the tornado of the 1980's. People hid in their basements and many were afraid. It truly reminded us that in the face of the strong powers of nature man is really helpless.

The forces that God has put in place in nature make us realize that we are human and our power is limited.

Do Unto Others!

What do we really need in our lives? Do we need two cars, a fifty two inch television, a laptop, a blackberry, an ipod, big houses, fancy meals in a restaurant or one of a hundred different things? This morning I met a young woman who just lost her husband. Matt was just 35 years old. On July fifth he had a heart attack and died. All of those things that we think are important no long matter to him. In just a moment the only thing that really mattered to him was life itself. We get all involved in things and forget that every day that we have is just a gift. The things that matter cannot be held in your hand. The things that matter are not those things that rust, corode or fade away. The things that matter are far deeper than anything we can imagine. That which is important is not that which you get but that which you give away. The help you can be to others, the love you can share with family, friends and neighbours. The gifts you can share with strangers. Do you share your God given gifts with others? Do you share the financial blessings you have been given or do you hold them tight to your chest?

Jesus said it in a simple way, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his own soul?"

He also said, "Do onto others as you would have them do onto you."

Be a giver not a taker!

It's a Strange World

This past week has been rather interesting. People are spending inordinate amounts of time writing, talking and thinking about the life of Michael Jackson. People who have never seen him face to face are crying in front of the cameras. We hear statements about the importance of his life. We see the happy, sad and tragic moments of his life on the television screen. News reporters go on and on about his life and now his death. This coming Tuesday a memorial service is planned. They are giving away free tickets to 17,000 people for the memorial to be held in a stadium format in Los Angeles. They are predicting that millions of people will be watching the service on television. How can the lives of celebrates become so real to people that they grieve so deeply when tragedy occurs? Why do the people of today find their lives so meaningless that they have to find meaning and purpose in the lives of those whose lives are superficial and sometimes extremely tragic?

Also this week another Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan. He was 30 years old and the father of two young children. He was a Canadian hero. There will definitely be a memorial and really nice things will be said about him. It sad that a life thrown away seems to be more important that a live given for the freedom of others. It is sad that the comic opera of Michael Jackson's life is given more credence than the life of this young man who was trying, in his own way, to make this world a better place.

The world is a strange and often a mixed up place. There are many things that make no sense at all. I, for one, choose to honour the memory of the soldiers and the many thousands who have given their lives for others: those who dedicate themselves to bring an end to pain and suffering: those who dedicate themselves to helping children become productive members of our society: those who dedicate themselves to helping in hospitals, in nursing homes, anywhere that the lives of others can be saved or improved: those who live not only for themselves but for others: those who live by the Golden Rule - Love your neighbour as yourself.

Sometimes you just want to enjoy the flowers!!

Some days there is nothing to say. It is time to just sit down and look at the flowers and appreciate the beauty they provide.

Exciting Day

Today, along with Evelyn's birthday, is the day that our granddaughter Shea celebrated her grade six farewell. She had a beautiful dress, shoes with heals, a hair doo and twelve year old dreams. She was georgeous - too georgeous for a little girl. I was reminded of her pictures as a little child and a little nostalgic for times gone by. I thought back to the day I left grade six and went on to grade seven. There was no fan fair when we left the school. We didn't get a certificate for successfully completing elementary school. We just received our report cards and went home. I remember the anticipation and fear of going to Junior High is one that I remember very clearly. I wonder what kind of thoughts are going through her mind tonight.

Last night I was surfing the net and found another memory. It was not mine but that of my father's step father who happened to be my grandfather's brother. I never knew my grandfather since he died before my father was born so my father's step father was grandpa to me. We called him "fubro" - I think it was some kind of Norweigian nickname. While surfing I found a website where I was able to download a record of his enlistment papers from January 8, 1916. At that time he was just a few days from his 21st birthday and about to begin a journey that would take him through army boot camp and eventually to the war front in France. It was there he was gased with clorine gas which left him permanently disabled after the war. I never knew my grandfather to be well. He was confined to a wheel chair for many, many years and suffered from rheumatoid arthritus and serious respiratory problems for the best part of his life after the war. It was very neat to see his signature on the "Attestation' papers that he signed prior to enlisting in the army. I would like to know more about his life. I do not know much about his life when he was well.

We all have milestones along the pathway of our lives. Shea had a milestone today that was very significant to her and us. In 1916 my grandfather had a milestone in his life as he began his journey into the Canadian army. I wonder about her thoughts now and his thoughts then.

Grandchildren Are Great!

I came home today and I was no sooner in the door and my little five year old grandson Kyler came over and rang my doorbell. He handed me a picture of himself in his soccer uniform. He told me that he got to wear the goalie shirt. He looked so cool and was so proud of himself. It is one my greatest joys to share in the happy moments of my children's and grandchildren's lives. I pray that I will be around long enough to enjoy many other happy times.

Tomorrow we go to our granddaughter Shea's school. She is celebrating her Grade Six farewell. Last Saturday she turned 12 and is quickly becoming a beautiful young woman. In some ways to quickly. A couple of weeks ago she phoned to tell us that she was accepted into the school she had been wanting to attend - Mary Butterworth School. She was also accepted into an advanced study program. We are looking forward to see her all dressed up tomorrow. I am sure we will have tears in our eyes as we look on with pride as she celebrates her success.

Our grandson Jayden turned 10 on June 12. He is growing into a young man and we are seeing evidence of him accepting responsibility. He often comes to church with us getting up early on Sunday morning all by himself and he is ready to leave with us by 8:30am. He is becoming a young man with a pleasing personality that we are very proud of.

Our grandson Kian is a holy terror at three - almost four. He is bright, misses nothing and loves bugs. He loves his little cars and can tell you which one is a mustang, a chev or a ford. He sees every SV6 Montana Van or every Grandam and can identify them as they drive down the street. Kian is full of life and never stops. He runs everywhere.

Our granddaughter Brynn is going to be one year old in about 2 months. She can win you with a smile in just a few seconds. To see her eat a cupcake is to know that life is to be enjoyed.

Grandchildren are the greatest invention there ever was. They are designed to fill us with joy when the skies are cloudy. They are full of hope and promise and remind us that life is worth living even as you grow older.

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a day to remember fathers but to a father it is more. I remember my father.  From the time I was very small he was ill.  He had four children to raise and by the time he was in his early thirties he could no longer work to support his family, none the less he never quit trying.  Life was difficult for us and for him.  He spent many months in hospital over the years and often drank to deal with the pain in his life.   He could be impossible but we always knew he cared for us.  Up until the time I was about 11 or 12 he gave us a very good life.  It wasn’t perfect but we had many happy memories.  He gave a lot and expected a lot.  He died when I was 23 and he was 48.  It was a traumatic time for me and my siblings as well as for my mother.  His loss brought back many unhappy memories.  The years, however, have filled me with happy memories.  There were memories of listening to him play the piano, the guitar – many different instruments.  Music came into my heart because of him.  I saw that he didn’t quit no matter how hard the road was.  He always tried to carry on even when it seemed impossible.  He also taught me to look around me when I feel sorry for myself.  Many times he said, “Whenever I am feeling sorry for myself I look around and I see someone who has more problems that me.”  Dad was an imperfect man but he was my father and I realize now that I loved him then and I love him now.   I hope that my children will see me as a good dad and that even though I am an imperfect father I keep on trying to leave them with good memories of their father.  I just want to be a dad who loves his children no matter what and who will always be for them as long as I can.

Are there no more absolutes?

I was listening to CBC radio on Wednesday. The topic being discussed was precipitated by the recent announcement by Cher's daughter that she was going to have her sex changed from female to male. It brought about all kinds of calls from people in favour of transgender persons. As always those who disagree are painted with a wide brush of being bigoted and narrow-minded. Isn't it sad that there is nothing sacred and nothing absolute anymore. It is strange that in the mathematical world of computers everything is either zeros or ones. You are either right or wrong - there is no room for being in between. Anything other than the absolutely correct entry in a computer is rejected. During the discussions on trangenderism one woman phoned in to make the comment - "People have to accept that there is a continuum between male and female - many variations". There really is no continuum - you are either male or female. Where does this nonsense end? Perhaps we need to go back a ways to some of the old absolutes when those things that are wrong are still wrong. Perhaps we need to stop making excuses for people who have developed perverted attitudes and lifestyles. The bank robber is still a violent thief not a person who has had a rough upbringing and whose parents abused him. The wife beater is still a bully. The lazy man is just that and if he wants to eat maybe it would be best for him to work. A thief is still a thief no matter how rich or how poor he is - it is wrong to steal from your employer, your neighbour or a stranger. The person who murders another has taken the most precious gift we have and it is against the laws of God and man to take a life. It is wrong to be proud. It is wrong to be jealous. It is wrong to be envious and covet your neighbour's success, property or anything that your neighbour has. It is wrong to be slothful. It is good and right to want to help those in need. It is good and right to have a generous heart. It is good and right to love your neighbour. It is good and right to sacrifice your time, energy, finances and even your life for others. There is right and wrong - good and evil - up and down -right and left - in and out. It is the natural order of things and there is a reason we have male and female - that is the natural order of things and you cannot change that order just because you want to.

Basically there are absolutes and they provide us with the building blocks of living and the guideposts of where to go and how to get there.

Some days are just dirt days.

I conducted the funeral for a 92 year old man yesterday. It was a very interesting funeral because the man had written a history of his life several years ago to pass on to his family. It was written in very simple language with very simple thoughts. His three children read the history for him. He related the key events in his life. They were simple events that are typical of many lives. He told of the cost of land in the 1920's and how his father bought a quarter section of land for $2800.00 in 1928. Just after his father purchased the land the price of wheat went from over $1.00 a bushel to $0.24 a bushel. He told about the hungry 30's when his mother sold eggs for 2.5 to 3 cents a dozen and how she had to sell a heifer cow for $12.00 just to be able to get food on the table. His father passed away in 1930 and his mother in 1932 and he was left to care for his younger siblings at the age of 17, and he had to run the farm because his older siblings had all left home. He met a beautiful young woman and walked three miles every weekend to see her for three years. He had to go to her father and ask for permission to marry her. They were married and had a beautiful little boy named Marshall. Tragedy struck and the baby died at the age of 4 months from pneumonia. They carried on in the face of the tragedy and ended up with three children. When he was 32 years old he decided that he needed to find a way to get more money so he went to barber school. He was a barber for many years and turned it into a calling that he carried out until the age of 74. There were many other things in his life, however, the important thing was that he met the difficulties of life with courage and strength. He didn't expect to much and gave all that he could. He was a simple man with simple needs. He appreciated everything that God had given him.

I wonder how many of us truly are appreciative of the many blessings that are ours today. the luxuries we have. He told of harrowing the fields all day long with a team of four horses and walking behind the horses with his shoes full of dirt. Are you willing to continue even when your shoes are full of dirt. Some days are just dirt days.

The Ups & Downs of Life - To Everything There Is A Season - Ecclesiastes 13

Just over a week ago we were still dealing with frost warnings and cold weather. Today is was 27 degrees C. It was beautiful and the sun was shining hot. You could almost watch the plants in the garden grow. In a matter of just a few days all has changed and with the change a new hope for the summer has arrived. Sometimes we're up and sometimes we're down - all of the changes that come are just new opportunities for living life to its fullest.

Tomorrow, June 14, we are have a pre-celebration for the 100th birthday of Mrs. Mary Arksey. On June 16 (Tuesday) she will have reached her 100th year. She told me last week that she, "Takes life just as it is." What does it mean to live for one full century? The ups and downs she has seen in her life have been many. She has seen death, birth and new things many times over. Her life span has occured during the most changing times in all of history. In North America we have changed from a mainly rural life to almost exclusively urban. We fly around the world in very short periods of times. Television brings the castrophies, joys and sorrows right into our living rooms. Computers and cell phones have changed the very methods in which we communicate. Everything is instant - from instant mashed potatoes and instant pudding to instantaneous communication. We have fast food, fast cars and fast living. Nothing is the way it was when Mrs. Arksey entered this world. Cars are faster and life is busier and seems to pass by more quickly. The old ways have given way to new ways that may not necessarily be better. The gentler qualities of past days are lost in the hustle and bustle of today. How we face each new tomorrow is the most important part of life. Do we face life with joy and expectation or do we face it with aprehension and dread?

Celebrate every day as if it were your 100th birthday. You never know which day might be your last. Make the most of the ups and downs of lving.

Nothing is ever easy or simple.

Today I thought I would hook up a new plug for my shed. It was an easy job. The wire was already there. All I had to do was put in a new electrical box, strip the wire, feed it into the box and hook it up to a wall plug and put everything back together. Got it all done, plugged in my little grinder and nothing happened. Took the plug apart to make sure I hadn't made a wire connection mistake. Wasn't that. Followed the wire to the switch on the wall and decided to take the cover off the switch and see it everything was connected. Wasn't that. Noticed that the wire went into an outside light box and continued on to the switch. After trying to read the lettering on the sensor light for 10 minutes, finally decided to take the light box apart. Found out the wires went into the box, however, they were not connected to make the circuit complete. Hooked up the wires, taped them and put everything back together. Eureka, finally it worked. I put everything back together and now I have a working plug outlet inside my shed. Thought it would be easy/peasy but it was a lot more complicated than I thought.

How often is life like that? You think you have the solution and it seems so obvious. You hook up the wires and nothing happens. The solution you had was incomplete. After some deeper investigation you find out that there is a lot more to do. Don't assume that it will be easy and simple. Sometimes it requires more work than you planned in the beginning. Be ready for the unexpected - it will usually come. The unexpected is another opportunity to learn and grow. Don't expect the easy way - be ready for anything.

Lawnmowers Can Be Frustrating

Charged up the battery in the Ariens lawnmower last night. Thought I would start it today. Not as easy as I thought. It turned over and over and would not start. Took the spark plug out, cleaned and tried again. No such luck. Had a new air filter. Tried that, didn't work. Took some things apart and put it back together - still didn't work. Went over and got a new spark plug - put it in - still wouldn't work. Took and second look and noticed that I had missed putting the spark plug wire back on. Put the spark plug wire on, primed it three times turned the ignition - success at last. It was the first time that I had started it this year. Seems every year the first time is the hardest. Cut the grass, fertilized and watered it. Watched the flowers grow for a few minutes and enjoyed the morning. If you keep on trying and don't give up eventually it will all work out. Moral to the story - be like the little engine who kept on trying, eventually you will get up the hill. I am not a mechanic but I kept on trying and it worked.

Life is definitely like the lawnmower. There are times when things just are not working. When you look at the circumstances you might feel like quitting. Circumstances are just that. Sometimes you have to try many things to overcome the problems. I can still hear my grandmother telling me, "If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right." She also told me many times, "Don't be a quitter, finish what you start." As I was cutting the lawn after I got the lawnmower started it felt really good and the lawnmower ran very well. The motor ran as smooth as glass. Don't be a quitter, eventually the lawnmower will start.

Some days are just sad!

Today I conducted a funeral for a 58 year old man. He died from cancer on May 26. He lived in the inner city and his life was a difficult one. His son is 29 and did not get to meet his father until he was 18. The son is estranged from both his mother and his father. He was not going to have a funeral service for his dad but some of his dad's friends said they wanted to have a service for him. The sad thing is that after arranging to have this funeral the friends did not show up at his father's funeral. There were only two people at the service. The deceased's son and the ex-wife whom he has been separated from for more than twenty years. After 58 years on the earth there were only two people who cared enough to say goodbye. Some days are just sad. I guess we can only pray for them and hope that the days ahead will be better.

It was good to come home and see pictures of my family and to know that no matter how hard things might get I still have people who care.

My How Time Flies

I am finally making a post after over a year of not doing so. During that year we have had a new granddaughter born. We have moved from Bon Accord into Edmonton and have gotten one year older. Life goes on and on.

I must be getting philosophical in my old age. I realize just how fast time goes by. We have now been in Edmonton 31 years. That is almost half of my life. Our children have grown up and our grandchildren have come since we have moved to Edmonton from Lethbridge. Our parents have all passed away. Most of the uncles and aunts have left this world. I am still convinced after the passage of all this time that faith is the basis for life. Yet, there are so many who do not consider faith as being important.

After 31 years in Edmonton my music is still the most important part of my ministry. It is because of my music that my ministry is effective. I hope at some point in time to put some songs on the blog.

Hopefully, I will not forget or miss to update the blog again soon.