The gift of time...

There have been times where I think I should update this blog but I feel like it would be so random.  I have had various events and activities take place since my last post but I haven't been able to squeeze the right words out at the right time...  It's busy!

It's Easter weekend and a time for reflection on the meaning of the historical events

 surrounding the days.  Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday...  

Gift of Life everlasting

and this weekend the gift of time...  

I love the R&R of a long weekend and to make things truly fabulous - it is sunny and warm!

God is Good!  

141 years - Just a baby.

Today is Canada Day which only became known as Canada Day in 1982 - It was called Dominion Day for many years because it was the day Canada celebrated the Anniversary of the formation of the Dominion of Canada on the 1st of July, 1868.
I love Canadian History but I forget so much from when I studied it. It is actually quite interesting to hear how we became such a blended and still peaceful nation.
When I have travelled internationally I have learned that we have such a short history compared to other nations.
When I was in Peru - they have this rich ancient history of the Incas living and thriving as a people group - it is amazing to walk through the ruins and imagine what lives they would have led.

And when I spend time in Northern Africa I could only imagine the long standing history in these tribal villages dating back to the times of the pharohs perhaps? It is not far from Egypt so who knows who walked the same dusty roads as we did?

And France has such a rich history of monarchy and scandal not to mention the architecture to the likes of nothing here in Canada - Our oldest building doesn't even come close to the structures that pepper the streets in Paris amidst a modern world.

So amazing - so wonderful!

But we are so young as a nation and as much as I like to think I live in an old character home built in the 1950's - I guess it is very modern compared to the homes and buildings I have visited from the 1700's and before!!

So cool.

Question 4

Tell us some crazy dog stories that made you laugh (Part A) 

or cry (Part B)

A) My home is situated in an older heritage part of the city with big yards and large trees which was a perfect fit for bringing a new German Shepherd puppy home in August. When the seasons changed into fall the canopy of trees that line the streets lighten to beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red. For residence in my community we wait for the windy days to blow all the leaves down to rake them up before the snow falls. It was a particularly sunny fall Saturday and I thought I would get a head start on this project so I gave myself a time limit - in 1 hour this yard will be cleaned and ready for snow. I made a few piles in the yard while my dog sniffed around and watched the changing landscape of the yard. I was very focussed and fixed on a timeline to get this task done. As soon as I turned my back on my dog she would dive head first into the leaves... at first I was upset, "this is going to take forever if the dumb dog keeps spreading the leaves all over the yard!" But then I looked at her little face sticking out from the middle of the pile and laughed, eventually I found myself laying in the grass and leaves with my little 4 month puppy having a great time. In life we tend to get busy and forget to take time to enjoy the moment.





B) In Alberta we are lucky to have a provincial holiday called Family Day in February, originally designed to provide an extra day off in the year to be with the ones you love. As a young single girl on this particular occasion I thought I would spend my day off with my 2 year old dog, Paris. It was sunny and warm for a mid-winter day so we piled into my vehicle and travelled to an off-leash park that we had never been to. I put the car into park in front of a seniors building along the street where I saw all the dogs, their owners and their families. It was going to be a great day! We entered the park and it was fast becoming my favorite day of 2008 so far. After about 2 hours of hiking in the beautiful trees and along the paths I was ready to leave. Paris realized her fun was ending and I could sense her walking further away from me and not coming when I called. This has happened before but I was not prepared for the drama that we were about to go through. No matter how much I tried to trick her, corner her, lure her or even turn around and fake that were still walking - she would not return to me to go home. After about 45 minutes of trying to catch her I heard sirens coming towards us. Did someone call the police on me?? A fire truck and an ambulance pulled up in front of the seniors building where my car was parked. I tried to keep Paris away from the commotion because they had their own crisis to deal with and didn't need a lose German Shepherd running around. I thought if I walked over to my car she would follow but she didn't, one of the fire men was sitting in the truck watching my frustration increase. I decided that I would get in my car to move it closer to where the park entry was and away from the emergency vehicles. Perhaps my dog would see me driving that she would come over and hop in. My plan did not work out. As soon as I got in my vehicle the emergency personnel were wheeling the gurney out with an elderly woman on it and Paris was right in the middle barking. I slammed on my brakes, through my car into park and jumped out to help divert her away. She was still up to her tricks and 3 firemen were involved at this point trying to help me get her under control. Eventually she stopped and sat in the middle of the road with her ears back, I was able to clip the leash onto her collar and drag her into the car. I thanked the firemen for their help, got into my car and burst out crying. How did that go so terribly wrong? What could I have done differently? It was so overwhelming to me, I cried all the way home when I started talking about it later with a friend I just bawled. The fun and enjoyable 2 hours walk was forgotten by the 2 hours of chasing and drama that resulted at the end. The next day I logged onto http://www.bradpattison.com/ and signed up for his seminar for the coming weekend. I don't have a temper but I just felt so helpless, powerless and out of control. I truly was at the end of my leash!