One Man's Trash, Another Man's Glory

 

Here's an interesting discovery.  An old bottle left on the ground out back of the cottage has turned itself into a very pretty little terrarium.

Ken's family has owned the place for over a hundred years, so it's not uncommon for us to find antique glassware here and there, mostly inside on the shelves of forgotten corners in the older buildings.  But sometimes, alas, scattered in various places on the property.  

This, however, is a first.  

I couldn't help but think this is what it's like when human carelessness, disrespect or negligence is somehow transformed into life and growth and joy.  It's a defiant thing, all growing and green regardless.

Paul wrote:

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope."  Romans 5:3-5

Here's to the finding of forgotten things full of hope.

The Treasury of a Legit Rainy Day

 The LORD will open to you His good treasury,

the heavens, to give to your land in its seasons,

and to bless all the work of your hands.

Deuteronomy 28:12

The whole time we've been up here the weather has been a tad off and on.  June has not yet produced a long string of summery days, although we've had the fans going the odd day here and there.  And also, no string of rainy days exactly, either.   We've had rainy periods, afternoons or mornings.  And then some really cold mornings as low as 9 C.  But much of it has been 'variable.'  Variable clouds, variable showers, variable temps, cloudy with sunny breaks, just here and there.

Today I want to call this a legit rainy day.  And while there's still periods where it stops for a while, and the next round of showers seem to be just warming up, mostly there's been that lovely cottage rainy day vibe.

There's something about hearing it on the roof first thing in the morning that sends the universal signal of approval to sleep in just a little bit.  And now the fire's on, not because it's all that cold, but just because it chases away that damp feeling, and no one is complaining about the added level of cozy.

Drops on the windows.  Little puddles on the deck.  You can see the rain on the water. Everything hushed under the sound of it.  

My otter friends don't mind the rain.  They dropped by, the three of them, for the first time, to say hello and sample our reeds, and fish a little between our dock and the shoal.

Abby was able to catch them in a rare moment when all were surfaced and looking at her in the same direction.  I call them Larry, Curly and Moe.  And unless someone can tell me that otters usually travel in packs of three, I'm going to claim that these are the same three silly dudes that have visited before, and even accompanied me part way around the island some mornings in the kayak.

The blue jays don't mind the rain either, apparently.  They arrive on the deck railing right in front of where I'm sitting, wondering if there are any peanuts to be had today.  But no.  As cute as you are, I'm staying indoors today.  Try again tomorrow.  

I'm glad for the rain for the blueberries' sake.

So much potential, and a few patches that are 'new' this year, in that there are green berries on plants that haven't been fruit-bearing before.  Looking good so far, but it can all change depending on the rain between now and mid July.  So bring it on.

A day to bake cookies.  That's just a given.  No pictures yet because that's what I'll be doing next.  After this.  Because the morning was spent in quiet concentrated work at the computer, looking out at it all, enjoying the cozy work vibe happening here on a rainy day.

I am receiving the blessing of Deuteronomy 28:12 this day.  Just...receiving it.

And spreading it out to you, wherever you are, raining or not.

Everywhere

 

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the human heart;

yet no one can fathom what God has done

from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

We're back in the city over the weekend due to the fact that, while we may be ready for cottage life, city life isn't ready to release us just yet.  Important events and meetings in ways important to be present are reason enough to stop back in and check out what's going on in Kitchener.

It's a beauty day already with a few friends joining me on the walk this morning.

And fresh blooms along the way as well, basking in the morning light in a way that captures them more vividly, even in the softness of the rising sun.

I'm glad for a few little surprises in our own garden too.

Things that weren't in bloom just six days ago when we left.

My files are loaded with pictures just like these, but I can't seem to help myself.  

The contrast between being in the city and being on an island is striking, and yesterday's sunrise rainbow at the cottage, breath-taking.  Honestly, any pictures I took did not do justice to the magnificence of just standing small and humbled under that wide, bold sky.

But I find, as I go back and forth, that there's beauty everywhere if you're just looking for it.

Mind you, we have these amazing trails here close to the house, and a little culvert of running water (look away from the graffiti), and we aren't exactly downtown in a busy metropolis (mind the hydro towers), but still.  

And, for me at least, it is a connection with the Creator, a defining of the Divine.  And it's everywhere.

Saturday!  We'll be stocking up on groceries and running some errands, and packing that list of things I realized we still needed at the cottage when we were there last week.  That sort of thing.

Hope it's a good one for you.  Hope there's beauty around you to notice.

The Internet and the Introvert - The Essential Need for Connection

 

"Above all, love one another deeply,

because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8

I have a clear memory of when the land line was installed here at our cottage.  And I was not happy,

We didn't own the cottage back then, but had generous use of it by the relative who did, and who also felt it was time to get connected with the outside world.  This was waaaaay before anything like the internet existed.  It's important to know that.

I was not happy because the month we spent here every July was sacred.  It was a respite, a time set apart for family only.  The isolation of an island meant no one could drop in on you unannounced.  We were secluded, and it was quiet.

All this was especially important because life and ministry, even back then, had a people intensity to it that made the time away necessary for our family's well-being and my own mental health.   I mean, if Jesus found it necessary to retreat into solitude from time to time (eg. Mark 1:35-39), how much more the introverted-yet-fully-engaged-mercy-oriented pastor?

The phone line seemed an intrusion; a way of people being able to reach me when, frankly, I did not want to be reached.  We kept the new technological advancement on the down low.  Only gave our the number to those on the need-to-know list.

That was then.  

I laugh at myself now when, due to a change with our previous server last fall, we had to switch internet providers for our connection here this spring.  That meant that for the four days we were here to open we had no connection.  And we felt it.  I felt it.  Not hugely, because it was, after all just four days.  But enough that we even delayed our arrival by a week while we waited for the proper gizmo box thing to arrive at our door back in the city before deciding it was okay to come up and step into cottage life for the season.

It's working great, by the way.  (But then you probably guessed that since you're reading this post, and I would need internet access to send it out.)  Plus there's the thing about having our phones for calls and texts, independent of internet.  And, oh yeah, we still have that land line.

I count nine different means by which I could be contacted here at the cottage.

And I'm pretty okay with all of that.  

Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of

the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

I still wouldn't want a barrage of messages to deal with all at once, of course.  But a lot is very different today than it was that first day they came to hook up the land line.  Mostly it's that we can be here so much longer than just one month, since, for both Ken and I, our jobs have changed dramatically, and 'work from home' can have various iterations.  Also, most of the nine different means of contact are quite less intrusive than the random, raucous ringing of a phone (the likes of which could require you have to run up from the dock to answer in time -- so annoying!).  

And surely it goes without saying that this is about so much more just the business side of things.  Yes, it's great to be able to send and receive all the emails that keep life going, to do the research and watch the video tutorials on fundraising, to check out a few online commentaries, to access those Google docs. 

But it's just as much, if not more about the fun Facebook posts, sharing sunrises and critters and views from the deck; about quick and happy chats with the grandkids, making plans for when they are here later in the summer; about Zoom conversations and prayer times; and just generally staying connected to the wide and beautiful spectrum of people God has seen fit to place in my life, and me in theirs.  

Instructions to New Testament believers (the distinction of which includes all of us today, at least that's my understanding), frequently and repeatedly include the essential need for strong and deeply loving connection.  Neither Peter nor Paul, when hand-writing their messenger-delivered, months-to-receive letter in the first century, could likely ever have imagined a system where they could have just hit 'send.'  But I think the same principles apply.  

Stay connected.  Let love be the depth of it.  Make every effort for it.   

Yes, let's just say it here, in-person, human contact is best under most normal circumstances. I need just one word to prove my point here: hugs.  

And...how fabulous is it that we have the means to keep conveying the love, and keep strengthening the connections in other ways when we aren't physically present.

That's why I haven't bailed on Facebook as of yet.  Despite the strenuous effort in tailoring my newsfeed so I am not disproportionately bad-news baited, it remains for me a compelling means by which something good and positive and perhaps even holy can be shared out into the wild space that is social media.

Which is what I hope for you this day.

That by these words, or by any other means available to you, you might be encouraged and strengthened and inspired.  That you would feel the connection of belonging, the welcome of being loved deeply.

Thursday blessings all.

Birthday Beauteous, and Benefits

Bless the LORD O my soul

and forget not all His benefits.

Psalm 103:2

My first conscious thought is that it's so so quiet, in that soul-expanding way of true silence.  And then I remember where I am.  And then I remember that it's my birthday. And it all cascades so gently from there.

First paddle around the island of the season under brilliant sky and in the company of cormorant and blue heron.  Simple breakfast on the deck that turns into something of a birthday party, with peanuts as party favours.

Chipmunks and blue jays both seem to remember us.  Oh hey, people on the deck.  Let's go check it out! Oh! It's a birthday party!  Zero coaxing for the small furry friends.  Less skittishness from the feathered ones.  Wondering if I'll actually be able to work up to having a blue jay take something from my hand by the end of the season.  

Set up my deck lounger under the umbrella and responded to birthday wishes from every way we can send these things these days; emails, texts, FB messages.  Wow and thank you.  And for all the cards too, that happened just before left and deserved a little display on this particular day.

After lunch a nap because....birthday!!!!  And then over to the other property to do some paint scraping!  Call me odd (many do), but it's one of the cottage life chores I actually find very satisfying.  And this particular paint job is long over due.

Then back for a hot-afternoon shower.  Then supper -- with cake of course!!!

After supper Ken and Abby do dishes - because it's my birthday!   And I spend unhurried time down on the boat by the water, and it's so so quiet still.  I write in my journal about not taking anything for granted, ever.  These enormous, ordinary riches I do not take lightly.

After that, we end the day with a game of Scrabble with a quiet sunset happening on the stones of the fireplace, until we need to turn on a light.  

And that was just about as perfect a birthday as I could ever have planned, which of course I didn't, so it's even more lovely that it just happened that way.  

Sixty-nine this year.  Loving the good gift of life.  

That was yesterday.  Here's how this morning started.

With this and leftover cake, can't wait to see how today unfolds!

Thursday's Thoughts

 

The LORD is good to all,

and His mercy is over all He has made.

Psalm 145:9

Looking forward to spending the day with some passionate spiritual leaders mapping out structures and strategies that support and unleash pastors and ministry organizations across Ontario and beyond.  

I'm delighted to have been welcomed onto the Board of Directors at Anchor Ministerial Fellowship last weekend at our annual Conference.  Not only is this the ministerial body with which I hold my ordination credentials, but it has become a consistent place of encouragement and accountability and support over the past 16 years.  

Just loving the early summer mericies of this week.  Many new little surprises in the garden, early morning walks with the rising sun on my face, and happy, meaningful things to be doing on any given day.  

Packing for the cottage is one of them.  Leaving Sunday afternoon if all goes well.  Brace yourselves for repeated pictures of flat water and sky and the front of my kayak in the foreground.

And oh.  How cool is it that we have a willing and able grandkid on the premises to help with some of the heavy work in building our new ramp?  This was Harvest's offering yesterday. This actually equals quite a bit of muscle power, since the spot where that dirt came from was quite compacted.  Way to go Harvest!

Sending Thursday blessings and all things positive and good into this day for you.

And if it's not positive and good for you right now, 

sending strength and resilience and love.

An Awesome Works and Great Deeds Story

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

His greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends Your works to another;

they tell of Your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty

-- and I will meditate on Your wonderful work.

They tell of the power of Your awesome works --

and I will proclaim Your great deeds.

Psalm 145:3-5

 

Woke up particularly grateful, energetic, and full of joy this morning.  As I was telling God all about it, and thanking Him, and even singing a little (all by myself), Psalm 145 came to mind, and I realized it is due time to 'bear testimony.'

This first week of June marks one year since the onset of some health issues that, while not entirely debilitating, have been painful and unsettling and have robbed me of my usual energies.  The problem has been with my gut, and the specific diagnosis has been diverticulitis, the details of which I shall spare you, you're welcome.  

Between May and December of 2025 I had three flare ups.  Each flare up requires a regimen of diet, medication and rest, and takes a full six weeks to recover from.  If I do the math, that's four and a half months out of the seven I was truly not myself.  Adding to the time line was a scheduled test that didn't happen until February that was in itself difficult enough to require another month of recovery.

Severe abdominal pain, persistent lack of sleep, side effects from one of the medications, and the inability to properly absorb nutrients resulted for me in a kind of fatigue and overall weakness I don't think I've experienced before.  Concentration was at a minimum many days. I felt unsafe to drive myself anywhere.  And often as not, by 10:30 in the morning I had to entertain the notion of laying down for my 'first of two or three' naps of the day.   Friends, this is just not me.

But here's where the 'awesome works' come in.

Over the past year I have also been able to:

• receive timely and attentive care from my family doctor.
• get all the medications I needed when I needed them.
• feel the tender Presence of God through some long, painful nights.
• be reminded why I memorized all those Bible verses over my lifetime.
• travel to Thailand twice during which time I was entirely asymptomatic.
• participate meaningfully in Advent and Christmas celebrations.
• participate meaningfully in Lent and Easter celebrations.
• be reminded by diet restrictions that celebrations don't have to revolve around the meal.
• spend our normal time at the cottage last summer without any health interruptions.
• fulfill all teaching and preaching assignments without health interruptions.
• have energy and concentration for a number of 'extra' leadership responsibilities.
• continue, in an adapted work rhythm, all my normal responsibilities.
• keep all promises of sleepovers and special times with grandchildren.
• figure out my diet and nutrition in ways that seem to be helpful, and are working.
• be reminded again of the patient, supportive man that is my husband.

And by now, by today, I realize that I have just pressed through almost two weeks of a demanding schedule and it has not provoked a new flare up.  That means I am now close to six months without a new episode.  That's huge all by itself.

Thank you LORD!

I am overwhelmed by Your goodness to me!

This I proclaim and bear witness to.

Of course I will continue in the news ways of diet and rest and adapted work rhythms that sustain good health overall.  Of course I am mindful that the underlying issues with my gut still need my attention, and may or may not cause problems in the future.

But today, 

this day,

this day of morning sun 

and good, good things to be doing and being

I just had to stop and say something.

Happy Wednesday to you, no matter where you are in any particular journey.

If these are difficult days, I pray for your endurance, and for hope for better days ahead.