What a varied day!  A wacky Wednesday, I should deem it.  Wrapping presents to send off to The Pas, Manitoba for Nat and the kids.  Do I sit on the floor to wrap them, sit at the table or what?  So uncomfortable.   Finally got the box packed and fought with the packing tape, then a flight off to Lawton's to the post office.  Prayed for favour on the price -- $24.00 for the box.  Not bad, considering.     Back home to conjure up a tomato onion avocado sandwich in the cast iron pan, and teach guitar, then piano.  Then a flying trip down to the Heights again to teach two piano lessons  -- traveling minstrel I am at times.  Back home again, jiggety jig to teach more piano til six o'clock.  Then a flying trip down to the Heights again to teach piano and guitar to two young students, and experience a fantastic Simon & Patrick guitar.  Wanna sell it, Mr. Christie?  It's not like I don't have any guitars, but the sound is wonderful.

Dropped Doug off at M & L's so I could go teach and he could watch Master Chef prepare supper.  I joined them at 7 and we enjoyed salmon, carrots, potatoes, and a melange of shrimp, mango and mushrooms, etc.  Beautiful.  Then a nice decaf coffee and chocolate in the living room, all decked out in Christmas lights.  A lounge on the couch and a Christmas movie about a man who forms a Christmas choir of homeless men who perform in the subway.  Based on a true story -- a Canadian true story.  It was nice to just be and sit and recline on the couch and almost go to sleep.

Our life is way too busy right now.  Thanks, M & L for the nice evening of rest.

I want to sleep tonight, since I was up writing a shepherd sermon at 1:30 last night.  Christmas is a 'comin' and I haven't got anything MADE, BAKED or bought.  I need a personal shopper and a personal baker.  Any takers on being a maker or a baker?

Wild Women of the West

Wednesday, I had a flying trip to Woodstock to speak to a bunch of wild young women of child-raising age.  Yes, the "Women of Worth' women at the Jacksonville Baptist Church.  It was so much fun, then a flying trip back home via the Grafton road, which Granny says is the "Bull Road," and I'm glad I never saw any bulls, nor did I do any bull riding.

After a quick lunch, an onslaught of cute little students -- "Half note is two beats, half note is two beats," I repeated over and over, which is what I say more than anything.

This morning was a meeting at the church with some more wonderful women and one man.  More teaching today, after making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in my new Christmas present -- a Kitchen Aid mixer.  I love it!   Thanks to my special family 'friend' who gave it to me and allowed me to use it early.

Tonight I didn't think anyone would show up for the Gathering.  I always think this, and then the house is full.  It was a great time together -- so many exciting things are happening in everyone's lives.  Right now, as I type, Mallory is doing the dishes and three people are sitting at the kitchen table composing and typing a letter.  This truly is the strangest house, but I'm glad everyone feels at home who comes here to Heartland Fredericton.

Hopefully bedtime will come soon.  Or will it be studying late into the night, preparing for tomorrow morning's onslaught of another crazy bunch of women?

Sarah Kathryn DuBois -- Looks like her Mom!

Happy Birthday, John Douglas MacDonald!

You are 57 today.  Congratulations.  I am happy to share in your life.  You are the greatest husband a woman could ever have!  (I'm a bit biased).

Two wonderful children, and six amazing grandchildren.

It's interesting that today, on your birthday, that we had to visit your mother on her first day at the special care home.  A new chapter in her life, and ours.  Many changes this year with our parents, as they struggle with the problems of aging.

We've been married for 34 1/2 years.  Here's to many more birthdays, and many more years of wedded bliss.

Deborah
x0

Don't Worry, Be Happy -- Good Advice for Today

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY -- NOVEMBER 9TH

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO:

My mother and father, on their 55th wedding anniversary (Jed & Granny).  May the Lord bless and keep you.  I thank God for both of you.

Doris & Laurie Mersereau on their 38th wedding anniversary.  May God grant you many more years of wedded bliss.

Doug & Deb on the 36th anniversary of their first kiss and the 35th anniversary of their engagement.  May the Lord grant you many more years of wedded bliss and FUN!

Today I received a call from the doctor's office -- to call them back.  "Oh, No,"  I thought.  Not again.  It is now four years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Your first thought is always to panic.  "Don't panic," relax.  I sat and talked with a friend about what happened earlier this morning and tried to keep my mind off the call and what I would find out.  It was the same week four years ago that I found out I had cancer.

I went up to the laundry room to put the wash in the dryer.  I felt like getting on the floor and praying in front of the dryer, but made it to my office -- flat on my face, in front of the Lord -- "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."  "I have been healed."  "Lord, let me have peace."

The phone rang.  I looked at the number.  It was my friend at the doctor's office -- "Deb, we got your report back -- it was NEGATIVE -- that's good.  We'll see you in one year."   I started to cry -- 'Oh, Ruth, you don't know how that makes me feel; I was just praying on the floor."   "Yes, we knew you would be worried, so we called."  "Thank you, thank you!" I cried through the tears.

I rushed downstairs where Nurse Cherry was busy typing -- she could hear me crying -- "Are you OK?"  She knew I was waiting for the call.    "YES!" I exclaimed, as the tears poured down my face.  "YES!"  She embraced me and we rejoiced.

REJOICE WITH ME....

My yearly mammogram is on November 30th -- it too, will be a GOOD REPORT!

The MacDonald kids were down on the weekend -- Jonathan, Afton, Jack, Ivy and Croy.  Friday and Saturday.  Saturday morning they went to Pete's to make apple cider in Pete's makeshift operation.  Jon cut the apples, Jack operated the garburetor, and Afton and Ivy helped J make apple pancakes before Pete extracted the apple juice.  I tried my hand at Jack's job for awhile, but got tired and went grocery shopping.  Those kids are little workers, got to give them that.  And the finished product -- YUM!  Croy wandered in and out of the little apple cider shop, not straying too far from Daddy.

I made the little tykes Kraft Dinner and tuna sandwiches.   Croy and Ivy went for a Saturday afternoon nap.  Jack wanted to make cookies, so we set up the 100 year old table as an island in the kitchen, and he gathered his ingredients, checked his recipe off with a pencil and whipped up a batch of amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with the on-looking eye of Gram Deb.  He was pretty proud.  Six year old baker.  He even decided he wanted to give Cuz C and W next door cookies, so he wrapped them up in a pretty napkin, tied with a red string and made a 'Tasty Treat' card with Afton & Ivy.  They traipsed across the lawn to make their presentation to Cuz C & W.  They were tickled pink, or maybe chocolate chip.

We went for a small walk through the forest with Granny.  Granny invited them in to have a watercolour class.  Afton, Ivy and Jack all painted with watercolours and created beautiful paintings.  Croy ate a cookie.  After that, Jack made an airplane out of a chip box.  Jon and Afton created a new code language and tried to talk to each other with it.  I made gluten-free brownies and worked on supper.  Croy walked in and out of the house, playing with Ivy who was playing with Russian babushkas I call them (little dolls inside of dolls, you know what I mean).  The house was quite a mixed up affair.  Doug was working out in the field washing out bins and things.  I never really know what he is doing out there in his 'man cave.'

After chili and baked potatoes for supper, they decided to get ready to go.  Doug and I went to a games night at the church, which was a great success and lots of fun, even for Doug, who doesn't like games.

Sunday was church -- leading worship and preaching on 'Encouragement Under Fire."  I was so full of energy when I came home from the after-church luncheon, that I ran like Forest Gump through the forest.  Then I crashed in the Laz-y Boy for the rest of the day.  I wonder why?

I think God said to Moses:  "Your strength will equal your days."  Yes, indeed.

Doors

Ever walk into a room with some purpose in mind,

> only to completely forget what that purpose was?

> Turns out, doors themselves are to blame for these strange memory lapses.

> Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing

> through a doorway triggers what's known as an event boundary in the mind,

> separating one set of thoughts and memories from the next.

> Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room

> and prepares a blank slate for the new locale.

> It's not aging, it's the door!

Beautiful Stained Glass -- Boston trip

Quote for the Day

Angie sent me this quote for my quote book.  It's a keeper:

I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.  (Phillip Yancey)

So true...

We went up river Friday and Saturday.  Spent time with the clan MacDonald.  Took Jack, Ivy and Afton to Tim Horton's in Bristol.  They are so cute!  They savoured their hot chocolate and tried to savour their donuts, but I think they were too tasty.  The afternoon was so warm that Afton and Jack and I were out on the deck sunning ourselves, doing word search puzzles.  It was Saturday and it was a peaceful Sabbath rest for me -- spending time with a few grandchildren.  What a better way to rest?  Croy continues to call me 'Ba Ba' instead of Gram Deb.  Apparently it means 'Grandmother' in Russian or something.

Today was a quiet day inside, studying and teaching.  It has rained all day long.   Thankful that we didn't receive much of Superstorm Sandy.   Our prayers are with our American neighbours who have suffered such devastation and loss.  May God keep you in His tender care.

Heartland

This property is truly like Heartland.  Today alone we've had the Friday morning gals drinking coffee, eating coffee cake and learning about resting from Genesis 1, to Ann's piano lesson and Janet White #1's guitar lesson, to Mallory (Verna) with her hands in the sink doing several loads of dishes, to Carolyn coming to visit and having a mid-day slumber party with Mallory upstairs, to Ann coming back to retrieve a song she needs to sing, to tea sampling and smoothie making in the kitchen, to Cuz C. and W. erecting a huge pumpkin man in their yard, complete with scary face that turns and looks at us while we do dishes, to playing fiddle on the deck with W., then a bass/piano duet inside the house, to Carolyn helping Granny with Microsoft Publisher at her unit, to the random walker found on the deck, to Jed outside raking leaves and on and on.  Mallory -- what do you think?

The activity here this week has been unbelievable and varied.  I love it!

Yesterday I cooked squash -- lots of it and put it in the freezer.  Thought of you, Natalie.  Wish you were here.

Boston

We just got back from the Boston area -- Danvers, Middleton and Ipswich, MASS to be exact. A Congregational Womens' Retreat held at a convent for retired nuns, a beautiful place in a seaside town by the Atlantic. Our traveling band (Doug, Deb, Cheryl and Max) arrived at Lisa's house in Danvers on Thursday night and were treated like royalty, then traveled on to Ipswich on Friday night. Each of us had a private room (what a treat), and we joined the women of Middleton Congregational Church for the next 24 hours. And what a 24 hours it was. I was speaking on The Joy of Encouragement, and they truly encouraged us. Funny how that works -- you go to encourage others and end up being encouraged yourself. There's a verse like that -- 'he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.' I shared for the first time from my blog with the ladies -- I shed a few tears and I saw a few tears in the crowd as well. Nurse Cherry cried quite a bit, as I read the memories of a hard time we all shared together. Thank you, women of Massachusetts, for your kindness to us. We are looking forward to our next trip south next spring, God willing.

Island Living

Well we did it. Traveled to PEI for the weekend. The last trip for the season. Boo hoo! Left Freddy Beach at 8 pm and made it across the Confederation Bridge through high winds. To Canoe Cove but we couldn't get in the camp road; the gate was locked. So we had no choice but to park on the road and set up camp. Not alongside the road -- ON the road, since there was no shoulder. Doug tried hooking up the generator to the RV so we could get heat for the night. No such luck. Not enough juice. So we piled on the blankets on the bed like two peas in a pod in the Princess and the Pea's bed of bedclothes. And had a great sleep, despite the 45 degree Fahrenheit temperature inside the RV. I made coffee the next morning by boiling water in the tea kettle on the propane stove and pouring it in the electric coffee pot, letting it drip naturally into the pot below. We drank that beautiful coffee in bed. It was much too cold to sit at the table. We finally made it outside where it was a bit warmer and took a hike to explore the land. We found some people and finally made our way down a road to the camp and plugged into the electricity. The next night our temperature came up to a balmy 66. Just like Florida. I led music all weekend long and had some awesome musicians play with me. I love a good band. I love a good island. I love a good man. That good man and I returned on Sunday night to the mainland, with yet another experience under our belt.

Looking forward to one last hurrah with our beloved home away from home -- our motorhome. Will it stay warm enough for us to enjoy one last weekend before putting our 'toy' away for the winter? Stay tuned....

Memories of Summer

My life is so varied that I can't even believe it some days.

 Like this week: coming back from Coldstream (wherever that is), where we had the 5th annual Thanksgiving Family weekend, joining up with R & S who were using our house for the weekend, preaching at a local church where I'm serving as the 'interim pastor', to radio shows and software, studying Genesis, and teaching music, counseling and walking with friends, business oppportunities, childrens' book publishing calls, meetings with the elders to brainstorm 'fun' nights, to sitting with my father watching "Parenthood" on TV (which was dealing with breast cancer tonight), to talking to a friend about her friend that was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

 And then I sat down at the computer to blog and saw this email:

 "Hi Deb, Just a note to let you know you are of the hook for singing at the Sea Dogs Game this month, they found someone else, their loss. Thank you for offering, L."

 This makes me laugh, because I could just see me singing "O Canada" at centre ice at the Sea Dogs game in Saint John. Maybe next year.

Is my life full of variety?  I think so!   One minute I'm laughing and the next I feel like crying for someone....

 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you"

This is your Life by Switchfoot (with lyrics)