Boooooooo..

HAPPY ALL HALLOWED EVENING......errrr.....Happy Hallowe'en!

And what would Hallowe'en be.....without one of my favorite things.....

S N O W :-)

Don't ya just love it!!!!

Oh, and have a memorable All Saints Day tomorrow too. Think about those saints who have influenced you in some small or huge way.....may the Lord bless us as we remember.

Trust in the Lord...

A co-worker's wife has cancer. Everyone wants to help them...in some way.

My mind goes to God's Word when things begin to get scary and uncertain and I begin to read His Words of encouragement to all of us. I go and sit and tell Him about how my heart aches for this woman and her family, how sometimes life seems so unfair and how I know that He wants to heal us of our diseases. I let him know I'm anxious about it all, but also that I desire Trina to be well. He tells me not be worry...but I do anyway....

In the book of Philippians 4:6,7 the Apostle Paul says this:

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

I know that God wants us to acknowledge Him and praise Him in all circumstances. He wants us to trust in Him, so that when we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, we can know He will be walking beside us, holding us with His strong and loving hand.

Here is Psalm 95 - a Psalm of praise to the Maker of us all:

"Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.

He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.

The sea belongs to him, for he made it.

His hands formed the dry land, too.
Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care."

I'm trusting my God tonight....for His sense of peace that passes all understanding, for his mercy on us, His children, and for healing....on Trina and so many others that I love.

May God have mercy on us all.

A patchwork...

When my friend came into town today, she brought me this beautiful patchwork quilted Christmas tree skirt as a gift to show me I was loved by her. She worked many hours on this piece of art, first choosing the pattern, then finding which pieces of material would go best beside one another. A whole process. It looks three dimensional, doesn't it?

I do love it!! Not because of its beauty or because it will look great at the base of our Christmas tree, but because it was made by her hands......for me.

I've been enjoying looking at it very closely . There is great detail in the pattern and it reminded me of my life and hers and how over the years, our lives have intersected and given shape to what it is now...a beautiful patchwork quilt, full of detail and color.

But like the quilt in its production stages when it looked messy and the pattern couldn't be seen, it was only after some determination to see the final product, did the pattern appear in this beautiful form. And that is like friendship. We see each other's rough edges as true friendship grows, but it is our determination in appreciating one another for who we are as people that the beauty of that friendship is revealed.

I have very few, if any, true meaningful possessions but I shall forever count this as one.

Yes, I do love this creation because......in Eunice knowing me.....she knows how much I love Christmas!!!

Introductions....

On Sunday we welcomed two youngsters into God's fold by the sacrament of baptism.

It was precious.

Like a wedding, there were promises made by the parents, the sponsors and the entire church community. We, as the church body, promised to encourage and love these children as they grow up. Parents promised to teach the children about the love of God and how much Jesus loves them. Sponsors promised to support both the parents and the children in the ways of Christ.

That's quite a commitment.

So, the water was sprinkled on the children, one at a time.

Baptism. A Sacrament. A mystery.

The Covenant Church talks about what it believes regarding this Sacrament here:

http://www.covchurch.org/uploads/h5/ZN/h5ZNi036c0gJFzaFGC5Gkg/Baptism-in-the-ECC.pdf

The Covenant church is an all-encompassing church in many ways. We believe in the ordination of women. We also believe in baptism for both infants and adults. We are a non-doctrinal church in that it can give us a certain freedom from rigidity and "black and white" theology (as I like to call it!).

It's a place where I feel comfortable.

So on Sunday, Pastors Stacia and Seth performed the Sacrament of Baptism and then introduced the two young fellows to the entire congregation by walking up and down the isles hand in hand with a candle to light their way into God's truths and into the fellowship of the community of believers (my take on the candles).

A glorious, significant Sunday it was. May God watch over these two boys all of their days.

The death toll mounts.....

Snow shovel or broom...either way, lifeless leaves

await their fate.
Rain slowly drips onto unsuspecting leaves below.
Some cling desperately to BBQ covers
before their inevitable 3 foot drop.

Others have their deaths quicken
in the engulfing rain.

Safety in numbers? They are foolish to think so!

As temperatures drop and the earth shifts its angle, the leaves have begun their fall in great numbers from host trees.

You can see that some aren't willing to give up their lives very easily. They cling, they hide and eventually gather together en masse on the drenched sidewalks, vehicles, fences, shoe bottoms, gutters and grass below.

I hope they know their lives have not been in vain.

With some things in life, we have no control.

The changing of the seasons is one great example.

The death toll mounts as does the number of sore arms from raking.

Mid-February/June....

Waskesiu....mid-February....
Waskesiu - mid-June

I love the colors of a mid-June day.

The blues are so....blue.

The greens are fresh and pale and shiny.

The sun is so high in the sky one doesn't notice the tiny shadows. June makes them insignificant.

The days are at their longest, offering up sun well into the evening hours.

As the gloomy days of fall pass the point of no return into the darkness of winter, it is good to remind ourselves that spring will happen once more in a few months....just a few months.

We can wait it out 'til then....especially if we can truly enjoy the coming months of cold and snow and appreciate our warm homes and the special beauty that only winter months can bring.

Cheers.....

Another book I'm reading...

The book is "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan from Kerala state in south India.

It's most interesting. I suppose I'm finding it interesting because of my present ties to that country with our son volunteering there.

This man is not afraid to challenge the West with its great wealth, huge churches, media bombardment, selfishness, and greed. Watch some of his UTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyYrKvXn7Ek

When I read books like this I become uneasy. I recognize my worldliness. I look around at my "possessions"...and I am apalled at my unnecessary "things".

Yes, we say, we are blessed. But what are we actually DOING with our blessings. By the looks of my house, I'd say I'm hanging on pretty tightly to mine.

What about our cash? Oh, sorry for stepping on your toes there!! But since it's Saturday tomorrow, perhaps some of us will go and buy a bunch of groceries, maybe look at a new vehicle (ours is almost 5 years old now!!!), get our hair "done", fill up our three vehicles with gas and give them a wash, and then if we have some time, we'll buy a new winter wardrobe.

In his book, Mr. Yohannan talks about religion in the "west" being a "multi-billion dollar business" (in the U.S. and most likely Canada as well!!). Upon entering churches, he notices and mentions all the carpeting, furnishings, air-conditioning and ornamentation, gymnasiums, orchestras, choirs, "special" music .....and he goes on to say...."seemed to me more like entertainment than worship."

He continues with, "Many North American Christians live isolated from reality - not only from the needs of the poor overseas, but even from the poor in their own cities. Amidst all the affluence, live millions of terribly poor people left behind as Christians have moved into the suburbs. I found that believers are ready to get involved in almost any activity that looks spiritual but allows them to escape their responsibility to the Gospel."

Hey, all you Christians out there....feeling uncomfortable yet???

Ya, me too.

Anatomy of a bird....

You've got your basic head.

And then you've got what looks like a tail.

But those feet!!!!!

Mother goose above was watching me with those soft yet piercing eyes. She stared me right down so that I backed off before she got those wings of hers beating the stuffing out of me. It wouldn't have been pretty.

The gull "tail", well, this fellow just happened to be eating something on the ground in front of me when I snapped his back side. Gulls are pretty friendly when it comes to eyeing up scraps. But his wing tips just kind of fold nicely back into a lovely pattern right over his tail feathers.

These three birds all have webbed feet but just look at them. Marvelous structures. All webbed for a fast get-away and total maneuverability.Can't imagine how many more laps Dave could swim with feet like that :)

At this point, I'd trade one good duck foot for my one gouty one!! Just don't think I'd find a duck who'd go along with that.

Can you hear me now???

Sometimes in life when one is attempting to express oneself to another...

it's like a pelican talking to a goose;

or a gull attempting to squawk to a pelican;

or a goose honking to a gull.

The message just doesn't get across.

We're on a different wave length....and we speak only our own language.

It's simply not in a goose's nature to learn to speak gull!!! It's not in them. So they go about in their own bird worlds, communicating only to those of the same feather, as it were.

People are the same, I'm finding. Sometimes in an attempt to get a message across, we only see our side of things. Our minds can't break through to another person's thoughts and way of thinking. We either refuse to really listen to them, to hear them out or, it's not in our nature to do so. We may even be self-centered, selfish and stubborn. Others of like minds listen and hear us, so why can't others who are not like us do the same?

Communication breaks down...and we go our separate ways.....still oblivious to what the the other person's message was.

Communicating and hearing is great....but we must learn to actually listen and understand each other. I think that means getting our egos out of the way.

It takes practice. I'm learning.

The tunnel bridge....

Is there light at the end of your tunnel?
Is it difficult finding your way
Through the masses of steel and iron
On your bridge overlooking the bay?


There are days that one can see clearly
Way out and into the sea
where she stretches beyond forever
And offers you diamonds for free.


Come, follow me into the great waves
Into depths you may not endure.
Look!! The life line is there, right beside you
To keep you safe and secure.


The end of your tunnel will brighten
With each small step that you take,
The bridge which once appeared massive
Crumbles with each prayer you make.


Blessings on your night....

Fall...

Fall is falling by the wayside.........leaves, at least.

They're changing

and crunching

and turning

and withering

into mulch.

It's OK. It happens to the best of us.

Parallel.....

Ya, have you ever read a biographical book by a particular author, that you know could easily have been written by you??? The author's story line parallels your very own life story. It's like walking the very same path as another, sharing the same footsteps, but at a different time.

Others truths can be our truths.

Others misery can be our misery.

Others life stories can be our stories.

And so we relate and we recall and we nod our heads in agreement as the author tells about his life in parallel to our own. We nod our heads when he talks about mistakes and forgiveness and hurt and all manner of bad decisions. We nod our heads because we too, know great sadness.

And when the author speaks of the "little secrets" we attempt to hide because it would make us look very bad to others if we ever disclosed them.... and how it is difficult to find someone to actually trust enough to share these secrets with for fear of their condemnation....and how freeing it is to be able to disclose those things to another human being.....yes, he says, that is when healing begins to take place. To be able to humble ourselves to the point of beginning again because there is no other place further down in which to start....we begin once more at the bottom......learning to be accountable for our actions and thoughts, learning what humility looks like, learning how not to judge another because of the grace God has shown us.....all of these things we experience in order to make us new again...different people...better people.

And it doesn't stop there. If we are true to ourselves and to God, we continue learning lessons, hard lessons and ones that don't come easily, right on to the end of our days.

I'm enjoying this book, "The Shack", and so are the other six women who are reading it with me and listening to interviews with the author. We will all learn from this book...and some will learn and relate more than others.

It's just how life goes.

The commonality of the heavens....

I always find it strange how this very same moon reflects the sun's light on everyone in the same manner.

It has no preferences as to whom it will give it's light.

It glows on the rich, the poor,

...the sick and the healthy...

...kings and queens......the homeless and downtrodden.....

...those being persecuted and murdered....and those languishing in luxury and oblivion....

We all have the moon in common.

And when I look up at it, plopped up there by our Creator to give us light by night, I thank him that this same moon will be seen by my family in Regina and also in India. It's good to share the moon together....

Same could be said, of course, for the sun and stars.

The heavens.....I look up and realize the immensity of it all and that I share this same sky with those I love, wherever they are.

Friends....

Virginia and Bob (top right)

Ya, friends feed friends.

With husband hunting, I ate with friends tonight.

Borscht with sour cream plus sliced cucumbers and dill pickles, chicken cordon bleu, roasted new potatoes, fresh vegetable medley and homemade carrot muffins with cream cheese icing for dessert.

So, so, so delicious.

And a glass or two of white wine to wash it down.

Lovely....and thoughtful of them to have me over.

Then, of course, when you leave, you take home an ENORMOUS bag of carrots and beets from their garden....all washed and looking good.

God provides us with good friends and almost more food than we can eat.

Thanks Bob and Virginia.....I'd go back to your place any time. :-)

Family names....

Here is the happy couple...Rovelyn and Kelly. They were married in the Philippines where she is from and now has made residence with her husband in Tisdale, Sask. Kelly brought her to our home the other night to meet us and we enjoyed a candle light supper of leftovers together!!

Kelly's dad...my brother...was the only married son my parents had, as our younger brother died before he married and had children.

So....to continue on with the "Philip Benson" side of the family, the pressure was on Kelly to keep that line of the "Benson" family going. He now has a lovely, beautiful wife and perhaps one day God will bless that union with a son of their own. Time will tell.;-)

I think it is somewhat a source of pride, being parents of sons. It's wonderful to have your family name passed on down to your children and their children and their children's children......and so on.

With Ken and I....well, we can't really keep the "Benson" name going for obvious reasons. There is a possibility we can keep the name "Kent" going though through our son.....one day perhaps.

But we managed to keep my dad's name going through Matt....Matthew "Philip" Dale. When I hear those names I think of the two men who were so dear to me.......my father and my younger brother.

Names are important. If we're good parents, the children can take their name and be proud of who it represents. Of course, the same goes for being rotten parents...the children have that name hanging around their necks as a symbol of hatred and contempt and misery.

So, to all you parents out there, be good to your children. Allow them to be blessed just by the family name they carry on to the next generation.

You'll be glad you did. :-)

When sadness comes...

There are people out there who are facing great sadness's.

Some have lost loved ones through death.

Others are trying hard to overcome sickness and it just doesn't seem to be happening.

Some are crying in the night because they can't face the day.

Even some have lost loved ones....but not to death.

Others are sad because of their supposed "failures" in life.

Some cannot even name the nature of their heavy hearts.

Sadness.

It can become all-encompassing, oppressive and over-bearing.

God has offered us joy in the midst of sadness. How is that even possible?

Because joy is so much more than being happy....it's a sense of peace and contentment.

So, when sadness comes, remember Psalm 30:5 which says:

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."

Yes, it does.....

The birdie rink....

Which of these statements captures the photo above???

It's a plate of frozen water covered in snow.

It's a leafy pizza.

It's a frosty flying saucer.

It's an icy bird bath with leaves.

It's a mini round skating rink.

It's a refridgerated salad sprinkled with goat cheese.

It could be any of those....but suffice it to say, the birds are out of luck for a drink of water.

Happy Thanksgiving...

We began Sunday with a Thanksgiving worship service at Gateway.
Brittney & Shannon visiting friends who have a new baby!

Everyone wanted to visit after church. It's quite a community!

There are some good things about having gout....note,

everyone working hard, but me!!

Children....Matt's picture made it into the photo at least!!

This year, we have snow!

It looks so pretty on the mountain ash with its still-green leaves.

The front link railing.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

A "Happy Thanksgiving" from us...to you....

Other than a sore and painful foot, the weekend was wonderful. Saw friends who have moved away and returned just for the weekend. Children were home. Spoke to Matt in India. We ate shameful amounts of food (which of course, included pumpkin pie with whipped cream!!). Snow quietly made its entrance on the whole scene. I finally got my weather wish - going from summer directly into winter...temporarily, at least.

I do trust all of you enjoyed a memorable weekend too.

We have so much....and we are truly blessed.

Thanks God, for everything.

To give is to receive....

Last Saturday a group of women from Gateway Covenant got together to celebrate....us!!!

When you celebrate one another, you talk and listen and laugh and hear and learn about the other. It's called R E L A T I O N S H I P.

I believe the catalyst to relationship is not only love but also F O O D.

It's what we will do this weekend too. Families will get together to celebrate our blessings which of course includes each other and food.

I've got my pumpkin pies all made (with the marvelous help of husband). Talk about a right hand man....well, he's my right foot man....literally.

Speaking with son last evening from India, he won't be having any pumpkin pie with whipped cream or turkey or yams or stuffing and gravy. He said they have a lot of mangoes but didn't think mango pie would be quite the same as pumpkin. People on the streets there will continue to beg for their daily food and some will go without. It's the same here in Prince Albert. There are children and mothers who are hungry.

But whether we're together, or very far apart this Thanksgiving weekend, we have the commonality of the Spirit which brings us and holds us all together through all of life....

".....in loss and tripmph,

in laughter, crying,

in want and riches,

in living, dying...."

to quote a great Swedish hymn "O Let Your Soul Now Be Filled with Gladness".

May we be truly thankful, God, through all the seasons of life for all we have received......and may we not stop at being thankful....... but that we grow and learn how to give of our riches with abandon, freely and openly to those who are in need.....for it is in giving that we receive the blessing of life and hope and love...... Amen.

Let it snow.....

Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

The fire is slowly dying

And my dear we're still goodbying

But as long as you love me so

Let is snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Ya, well, too bad we didn't have that fireplace!

Some cheer....

I figured, since it was a bit gloomy outside, you might want to see something bright.

Flowers always cheer a person up, don't they?