Our delightful old girl is a mere 142 years old, but is only officially registered as 139, as that is the earliest tax registry that they can actually find on her in the archives. She is a designated “century home” and wears her plaque on the front wall of the house proudly. She has a rich, local history, and if her walls could speak they would have many stories to share. And, like all good women, every once in a while she needs a makeover to help perk her up and give her a fresh perspective ... [read more]...

My hubby’s family resides in England, except for his parents who live next door to us, and my sister-in-laws and their families, who both live quite a piece away. So, when family gets together it is always a big deal. His cousin Clive, and his family, blessed us with their presence this past May, and we were able to go on vacation with them for a week or so to a charming cottage in the Muskokas. Pure cottage country, it is a delightful blend of rustic cabins and millionaires’ hideaways. Pic ... [read more]...

How blessed we are when He orchestrates the relationships in our lives. Today, I was thanking God for the people in my life. My husband, my son, my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, in-laws, close friends and acquaintances, and last but not least, my church family here at home in Canada. Extraordinarily, I am now doubly blessed, because I now have a second home in New York State, complete with friends that I absolutely love, with a second home church, and another church family. How lucky ... [read more]...

Just when you feel like you’re ready to throw it all it in… When it all seems too much, and makes no sense… God shows up. Yesterday, I continued to be carrying the weight of many struggling hearts and hurting people. I was having difficulty even praying in the Spirit, for both them and myself. For days, just simply carrying this overwhelming burden, had been nothing less than wearing. A couple, that my husband and I know, is going through a long season of difficulty in their ma ... [read more]...

As I glanced around the funeral parlour, my heart sank. Only a handful of people had shown up to say ‘goodbye’ to a life that had, no doubt, mattered to God. Barely a dozen family members, and three ‘friends’, that turned out in actuality to be strangers that were providing the food ‘post-burial’, were all struggling to support her only heir, a son. Her own minister didn’t even bother to show up, and another had stepped in to fill the void. A supposed ‘Christian burial’, the ... [read more]...

Recently, my husband’s reliable half-ton went in for its’ mandatory emissions test and came home with a rebellious tendency to quit or stall in the most untimely places – like perhaps the main intersection of a nearby town. Towed to our own personal mechanic, and unresponsive in revealing its’ new personality quirks; it was issued passage via a tow-truck to a more ‘diagnostic’ facility. There too, we met with fate as hubby was told it was no longer worth the expense of fixing his ... [read more]...