Posts By Laura Bachynski

0 An Autumn Country Drive

September 18, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

NEARING THE TAIL END OF SEPTEMBER CAN MEAN FEWER AND FEWER WARM DAYS WHEN YOU LIVE IN NORTHERN ALBERTA.

SO BECAUSE I HAD MY WHOLE AFTERNOON FREE AND IT WAS A PICTURE PERFECT SUNNY DAY I DECIDED TO JUMP IN THE CAR AND HEAD OUT TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN TO SEE IF I COULD CAPTURE SOME OF THE BEAUTY OF THE SEASON.

HEADING WEST I SOON ENDED UP ON A DIRT ROAD WHICH WAS NOT THE IDEAL PLAN AS TERRY HAD RECENTLY WASHED AND POLISHED UP MY CAR UP NICE AND SHINY. BUT I DID ENJOY THE VIEWS OF THE ‘RIDGE AND FURROWS’ OF THE FIELDS AND THE BEAUTIFUL, SQUARE HAY BALES.

THE SUN SENT DAPPLED LIGHT THROUGH THE DANCING LEAVES OF THE ASPENS BUT THE SKY WAS A BIT SMOKEY ALL THE WAY OVER FROM THE CALIFORNIA FIRES!

I NOTICED SOME UNUSUAL COUNTRY DRIVEWAY DECORATIONS IN THE FORM OF STUFFED HORSES . BUT MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE DRIVE WAS STOPPING AT A PROPERTY WHERE ACTUAL, LIVE HORSES WERE HAVING THEIR AFTERNOON SNACK. I MADE MY WAY OVER TO THE FENCE AND ONE, BRAVE ,BEAUTIFUL MARE CAME OVER AND NIBBLED AT SOME GRASSES I HELD OUT IN MY HAND. SHE LET ME SOFTLY CARESS HER NOSE AND PAT HER FLANK. THERE WERE ABOUT 10 HORSES ALL TOGETHER AND IT WAS THE MOST LOVELY, PASTORAL SCENE.

IT FELT GOOD TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND ENJOY THE DAY IN THIS WAY. MY PARENTS INSTILLED IN ME THE LOVE OF GOING FOR DRIVES AND IT STILL IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PASTIMES.

0 Pool Pal Picnic

September 17, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

I DO MISS MY AQUAFIT CLASSES. IT MIGHT BE HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A CLASS OF STRANGERS,OF ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, AGES, AND FAITHS COULD BECOME SUCH GREAT FRIENDS . BUT THIS HAPPENED.

I’VE TAKEN THESE CLASSES IN CALGARY AND HERE IN EDMONTON FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS. MOVING MY BODY IN THE WATER IS THE ONE THING THAT I CAN DO WITH VERY LITTLE PAIN SO IT HAS BEEN THE BEST FORM OF EXERCISE FOR ME.

I’VE TRIED A FEW DIFFERENT POOLS (SOME HEATED, THERAPEUTIC) BUT AS WE TEND TO DO I FINALLY STUCK WITH THE ONE CLOSEST TO MY HOUSE. THE VERY FIRST DAY THAT I ENTERED THE PETER HEMMINGWAY POOL 2 PEOPLE SWAM UP TO ME, INTRODUCED THEMSELVES AND IMMEDIATELY FORGED THE FIRST LINK IN A CHAIN OF FRIENDSHIP THAT WILL NOT EVER BE BROKEN.

THESE FOLKS (BOB AND ELIZABETH)WELCOMED EVERY NEW PERSON INTO THE CLASS AND TAUGHT ME TO BE LESS SHY ABOUT DOING THE SAME THING. RALPH AND JUDY INVITED ME TO COFFEE AFTER CLASS THAT FIRST WEEK AND IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE OUR COFFEE GROUP BLOSSOMED INTO A MEETING UP OF THIS WONDERFUL GANG AFTER EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY , AND FRIDAY CLASS.

WE GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER THROUGH OUR STORIES , JOKES, AND KINDNESSES. WE STARTED MEETING UP WITH 3/4’S OF THE POOL CLASS FOR A SUMMER BAR-BE-QUE AT KAREN AND DARRELL’S HOME ONCE A YEAR AND FOR A CHRISTMAS PARTY AT OURS IN DECEMBER. ‘BOB’ CALLED OUR CLASSES “YACKERSIZE” BUT I THINK THAT THOSE CLASSES WERE GOOD FOR THE SOUL AS MUCH AS FOR THE BODY. WE HAVE SUPPORTED EACH OTHER THROUGH MANY PHYSICAL CHALLENGES TOO. VARIOUS FRIENDS IN OUR SMALL CIRCLE OF POOL PALS HAVE ENDURED SEIZURES, PARKINSONS, ARTHRITIS, OPERATIONS FOR HEART, AND MANY JOINT REPLACEMENTS. WE ARE OLD BUT HEARTY…HA HA.

YOUNGER FOLKS WOULD TRY AND TAKE CARE OF THE MORE SENIOR FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF CLASS AND INSIDE TOO. FRIENDS WOULD LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER IN THE ICY, WINTER PARKING LOT AND WHEN RALPH’S ‘BRIDE’ STARTED TO SHOW SIGNS OF EARLY ONSET DEMENTIA WE WOULD HELP HER GET ON HER BATHING SUIT IF SHE FORGOT HOW. WE HAVE BEEN TO SEVERAL FUNERALS TOO AS MOST OF THE FOLKS IN THE CLASS ARE SENIORS. WE HAVE SHARED GIFTS OF JAM AND RECIPES FOR BREAD AND OTHER GOODIES. WE’VE SHARED PHOTOS OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN AND GIVEN EACH OTHER IDEAS FOR DAY TRIPS . SOME FOLKS EVEN HOLIDAY TOGETHER!

THEN COVID CLOSED OUR POOL.

ALL OF US SUFFERED FROM BEING APART FROM THE WORKOUTS AND FROM EACH OTHER. SO WE DECIDED THAT WE MIGHT NOT GET TO SEE EACH OTHER IN THE WATER BUT WE COULD CERTAINLY MEET UP IN A SAFE, SOCIAL DISTANCING WAY. OUR CLOSEST GANG MEETS UP EVERY WEDNESDAY AT THE POOL GROUNDS . WE USUALLY BRING COFFEES/BREAKFAST AND SIT UNDER THE TREES TO CATCH UP ABOUT ABOUT LIFE. YESTERDAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME WE MET UP FOR A LUNCHTIME PICNIC BAR-BE-QUE AND IT WAS GREAT FUN .

I KNOW I AM BLESSED TO HAVE THESE GREAT “POOL PALS” IN MY LIFE.

LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WEDNESDAY!

0 Don’t Fence Me In

September 16, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE THE PAIN IN YOUR LIFE IS LIKE A FENCE THAT KEEPS YOU IMPRISONED?

I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING WITH QUITE A FEW PEOPLE IN MY LIFE WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH PAIN. WE AREN’T BEING AS ACTIVE AS WE COULD BE PERHAPS. MANY OF OUR GYMS AND POOLS ARE JUST STARTING TO OPEN AND EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE DO WE WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE OF WORKING OUT IN AN ENCLOSED BUILDING WITH OTHER MOUTH BREATHING , SWEATING SOULS?

SO OUR JOINTS ARE STIFF AND OUR STRESSES ARE ADDING TO THE STRAIN. I KNOW OF A FEW FRIENDS WHO HAVE RECENTLY HAD TO BURY THEIR MUMS . UGH. I AM DREADING THE INEVITABLE DAY.

AND THINGS THAT TAKE AWAY SOME OF OUR ANXIETIES ….EVEN SIMPLE HUGS FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS …MAY NOT HAPPEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

I MYSELF AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NEXT STEP IN PAIN MANAGEMENT AS IT APPEARS THAT MY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS FOR ARTHRITIS HAVE STARTED TO UPSET MY STOMACH AND NOT WORK WELL TOO. I HAVE A CALL WITH MY DOCTOR TODAY SO I DON’T EVEN HAVE TO GO INTO THE OFFICE.

SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO PUT MY HEAD IN MY HANDS AND SOB. IT IS ALL TOO MUCH. I AM FENCED IN ON ALL SIDES WITH SAD NEWS,PAIN, AND THINGS THAT MAKE ME FEEL SORRY FOR MYSELF.

THIS SUFFERING IS REAL BUT IT IS NOT ALL I AM . I AM A GRATEFUL,HAPPY PERSON MOST DAYS. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS? THERE ARE PROBABLY TOO MANY FOR ME TO COUNT.

I ONLY HAVE TO LOOK OVER THE ‘FENCE’ TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL ‘FLOWERS’ IN MY LIFE: MY FAITH, MY FAMILY,MY FRIENDS,MY MUSIC, MY ART ,MY ABILITY TO LAUGH, EAT, MOVE, BREATHE, AND …YOU GET THE IDEA.

LIFE IS AN INCREDIBLE GIFT! AND IT’S BEEN SAID MANY TIMES BEFORE BUT MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE WORSE OFF THAN ME AND PAIN ALLOWS ME TO KNOW I’M ALIVE!

SO I GIVE THANKS THIS DAY FOR THE INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS IN MY LIFE. AND YOU ARE ONE OF THEM!

MAY PEACE BE WITH YOU THIS DAY AND IN YOUR HEART ALWAYS…. NO MATTER WHAT IS KEEPING YOU FENCED IN.

0 Tapestry

September 15, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

WE CAN PRESENT A LOVELY TAPESTRY TO THE WORLD. BUT IT’S EASY TO HIDE THE TANGLED THREADS OF OUR LIVES THAT CAN BE A KNOTTED DISASTER.

I HAVE A FRIEND MIRIAM, WHO IS A PART OF ‘MADONNA HOUSE’ WHO HAS A GREAT TALENT FOR CROSS STITCHING. SHE PAINSTAKINGLY THREADS EACH NEEDLE AND PULLS EACH COLOURED THREAD THROUGH WITH CARE AND LOVE. SHE CREATES BEAUTIFUL ART.

BUT SHE ALSO HAS CONNECTED THE THREADS OF HER OWN LIFE TO CHRIST WHO IS THE MASTER WEAVER. MIRIAM SUFFERS FROM M.S.. SHE ONCE WAS A DIRECTOR OF THE MARIAN CENTRE (IN RUSSIA I BELIEVE) AND NOW WE ARE BLESSED TO KNOW HER THROUGH HER WORK WITH THE POOR AND MARGINALIZED HERE IN EDMONTON. SHE MOSTLY HAS TO GET AROUND ON A MOTORIZED SCOOTER THESE DAYS , HAS BRACES ON HER LEGS, AND WHEN SHE WALKS WITH HER 2 CANES EACH STEP IS PAINFUL AND MEASURED.

LOOK AT HER SMILE AND NOT HER STEPS AND YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW THERE IS A DAILY SUFFERING THERE. SHE LIVES TO GIVE …NOT JUST THROUGH HER ART BUT BY CONNECTING HER VERY LIFE TO THE POOR WHOM SHE HAS VOWED TO SERVE.

TIM KELLER WRITES,”REWEAVING SHALOM MEANS TO SACRIFICIALLY THREAD, LACE, AND PRESS YOUR TIME, GOODS, POWER, AND RESOURCES INTO THE LIVES AND NEEDS OF OTHERS….THE STRONG MUST DISADVANTAGE THEMSELVES FOR THE WEAK, THE MAJORITY FOR THE MINORITY, OR THE COMMUNITY FRAYS AND THE FABRIC BREAKS.”

THE COLOURS OF OUR TAPESTRIES WILL BE MORE VIBRANT THAN WE COULD EVER IMAGINE IF WE ALLOW GOD TO THREAD HIS BEAUTIFUL LOVE THROUGH OUR OWN LIVES. WE ARE TRULY ALL CONNECTED. AND WHEN WE LIVE AS THOUGH WE ARE ALONE HERE, OUR OWN SUFFERINGS WILL BE GREATER AND OF NO PURPOSE.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FEEL LOST, AFRAID, EVEN HOPELESS AT TIMES. HOW GREAT DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A FRIEND WHO WE CAN LEAN ON? IT IS WHEN WE LOOK BEYOND OURSELVES TO THOSE IN NEED THAT WE CAN FIND OUR PURPOSE . THIS WORLD HAS BECOME CONNECTED BECAUSE OF COVID. BUT ARE WE STILL TANGLED UP IN OUR OWN STORIES?

LET’S START BY REACHING OUT TO THE ONE WHO INITIALLY STITCHED LOVE IN OUR HEARTS. LET’S FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOUR AS OURSELVES. LET’S STOP PROMOTING HATRED ON LINE. LET’S SEW THE SIMPLE THREADS OF LOVE INTO EACH THOUGHT AND CONVERSATION WE HAVE TODAY.

AND LET’S WEAVE A SIMPLE PRAYER OF LOVE AND KINDNESS INTO OUR ACTIONS AND REACTIONS TODAY SO THAT OUR GROWING TAPESTRIES WILL ATTRACT OTHERS BY THEIR BEAUTY AND THE KNOTS BEHIND WILL BE STRONG BUT NOT UGLY.

THERE WILL BE SUFFERING. BUT THE ONE WHO SUFFERED AND DIED FOR US STILL TEACHES US HOW TO LIVE.

SHALOM.

0 Be There

September 14, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

SEVEN MONTHS. THAT IS HOW LONG WE’VE BEEN WORRYING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC AND THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT.

MANY OF US HAVE PARTNERS WITH WHOM WE CAN LEAN ON AND SHARE OUR FEARS BUT MANY PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES LIVE ALONE AND ARE LONELY.

HOW CAN WE BE THERE FOR THEM WHEN WE CAN’T ‘BE THERE’?

WE CAN ALSO SEE A NICE HOME WITH A BEAUTIFUL YARD AND ASSUME THAT EVERYONE BEHIND THAT BEAUTIFUL DOOR IS JUST FINE. BUT MAYBE THEY ARE SUFFERING MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE.

LET’S REMEMBER THAT ALTHOUGH WE ARE WEARING MASKS WE CAN STILL SEE. LET’S SMILE WITH OUR EYES WHEN WE PASS A STRANGER ON THE SIDEWALK.

LET’S MAKE THAT CALL THAT WE’VE BEEN PUTTING OFF. MORE THAN EVER THE LONELY NEED TO HEAR A FRIENDLY VOICE.

CAN YOU AFFORD TO SEND FLOWERS TO A FRIEND OR RELATIVE ….EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO SPECIAL OCCASION FOR THEM? OR CAN YOU PICK UP A PEN AND WRITE A LETTER AND SEND IT OFF TO BRIGHTEN SOMEONE’S DAY?

I RECENTLY SAW A VIDEO OF A LITERAL TORNADO OF FIRE IN CALIFORNIA. WE ARE CONCERNED FOR COVID IN THE SCHOOLS AND IN THE RISING NUMBER OF CASES WORLD WIDE. AND IF THAT DOESN’T SCARE YOU THE POLITICAL ARENA WILL!

JOIN ME IN SAYING A PRAYER OR TWO FOR OUR WORLD, FOR OUR FRIENDS, AND OUR FAMILIES.

THERE ARE WAYS TO BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER.

PEACE.

0 “Ruby and the Hitmen”

September 13, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

TERRY AND I HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING IN THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS NEXT CONCERT.

THE DAY STARTED OUT WINTERY WITH COLD TEMPERATURES AND INTERMITTENT RAIN SO WE WEREN’T SURE WHAT THE EVENING WOULD BRING. BUT AROUND 5 PM THE BLUE SKIES PUSHED THROUGH THE CLOUDS AND IT BECAME A PERFECT, AUTUMN EVENING TO BUNDLE UP AND HEAD OUT TO SHERWOOD PARK.

LUCKILY WE DID ‘LAYER UP’ BECAUSE IT DID FEEL QUITE CHILLY WHEN WE WERE SITTING OUTSIDE FOR SO LONG. BUT THE MUSIC OF ‘RUBY AND THE HITMEN’ KEPT US SMILING AND WARM INSIDE WITH THEIR RECOGNIZABLE COVER TUNES FROM THE 60’S, 70’S, AND 80’S.

THREE OF THE BAND MEMBERS ARE IN THE SAME FAMILY (MUM-RENEE, DAD-DEAN,AND SON, CHRIS) AND DEAN AND RAY, THE LEAD GUITARIST ARE BOTH ON MY LATEST ALBUM, ‘WORDS ON A PAGE’. THEY ALSO HAVE A GREAT DRUMMER AND KEYBOARDIST.

THE CROWD WAS ENCOURAGED TO WEAR MASKS WHEN MOVING ABOUT AND TO SOCIAL DISTANCE ON THEIR BEAUTIFUL ACREAGE PROPERTY IN THE BACK YARD. THIS WAS A GOOD PLAN IN THEORY AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NIGHT.

‘RUBY’ HAD THOUGHTFULLY PROVIDED A FOOD TRUCK (STARVIN’ MARVIN’S) AND WE BROUGHT OUR OWN PICNIC TYPE DINNER OF HOMEMADE CHILLI WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH AND FRESH , CHOPPED PEACHES FOR DESSERT. HOT TEA IN OUR THERMOS’ PROVIDED SOME EXTRA WARMTH TOO …AS WELL AS OUR BLANKETS ON OUR LEGS.

THE MUSIC WAS GREAT WITH WONDERFUL HARMONIES AND PLAYERS. THE STAGE WAS PROFESSIONAL AND LARGE WITH FUN LIGHTING AND GOOD SOUND SYSTEM. BUT THE DANCING GUESTS SOON HAD THEIR MASKS OFF AND THE ALCOHOL SEEMED TO MAKE INHIBITIONS DISAPPEAR AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE STOOD CLOSE AND ROCKED TO THE MUSIC.

TIME TO GO! BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME WHILE IT LASTED.

0 (Mass)ive Joy!

September 11, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

I STARTED OFF TODAY FEELING SO JOYFUL THAT I COULD BARELY CONTAIN MY TEARS. TODAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH ( AUSPICIOUS DAY THAT IT IS) I BRAVED GOING BACK TO MASS.

IT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN WONDERFUL TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO WATCH MASS ONLINE AND TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION VIRTUALLY/SPIRITUALLY. BUT I HAVE ALSO SHED MANY TEARS OF SADNESS WHEN OUR CHURCHES CLOSED AND WE COULDN’T COME TOGETHER AS A CHURCH FAMILY. I MISSED THE SACRAMENTS , THE COMMUNITY, AND THE MUSIC TOO!

MY FIRST FORAY BACK INTO THE VIRTUALLY EMPTY CHURCH WAS FOR A RECENT BAPTISM OF OUR NEW GODSON, NOAH. I THINK THERE WERE SEVEN OF US AND A ‘ZOOM’ GATHERING OF RELATIVES AND FRIENDS FROM OUT OF TOWN. GREAT THAT THEY COULD BE THERE THIS WAY.

TODAY , AFTER READING AN INCREDIBLE BOOK CALLED, ‘THE WARNING’, I FELT COMPELLED TO RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION . THE CHURCH SECRETARY SAID THAT OUR WONDERFUL PRIEST,FR. DEAN, WOULD BE AVAILABLE AFTER MORNING MASS SO THAT WAS IT. I DECIDED TO TAKE A CHANCE ON ATTENDING MASS AGAIN AND I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH HOW SAFE I FELT. ALL PROPER PROTOCOLS WERE IN PLACE FOR COVID PREVENTION AND THERE WERE JUST A HANDFUL OF US TOO.

AFTERWARDS I PARTICIPATED IN SOMETHING CALLED A ‘LIFE CONFESSION’ AND IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT AFTER MY CONFESSION I FELT ON FIRE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MY FAMILY, AND FRIENDS …LIKE YOU!

I FEEL BLESSED WITH MY FAITH AND IT HELPS ME GET THROUGH THESE TOUGH TIMES. LET GO AND LET GOD AS THEY SAY.

PEACE!

2 Wabamun

September 10, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

TERRY AND I DECIDED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF THE TWO WARM DAYS EXPECTED THIS WEEK . YUP. AUTUMN IS OFFICIALLY HERE.

CORNY FOLKS THAT WE ARE, WE DECIDED TO LET ANOTHER ‘WORLD’S BIGGEST’ STATUE BE OUR DESTINATION AND WE HEADED OUT TO THE VERY SMALL TOWN OF WABAMUN, ALBERTA.

IT’S ACTUALLY ‘CANADA’S BIGGEST DRAGONFLY’ AND THE WINGS ARE ACTUALLY MADE OUT OF THE WINGS OF AN AIRPLANE.

IT WAS SO GORGEOUS IN WABAMUN PROVINCIAL PARK. SURPRISINGLY , WE HAD NEITHER OF US EVER BEEN THERE BEFORE EVEN THOUGH IT IS ONLY ABOUT 45 MINUTES AWAY FROM OUR HOME. IF OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN VISIT US AGAIN NEXT SUMMER WE COULD TAKE THEM THERE AS IT HAS A LOVELY, SANDY BEACH AND SHALLOW WATER TO WADE IN.

PLENTY OF PICNIC TABLES WERE AROUND AND MANY OF THEM HAD SMALL ,RED ROOFS . WE FOUND A LOVELY SPOT IN THE SUN , HAD OUR PICNIC OF EGG SALAD SANDWICHES AND OF COURSE PLAYED OUR FAVOURITE GAME : TILE RUMMY.

THE TOWN OF WABAMUN IS VERY SMALL BUT IT HAS ALL THE AMENITIES AND EVEN A GIFT SHOP! WE STOPPED TO WAIT FOR A LONG TRAIN AND TO TRY AND CAPTURE A PRETTY POND PHOTO. I’M SO HAPPY WE ARE TAKING TIME TO ENJOY OUR PROVINCE WHILE WE ARE SAFE TO DO SO (IT ALREADY SNOWED IN WATERTON LAKES (SOUTH OF CALGARY) AND IN NORTHERN ALBERTA TOO.)

I AM ALREADY TRYING TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR WHEN WE ARE ‘STUCK’ IN OUR HOME FOR POSSIBLY SIX MONTHS OF WINTER. I SAID TO TERRY,’GOOD THING WE LIKE EACH OTHER’ AND HE SAID,’EASY: YOU TAKE THE UPSTAIRS AND I’LL TAKE THE DOWNSTAIRS’ .HA HA HA.

I HOPE WHEN I FINALLY EXIT MY HOUSE AT THE END OF WINTER I’M NOT THE ‘WORLD’S BIGGEST’ !!!! HA HA HA AGAIN.

0 Front Porch Life

September 8, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

I READ AN ARTICLE IN OUR NEWSPAPER THIS MORNING ABOUT US HAVING TO BECOME ‘FRONT PORCH PEOPLE’ .

I AGREE WITH THIS . SINCE COVID, MY FRONT PORCH HAS BECOME MY ‘GO TO’ PLACE TO VISIT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY WHO CAN NO LONGER ENTER INTO OUR HOME AT THIS TIME.

BEFORE OUR RENOVATION WE HAD THE USUAL SIX FOOT , 1950’S ERA PORCH WITH JUST ENOUGH ROOM ON WHICH TO STAND AS YOU RANG THE DOORBELL.

NOW WE ARE BLESSED WITH A LOVELY, LARGE VISITING AREA . IT’S A PLACE TO ENJOY OUR SUMMER MORNING COFFEES WHILE WE READ THE PAPER. IT’S A PLACE TO WAVE TO THE NEIGHBOURS AND FROM WHICH TO ENJOY THE DRAGONFLIES SWOOPING AND SOARING AND THE BEES POLLINATING OUR LARGE HYDRANGEA FLOWERS.

A NEIGHBOUR RECENTLY COMMENTED THAT EVERY TIME SHE WALKS BY I SEEM TO BE SITTING ON THE PORCH IN THE SAME SPOT. HA HA. TRUE! I HAVE MY FAVOURITE ROCKING CHAIR IN THE CORNER SO I AM OFFICIALLY OLD.

EVERYTHING I NEED IS NEARBY : MY BOOK, ROSARY, KLEENEX, NAPKINS, HAND SANITIZING WIPES, BLANKETS, PILLOWS,FLY SWATTER, MAILBOX, FLOWERS, CLOCK, ETC. AND WHEN IT IS REALLY HOT IN THE MORNINGS WE EVEN HAVE HOLDERS TO ATTACH OUR BRIGHT, COLOURFUL UMBRELLAS ON THE RAILING.

WE ENJOYED PERFORMING FROM OUR FRONT PORCH THIS PAST SATURDAY NIGHT. WHAT A FUN TIME WE HAD SHARING OUR NEW MUSIC WITH NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS! THE PORCH MADE A GREAT STAGE.

AND TODAY I AM HAVING OUR FRIEND, JAZZ, OVER FOR A VISIT WITH OUR WEE GODSON, NOAH. LOOKING FORWARD TO CHATTING WITH HER ON THE PORCH , SHARING A CUP OF TEA PERHAPS, AND CUDDLING OUR BEAUTIFUL BOY.

I WILL WATCH THE WORLD GO BY FOR A FEW MORE WEEKS BEFORE THE SNOWS FORCE ME INDOORS. I CAN SEE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE SCHOOLYARD DOWN THE STREET AND THE BIKERS WIZZ BY ON OUR NEWLY DESIGNATED ‘BIKE PATH NETWORK’ STREET. BUT FOR NOW I MUST VENTURE OFF FOR SOME EXERCISE. MY LOVELY PORCH WILL BE HERE WHEN I RETURN. SAVE MY SPOT!

2 Mixing It Up

September 7, 2020
by Laura Bachynski
· Blog

A WHILE BACK MY DEAR FRIEND, ROSE, SENT OUT A SIMPLE STORY ABOUT HOW TO TRUST GOD .

RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT GOOD CAN COME OUT OF THESE SCARY TIMES OF ILLNESS, ECONOMIC LOSS, SEPARATION FROM THOSE WE LOVE, AND EVEN DEATH. BUT IF YOU HAVE FAITH IT IS EASIER TO SEE FROM HISTORY THAT THERE INDEED MIGHT BE SOME GOODNESS THAT COMES OUT OF ALL OF THIS WORLD WIDE PANDEMIC.

HERE IS THE LITTLE STORY :

A while back I read a story of a visiting pastor who attended a men’s breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

“Lord, I hate buttermilk,” the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going.The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.”

Now the pastor was growing concerned.Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, “And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour.” The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.”

Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today.Stay strong, my friends, because our LORD is mixing several things that we don’t really care for, but something even better is going to come when HE is done with it. AMEN!

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