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Posts By Laura Bachynski

0 Deep Freeze Festival

  • February 13, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

What does one do when it is -30 outside in the evening? Go to the Deep Freeze Festival of course !

Our city of Edmonton knows what it is like to be locked down ….even before the lock down. We have a good six months of winter and it gets darn cold. We are actually receiving deep freeze warnings right now so we Albertans know how to layer up for the cold.

I can’t believe how many people walk by my house daily with their dogs or with their coffees in hand. The cold doesn’t stop us from getting out because that’s all we’ve got. So we learn to bundle up and get outside.

Edmonton keeps trying to come up with ways to get our communities active and it has been even more difficult since the pandemic needs us to keep away from each other. But we have the Silver Skate Festival and many rinks open for skating and outdoor hockey too. We also have ‘Boardwalk Ice on Whyte’ to see some incredible ice sculptures among other great things to do.

Last night we decided to get on our woolies and head out to Borden Park to attend the free “Deep Freeze Festival”. The whole park had cleared sidewalks lit up with candles in white bags so that you could make your way around and see all their ice sculptures, light displays, and interactive activities like the ‘story tree’ and the Ukrainian dolls cut outs. There were people spread out around the park but I never felt unsafe due to close proximity. What I did feel is COLD so we weren’t going to linger for too too long.

One of the best things about going out on a freezing cold night is coming home to a nice hot cup of apple cider. And that’s exactly what we did!

Stay warm, friends!

2 Dare to Love

  • February 12, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog
I have always loved the writings of Henri Nouwen.

With Valentine’s Day looming I am thinking about those I love in my life…present…and past!

The following writing by Henri Nouwen speaks to my heart about the everlasting love of real friendships…..
True friendships are lasting because true love is eternal. A friendship in which heart speaks to heart is a gift from God, and no gift that comes from God is temporary or occasional. All that comes from God participates in God’s eternal life. Love between people, when given by God, is stronger than death. In this sense, true friendships continue beyond the boundary of death. When you have loved deeply that love can grow even stronger after the death of the person you love. This is the core message of Jesus.

When Jesus died, the disciples’ friendship with him did not diminish. On the contrary, it grew. This is what the sending of the Spirit was all about. The Spirit of Jesus made Jesus’ friendship with his disciples everlasting, stronger, and more intimate than before his death. That is what Paul experienced when he said, “It is no longer I, but Christ living in me” (Galatians 2:20).


You have to trust that every true friendship has no end, that a communion of saints exists among all those, living and dead, who have truly loved God and one another. You know from experience how real this is. Those you have loved deeply and who have died live on in you, not just as memories but as real presences.


Dare to love and be a real friend. The love you give and receive is a reality that will lead you closer and closer to God as well as to those whom God has given you to love.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
Dare to love.

0 Throwback Thursday Musical Memories

  • February 11, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

As I’ve been working on my new website (to come) I have been going through years of concert photos.

I’m actually shocked at how many concerts I have done in the past 11 years. I thought I would share with you a few of my concert past memories….

  1. My sister, Paula, and I singing at the Church picnic
  2. SpiritLine performing at “That’s Aroma” , Edmonton
  3. C.D. release for “Hope Is” my second album
  4. SpiritLine at the Carrot Café, Edmonton
  5. Performing with my family band in St. Clair Beach, Ontario
  6. Laura performing at the National Music Center, Calgary, Alberta
  7. Terry and I perform at “The Works” festival, Edmonton
  8. SpiritLine band
  9. My band performs in Tecumseh, Ontario
  10. SpiritLine portrait, Blackbird Café concert
  11. Rehearsing with John McNichol(flute)
  12. Singing with my sisters at a café in St. Clair Beach, Ontario
  13. Paula, Terry, and myself at a private family birthday function
  14. Paula and I perform for a group of folks , Riverdale, Edmonton
  15. Rehearsing for my first music video with my son, Darren, the director

It’s been a great ride so far !

“Thank you for the music the songs I’m singing….”

2 Going Bananas!

  • February 10, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

I thought I’d share with you what I have learned about bananas lately. They are AMAZING!


  This is interesting…….

  Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose

  combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

  But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or

  prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.


  Depression:
 

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan,   a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.


 PMS: 

Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

 

  Anemia :

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia. 

  Blood Pressure:

 This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of  blood pressure and stroke.


  Brain Power:

 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.


  Constipation:

 High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

  Hangovers: 

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.


  Heartburn:

 Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.


  Morning Sickness: 

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

  Mosquito bites: 

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

  Nerves: 

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.


 Ulcers: 

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.


  Temperature control:

Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.


  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):

 Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood Enhancer tryptophan.


  Smoking &Tobacco Use:

 Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

  Stress:

 Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.


  Strokes: 

According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!


  Warts: 

Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

 
  So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.    It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe it’s time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A banana a day keeps the doctor away!’

 

  PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS

  PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here…..

  Quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe…

  polish with dry cloth.   Amazing fruit !!!

0 Double Trouble

  • February 9, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

It’s hard to believe that thirty two years ago I had twin baby girls.

I had the wonderful blessing of having an indoor,socially distant early birthday visit with one of my girls, Emily, when she braved the -32 temperatures to come over for coffee and homemade cake.

We have a very looooooong dining table and Emily and her partner,Geoff, sat at one end and we sat 12 feet away at the other end of the room. We decided that with the ever present threat of Covid that it wouldn’t be the smartest thing for Em to blow out the candles so it was funny watching her try and accomplish the same thing with her hands.

I am so proud of my two youngest children : two very accomplished, musical, funny, loving, artistic women.

I’m also so happy that if we have to live through a pandemic that we live in an age where we can just pick up the phone to say, “Happy Birthday!” or send them a message, text, Zoom, or any number of other ways to instantly connect.

But still . Today is so cold. And my family is so far away. And I long for colour . So I must have mentioned this to my sister, Paula, today because lo and behold I received a colourful , gorgeous, surprise bouquet today! Colour is in front of me. A touch of Spring captured in my home. A reminder of hopeful things to come. A reminder that I am loved. And a reminder to love. (Thank you again, Paulie). I love you.

And happy birthday again, my daughters. I love you too.

0 New Illustrations

  • February 8, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

About one month ago I started the process of illustrating the ‘sister’ book to the first “Polly Aster” book, “The Diaries of Polly Aster”. Attached are some of the drawings I have completed.

I had the honour of being asked to illustrate the first,young adult, fantasy book as well .

The author chose the pages that she wanted illustrated and I was pretty much given free rein to interpret them as I wished. This is a wonderful creative freedom and I love the whole process.

I read the book first to get the feel of the settings and characters. Then I did initial drawings to see if I was on the right track. Once I got the o.k. from the author I started to redraw the detailed sketches to the correct measurements for the future printing. I decided upon ink drawings with a watercolour wash in black.

This is a book about friendship. A book about magical experiences. A book about conquering your fears along the journey and finding your happy ending.

The first magical journey was for teenage Polly but this book is about Polly’s grandfather who had the first magical adventures in their family when he was a teen , (much like the Lion, Witch, and The Wardrobe series.)

There are fairies, dwarves, unicorns and a dragon! There are siblings and best friends, evil characters, and very good characters. And there are a lot of scenes of the children eating delicious food. This book might make you hungry!

I will let you know when the book is published so that you can purchase one for your children, friends, or perhaps grandchildren.

It has been a fun journey for me as well!

0 Our Winter Paintings

  • February 5, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

This weekend the highs will be up to -26 ! Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

But one thing that gives me peace and makes me feel content is when I surround myself with our own paintings of winter scenes.

I feel blessed to have been given the gift of artistic talent ,the means to frame our work, and I enjoy covering our walls with pretty artwork.

Terry has a special talent for painting winter scenes. These are only some of my favourite winter scenes that currently grace our walls. I love that he can capture the beauty of the mountains in whatever medium he tries. Above I’ve included two of his watercolours, some brush acrylic, and one palette knife acrylic.

What I truly find amazing is that he also just makes up images as he goes along. He did this with the first “black sky” painting up above, the palette knife “red” painting, and the “moon” painting. Wow!

I like to work from my own photos and then embellish as I see fit. For example the “turquoise truck” was in a summer field in my original photograph. I added one more magpie to the painting you see above.

Our home looks a little bit like an art gallery but when we renovated we made sure we had lots of walls to hang artwork. I need some colour to enjoy inside during these ‘black and white’ days outside.

I have been diligently working on my brand new website ( Christmas gift from our daughter, Lana) and am adding many paintings and pricings to my “Gallery/Shop” section. I hope to have the website up and running soon. Remember that many paintings are for sale and 80 % of the proceeds are given to charity. Maybe you would like something new for your walls…..

Peace. Stay warm.

0 You Matter.

  • February 4, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

Ever feel like you are all alone in the world and no one cares?

Ever feel like you can cry out to God but you never get a response?

The right word at the right time can help us when we need comfort in our suffering. Here are 10 Bible verses with words that have the power to give that comfort. ( found on “All Pro Dad”)

1. Job 5:11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.

2. Psalm 27:13-14 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

3. Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

4. John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

5. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.

6. Romans 8:37-38 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7. Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

8. 2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

9. Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

10. Hebrews 13:5 I will never leave you or forsake you.

We are all going through tough times right now. Some are handling it well and some…not so much. But I have faith that God is truly there for me. For us. I have called out to Him many times and he has answered my prayers in miraculous ways. He tells us that… ” In this world you will have trouble. ” … but we can be comforted by staying close to Him in our thoughts and prayer life.

You matter to Him and you matter to me. If you are struggling…reach out. Call on God. Call a friend. Don’t struggle alone. We WILL get through this time and be better for it. “Any healing communion that we can give will come not through our strength, but through our brokenness.” (A.Voskamp) We are all feeling pretty ‘broken’ right now. But perhaps my brokenness can speak to your brokenness and we can lift each other up. We can find peace by being there for each other. Our sufferings matter…be they huge or seemingly small. And over here in Edmonton this -26 day can be enough to make anyone feel down.

Albertans can also access services by calling the Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322, Mental Health Helpline 1-877-303-2642 or visiting www.ahs.ca/helpintoughtimes.

You matter. Take much care, my friends.

Peace.

6 All We Have Is Now

  • February 3, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

I saw this wonderful posting from my sister, Pamela, yesterday.

She collects chalkboards and uses them in all sorts of interesting ways from grocery list holders to straight up decorations.

Pam wrote that she walked by this wee chalkboard in her room many times until one day she noticed that it had writing upon it.

Her husband, David, had written : ” I LOVE MY WIFE! Not only is she beautiful ,she’s….” and he goes on to list the many wonderful things he loves about Pamela …(as seen in the photo above).

Dave didn’t wait until Valentine’s day to write down that special love letter. And I think there is a message for all of us in that response.

All we really have is …now. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I don’t think any of us knew that the pandemic was coming and would change the entire world. Would we have hugged more? Would we have appreciated our schools, our nurses, doctors, …even our restauranteurs more? Would we have taken that trip instead of saying….’ maybe someday ‘.

But: there is good news. We still have NOW. If you are reading this you are here and you are alive.

Let’s reach out to someone today and tell them we love them. We don’t need to wait for a special day. We don’t need to say that it’s too late and that we never said it before now. Perhaps more than ever we need to hear that we are loved and appreciated. It doesn’t have to even be our partner (although starting with them is a good place to start!) It can be a friend that we haven’t spoken to in years. It can be an uncle, an aunt, a cousin, or a neighbour.

Let’s use today to make a difference in the world by just telling (at least) one person that we love them. Who knows what kind of amazing change we could bring about with those three little words?

Thanks for reading.

( I love you.)

p.s. Pamela really did save Dave’s life. He had a heart attack and Pam kept his blood pumping/oxygen moving to his brain by doing CPR until the paramedics arrived. Oh, what a joyful moment that was to hear that David would live! (All we have….is now. Let’s live it well.)

0 Filling Our Days

  • February 2, 2021
  • by Laura Bachynski
  • · Blog

Filling my day. 

When the pandemic became a daily reality and continued to worsen to the point where we became locked down I worried that the days would be long. Imagine my surprise with how the hours fly by so that I am often found exclaiming, “Where did the day go?”

How does one fill a day when many businesses are closed and you are stuck home for weeks at a time? 

For many of you it means getting outside and finding ways to exercise while enjoying the beauty all around you.

But in deep winter it is not recommended for me to walk outside too much lest I slip and fall. My hip replacements are over 20 years old (thanks be to God for this blessing!) but they have melded with my bones. If I were to break one I have been told that I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Yikes!

So without my beloved pool exercise to keep me limber I have to find ways to keep moving IN the house. Lately, I’ve been walking circles all over the place while I pray the rosary.It looks funny but I am moving and offering up prayers for those in need. Works for me! I also try my best at keeping up with the housecleaning and that is good exercise for me too. 

I also love to read. I am in a Book Club which has now moved to a monthly Zoom call and I have plenty of good books to look forward to in the coming months. Right now I am reading “The Bookshop of Yesterdays” by Amy Meyerson. It’s a fun tale filled with mystery, the many facets of love, and of course…books! 

I rehearse my new music when I can. I must say that I am very happy with this new album-to-be and excited about recording it this year. 

And currently, my main focus has been to work on illustrations for a brand new book. This is a sister book to the first “Polly Aster” book I previously illustrated and I will share a couple of the ink drawings I will be including. I’ll let you know more about that book when it gets published. 

There are so many activities I love to do to fill my day! I love to Zoom with my best friends on Sundays, go to online mass, bake, laugh with Terry as we play Tile Rummy together, write letters, connect with friends and family as best as I can during Covid, paint, create, do photography, eat good food, watch great movies, and of course write this blog among other things! 

My daughter,Lana, gave me the most amazing Christmas gift : she is in the process of helping me update my website. It will have a brand new look and much easier navigation. Coming soon!

So we will all have that to look forward to in the near future.

I hope you are finding interesting ways to fill YOUR days. Even if you have to go out (or in!) to work everyday, try and find one moment for yourself that fills your soul. 

Stay active. Stay safe. And be at peace, friends.

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