Category: Uncategorized

Facebook! That social phenomenon we love to hate, we try to avoid, and we can’t seem to do without. I have too many friends on Facebook. There are ‘friends’ from high school with whom I was never friends in high school. I barely remember them from those days, yet we’re friends.

Facebook is a great tool for moms with young kids to stay connected, to laugh and share common frustrations. When I was a young mother with two small toddlers, in the middle of a brutal Montreal winter, a little connectedness would have gone a long way.

My number one fixation with Facebook is my grandchildren! My daughters-in-law are great to put pictures up often and that’s all I need to make my day. It’s also a great way to stay connected with family – my niece in Switzerland, and other nieces and nephews all along the Eastern seaboard, and my sisters and sisters-in-law (my brothers don’t ‘do’ Facebook).

I have a friend with a wonderful sense of humor, but she suffers with bouts of depression. Her candidness on Facebook makes me uncomfortable on the one hand, but on the other, I admire her honesty and her ability to reach out. Most people on Facebook give us the impression their lives are a party. Laura, at least, tells the truth always.

The most curious friend I have on Facebook I have never met. We’ve been friends for nine years now. I’ve seen her children grow up, I’ve envied the trips she’s taken, the cruises, the fact that she lives in southern California…This is how we ‘met’ – in January of 2009, she did a search on Facebook – she typed in her birth name – Margery McDonald – besides her own, mine was the only other profile that came up. So we became friends. Now her husband has a rare form of cancer and is fighting for his life. Their kids are in their teens – too young to lose a parent; too young to deal with such pain.

I stay out of the political fray on Facebook; I don’t rant…and I ignore those who do. That was not the original intention of this social network – it was meant as an opportunity to connect with people – not to degrade, engage in hostile exchanges or rail against others’ political or religious leanings. Lately, I see it as an opportunity to pray – for Margery’s husband, for Laura, for my niece in Switzerland, with Crohn’s disease.

So don’t get annoyed with all the things people choose to do, say, post and vent about– pray for them; pray for your friends on Facebook; pray for people around the world. It’s a soothing response in these troubled times.

There’s a woman in our neighborhood who walks our road daily. She’s a saint! Every day, no matter the weather, you will find her collecting garbage – in the ditches, in the bushes, in the tall grass along the roadside. I often see her when I’m out in the early morning hours, running. We chat sometimes, and I thank her, profusely, for her tireless efforts to preserve the beauty of our country road; her constant act of picking up the trash that careless people discard as they drive by.

She hasn’t been down our way in quite a while- we live about four kilometres apart. So, when our stretch of road was recently littered with the refuse of a McDonald’s meal, I donned a pair of gloves, grabbed a garbage bag and headed out with the dog, to clean up the mess.

Now, before you say, ‘good for you,’ you must hear the rest of the story. I was angry, snatching up the burger boxes, straws, napkins and cups, and grumbling to myself. I just don’t understand people who find it acceptable to open their car window and fling their garbage onto other peoples’ property. How do they, in their right mind, justify their actions? These are not the things I muttered as I collected the remains of some family’s meal. My words, though not profane, were unkind. Ignorant was uttered more than once.

How does she do it? I wondered, plucking at the burs that caught on my socks and my sweater. How does my neighbor have the patience to pick up the garbage day after day? Over and over? How is she not frustrated by the actions of careless people and why doesn’t she just give up? The further I walked, the more I admired her spirit, her determination, her generosity…and her love.

When I take the time, God leads me, eventually, in the right direction. Two things were whispered in my ear, as I tromped along. 1.) God loves these litterers as much as he loves me; we are equal in his eyes, so I should get off my high horse right now. And 2.) my neighbor is a caring, loving person. My actions were not loving ones. I was doing the right thing in the wrong frame of mind.

The words from scripture that I, as lector, read aloud a few weeks ago, came back to haunt me. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. James 2.18. My works, it seems, need a bit of work, so what does that say about my faith?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about illegal aliens and refugees. There’s much animosity building, in many parts of the world including right here on our own continent. I think the majority of citizens in the U.S. and Canada seem to have forgotten their heritage. If our ancestors are not indigenous to this continent, then, did they not arrive here themselves, uninvited?

Sometimes, when I ‘m running, or walking our country road, or driving in my car alone, I ponder what is and what might have been. I thank God every day for my home, my family…my freedom. But what if I had not been so privileged? A wife and mother living for years on end in a refugee camp? A child born to a family fleeing violence in Iraq, or Syria? Gang violence in Mexico forcing me to flee from all that is familiar, believing that slipping into an antagonistic country illegally is a better option?

I can’t help but feel that if we all contemplated these scenarios, we might treat others more kindly. I don’t know why I’ve been given this life when hundreds of thousands suffer on a daily basis, but nothing gives me the right to feel superior; to laud it over any other human being.

I can’t begin to offer solutions to this ongoing dilemma, but I believe prayer is a powerful tool. If we pray that world leaders can come together to work out solutions; if we pray that nations, that allow these atrocities to happen, are made accountable…perhaps those countries being overrun with more immigrants than they can handle will get a respite. If these issues cannot be resolved soon, and people continue to come, can’t we accept those fleeing to our shores with kindness and respect? Our own heritage should make us stop and think – didn’t many of our ancestors suffer in a similar manner? And what if a member of your family was trying to escape violence and being denied an opportunity for a better life?

Who are our neighbours? Technology, which brings global news to us in an instant, has actually brought us in line with Jesus’ teaching – everyone is our neighbour. Let us try to be more tolerant. Let us open our hearts with compassion, and our arms with love. Let us pray.

Recently, I was called upon to look after my precious grandchildren…from Saturday morning, up to and including getting them to school (on time) Monday morning – solo. Yikes! It was not only the children I was caring for, but the two dogs and two cats too. My husband was conveniently and otherwise occupied, and my son and daughter-in-law were in need of a well-deserved get-away.

Driving to Orillia, I already felt exhausted – the thought of being the sole care-giver for three busy children 8 ½, 7 and 5 ½, actually scared me to death. The last time I was called to do this, my husband and I worked together as a tag-team, when one began to falter, the other jumped in with renewed energy and enthusiasm. It seemed an impossible task for one aging grandma to handle on her own.

Do you ever feel God calling you to a task that is far beyond your capabilities? Why would God do such a thing? Isn’t it rather, that we feel it is beyond us, we’re sure it’s more than we can handle…and we know ourselves better than God does? I don’t know about you, but that kind of thinking trips me up every time. A lack of trust in God keeps us from accomplishing so many worthwhile endeavours. In our minds, we’ve already decided we can’t accomplish a particular task, we write off God’s opinion, shaking our heads sadly and walking away from what he’s calling us to do. What a waste of time, worry and mental energy. Here’s a tip: you can handle it. You would not be called to it otherwise.

My weekend with the grandkids was a blast. Afternoons at the park, Just Dance (a video game) kept us all hopping around the living room till bedtime one night, a nerf-darts war took us to bedtime the second night. We made popcorn, told stories, read stories and giggled a lot. “This will be our little secret,” Rowan said, when I let them have a bit more Halloween candy than was normally allowed.

If my weekend with the grandkids taught me anything, it’s that I worry too much and I should pay more attention to each call from God. We must move beyond our fears. The energy will come, the right words will be on our tongues.

Advent approaches. Take time to listen…what is God calling you to do? You can handle it