Lighthouse Keepers

It was a few weeks before Christmas. Money was tight, expectations felt high and then came that hydro bill for over $800. Long story short, I ended up snapping at the Hydro One employee on the phone and then hung up on her. As far as she knows, I have stopped feeding my kids so that we can forever pay the hydro bills. Truthfully, it was not her fault. She was simply the messenger and who knows what I did to her day.  Looking back, I am disappointed at how I handled the situation. I like to think that I learn as I go and have grown since, though I am sure I have more great stories to come.  It is that time of year again. We sing and speak of love, joy and peace. We prepare gifts and are full of excitement. Or are we really? It is also possible that we are busy, overwhelmed and frustrated. As we go to town, we see the hustle and bustle all around us. With the hustle and bustle, there is a lack of smiling faces. Chances are we will experience bad customer service, get cut of...

I don't know about the rest of you but I love Christmas! Its seems that every year, about the same time as the furnace kicks on , is when I start feeling excited. Christmas is coming! I know that many of you get overwhelmed with the holidays because there is often much to prepare. I'd like to try to offer a few tips and suggestions that might help to make things less stressful and therefore make the holidays more enjoyable. For the meal... Who says you always have to have a Turkey Dinner for the holidays? It is delicious but there's so many other things that are just as good. Try to think of a meal where you can do some of the prep work a day or two ahead of time. Or have a pot-luck. Maybe have it for supper and then have some of the guests help with the preparations or even bring it already prepared. I think everyone has one or two meals that seem to always turn out well. Why not make that? Even if its beans and rice! Snacks are always a favourite. Choco...

Preparing for the next season is something I enjoy. I like to think of how blessed we are, that we can enjoy 4 seasons in one year. Each one of them is so beautiful in their own way. Such variety, such beauty, and the sights and smells are so unique in their own time. Right now I'd like to just briefly share how I like to prepare for winter before it gets here.  "She is not afraid of the snow for her household:  for all her household are clothed with scarlet." Proverbs 31:  21 First of all, it's important to prepare myself, because so much of life is a matter of mind set. I need to think of ways to make beautiful memories during the cold and cloudy season of winter. Not that it's always that way, because there are also beautiful sunny days where the ice and snow make such neat patterns on the windows. The trees are so laden with ice. If we just take time to look around, winter is beautiful. I need to have that mind set. To prepare projects, ...