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Sunday Reflections – Hymns & Soup

Today felt like a very nostalgic day.  There were two nods to my childhood that lead me down memory lane today, so I thought I’d share them with you.

I grew up going to church.  As a child, we attended the Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church in New Glasgow.   It is no longer still going, it closed down when I was 15 or so.  But my childhood is steeped with memories from Sundays spent there.

I learned about the reverence of God, I learned the basis my faith, and so much more.  There was something to be said for the familiarity with which the services were done.  Some of those things are so ingrained in my being that even today I could recite the Apostle’s Creed or sing ‘From Whom all Blessings Flow”.  I can tell you which pew we sat in and what order my family sat.  Dawn against the wall, me seated between Dawn and Mom, Dad beside Mom and Steve on the far side of Dad.  When the sermon started, we’d pass along the peppermints.  That’s how it was, week after week, year after year.

We sang hymns every week.  And that’s what stirred a memory today.  At the church we attend now, Trenton Church of the Nazarene, we don’t sing hymns often.  Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy our music, but when one of my favourite hymns gets played, I love it very much.  This morning, it was ‘My Jesus, I love Thee’ and the memories flooded back.  I may not have this 100% correct, but I think that way back in the day, I sang this during a service with my friend Sarah, her sister and brother and my sister, Dawn.  I think maybe Sarah’s mom sang with us, too, like I said, I’m not 100% on it all anymore.

It is one of my favourite hymns.  When the girls were little and I would sing to them at bedtime, this was one I always included.  It has such strong connections to my childhood. And maybe that’s why I was feeling nostalgic today and our noon day meal brought me back, too.

Soup.

We had soup for lunch.  Soup is common meal, right? What’s so special about soup? Sunday soup was a frequent meal if we were having company after church.  Or if we went to friend’s house after church.  It’s the perfect make-ahead meal.  Don’t get me started on Dunnewold soup, that’s a whole other thing! Yum!!

Anyway, we were having company over for lunch today, Janice and her crew.  So I made soup and lots of it.  And sitting around the packed table, chairs drug in from the studio and all the leaves in the table, it felt like a Sunday from my childhood. Except, now, I’m the mom, the maker of the soup.  And it was exactly what we all needed.  The comfort and hominess of it all was lovely.

The kids went out to sled and the parents sat around talking about any number of things with a warm cup of coffee in hand.  I’m just realizing now as I type this how my childhood is being carried on in the lives of my children.  Is this how my parents felt when it was them sitting with the coffee and it was me heading out to the closest hill?  Did Mom worry about how she was going to arrange everyone around the table or if the soup had enough flavour?  As the children, we were carefree and oblivious to all that but now I wonder if Mom felt that same way I did as I prepared to open our home to our dear friends?

Today was a good day.  I felt connected in a way I haven’t felt in a while.  And for that, I am so thankful.

Colourfully yours,

Lori

 PS Photo credit to Janice ☺️

January 13, 2019 By
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In Faith

Sunday of Love, Regardless

Today is the last Sunday of Advent!! This is the Sunday of Love.  And Love is a big one, eh?  Big as in tough, fulfilling, hard and worthwhile.  Love is so important.

Christmas preparations are well underway, if not completed.  I feel like I could look at my To-Do List and it would be a bunch of crossed off items.  I have two gifts to finish, a few to wrap and I’d like to bake some more tasty treats but that’s it, I’m pretty much done!  My plan was to have all the gifts delivered and the running around done yesterday so that today and Christmas Eve day I could relax and enjoy some down time.  But, it the midst of the running and scrambling, I wonder how much Love I showed to my family?

I harped about getting ready and out the door, I harped about tones when speaking to siblings, I harped about this, that and the other thing.  I sighed, rolled my eyes and silently said much worse.  And yet, in the quiet of the morning, Hannah curled up on my lap and snuggled as we rocked in the rocking chair.  She loves me regardless.  Michael loves me regardless of my tone with him or the girls.  Lena loves me regardless of my lack of knowledge in how to parent a pre-teen.  I am flawed, imperfect, still learning, the overwhelm of keeping all the balls in the air makes my fuse short.  But, I am loved regardless.

I’m not sure when Michael and I started the ‘Regardless’ bit in our proclamations of affection for each other.  It’s been a long time now.  But it’s accurate.  We love each other through it all.  We love regardless of our faults.  It’s like the saying ‘warts and all’, but in our terms.  And today on the Sunday of Love in this season of Advent, it is that kind of Love we need to talk about.

Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
I am yours
Lord I’m forever yours

~Kari Jobe

God loves us regardless of our sin, our failures, our disobedience.  He loves us enough that He sent His son in the form of a wee baby.  That wee baby was spoken about in the Old Testament and the path he needed to take was clear.  Somehow that wee baby was going to be king – say what??? King?? Rescuer of the nations? That tiny baby who was born in a barn was going to save us all? Seems unlikely. And yet, that baby grew and eventually made his way to the cross where the sacrifice of his life did pay the price for all our inadequacies, our failures and our sin.  God loves us regardless of it all.  That is Love.  That is the Love we speak of on the last Sunday of Advent.  Here we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the focus is already on the cross.

Sometimes the holidays are hard.  I understand.  Loss, feuds, struggles make it hard.  But know that God loves you and that wee baby is His gift to you.  And the Love that God loves you with is unending, big enough and unconditional.  This Christmas, it is my prayer that you find the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love in our Saviour.

To be continued,

Lori

 

December 23, 2018 By
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6 In Faith/ Life

Sunday of Joy

Another week has slipped by and I find myself sitting in the quiet of our house this morning again.  If there is a Sunday of Advent that I look forward to the most, it is the Sunday of Joy.

I love Joy.  Joy is fun.  Joy is easier for me. Joy is easier for me to tap into than say…Peace. Do you have that deep-seated Joy in your life?

Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

~Henry Van Dyke 1907

I try to see the good in things.  Even when plans don’t go my way.  All this advent season, I have been looking forward to our Sunday morning services.  And last week was no different.  Until Hannah woke up with a sore belly.  I sent Michael and Lena off to church and I stayed home.  Was I bummed out about missing a service I was looking forward, too?  Yes.  Did I mind having an extra morning at home with Hannah?  Certainly not.  We snuggled and I spent some time in the studio.  Granted, that’s an easy one to see the Joy in, right?

I love spotting little things around me that bring a smile and let me see the Maker’s handiwork in the midst of the rushing around of life.  To me, that is Joy.  Right now, I look out my window and I see the dark branches against the slowly brightening sky and there it is, that bit of Joy in my soul.  I see a bee on a sunflower, the way the light colours the clouds, the smile of a sweet baby, the intricate pattern of frost on a window.  These things are things that bring my Joy.  The feel of a little hand in mine, the weight of Michael’s arm draped over me during the night, the purr of our cat, the warmth of the sun on my face.  All these things are things of Joy to me.

Those things don’t change.  Those things are always there.  It’s up to me to notice and to appreciate them for what they are.  They are little gifts.  And it is takes me looking through Joy-filled glasses to see them.  No matter what life’s circumstances are, it is up to me to take note, to register it and see the Joy in it.

Today it is the smell of a Nova Scotia Christmas tree in my living room, the warmth of the stove on my back, the extra little head nestled in our home, the anticipation of a community gathering tonight, the soft glow of Christmas lights.  These things are bringing me Joy right now.

Yes, today is the Sunday of Joy.  Do you have that Joy in your soul?  Do you tap into everyday?  No matter what life throws at you?  I can be having the worst day and I find myself smiling at some small detail.  That’s Joy.  Look around you.  There is something there for you to see, something that will make your heart glad, make it quicken and bring a smile to your face.

As I typed all that, I thought about the people who have a gratitude journal.  And I love that idea.  But for me, I think I need a Joy Journal.  Hmmmm, I really like that idea.  I did start a FB group called Finding Joy and I’d love for you to join us as we share the small things, or big things, that bring us Joy thought-out the day-to-day.  You can join HERE.  But I think I need to start my own personal Joy Journal.  Yes, I think I do.  And I feel like it needs to be very colourful.

Joy is a long-running theme in my life.  I first realized I had Joy as a teen.  Somedays I feel it more deeply than others.  Some days it leaks out my eyes, other days it is the tiniest spark I carry carefully as not to extinguish it.  I feel as though the Joy I have is a gift from God.  Happiness and pleasure are not the same thing, to me they are a little more fleeting and fragile.   I wear a cuff that says ‘Finding Joy’ as a reminder to look around me and to take Joy in what I find myself surrounded by.

Today, I want you to look around, notice something or someone that brings you Joy.  And tell me what it is.  I love sharing in that realization with others.  Joy is meant to be shared.

May the Joy of the Lord fill you today, to overflowing that you may bless those around you.

To be continued,

Lori

PS Here is the Sunday of Hope and Peace

December 16, 2018 By
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In Faith

Sunday of Peace

The second Sunday of Advent is upon us.  These weeks tend to fly by.  But we are a little prepared for Christmas.  But what does Peace mean to you?

It’s feeling a little more like Christmas around here.  More shopping has been done, we received our first Christmas card in the mail and we dug out the boxes containing the decorations from the attic.  I had moments of rushing around but then stolen moments of simply being still and enjoying some down time, usually snuggled under a blanket with a sweet girl watching a cheesy Christmas movie!  But a few mornings I had some quiet time with coffee in hand, too.

The other night I was driving home from town and it was snowing and had been for a couple of hours.  The roads were slippery and driving into the snow was like a Star Wars scene.  I’m not enjoying the winter driving and it’s still only fall according to the calendar.  But then I got stuck behind a very slow driver.  And I couldn’t pass, the roads were too bad.  So there I was driving 30km down the road…in the midst of the softly falling snow.  And the scenery, well, at that speed, I could take it in.  All the trees were being gently covered in a soft, fluffy blanket of snow.  Each house that had Christmas lights glowing, well, they were glowing extra prettily under their snowy diffuser.  It truly was a winter wonderland.  And it was stunning.  When I started looking around me, my crappy drive took a turn for the better and become a thing of beauty.  In the midst of my chaotic drive, I had found peace.

Sometimes we can’t control the curveballs life throws at us.  We find ourselves in situations where we don’t know how to proceed, where to turn or what to do.  It’s tough.  It’s scary.  But, did you know there can be peace through it all?  I have scriptures rattling around in my head, bits and pieces that I memorized as a child, that come to the forefront.

“And the peace of God, 

which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and minds

in Christ Jesus.”

Phillipians 4:7

 

I’ve seen it.  I’ve felt it.  I cling to it.  Have you?  Do you know that kind of Peace?  When we look at the world around us, it’s easy to be discouraged.  And I have no answers to solve the problems we face.  But I do know the One who holds tomorrow.  And with that comes Peace.  Peace I can’t explain.  But Peace I willingly accept.

It is my prayer that you have this Peace in your life as well.

To be continued,

Lori

You can read the 1st Sunday of Advent’s post HERE.

December 9, 2018 By
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2 In Faith

The Sunday of Hope

As I sit in the dark, quiet of our home, the furnace casting its warmth via the deep rumble from the basement and the sound of the coffee running down, I am filled with Hope.  Today is the first Sunday of the Advent season and I have to say, I’m so excited. 

The thrill of hope,

a weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

~O Holy Night written by Adolphe Adam in 1847

Over the course of the last few years, Advent has played a bigger role in my life.  As I child I would watch various families in our church light the candles with such ceremony each Sunday as we drew closer and closer to Christmas.  Which, as a kid was the end goal, right? But now, as I grow older and maybe wiser, I see the work that needs to be done in my own heart before we reach that day.

The Christmas season can be so busy – the shopping, the baking, the visiting….All.The.Things.  But they are superficial.  They fill our time.  And for me, at this stage, right here, right now it is not about all that, it is about me and that tiny babe in the manager.  Just us.  Just our relationship.  Who do I say that He is?

And when I think about all that Jesus is to me, I feel giddy.  Today there will be one tiny, flickering candle lit.  That one flame filled with Hope.  Hope for so much and for so many.  Today I’m holding onto that Hope.  That as the Advent season progresses, I feel more and more ready for Christmas morning.

Yes, we are shopping.  Yes, Elfie is back. Yes, we’re doing all the typical Christmas stuff, but there is an underlaying thrumming in my heart.  A sense of good things to come.  A sense of Hope.

May you be filled with Hope today.  Hope that will carry you to the side of a rickety old cattle trough to find the most amazing gift, just wrapped up in some dingy old clothes but the one who can change the course of your life.  Today.  Now.  Forever.

To be continued,

Lori

 

December 2, 2018 By
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