because He lives

A friend in our book study group sent out this beautiful image by email so I thought I'd share it here.

Today being Easter I was thinking about the words to a well-known song that we sang at a meeting in church earlier this week:

Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

These words have special meaning for me today and I find strength in them. We all need hope for the future. May you find hope today in whatever situation you're in.

TNEL Day 46: Name them one by one

Today is the last day of Lent and so this is my last official entry in the "TNEL" turnaround series. It's been interesting to do and I know I will enjoy looking back on the entries. A few thoughts come to mind at the end of this experience:

I think that something like this is best done because you really want to do it -- not out of a sense of duty or guilt. Often people who are discouraged or depressed are advised to count their blessings or write down things they are (or should be) thankful for. In one sense there's a good reason for that: discouragements can be the result of wrong or distorted thinking, and pondering the good things in our lives can help forge new pathways of thought. The down side, though, is that it can feel unnatural or forced rather than being a genuine response. So while I agree somewhat with the "count your blessings" admonition, I think it's important to remember that we have hearts as well as heads and shouldn't be forced or guilted into separating the two.

All that being said, this exercise has shown me that there are many, many things in our lives to be thankful for. I can't say I had any really earth-shattering or climactic moments during the last several weeks, but I did have an underlying sense of being blessed. I think that the whole point of the Lenten tradition of giving something up is to focus on the spiritual -- but that can often happen in ways that really do not appear very spiritual, like just being happy about the weather or your home or a brief encounter with a person. So while I can't say that I feel like a "more spiritual" person at the end of this, I do have a stronger sense that life is full of grace, and that you can become more aware of that just by reflecting on the simplest pleasures and joys.

"THANKS" for taking this journey with me. And have a joyful Easter, whether that involves enjoying chocolate and new spring clothes, or celebrating Jesus' Resurrection ... or all of the above! I think Easter is big enough to accommodate all of those things.

TNEL Day 45: church family, family family

We had a Good Friday service today at Bethel; it was a short, simple service with readings, songs, communion, and several videos of people giving their ending to the phrase "Because of Jesus, I...". There was no Sunday School so the kids were in church, which can be a bit stressful with Jonathan because he often talks loudly and makes weird sounds. But he did quite well and we all enjoyed the music and the meaningful presentation of the Good Friday story. Sandy Sheahan, a very kind woman in the church who takes a special interest in our kids, sat behind us (as usual) and made a fuss over Jonathan (as usual). During the prayer time I had Jonathan on my lap so I prayed for "Mommy, Daddy, Allison & Jonathan." Jonathan liked this and asked me to repeat it several times. Then Sandy leaned over and said a prayer for
"Jonathan and Allison and their great parents." That really touched me.

Then this afternoon we headed out to Doug & Caroline's for a family get-together. We had a turkey dinner and DQ ice-cream cake (the obligatory Prinsen dessert). We worked on a huge jigsaw puzzle with NHL hockey players, which Jonathan just loves to do every time he goes to their house. The kids played basketball outside with Rich & Doug. Cara gave us a little piano recital. We played "Apples to Apples," and Allison won. It was a great afternoon -- we always have such a good time together.

So today I'm grateful for family: church family, "real" family. That's what it's all about, really.

TNEL Day 44: nice 5 weeks

Errol was here for his "last supper" tonight; he leaves tomorrow to go back to Alberta after 5 weeks here taking a French course on the base. It's been great spending time with him: we've had quite a few meals together and spent lots of time talking, laughing, and catching up. He expects to be posted elsewhere again next summer and it would be great if it were Kingston or Ottawa. We'll miss having him here but it was really fun while it lasted.

TNEL Day 43: Mr. O

While we're on the subject of Jonathan I have to say how grateful we are for his Educational Assistant at school, Joe O'Connor (a.k.a. "Mr. O"). He's been Jonathan's EA for 2 years now and knows him well. He's helped Jonathan learn to read, learn his numbers, and use the computer; he's helped with social skills and motor skills; he's even taken Jonathan on a summer day trip with his family and to a hockey game. He also likes (or at least tolerates) Yellow-Blue-Red (see last entry). We can't say enough good things about the wonderful Mr. O!