A Myriad of Colours 2

April 27, 2017

A Myriad of Colours

March 31, 2017

Meditation on John 10:1-15

A sheep am I:
Small and vulnerable
Stubborn and willful
Sometimes a bit silly
A sheep am I.

A shepherd is he:
Strong and protective
Firm and gentle
Compassionate and caring
A shepherd is he.

Protected am I:
Watched and guarded
Led and provided for
Loved sacrificially
Protected am I.

Known is he:
The door to safety
The wall around me
The voice I trust
Known is he.

He calls my name,
And I follow.

Banana Surprise

A few days ago I really wanted dessert.

The problem was that we didn't really have any dessert food in the house. An easy solution would be to make something, but it was late and I was tired.

While pacing around the kitchen, I decided to flip through a cookbook. In the cookbook I came across a recipe called Banana Surprise. It looked very easy, so I thought I might as well give it a try.

The first step involves putting a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of honey in a small bowl with a dash of cinnamon and microwaving it until the butter melts, then mixing it together.

Meanwhile, you slice a banana or two.

The banana slices go into some kind of cup or dish (I used a mason jar) and the honey mixture is drizzled on top along with a pinch of nutmeg. Then you microwave it a few more seconds to make sure it's nice and warm.

It can be eaten plain, or with ice cream or whipped cream. We didn't have either, but we had some soy ice cream that our lactose intolerant people hadn't been eating. Maybe they forgot about it, I don't know, but I figured they wouldn't miss a couple spoonfuls. Don't tell on me.

The real question of the day is why is it called banana surprise? I have no idea. It's not like the bananas are surprising or that there is anything random hidden in the bananas. But I will say that this recipe surprised me with how good it is! I'm generally not a huge fan of bananas, but I would definitely make this again!

What is your favourite easy dessert recipe for when you're in need of something sweet?

When I Play

A poem for someone I know who is going through a very hard time that I hold in my heart as I lead worship at church.

When I play
Fingers dancing 
Over black and white keys
Through each note
Pouring my heart out
To our Saviour
I think about you

The long road you have traveled
Waiting for hope
That tomorrow might be better
Carrying the weight
Of fear
Of pain
Of a past you cannot forget
How you long to hide
Away from the world
Away from everything
And everyone you love
And who loves you

In a back corner of my heart
I remember your pain
I feel it
I pour it through my fingers
Into each note
Reaching out to you
That someone knows
Someone is here
You are not alone

And with each note
My heart cries out
A prayer without words
That somehow
You would hear it
A whisper of hope
That you will come 
Alive
Again

Just the Beginning

This is the end

Buried in the ground

Surrounded by darkness

Lost and alone

But wait

A stirring

Deep within

A whisper of hope

Growing

Swelling

Bursting

Exploding

This is just the beginning

The inspiration for this piece came from my garden. As I was planting the first seeds of spring, I began reflecting on what that experience would be like for a seed. It must feel like the end, buried, alone in the darkness. But instead, new life begins to stir within, and that stirring grows and swells until the seed is ready to burst. What would that feel like? Perhaps like a wild hope rising within it, as C.S.Lewis has said. I think that experience would be very similar to what it must have been like for the disciples on that first Easter: Certain that it is the end, but then suddenly, beyond hope, the whisper that there may still be more to come.  A “burning heart” within them. And in our lives too we sometimes feel like that seed. We feel trapped, alone, buried, forgotten. But one day hope begins to whisper into our hearts, and suddenly our whole lives are transformed.

One Hour Projects: Bandana Bib

I usually tutor on Thursday afternoons. Occasionally, the student cancels, which means I get to have some extra free time! (Since I already have someone taking care of the kids, I may as well take advantage of it!) It was that kind of day today, so I thought I would try doing a project that I could start AND finish, all within that one hour.

I already had a project in mind: making a bandana bib. Very cute and very practical - Kenneth is drooling up a storm these days! I found a great tutorial that you can check out here.

I used odds and ends from my box of fabric - an old tank top that I was saving for some sort of project like this, and a fifty cent receiving blanket I had picked up at a thrift store for a different project.

I printed out the pattern from the tutorial and cut one from each kind of fabric.

I pinned them right sides in, and sewed them together - making sure to leave a gap so I could turn it right side out!

Then I pressed it, folding in the gap so it looked like the rest of the seam.

And I finished it off with a top stitch.

I had some snaps left over from an old project, so I used one of those as the fastener.

One bandana bib, finished in exactly one hour!

Mommy Moments: A Proposition

I was thinking that there should really be an Olympics for all of the special skills you become trained in as a parent.

Some of the competitions could include:

• Speed diaper changing
• Long shushing (who can say the longest shh)
• Endurance shushing (who can say shh the most times in a row)
• Weight lifting (kids can be heavy!)
• Any number of tasks that must be completed with speed and accuracy while carrying a flailing toddler in the other arm.

What kinds of special events would you like to see in a Parents' Olympics?