Wishes for 2004

"I guess I must be wishing on someone else's star. It seems like someone else keeps getting what I'm wishing for. Why can't I be as lucky as those other people are?"

Many of us may be able to relate to the words of this song as we watch another year come and go and not see our dreams realized. At the stroke of midnight tonight, let us all keep a positive attitude about 2004. After all, what makes the difference is how we choose to look at it. I hope your 2004 brings you all you are wishing for.

"All good things must come to an end. As we enter a New Year, many of us are setting off on a journey that will take our lives in a different direction. We can make this easier if we open our hearts and our arms, to embrace the future. It is when we cling too tightly to the past that we make life unnecessarily difficult. I leave you, in 2003, with one last prediction. 2004 is due to be a wonderful year. It brings unusual comets and rare alignments. You are going to love it." -- Jonathan Cainer, Astrologer

Happy New Year!

2003 is drawing to a close

How has 2003 been for you? Is it a year you will gladly see come to a close or one you leave behind with many wonderful memories? I'm sure we each have something to take from this year, good and bad. Each of these things have taught us something and have formed part of who we are.

My 2003 leaves me with memories of loss, but also with memories of unspeakable joy. For all of these things, both the losses and the joys, I am thankful. It was during the times of loss that I saw my greatest growth and during the times of joys that I have felt truly blessed. As we say goodbye to 2003 and prepare for 2004, let us remember all this year has brought us. God bless you all!

On the 5th day of Christmas...

Everyone knows this song right? But do you know the true meaning of all those ridiculous sounding gifts? (Although, 5 golden rings sounds like a nice gift -- white gold, of course!) Here is the story of how this song came about.

From 1558 to 1829, Catholics in England were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. So this song was written to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. It was meant as a memory aid. Since it sounded like a rhyming nonsense song, young Catholics could sing it without fear of imprisonment. Here is what it all means.

The "true love" is none other than God himself -- the one who loves all people.
The "me" refers to every person willing to receive what the greatest giver has to offer.

The "partridge in a pear tree" refers to Christ, who died on a tree as a gift from God.
The "two turtle doves" are the old and new testaments.
The "three French hens" represent faith, hope, and love -- the three gifts of the Spirit that abide.
The "four calling birds" are the four gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The "five golden rings" symbolize the first 5 books of the Bible, which hold the teachings of some of the greatest prophets known.
The "six geese-a-laying" are the six days of creation.
The "seven swans-a-swimming" represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
The "eight maids-a-milking" refers to the eight beatitudes -- the virtues of Christ. (Blessed are the poor...etc.)
The "nine ladies dancing" symbolizes the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (There was no law against these things.)
The "ten lords-a-leaping" are the ten commandments.
The "eleven pipers piping" represents the eleven faithful disciples.
The "twelve drummers drumming" are the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed that is used still today in both Catholic and Anglican churches.

Will you ever look at this song again as a silly nonsense song? I know I haven't since I learned what it really meant. Here's to another 7 days of Christmas!!

What would you do if you had a chance to be God for one day?

I watched Bruce Almighty today and he was given that power by God, but for longer than a day. God cautioned him that he could not change free will, but he could do so many things with his power. People have the free will to do as they please in spite of what life brings their way, good or bad.

I know what I would want to do with that power. Do you?

Wow, am I surprised! It was about noon when I went for groceries today. I expected the stores to be busy, but they were not at all. Maybe the malls are, but the grocery stores are not. I guess people are still filling up on turkey, ham, and stuffing. I know I am.

Speaking of turkeys, what the heck are the local poultry farmers feeding their poultry these days. Even when the birds are cooked, the flesh is still pink and doesn't taste the way turkey used to taste. What's with that? Are they injecting these things with chemicals? Perish the thought. I think a person would be better off shooting their own wild turkey or looking for a free-range one or organic one or something REAL! Anyone care to go turkey shooting? I know a place where they live wild (*evil grin*).

When should we make turkey soup? I have the carcass in the freezer. I'm starting to get tired of turkey though. I think I may soon sprout feathers!!!

And the winner is ...

Canada with a score of 3 to 0. WAHOO!!!!! Way to go Canada!!!! What a great way for Canada to celebrate Boxing Day. Great job guys!!!

There is only 364 days left 'til Christmas. Start your shopping early, and don't forget to buy something for me!!!

World junior hockey is on tv, and Canada is leading 1 to nothing! Wahoo! This could be a good game. Let's cheer on Canada and our hometown boys!!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

It is raining outside and the ground is bare, but it is Christmas nevertheless. And what a wonderful Christmas it is! I awoke at 4:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep, so by 5:30 I was up. My 18-year-old son was right on my heels. Both of us like little kids, anxious to open our stockings and gifts. It was great! Who says Christmas is for kids when two adults can have just as much fun! We had a good breakfast and by 7:30 am we headed back to bed to catch a little more shut eye. We were awakened by the ringing of the phone at 9:15 am. By 11:15 I was joined by my daughter and we all went to visit my Mom. My brother was there too. It is the first time in a number of years that both my children accompanied me to my mother's. It was really nice for us all to be together, even though we didn't stay long.

Tonight, for supper, I am cooking my traditional turkey supper and being joined by both my children and my daughter's boyfriend. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by family, especially at this time of year. This is my first Christmas without my Dad, and I've thought of him often throughout the season. His passing early last year taught me how precious the time is that we spend with family and friends. I cherish the moments I spend with those closest to my heart. What a warm and loving day this is. It truly is a Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas is just as wonderful so far!

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. - Charles Dickens

Wahoo!! One more sleep!!! Tomorrow is Christmas, and I feel like a kid again. What a night this is! It is one that feels filled with love. May your heart be the inn for your soul, and may all your Christmas dreams come true!!! Merry Christmas.

Season's Greetings

On a night of wonder, on a night filled with love, God sent us a saviour from the heaven's above. And His name shall be Emmanuel, which means "God with us." O holy night!

On this day of wonders when we celebrate the coming of our dear saviour, I wish to extend to all my friends and family, the happiest of Christmases and all the best for a wonderful 2004. To those special people in my life, much love for this holiday season. You are in my heart always! May the joy of this festive season carry you into the new year!

Merry Christmas and God bless you all!

For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. - John Greenleaf Whittier

Two more sleeps ... I'll bet all the little children are anxiously awaiting and bouncing off the walls. I remember those days with my children. I also remember those days as a child. Christmas was always so exciting. I loved all the decorating, all the lights, the gift wrapping and delivering, the food preparation. A lot of those memories still linger. The one disappointment I experienced nearly every year was not getting the one thing I most wanted. I always liked everything else I got, but that hole existed, that one major disappointment. One year I did get what I most wanted. I think it was my best Christmas as a kid. I wanted Spirograph and, sure enough, Santa brought it that year. I was so excited and that hole was filled. As an adult, I hope to have a Christmas like that again some year soon, getting the one thing I most want.

Just two more sleeps...

Have you ever had massage therapy? I highly recommend it. It is awesome. For 75 minutes this evening, I had an awesome massage. This guy knew what he was doing. He stretched and strained, twisted, pushed and pulled on my muscles and tendons. I sure can move easier now. After laying face down for about 1/2 hour, one's face begins to swell and your sinuses begin to stuff up. When he rolled me over, he told me he was now going to "get the boogers out." I laughed. But that he did! About 1/2 after he was finished, my nose started running like a tap and I started sneezing for about an hour. He also discovered that my jaw was tight. TMJ I believe they call it. That was surprising and the treatment made me laugh because of the face I had to make, but now if the dentist said "open wide" I actually could! God bless you J. You did an awesome job!!!

I wonder if Santa has massage therapy after carrying all those toys and squeezing himself down all those chimneys. Bet he could use it.

The Spirit of Christmas

Playing Santa is fun! I have a friend who is sick to whom I delivered some baked goods and candies this afternoon. She was very excited to get them. What a great feeling it is to be able to help someone, particularly when they don't ask for help but you know they need it. It feels very rewarding. I love to give according to what I can and am able to do. It gives me a sense of purpose. I can't offer much in terms of money, but what I can give from my heart means so much more. At least it does for me. Money is a necessity of life, something we all seem to be short of. It is tangible and can't be taken with you in the end. As the saying goes "There are no roof racks on a hearse." I believe that what people do from their heart means so much more than what they can do from their wallet or from a sense of obligation. The gifts most worth giving come from the heart. Those do not come with a price tag -- they are priceless. The heart has a gift that keeps on giving!!!

All Is Not Lost

Well ... all is not lost in the end. I managed to salvage most of the gingerbreads, except for the little bits that would have to be eaten with a spoon after falling apart. Perhaps I'll just pour some rum over it and mix it with vanilla pudding and call it truffle (haha). The butter firmed back up nicely and the whipped shortbreads are all made. Now to make some of those chocolate cookies that everyone seems to love and everyone calls something different. You know the ones -- with coconut and oatmeal. Some call them mud pies or chocolate macaroons or chocolate drops. Me, my recipe is called Quick Chocolate Balls. Whatever they are, they are easy to make and taste good. I tried to make them once with soy milk. The taste was great (the same actually), but I had a sheet of cookie that had to be eaten with a spoon. Soy milk does not cook up like cow's milk does so they wouldn't firm up. A lesson learned.

I also fixed the problem with my tv. I may not know much about stereo systems, but I do pretty good with troubleshooting at least. It seems the problem is my old VCR. The antenna is running through it rather than directly from the tv. I disconnected the VCR and plugged the antenna into the back of the tv instead. Voila!! It now stays on. I guess I will either have to get a switch or a new VCR. I think the switch will be a cheaper option for now.

In spite of all the Murphy's Law stuff happening today, I maintain my philosophy -- Everyday above ground is a good day!!! And as Elizabeth Potier once said, "It isn't life that weighs us down -- it's the way we carry it." I've learned just how true that statement is. The power to view life differently lies within each of us. We need only to find it and put it to use.

Murphy's Law

Have you ever had one of those days that in spite of your best efforts and being in a good mood, things still don't work out the way you intend for them to? Well ... I'm having one of those days. The sun is shining and I have the Christmas tunes playing. Well ... at least I am trying to play them. The &*%$ tv/stereo system keeps shutting itself off. I've lost count, but it must be somewhere in the vacinity of 50 times in the past 3 hours. That in itself is enough to drive a person insane. I need to find someone to fix this for me. It is most annoying. I can put computers together, but stereo equipment is not my forte.

I am also doing some Christmas baking. I made 3 gingerbreads. However, I misread the oven temperature setting and set it 25 degrees higher than it should be without realizing it. Have you ever seen what molasses does in excess heat? You got it, the bottoms of them were as black as coal and stuck in the pans when I tried to remove them. Oh well ... they WERE intended to be given away. Now I will have to salvage what I can of them and see if they are in any kind of shape to give. My butter tarts turned out well. That's a bonus. Next I start to make my whipped shortbread cookies. The butter is still a little too hard to whip, so I put it in the microwave and set the timer for 10 seconds only and push start and turned to do something else. At least I thought I pushed start. I suddenly realized the microwave was still going and turned in time to see the timer turn to 1 minute. Either it is misbehaving, or I hit reheat rather than start. In any case, I now have melted butter. Impossible to whip that!!!! So into the freezer it goes to harden back up so I can start again shortly. In the meantime my oven is still going with nothing in it. My mind pictures my electricity meter whirling around, but I have turned off my heat and opened my window, so one should compensate for the other. I will do a few other things until the butter is solid again. Oh well ... I WILL NOT LET THIS GET ME DOWN. I have the power to be happy in spite of it, and I choose to be happy. I do think, though, that I will call it a day as far as baking is concerned. (hahaha)

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

OK. Here is a question for you? It is something I have been having a debate about for most of my life. We all know that Santa wears a red suit trimmed with white fur, that he has a matching hat with a long top on it with a tassle, and he wears a wide black belt and black boots. But ... What colour are Santa's mitts? My earliest memory of a picture of Santa is a cardboard cutout that my folks used to pin up on the wall. In that picture, he wore green mittens. So ... for me, Santa wears green mitts. Others argue and say that his mitts are red to match his suit. I just argue back that he was a man and had no sense of colour co-ordination so his mitts were green. *ducking* :-) I have a collector's version of The Night before Christmas that is illustrated with pictures of Santa as used in ads by Coca-Cola in the 1960s. Guess what he wore on his hands in those pictures? Tan-coloured leather gloves. Now I'm really confused. Perhaps he has several pairs of hand apparel so that when one pair gets wet from playing in the snow with the reindeer he can change. Who the heck knows!!! What is your memory of what Santa wears on his hands?

Amateurs built the ark ...professionals built the Titanic. Hmmmm...there's food for thought.

Dr. Phil made a statement today that I really liked and can relate to. It goes something like this: To show your emotions toward someone takes great risk and you may get hurt, but that person is worth taking the risk for. I like that. People really are worth taking the risk for. Risk can involve loss and pain, but nothing would be gained either without that risk. Life is full of risks, isn't it? How many do we take? How many do we run from? How many can we make excuses for so that we do not take the risk? I often think of the risks that people take in their jobs, especially jobs such as police, firefighters, window washers, bridge workers, and other occupations that involve great physical risk. How many of these same people would not take such a risk with their emotions as they would with their physical lives? Go figure! How much of life they could miss out on. Me, I am the opposite. I am much less likely to take a risk that could involve physical injury or possible death, but take risks with my emotions. Which involves more fear? I suppose that is a matter of opinion, depending on who you are.

Enough philosophy! I just heard on the news that a junior high school in the community (one I attended myself and that my nephew currently attends) just won an award for their outstanding contribution to the local food bank. Thank you, students, for your commitment to such a wonderful cause. Giving in the true spirit of the holiday season! Now that, my friends, is what Christmas is all about. It feels so good to do something wonderful for someone who truly needs help. I love to give. To me, that is the real meaning of Christmas, to give and love one another as Christ meant for us to do. To all who do such wonderful things, God bless you.

Na...na...na...na...na! I'm on vacation!!!! Oops...am I gloating? No. Just glad to not have to get up before the sun in the morning. That is just inhumane!!

This morning I got 16 documents PDF'd and web mounted and kept putting out fires until I got to eat lunch, which was later than usual. Seems when I am getting ready to go on vacation, everyone has emergency things I must attend to before I go. There was even a number of people whining about what they were going to do without me. Get a life people!!!! I am not indispensible. I've been disposed of before. (haha) Besides, they know I will be checking my e-mail.

This afternoon we had a Christmas coffee party. I arrived at it just in time to hear the last few minutes of the Premier's talk to us. He happened to be visiting. Then the Minister spoke for a moment. Then we had one skit that I am soooo glad the Premier was there for. What a freakin' riot. It was a spoof of the story of The Night Before Christmas talking about budget cuts and looking for that mysterious FTE in the personnel staff to be cut. They cursed in the story 4 times, each time using a sign with symbols on it to fill in, and in the end held up a picture of a donkey for the last curse word. Then they presented the Premier with a copy of the script. He laughed like crazy, but the Deputy was quick to put a halt to the rest of the skits until the Premier mingled with us, met some of us (including me), and then left. Then the funny skits continued. I got to see my boss, "the British workaholic" actually let her hair down a bit and acted in one of the skits--a game show designed to make fun of the education system in our province. I think the line she said that got me laughing the most was when she misquoted scripture to say "Which of you will be the first to get stoned?" What a hoot. Then I left and wrapped things up to head home.

That was the fun I had in my day. That and getting yet another gift from a co-worker. She gave me some certificates so I could get out to go to a movie. Right on!!! Sounds like a plan.

And how was your day?...

I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. - Charles Dickens

Now there's a man who knows the Christmas spirit!!! I've been trying to keep the spirit up at work. It is hard because we are so busy, so there is seldom time to enjoy life. The big boss frowns upon socializing, too, unless it is she who takes a moment here and there to share a bit of wit. With her British literary background one would think she could relate to that. Oh well, Scrooge was British too, was he not?

I have my cubicle decorated for Christmas and have been playing Christmas CDs for the past 2 weeks. Today I even wore a Christmas bell around my neck on a bright red cord. It jingled everywhere I walked. Someone told me I sounded like a cat. I wasn't quite sure how to take that one! That was open to interpretation. I got 3 presents today too. WAHOO! I will put them under the tree for Christmas morning. I won't open them til then. Aren't I strong? Not really...it's just that if I open them now, I won't have much to open on Christmas morning, and Christmas is supposed to be fun and full of surprises, so I shall wait. Besides, what I told Santa I want for Christmas can't be wrapped.

One more sleep...count it--one more sleep... Then I am out of the office for 2.5 weeks. WAHOO!!!! I can't wait!