For the love of dogs

My favourite kind of chit chat is dog chit chat.
What I mean to say is, you have a dog and they have a dog and the only reason you strike up a conversation is because you both have dogs who are excited to get acquainted. I love dogs for that reason, they make a great buffer. You ask, "Is it a boy or a girl?" "What's their name?" "What type of dog is that?" "How old is your dog?" Great stuff, great stuff indeed. And if all goes well, it turns into asking each person what their name is. And my most favourite, if you walk your dog at the same time of day as another person, you will see that person often and begin to form a sense of community. This is why I think dogs are so necessary to the community, because they enhance it. I have two dogs, Mattie and Marley and I love them both, I love them both even more because they allow me the opportunity to talk to strangers, without strangers thinking I'm crazy. What's more fun, once your dog is well behaved/trained, then you can let them off their leash in the park to do their thing, while you get more acquainted with their owner.

Yes dogs are great for many things, but this particular thing came to my mind today because I have a new years resolution of walking my dogs everyday. They love it and it's also excellent cardio for me. I'm also learning that Hamilton winters aren't really that cold if you dress appropriately. Also got my vitamin D in for the day, so I am happy and healthy and loving life. No cabin fever for this lady (thank goodness!)

Little Is Much

One of my favourite things about Old Navy's clothing is the fact that they season/year they sell a particular item in can also be located on the tag. Back in 2007 I purchased a nice pair of charcoal slacks, so nice in fact I bought 3 pairs. Well, it wasn't until today 5 years later that I unfortunately got a hole in my pants. This may seem uneventful, I realize, however, I'm not sure how long pants are supposed to last, but I'm kind of impressed. So much in fact, I want to sew up the hole and hopefully continue their life. People have enough clothes in their life; especially myself, but I'm trying to change that. I only want to have a certain number of clothes for an extended period of time. There are much better things I could be spending my money on than new clothes that I don't really need. A few months ago I donated 13 pairs of jeans to a clothing swap - and took nothing in return. Now I am left with 8 pair of pants, and truthfully, I am hoping they last me at least 5 years. Perhaps it seems silly to some, but it makes sense to me. It starts in small steps, but sooner than later, I want to live more for less. It's safe to say that my mother is in the beginning stages of hoarding, I myself am there as well, though I hate to admit it. I used to say I enjoyed keeping stuff for sentimental reasons, but that quickly escalated into other rooms. I now try to keep only my stuff confined to only my bedroom. But my room is small, and the stuff continues to accumulate. I hope to have a house someday, but I want there to be more space than things. As much as I love clutter (it's cosy) the idea of hardly having anything at all, but still living a good life really appeals to me. I would live out of a suitcase if it meant I could travel more. With that mentality, I'm hoping that having less stuff gives me more opportunity to grow and explore outside of my comfort zone and cushy lifestyle. I just want to live well on as little as possible. That would be my ideal.

hAPPY nEW yEAR

I've got great, charismatic, wonderful, bright and driven people in my life right now. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but you're usually drawn to people that exude the same attributes as you. That being said, thanks for encouraging me in all areas of my life - you ladies know who you are. I appreciate your friendship immensely and with you by my side, 2013 is going to shape up just fine (better actually, let's be honest)
You bring out the best in me, I hope that I am able to do the same for you.

The Portageur

This past summer I spent two months at Ontario Pioneer Camp. I initially went to get away from my everyday surroundings; everything was unraveling around me and I was tangled in despair. The alternative included job hunting and living under my parent’s roof. The alternative was not an option. I had to get away, I had to escape. My friend Krista told me about OPC and the application process came along effortlessly. I arrived for orientation two days after I got hired.

The site was beautiful and what was foreign to me then is so familiar to me now. They placed me in a chalet up on the hill – with Aliesha (Zeal) and Miriam (Raffie). The Portageur section, which turned out to be more than fitting because my relationship with Christ was at a standstill; I had one foot firmly planted on land and the other foot unstable in a canoe. God was patiently waiting for me there, but I was stubborn, consistently contriving a myriad of excuses. Well, I must have fallen asleep because I woke up in that canoe. Orientation week had passed and it was just like a dream. If orientation was any indication as to how the rest of the summer was going to unfold, then I was in for a real treat. But I woke up in that canoe in a panic, my head full of doubt and my heart full of guilt. I didn’t belong here; I wasn’t equipped to welcome others into God’s kingdom. I went to camp for selfish reasons, not for selfless reasons.

 As it turns out, they were overstaffed for Session 1 and asked for kitchen volunteers. In my life I have learned to volunteer for things as if no one else is going to volunteer for them. My heart was willing and I spent the week in the kitchen with Natalie (OHIP). My appreciation has grown significantly for people who work behind-the-scenes. I think that they sometimes go unnoticed; I certainly felt unnoticed. I’m not really cut out for the kitchen, but I think God wanted to ease me into things. Jane and Sue were incredibly patient with me and I was really fortunate to spend that time with them. They take their job very seriously, but they love to laugh. I enjoyed laughing with them and learning from them that week.

Session 2 couldn’t come soon enough. I was pumped to have my own campers. I was placed in the Pilgrim section – down the hill. Claire was my section head and Anne was my co-leader. Expo was like wonder woman and Grawp was her side-kick. These ladies were unstoppable. I learned an abundance from them during those next two weeks. It was a very humbling experience. Thankfully my campers were golden, which presented me with the opportunity to get reacquainted with Christ.

I informed God that everything I had was left on the shore; He told me that everything I needed was in that canoe – that canoe was empty. I grabbed an ore and started to paddle, but it was no use, God was steering us further and further away from the shore. He said, “I want to show you something,” and I sat perfectly still.
            As weeks passed, I was spending more time with God at camp than I had been all year. We discussed a lot; no stone went unturned. He addressed every question I had and listened when I had nothing to say. God had always been a father figure to me, only this time he approached me as a groom. God got right into the thicket of my heart, thorns and all, and he pruned away at the brokenness, ‘til there was nothing left but roses. He romanced me all summer and told me that I deserved better than the life I had settled into. He told me that I was His child, His pleasure, His beloved. It caused him great pain to watch me suffer for so long. He said, “I love you,” and I asked, “Why?” He said, “Because you are mine.”
            It started to rain and the canoe was tied to a dock. Nothing looked familiar to me, but still I wandered out. I explored the land and built a shelter. Some friends showed up, Christ among them; I welcomed them in. We shared stories, laughter and tears. We prayed for each other and God heard those prayers. All summer, I prayed that I could be the same girl I was at camp once I had left camp. I did not want the summer to be a spiritual peak.

 I was shattered and God molded me into a beautiful mosaic. I was in darkness and God revealed His light. I was uncertain and God reminded me of His truth.  He made a beautiful thing out of me; He made me out of dust. I no longer feel guilt or shame for the things I have done. God has removed my transgressions from me. He has wiped my slate clean. My pillow used to be stained with tears, now it’s stained with bleach. I didn’t realize just how far from God I had wandered until I found myself at camp.
            Months later, my relationship with Christ is rock solid. He is the priority in my life and things are better as a result. I am making better choices, I am surrounding myself with people who build me up instead of tear me down. My relationship with my parents has improved significantly (something I thought might never happen). University agrees with me and I am happy to be there. I am in a really good place right now, and it’s because I’m walking hand-in-hand with God. The canoe has been put away for the winter, because everything I needed was in that canoe – Christ was in that canoe. We are star gazing, song singing, gift giving, and life sharing friends. I said, “I do” and in return He is making me new.

Homosexuality in relation to Racism

It is rumoured that ‘gay is the new black’ in terms of race and colour, in relation to discrimination. Not too long ago, inter-racial marriage was highly frowned upon, whereas today it is recognized as socially acceptable. I’ll be honest; racism and homophobia are not something I associate with. What I mean to say is that I rarely think about these things; if ever, in terms of discrimination, persecution, rejection, and oppression. Colour is a beating heart and gay is an act of love. Now I am not opposed to life or love, so in that respect racism and homophobia are not even a trivial issue in my mind.

What irks me though is that it happens to be an issue in the minds of others. Who started this notion and what constitutes it as a problem? I am less concerned with a so-called solution and more concerned with prevention; prevention pertaining to the discrimination of an idea that you do not understand and therefore do not agree with. Ignorance is not bliss, it causes pain. I suppose that above everything, time is the biggest contributing factor in shifting this thought process.  Our generation’s way of thinking is significantly different to that of the minds of our ancestors. Once we have children and families of our own, we will most definitely advocate for such rights and values. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we’ve also come a long way. Some examples include but are not limited to: same-sex couples on television shows, the legalization of gay marriage, national come out day. The journey is long, but these milestones prove that it does get better.