June | 2011 | itsawonderfilledlife

Archive for June, 2011

Hockey Doesn’t Matter

Posted in canada, GOD, life, WONDER, tagged Hockey, Missing Girl, NHL Pl, Pray on June 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I awoke this morning, like most mornings … brain cells shocked awake by either my alarm clock, or the coffee grinder (I have come to adore the heart-stopping action of the roar of my coffee grinder, because it leads me to my morning jo 🙂 ).

So, after the brain cells were alerted to … morning … my thoughts went to what this Monday was to hold … (including, primarily, the NHL playoff game).

Go to school for job #2 (and there was a head full of ‘stuff’ moving swirling around about this)

– come home

– make dinner

– watch the hockey game … game six! Will it be Boston or Vancouver?

– help son and friend with school video assignment

– take son’s friend to meeting place to deliver to his mom

– tidy house

– prepare for job #1, for tomorrow

– go to bed … after setting alarm and coffee maker …

After all the morning preparations were done (kids up, posts written, readied for the day), I left home, with the kids, to head to school/work.

Then I walked into the school, and the priorities of the day, and the priority of the NHL playoffs, disappeared …

A sixteen year old girl, from our school community is missing. Her parents saw her late Saturday night, and all was well. When she did not emerge from her room Sunday morning, they checked on her, to discover she was not there.

her parents do not know where she is …

her parents do not know why she’s gone …

her parents do not know how she left …

her parents …

Anyone who is a parent, and has heard the story of this girl’s disappearance (even if, like me, you do not know the girl or her family), is aching inside. We immediately hear this story, and every parental fiber of our being feels the fear those parents are feeling. We immediately put ourselves in their shoes, and want to help find a beautiful Hallmark ending for this story.

The hockey game …

… doesn’t matter anymore.

Finding Amanda …

that is everything!

Please pray for her, and her family.

http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=116&languageId=1&contentId=19931#.TfZ9U4gwn7g;email

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Mom Führer

Posted in The Kids, WONDER, tagged iTunes, Music, Objectionable Lyrics, Teaching my Kids on June 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The content of music is something I can be downright Nazi-like about. Until our kids are in Middle School, and ask to, they are not encouraged to listen to radio. And it’s not just the song lyrics that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight … it’s the advertising, and the R-rated host comments that really make me blush, with children in the vehicle.

Once they desire to hear more of the music of their generation, I give them a task. They need to find the lyrics of the song, and check them out to see if I would okay them … most of the time, their own perusing eliminates their asking me about the song. But, when the lyrics have passed their eyes, they print the lyrics, and show me. Mom (aka Music Führer) then looks them over, with my kid, and we discuss any questionable content, together. Usually the questionable content is more to do with what is implied rather than the overt (ie. I HATE whining, and songs about women being used, and songs about men being put down).

Now, don’t go all gaga over this … there is very little that I nix. I am a lover of a huge variety of music from Christian, to Rock, to Instrumental, to Jazz, to Pop, to Indie, and, yes even a little … gulp Country. I am just NOT a lover of having my ears violated, or of having my kids think I condone that auditory violation.

In reality, it is a rare thing for ol’ Mom Führer to actually poo poo a song of their choice. I also put my money where my discerning mouth is. So as to encourage Huey, Dewey and Louie to not grow up thinking that I believe that all music of a certain genre is bad, or everything produced by a certain musician/group is bad, I not only allow them to buy what is okay or good, but I pay for it. From our family, iTunes has made a butt load of bucks. You see I figure there are some CD’s that have questionable content, but some of it is okay, so, this way our kids have had the freedom to have the okay or good, without the negative or bad … and to honor them for respecting my music rules, they get music at MY cost.

This is an arrangement that has worked well for our family. But the best part of it is when recently, my fourteen year old was listening to music with me, in the car. And I say to her, “I LOVE this song” (as I’m doing my ‘car dance’). And she replies, “Mom, do you know what the lyrics of that song are?” I am thrilled to have them teach me a thing or two, and to point out when I am not practicing what I preach! To me, that is the best!

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Wonder … Lost :(

Posted in Nature/Creation, WONDER, tagged Hubby, Life, NHL Playoffs, walk, Wonder Lost on June 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

A beautiful, sunny and warm Saturday … life just couldn’t get much better! Except maybe, if it included a long walk on my favorite trail …

So, before 9am, while fully enjoying my morning brew, I did a life-on the edge thing … I attempted to engage hubby in morning conversation (I am a morning person … Hubby … not so much). And, it went something like this …

“It’s a great day for a walk.”

“Um, hum.” (still staring at laptop screen) “When do you want to go?”

“Well, I’ll give you two options, and you choose the one that works best for you. We could go, say in an hour (I was pretty certain this would not be his choice … but it would have been mine). Or, if we went at four, we could do the two hour walk, and you would only miss the first hour of the game (okay, I did make this suggestion hoping his love of hockey would triumph over his not being a morning person, and he would choose door number one. After all it was game two of the NHL finals! What self-respecting Canadian would CHOOSE to miss the first half of that game? And, I digress …).

“Well, I honestly don’t want to go in an hour, so 4:00 sounds good for me.”

… there just are no words …

So, I spent the morning working 😦 in my PJ’s (wondering what I was thinking when I said I’d be willing to work on a big project with another lady … ), and hubby spent the morning doing odd jobs (did I mention that the sun was shining, as though it was summer, while we were working?). As the afternoon was wearing on, I was seeing that hubby was not happy with his progress on his ‘to do’ list. This caused me to fear that our walk was in danger of cancellation. So, I kindly, gently, pleasantly reminded hubby that it was 2:00. Then I asked, “are you still in for a walk?” His response was affirmative … I was doubtful.

His disappointingly slow progress continued … as the minutes ticked by.

Until almost 4:00, when I was sure that my highlight of the day, was doomed. This time I sat hubby down, and assured him that I would not be offended if he chose to not go for a walk with me, but that I wasn’t so keen on waiting much longer to go. And he said, he just needed fifteen minutes more …

So we drove, with our beast, to hit the trail! We walked for about 38 minutes, then turned around to head back. Just after turning back, (definitely after the hockey game began), my hubby did the unspeakable …

He turned the game on …on his phone … so he could hear it!

I love our walks …

I love the peacefulness of them …

I love the escape they provide from noises …

I love the wonder they bring to my day …

And he was playing the game … loudly …

… there just are no words …

Wonder …. LOST!

As the volcano within me was building to a near-cataclysmic point, I decided to just be forthright and tell it like I saw it …

“Um, how about you walk ahead … way ahead.”

“Are you in pain?” Says ‘sensitive, new age hubby.’

“Only my ears … ”

Silence …

(PS: I made him aware that he would pay for his faux pas, publicly … debt now paid, hubby )

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Just the way You Are

Posted in life, The Kids, WONDER, tagged Bruno Mars, Concert, Daughters, Just the Way You Are, Life on June 6, 2011| 2 Comments »

Tonight my daughters and I had a ‘girl date’ with Bruno Mars. This is the concert that has altered the schedule of the NHL playoffs 😀 Kind of increased our giggly enjoyment!

The tickets were purchased as birthday gifts to my now fourteen year old, and my ‘to be’ nineteen year old. The three of us have never gone to a concert … just us, so it was fun and exciting.

So to the concert we went.

The sun was shining (and, considering our wet and cold spring … that was a near miracle), and the traffic insane (but that is ALWAYS the case in the Lower Mainland of BC). We made a stop at Ikea for a cheap dinner 😀 (it always tastes better when it is cheap!), and for a bit of window shopping (something only a girl can understand … hubby writes a list, goes where he will find what he wants, pick it out, pays for it, and goes home … b o r i n g !).

We parked, walked along the shining waters of False Creek, laughing and giggling … mostly about ourselves and about boys … any boys … their brothers, their dad, boys at school, boys doing bike and skateboard ‘tricks’ in front of us as we walked.

We arrived as the first musician was performing … he was great! He sang mostly 80’s music … I loved it … the girls rolled their eyes.

The second opening act was Janelle Monae … you might have heard her song Tightrope on the Chevrolet Cruze advertisements. During her entire performance I felt as though I was at a Mardi Gras party in New Orleans! She is an amazing performer!

Then, Mr. BM (my daughters just DID NOT find my calling him a BM … bowel movement … funny at all) hit the stage! WOW! He was great! He wooed the crowd of many … not sold out, but many loud, fun-loving people. The age range of attendees was, from my vantage point, from about three years old to over seventy.

Bruno had a great stage performance, with fantastic and energetic musicians along with him.

The girls and I danced and sang along with Bruno … we clapped, we swayed they swooned (because he was, of course, singing only to them). We had a super evening of girl-time.

Mr. Mars (and, of course, we are Ms. Venus) had a great concert (which started at 7:30, and didn’t end until 11pm). That doesn’t mean I give him a thumbs up when it comes to all that he produces … but I also don’t choose to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Although his ‘Grenade’ song seems self sacrificial, it also seems he needs to get a grip on the reality that ‘his’ girl just isn’t his! And, although it might be quite tame (and nothing like some songs lyrics of terrible violations of others), ‘Our First Time’, is not the message I want my girls to fall for, in real life.

What these questionable messages do provide is ample opportunity to discuss how we each hear those lyrics, what we each believe about the messages, and the good, bad and the ugly of what many in our society believe to be ‘normal’, ‘common’ and ‘real.’ Those conversations can be worth the cost of admission!

So, today as I don’t feel like doing anything (I just want to lay in my bed) … I am just thankful that my two daughters, even at fourteen and eighteen, are willing to go have an evening with their out-of-date momma. It was more like a gift TO me.
“When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change
Cause you’re amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl(s) you’re amazing
Just the way you are”

Mr. BM

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Now Ascended

Posted in GOD, WONDER, tagged Ascension Day, GOD, Living He Loved Me, Oh Glorious Day, Wonder on June 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I am planning to do a little mountain trail climbing this summer. It’s a local trail called the Grouse Grind (http://grousemountain.com/Winter/vancouver-bc-hiking-trails-trips/). It is only 2.9km, but is rugged and steep. I, in contrast, am jiggly and archaic. I expect it will take much effort to do the trail, but even more effort just to get my sorry butt to the bottom of the hill, in commitment to the climb.

Today, around the world, many will celebrate Ascension Day. The day we remember that Jesus not only died (in our place), and rose (giving evidence of His defeat over death), but that He returned to the heavens to prepare for that day when He will come again, and receive us into His nail-scarred hands.

Climbing / ascending takes effort, but, once you have completed them, and you can look back on all you have accomplished … they are good … even … glorious!

I was driving down the road, one day a few months back, and a song came on the radio. It was a new song to me, but I knew every word. I was baffled! When I got home, I searched to find out it’s lyrics, it’s history. But, as I searched the song name, I found nothing in the hymn book in our piano bench.

That is because this song, this old hymn (written in the mid 1800’s) didn’t go by the name Casting Crowns uses (Oh Glorious Day), but by the first line of the song (Living he Loved Me). I remember it being sung in my grandmothers little country church frequently, when I was a child (and, as a side note, she had the voice of Lucille Ball … sadly, I have taken after her in this respect … we both sing with joy … but, I digress). And now, not only it’s beautifully crafted lyrics, but also it’s more singable music, are reintroduced into a new generation of worship songs.

When I first ‘re-heard’ these lyrics, months ago, I thought of how perfect they were for Ascension Sunday … they tell of how Christ was committed to the climb! They describe the entire climb that Christ made up the rugged, steep path through rejection, crucifixion, death, rising, and now ascending … and one day he’s coming … Oh glorious day!

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There Was a Little Girl …

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged Bad Girl, Consequences, Good Girl, Life, Longfellow on June 3, 2011| 5 Comments »

“There was a little girl, who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good, he was very good indeed,

But when she was bad, she was horrid.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

How did this man, this poet and story teller, who died one hundred and ten years before my daughter was born, know her so well, that he could write this piece of her?

Of course now she is nearly nineteen, and all that is left of the little girl, who I would quote this verse to, is … the little curl, right in the middle of her forehead (when it is humid).

How time has flown since then …

Although the verse, quoted above, is the entirety of what Longfellow wrote, Esther and Eloise Wilkin added an entire story (complete with delightful illustrations) to his little masterpiece. And this story was one of my favorite stories, as a child. Now her book “Good Little, Bad Little Girl” is out of print. But their story is one that, as a parent, should be a part of childhood learning.

What Longfellow knew, and wrote of, was:

– you cannot read a book by it’s cover

– outward beauty is not a reflection of inner beauty

– that bad actions and attitude can come, even from one so young

– that the good and bad actions and attitudes can switch, at a moments notice

– that all have the ability to be very, very good, and … very, very horrid

What the Wilkin sisters added to Longfellow’s verse, did not diminish what he wrote, but instead enhanced his verse into a story to learn from. Their story compared and contrasted these two little girls, the good one, and the bad one, who lived in the same house. Now, in reality, the two little girls were actually the same one little girl. The story told simply of how she could be delightfully good (and the positive consequences of that), as well as horribly bad (and the negative consequences of that). In the end, their story provided the reality that doing what is good, or doing what is bad is all about choices, and that we can choose our consequences by our choices.

My, now almost nineteen, daughter is famous in our house for teaching her younger brother ‘a positive attitude is the key to success’ … I think, at least theoretically, that she learned her lesson well. Because she not only caught on to the essence of what she’d had read, but she also realizes that there could be good consequences in teaching this to her brother.

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