WHO ARE THEY?

Something has been bothering me lately and I have a bone to pick with "they".
You know who "they" are.
They are the ones we always hear about but never know who "they" are?
You know like in "they say it is going to rain" or "they say blah blah blah"
Who the heck are THEY? I really want to know.

Anyway, "THEY" say that when you get old, you go through your second childhood.

Well, I would like to say emphatically that "THEY" are totally and undeniably mistaken. Wrong, very wrong.
I am older and I know many people even older than myself and I can tell you that there is NO WAY they go through a second childhood.
Who are these dummies?
Have they never watched any children themselves to see?
It is as plain as the nose on your face that there is NO WAY - NO HOW that an older person goes through a second childhood.
We only WISH we could.

Now, if I am wrong and THEY are right, then pray tell, what part of childhood do we go into?
The first few months? The Toddler stage? Preschool/kindergarten? Grades 1 - 6?
I believe the teen years come next, and we don't go into second teen years do we?
So what age group do these people in their second childhood fit?

Now I have a great grandson who is just 6 weeks old.
I watch him lay there. All he does is eat, sleep, and dirty diapers. He lays on his back with his legs and arms flapping all over the place and he stares at everything.
Is that what old people in their second childhood do?
Really now, I don't know anyone anywhere that has ever done that beside babies so I guess that isn't the age group. (Sure would be funny if that is how we all ended up!)

Now I have two grandsons that will shortly be two years old.
I would imagine their behaviour will extend till at least grade six, just getting stronger and stronger as it goes along.
They can both walk fairly well, even run and jump and dance.
They have boundless energy and want to do the same things over and over and over again. They love to be tickled. They love learning new things and learning to talk.
They never want to quit when they are doing something they love and they will let you know it. They like trying things on their own.
They easily express their feelings and go from one feeling to another very quickly.

Now again I ask - Do you know any older people that fit that description?
Sure some of that might fit us but most of us would agree
- no matter how active you are -
that you just can't keep up with kids at this age.
They seem to run with the pink bunny.
They just keep going and going and going and.........

I really and truly believe that this idea of a "second childhood" is a gross misrepresentation of the older generation.
It is a conspiracy I tell you.
Our children are trying to feed us this stuff so they can get rid of us in old folks homes or hospitals or dare I say it " Mental facilities".
They have come up with this - what do I call it? a disease? a condition? what?
Second Childhood! What is that?

We hear them wispering behind closed doors about us going into our second childhood, and that peaks our curiosity and we get excited. Oh, if only it were true. I only wish I could get back some of the energy that children have.

Please, if there is anyone out there who knows how I can get into MY second childhood, please please let me know.
I need a good dose of childhood energy.
I need to be wanting to not give up on things again.
I need a whole lot of what kids have.
Show me the way and I will show you the money....

Also, if anyone out there knows who "THEY" are,
please let them know my position on their statement.
I demand an apology in writing and a general announcement to the public, stating that they are wrong. (and I don't mean some little three lines at the end of the newspaper but a front page apology)

Now, if you agree with my position, I suggest you copy this post and forward it to all your friends and ask them to forward and on and on, so that eventually "THEY" will get it and read it and maybe we can all get together to get this horrible matter cleared up.

Hope you have a childlike day.

USE THE FORCE TINK, USE THE FORCE!

O.K. so it has been awhile.
What can I say?
With CWO cutting out their "Spring into Summer" writing contest, I have no more topics to blog about. Boo Hoo.
I liked the writing contests as it gave me ideas of what to blog on. Not that I ever thought I would win any of the contests. I know my forte is not in writing - but - you just never know what might happen in the blogosphere. Miracles can and do happen.

So what have I been up to you might ask - if you really wanted to know - if you didn’t then why ask at all? Huh. O.k. I am in a mood and just wanting to do something with my time so I am just writing whatever comes into my head. As I was saying - please quit interrupting me. As I was saying - what have I been up to? Well how would you know if you didn’t ask. I can’t ask you now can I? So I guess I just better tell you myself - seeing you asked.

On a Friday about three weeks ago, I gave a type of resume to this place that I thought MIGHT be hiring someone for part time office work. Now, they never had an office person before but word of mouth said that they had been thinking of getting someone. So I acted on gossip I had heard and wrote a resume. Here is the resume - if you can call it that.

To whom it may concern,

I heard you MIGHT be thinking of hiring someone for office work. I would like to apply for the job.

I am 55 years old and have not worked out of my home in years.

Many many years ago I took a course at Red River Community College. At that time I took "Clerical Bookkeeping and Office machines". Many of the machines I learned to use are now obsolete. When I left school I could type 80 W.P.M. on a manual typewriter.

I worked in an office doing some bookkeeping, accounts receivable/payable, payroll, as well as other clerical duties. I love working with numbers and I love working on the computer. (I am self taught on the computer and own Windows XP.)

I cannot give you reference numbers, as most of the companies I once worked for are no longer in existence.

I can offer to work for you for free for the first month or so till I get to know your program and how you do things. If you like my performance at the end of that time you can elect to keep me on or let me go.

I am only looking for an office type job as I have bad legs and cannot stand for long periods of time. I would also like part time work as I don’t know if I could keep up the long hours.

To talk further on this matter you can call me at xxxxxxx or email me at xxxxxxxxx

All I can offer is my best. I would try to be a valued employee.

Well, surprise, surprise, I got a job.

They liked my resume. (Snark, snark) They said it sounded so "honest." I can’t believe I even wrote a resume like that - I learned how to do resumes both in school and at Red River but I did not put much thought into writing this resume at all. I guess I stumbled on a great piece of advice for resume writing - BE HONEST!

They took me on for two weeks to see if I would like it and if they would like me.
I handed in the resume on a Friday and started working on a Monday. Tomorrow will be a month I have been working.

I only work three days a week for approx. 4 hours each day. (Mon, Wed, Fri.) Some days I work 6 hours but only if there is something pressing that needs doing.

The first thing I do when I get there is enter the sales and credit card sales onto sheets of paper. Then I file the days accounts and warranties. Up till now I have been working on some books. I check each item in the book to see the sales history and jot down info. These books are all done for this time. We only will be doing them twice a year. At the end of the month I got all the invoices from the files and sent them out to customers. The other day I sorted through files and stored old files making room for newer ones. Each day I go to the bank to buy change and stop at the mailbox and pick up the mail. Sometimes I have to go to the other store to get them change or drop something off.

Basically I am a gopher or a pilot. I go for this and that or I pile it here and there.

At first I was soooo very nervous.

You don’t know nervous till you get to be my age and haven’t worked in an office for over 35 years. And in all my years, I have been very much a loner. So entering the "Work Force" was the scariest thing. It was like joining the Air Force or some other sort of "Force". I did not know if I was ready to use the "Force" yet.

As I sat at my desk Yoda’s little voice sounded in the distance. "Ready you are, worry do not. Trust the force Luke, use the force." Oooops, oh, where was I. Oh yes, I was very very nervous.

As I sat at my desk the first few days, my body went through the motions they were supposed to go through - I think, but my mind was waging a battle.

Part of me was praising God and thanking him for this remarkable miracle of a perfect job for me.

The other part of me was accusing me constantly for being inept and saying that I would screw up. It also kept reminding me of having to drive all that way each day and what about summer traffic and winter snow. Then I would argue that I didn’t really have to work, that I could make it, if I only cut out a few things. Then I would argue that I didn’t have to stay, I could quit if I wanted to. I wasn’t dependant on a job. Then another part was saying hey, give it a try, what have you got to lose. These and many other thoughts kept reeling in my mind.

When I would get home from work I was totally exhausted from all the thinking. I didn’t even want to talk to anyone yet everyone wanted to know how I liked it.

It is a miracle I even made it through the first week but having the day off in between really helped "The Force" begin to work in my life.

Now it is going to be four weeks and I feel a lot more at ease working and driving. I am even beginning to understand some of what I am doing.

Daily I ask Jesus "THE Force" to either help me to love the job or to hate it. He seems to be leaning towards getting me to like it a little at a time.

I am beginning to feel the "Force" getting stronger and stronger in me. Not that the "Force" gets stronger cause it already is the very strongest, but that I would get stronger at using the "Force" and recognizing the "Force" in and around my life.

For now I will leave you wanting more, more, more.

Till next time - May THE Force be with you.

BLESSED BY BLOGGERS

This article is my submission to the blog challenge sponsored by Darlene Schacht,, the founder and editor of CWO Magazine, Uniting Women of Faith.

Write a post telling us some of the ways God has blessed you through blogging

As many of you know, I am a widow and live alone in a very small town. Through blogging I have met many wonderful friends. My computer is my life line to the world.

If I am feeling lonely all I have to do is read someone else’s blog and I am reassured that I am not alone in my struggles. If I feel like ranting about something, I can do it through my blog and I know that people will read and only take what they need.

I have been so blessed by the comments that people have left on my site and the fact that we are a community of believers.

The blog world is a place where people can drop their ‘masks’ and be themselves. Even when they are trying to be something else, it seems to come through in people’s writing.

Writing seems to be a window to the soul of a person. Even though we may never meet the other person we are reading about, there is connection of spirit and soul and we will know one another in heaven.

Jesus was not recognized after his resurrection until he spoke to the two men on the road to Emmaus. Then they recognized his soul or spirit.

I believe that is what the blogging community is like. If we read someone’s posts we get to know their spirit and will know them when we see them in heaven.

I have also been blessed by personal emails from bloggers wanting to get to know me better and I have also had bloggers send me gifts for Christmas.

When needed I have had a large army of prayer warriors on my side fighting the enemy along the way.

God has blessed me with an extended family of loving caring brothers and sisters in Christ.

I love my blogging community.

SHARING GRACE

This article is my submission to the blog challenge sponsored by the devotional team blog, "Laced with Grace."

"How do you share the grace you receive from God on a day-to day basis?"

I signed up for this challenge and boy is it a "CHALLENGE". I wanted to take my name off of the list as I was sorry I entered. How does one share the grace they receive? That is a very hard question.

First of all there is the ‘age old’ question; What is Grace?

At the beginning of the epistles, it seems to be used as a customary form of salutation or a blessing of some sort for all Christians in common.

Grace seems to have many definitions but mostly it is understood as the unmerited "favor" of God. It seems to work opposite of "works". It is something you cannot earn for yourself but must just receive it from God.

So we get back to the question, How does one share the grace they receive from God, on a day to day basis?

O.k. so maybe I don’t share that grace on a day to day basis. I do try to live a life that I think would be pleasing to God. Knowing me I am probably deceiving myself and am doing everything wrong. BUT!!! regardless of how I live my life, I have been promised that I would receive salvation if I truly believed in Jesus. Now that is Grace. Living with the knowledge that all my sins - past, present and future - are already taken care of. I can now live my life guilt free of sin (although that isn’t always the case.)

I think Grace brings HOPE. And Jesus is our blessed Hope. I live in hope daily thinking that ‘perhaps today Jesus will come back".

I don’t spend every day trying to live like a Holy Person. I just live my life in Jesus and try to let him have full Reign. I don’t try to work my way into heaven. I don’t do things for others so that I can get points with God. I do things for others because of a genuine love that God has placed in my heart.

I love giving things away. Maybe that is a form of grace. I enjoy making others happy. I love making things and then just giving them away. If I am out shopping and I spot something I think someone else might like or could use, I try to pick it up for them as a little gift of love from me.

So all in all, I can only think that grace is the unmerited favor of God. God loves me and that is all I need to know. God loves me no matter what I do or don’t do.
I can live my life with hope and knowledge that the creator of the universe loves little ole me.

That is Grace.

GAETEN (GATOR) RAYMOND CHARLES IVANISKI (1964 2007)

GAETEN (GATOR) RAYMOND CHARLES IVANISKI (1964 2007)


Suddenly and unexpectedly on March 31 at his residence in Winnipeg Beach, Gaeten passed away at the age of 42 years.

He is survived by his loving mother Pauline (Cesare); brother Eugene; sister Charlene (Shane); nephews, Travis and Jesse and only niece, his princess Natalie, of whom he loved dearly; his aunts, Gert (Ian), Lavina (Barrie), Joyce (Jim), Marvel (Dan), Dorothy, Jeanette, Olga (Bert), Vi (Ron); uncles, Les (Loretta), Nick (Ruth), Walter (Betty) and Bill (Barb); great-aunts, Ellen, Evelyn (Eigill), Rubina and Pearl; and over 100 cousins. He was predeceased by his father Steve in 2004, which he never really got over; his grandparents, Jim and Gladys Johnston and Jack and Mary Ivaniski.

Gaeten was born on June 16, 1964, in Selkirk, MB. He attended school in Selkirk, participating in hockey, football, baseball and Ukrainian dancing. Gaeten joined the 737 Canadian Regiment in 1980 for three years. He worked numerous jobs over his short life, but his most memorable was working security at concert events in the old Winnipeg Arena.
His unique personality and humour will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

Honorary pallbearers are his close friends whom he enjoyed the company of.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2007, at 1:30 p.m. in the Gilbart Funeral Chapel, Selkirk, with The Ven. Godfrey Mawejje officiating.

Dear brother, our family is getting smaller, the crib table in Heaven is getting crowded, give Dad a kiss from us till we meet again - we love you dearly and will hold you in our hearts forever.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gaeten's memory can be made to Evergreen Basic Needs, 96 3rd Ave., Gimli, MB R0C 1B0. Gilbart Funeral Home, Selkirk in care of arrangements.


I am sorry to say that I did not get to attend the Funeral as I didn't know about the services till Monday. My prayers go out to the family.

This article is my submission to the blog challenge sponsored by Art Bookbindery, "Empowering Writers to Self Publish."

As I reflect on the resurrection of our Lord, I am reminded that if he had not risen from the dead, our hope would be in vain. It is his very resurrection that makes our faith what it is today.

In thinking on that, I wonder, how does one celebrate life? In our world we are constantly celebrating life. When a child is born we celebrate it’s birth. When someone graduates from high school we celebrate their graduation. When someone gets married we celebrate the big day. We celebrate Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. These are all part and parcel of what we call celebrating life.

But looking closer; the best way I have found to celebrate life is to look through the eyes of a child. Children are full of life and energy. Everything they see and experience is new to them and they want to learn.

I remember when I first became a Christian that my life was full of wonder and learning. I could not get enough of the Bible and what God had to say to me. I was a little child taking baby steps I was learning about where my father wanted me to be and what plans he had for me.

I went through the terrible twos where I rebelled at everything my father put before me. I threw temper tantrums and yelled at him because I thought things were too hard. I got frustrated because I couldn’t get my message across to him.

Then I matured a bit and thought I could do things on my own. After all, I was grown up now. But my father patiently waited along the sidelines till I gave up trying things on my own and then he lent a helping hand. He is always faithful that way.

When you begin to see your life, through a child’s eyes and as the father sees his child, you will really begin to experince life the way it should be experienced.

I find myself reminding myself quite often that in the Old testament men and women lived to be nearly 1000 years old. In that way of calculating, I am only a child in God’s eyes and I will remain His child throughout eternity. He has adopted me into his family.

I am reminded of a song:

He was there when you drew the breath of life
He could hear your voice the first time that you cried
Though you couldn’t see him
He was very near
And there’s something now, that he wants you to hear

You will always be a child in his eyes
If you need some love his arms are open wide.
Even when you’re growing old
I hope you realize,
You will always be a child in his eyes.

He was there the first time that your prayed
And he heard all the promises you made
As you came before him
Saying Father I have sinned
He said I love you child
And made you clean within

You will always be a child in his eyes
If you need some love his arms are open wide.
Even when you’re growing old
I hope you realize,
You will always be a child in his eyes.

How many children do you know that worry about their next meal or the clothes they are going to wear? How many kids worry that their parents might leave them and abandon them? How many children do you know who worry that they wouldn’t have a bed to sleep in or a house to live in?

We know that our heavenly Father takes care of these things. If he knows the very number of hairs on your head don’t you think he knows about every need you might have?

Our whole life is a celebration of His life and resurrection. Our lives should be an exaltation of that life He provided for us.

Soon our Bride groom is coming to take us to the grand wedding banquet he has been preparing for us. It will be the most elaborate celebration of all. It will be a time of celebrating our Eternal Life with the Father. Just as a bride is getting ready for the special day, each of us should be ready and waiting for the arrival of our spouse. He told us to watch and wait as we have no idea when that time will be.

Meanwhile we are busy making preparations to celebrate that glorious day. Our gowns are ready and waiting. We have been preparing special crowns for our beloved. We constantly talk to our spouse long distance and anxiously await his arrival for the big day. We are busy inviting friends and neighbours for the grand celebration. The excitement is mounting. All the preparations are ready and the final touches are being added.

What a glorious day that will be when we see our Saviour, face to face.

This little child plans to crawl up on the Saviour’s knee and embrace his face and give him a great big kiss.

Dear Friends of Gator

Dear Friends of Gator

I am so sorry that I caused you pain in my blog. That was not my intention.

Having lost my husband just two years ago, I understand the pain of losing someone dear.

I did not realize that anyone that knew Gator was reading my blog. I thought it was only a few close family members and personal friends.

In my writing I tried very spicifically to not speculate about what happened. I did not know. I only reported the facts according to what I saw and what I heard said to me. (Accept for a few personal thoughts) I knew that there would be all kinds of stories going around town so I tried to write just my experience.

I have not judged anyone and I am sorry if you think I did. I gave my opinions, many, based on things that Gator had told me.

You say that as a Christian woman, I should strive to see the good in all people. I have strived to do that all my life. Yet you have jumped to the conclusion that I did not see good in Gator. The opposite is more correct.

I loved Gator with the love of Jesus and I longed for the salvation of his eternal soul. I loved him enough to pray for his relationship with God nearly every night since I met him.

I do pray that Gator is now without pain and suffering and lying in the lap of Jesus. I just wish I knew for sure. The Bible says:

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Gator never told me if he believed in Jesus as Saviour or not so I never knew for sure if he was saved. I pray that he was.

I do offer apologies for any misunderstandings, and I send my sympathy and prayers for his family and friends.

If you would like to talk further about this, my email address is dorcas@mts.net.

OPEN LETTER TO ANNONYMOUS IN REGARD TO C.S.I. CHRISTIANITY

I am responding to your comments and I hope you don’t mind. I am glad that you love the fact that I am a Christian. Good for you.

As to your comment: "telling a story and enhancing it so that it is my own to tell is something else."

Fact: This is MY Blog and this is MY Story of the events that happened.

I agree that what happened next door was totally out of my control and may have had nothing to do with me. But the fact remains that I saw what I saw and the police involved me in it when they began asking me questions.

You say: Fact: The police were speculating more than they needed to on the cause of death probably because ignorant people decided to speculate it wasn't due to natural causes.

I tend to disagree with this comment as the police never bothered to check with any neighbours till at least 7:00 in the evening, so any spectulating they did was on their own or because of the fact that they had his friend in the car for nearly two hours.

You say, "Fact: Those same ignorant people don't even know your neighbour - Gator."

First of all you have made a judgement on these people and claim they are ignorant people. Secondly, you assume they didn't even know Gator.

Do you know these people? Have you sat and talked with them? Do you know anything about them whatsoever?

How can you claim they are "ignorant people". Did you know Gator? If so, then please fill me in on what he was like. I really would have liked to get to know him better.

Again you say: Fact: Gator was a very ill man. Since it is likely I will need to clarify what I mean...He was p-h-y-s-i-c-a-l-l-y ill.

I understand that Gator was on a disability pension of some sort. He may have used Marijuana for medicinal reasons. I grant him that. I did not make a judgement on what he had been doing with the Marijuana. I simply stated the facts as I knew them to be.

Fact: Gator had friends.

Yes, I know, Gator had many friends. Yet where were these friends when Gator needed money or cigarettes or just someone to talk to? They were not always available to him so he would drop over once in awhile to borrow things or just to chat.

"You've now left the impression that this guys life was not worth mourning over. And yet, you've taken it upon yourself to seek sorrow for your grief in the matter. You want pity? Well you've got it!!"

I’m sorry if you got the impression that Gator’s life was not worth mourning over. That was not my intention. I mourn deeply for him and his family. It is a very sad loss. In my own way I loved Gator with the Love of Jesus. I tried to treat him as I believed Jesus would have treated him. I was never uncourteous to him or turned him away. I gladly leant him things, never expecting their return but Gator faithfully returned what he borrowed (even though others cautioned me about him)

I have not sought pity for myself. I have stated the facts of what happened as I know them to be. I felt bad about Gator’s spiritual life. Not knowing where his eternal resting place may be, should be everyone’s concern.

As I said earlier, the marijuana may have been for medicinal purposed only. I did not state that Gator was a drug dealer or anything of the sort.

For you to make the statement that the friend who found him dead, might have encouraged Gator to use Marijuana for any other reason is making a judgement on that friend. Do you know Gator’s friend that found him?

I am sorry if I sounded judgemental in telling about what I thought of Gator. These were my observations from the few conversations we had together. Unless you know Gator personally and can tell me more about him, these were MY observations and opinions from knowing him the short time that I did.

For Gator’s sake (not mine) I hope to God that Gator died painlessly and naturally, and not because he was murdered. I cannot imagine what must have gone through his mind in those final moments.

As for disclosing anything, I just gave you the facts as I saw them. I did not speculate on anything.

From reading your comments I tend to think that you knew Gator personally. If you did, then I am very sorry for your loss and would love to talk to you more about Gator.
If you do not know Gator, then I can only surmise that something I wrote really ticked you off.

Could it be the fact that he used marijuana?

Maybe it was for medical reasons.

I am not against anyone using marijuana for medicinal purposes. I believe there is positive effects of using marijuana and scientists are looking into it more and more.

As for being haunted by your facts, I am sorry to say that I will not be haunted by that. I will be haunted by the fact that maybe Gator didn’t find a good resting place. That maybe he is doomed to spend eternity in pain and suffering. I would not wish that on my worse enemy.

The whole point of the article was to discus what occured and my feelings involved. It was meant to be a warning to others to do all they can for those around them at all times. We never know when it might be the last time we talk to someone.

I hope you have a good day and a great eternity.

WOMEN OVER 40

In case you missed it on 60 Minutes, this is what Andy Rooney thinks about women over 40:

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.
If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.
Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.
Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.
Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.
Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.
Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.
Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal.
For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.
Ladies, I apologize.
For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you.
Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!
Andy Rooney is a really smart guy!

C.S.I. CHRISTIANITY

The day started like any other day. I was sitting at my computer checking emails and such when I noticed two cop cars and an ambulance pull up in front of my house. So like every other nosey neighbour I went out there to see what what going on.

They were all over at my neighbour's house - Gator as we call him. Police were going in and out of the house and they were standing there talking to a guy. I asked if Gator was all right and the officer said "We can't disclose anything". Then I asked "Is Gator alive?" to which they once again responded "We can't disclose anything". At that time the guy I had asked the question to, just put his head down as if to say "Yes, Gator is dead". I felt awful. I had talked to him many times and he had been over here many times borrowing one thing or another.

He seemed a harmless type guy with a few brain cells missing from doing too many drugs over the years. I would estimate he was probably in his early fifties, a little overweight, balding, but seemed in fairly good shape as he walked nearly everywhere he went. He had all these big dreams and plans but you could tell he would never follow through on them. They were just "pipe dreams".

Anyway, all this started around 1:30 in the afternoon. Soon the ambulance left but no body was taken out of the house. Police came and went and unmarked cars came and went. Men went in with rubber gloves and face masks on and many camera's were taken in and pictures taken. They also removed plastic bags of evidence or something.

One neighbour lady started thinking he had been murdered as the body hadn't been taken yet. Speculations were running wild as to what might have happened and the police were being "mum" about the whole thing.

Around 5:00 p.m. a man with a black bag went into the house and came out about a half hour later. Talked to the police for awhile and then left. Shortly after that a black van pulled up and they took out a gurny. Finally about 6:00 p.m. they hauled away the body in a body bag.

One of the officers was going to neighbours and asking questions. They came to my door and wanted to know my name, address, phone number and when I had seen Gator last and what he had been doing. They asked if he owned the house or if his mother did. Then they asked me to watch the house in the evening and if I saw anyone hanging around there to give them a call. He also said "Many of the neighbours are worried that he might have been murdered but at this moment we believe it was natural causes, so I hope you wouldn't worry."

I waited and watched like the curious person that I am. More comings and goings and everyone slowing down as they pass this section of road to see what was happening.

Then a police type van backed into the yard and they began hauling out green garbage bags from their cars and bringing them inside. I watched as they started hauling out flower pots with dirt in them and little stubs of dried up plants. They must have hauled out about 30 to 50 of these dead plant pots and ice cream containers with dirt in them. I also saw them hauling out what looked like a heater and electrical wires and lights. I kept watching and to my surprise they started hauling out green garbage bags with large plants in them. They hauled out approximately 6 garbage bags with at least 2 to 3 pots of plants in each bag. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So I asked to officer "Is that what I think it is?" To which he answered "What do you think it is?" "Marijuana?" I said. To which he responded "I don't know." That made me giggle. Imagine a cop that doesn't know what Marijuana looks like. Oh well, I guess they can't say anything.

Finally around 8:00 in the evening everyone finally left and the house was left dark and empty.

Poor Gator. To be all alone when you die seems to be the most horrible thing to me.

It seems his friend had gone over to see him and when no one answered the door, he looked in the window. He saw Gator lying there and he didn't look right so the guy broke down the front door and found him there and called the police. I guess they had loads of questions for that guy as they kept him for over two hours or more.

I am sure within two hours of his death the news had spread around town already. This is a little town and everyone is alerted the minute anything of interest happens around here. I mean, after all, the big excitement of this town in winter is the train that passes by twice a week, so an event like this is big news.

My heart aches for Gator. He was not a bad guy nor a good guy. Just a lost and lonely guy. I wonder where his final resting place is and what he met on the other side. Did he find Jesus somehow or not? I know he believed in the "big man upstairs" as he used to say. Is he destined to spend the rest of eternity in hell or in heaven? It saddens me to think that maybe he will have an eternity of pain and suffering.

Could I have done more? I have prayed for his salvation regularly but, could I have done more? Should I have forced him somehow to read his Bible? Should I have forced him to listen to the Salvation message? Was I a good witness to him? I doubt it. I tried to do and be what I thought Jesus would want me to be. I tried to be a good neighbour and never turned him away. Yet - what is going to happen to his eternal soul? I know I should have done more. I could have prepared meals for him or something like that. I should have reached out to him more and maybe be a better friend to him.

One never knows when it is their turn to go. We may be prepared to meet our maker but what of those around us? Our closest friends, our relatives, a neighbour. Have we done all we can do so in the end so we do not feel guilty? I know I didn't, and I will have to live with those thoughts the rest of my life.

God, Please forgive me for not doing more to reach this man for your kingdom. Give me strength in the future to know your will and to do it in these types of situations. Help those who read this to consider their very brief time left here on earth. Let them be prepared to meet the end and let them reach out to those around them, for your honour and glory. I ask this in the precious name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Perks of being Old

Are You Prepared to Die?

Life Lessons

Hello to all my blog friends.
I would like to start something new on my blogs. I will try to put up a video blog weekly. I might also feature some videos from You Tube that I find interesting. I think it would be neat if more people would get into doing this. Hope you enjoy today's video. I made it this afternoon from some emails I received.Keep Watching for MY Video Blog coming soon.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON - PART 2

The following is part of an article published by David J. Meyer in his monthly column called "Last Trumpet". I believe alot of what he write about pertains to the blog I just wrote.

The heavens and the earth are the creative handiwork of the Almighty, and all that He has made become a sure voice of witness against the inhabitants of the earth in the last days. From the earthquakes that rattled South Knoxville, Tennessee; and southern Colorado on the same day, to fireballs streaking over Colorado, all of which happened on January 4th, 2007, we know something is going on. (1) The freak weather with cherry blossoms blooming in New York City in January (2) should tell us something strange is happening, and more is about to happen. In the Israeli State, ice and snow storms shut down roads and highways on December 28th, 2006. (3) Northern Europe welcomed in the New Year with an ice-free Baltic Sea, (4) and in the Canadian Arctic, an immense ice shelf, measuring 66 square kilometers or 25.5 square miles, tore away from Ellesmere Island, which is near Greenland. (5)

The new year of 2007 arrived with another sign in the heavens. Comet McNaught, a very bright comet, appeared in early January and was seen accompanying the rising and setting sun each day. (6) Meanwhile, volcanoes and earthquakes have been declaring their testimony against sinful man. Mt. Vesuvius, which buried the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy, is now in these last days the most heavily monitored volcano in the world. Geologists are warning that three million people are at risk as Vesuvius has awakened once again. (7) Many volcanoes are awakening, and on January 9th, Nicaragua’s Telica Volcano spewed columns of gases and ash hundreds of feet into the air while the earth rumbled. (8)

On January 10th, an earthquake shook northwest Red China, causing thousands of buildings to crumble; and on the same day, a smaller quake rattled southeastern Oklahoma. (9) Southeastern Alaska was hit with a 5.7 magnitude quake the day before on January 9th, 2007. (10)

On December 26th, 2006, exactly two years after a massive earthquake caused the devastating tsunami, struck and killed nearly one-quarter million people in one day, two powerful quakes struck off Taiwan and severed two underwater communications cables. These two quakes, one for each cable, shut down the internet for nearly all of Asia! (11) With two little shakes, God cut off pornography from the Internet on the largest continent of the world. That day of December 26th has been one of dire warning from the Almighty. With that in mind, I must also mention that the Russian newspaper Pravda reported that on Christmas Eve, 2004, just before the devastating tsunami, massive explosions filled the sky over Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indonesian Air Force confirmed that it was a meteor shower over all of Indonesia, and people watched with amazement as falling stars from heaven crashed to the earth. It was December 24th when the stars fell from heaven, and just 36 hours later, a quarter million people were dead. Strangely enough, the number 36 is the square of six or six times six. If you add every number between 1 and 36 together, you have a sum total of 666. (12)


Another sign happened over Chicago, Illinois, on November 7th, 2006. More than a dozen United Airlines employees clearly witnessed a flying saucer-like object over O’Hare Airport. The Chicago Tribune reported, "A flying saucer-like object hovered low over O’Hare International Airport for several minutes before bolting through the thick clouds with such intense energy that it left an eerie hole in the overcast skies." The employees that saw it are angered that it is being dismissed as nothing, without any kind of investigation. (13)

Those who are watching and praying and have discernment are seeing some amazing things in these last days. As the year 2006 ended, two former world leaders lay dead -- one in the ancient land of Babylon and the other in the Capitol of modern-day Babylon in Washington, D.C. One of these two leaders, former President Gerald Ford, was given a Masonic funeral on Friday, December 29th. Ford was a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Then, at this same time, another former leader died and was brought to naught by execution in the ancient land of Babylon, which is now called Iraq. Saddam Hussein was hanged. His body was then put in a plain pine coffin and strapped into an American military helicopter and flown to his grave near the Tigris River. (14) Then following these two deaths, a comet appeared brightly in the sky. It was so bright that you could see it with the naked eye. Many believe that a comet marks the death of a world leader.

Cloned animals have now been declared safe for food and food products. Super-sized cows are now being cloned and are giving up to ten gallons of milk per day. (15) The FDA has stated that cloned products are perfectly safe according to Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. (16) Here let it be noted that the technical name for cloning is somatic cell nuclear transfer. A donor egg is removed and replaced with the DNA of a cow, pig, or goat and stimulated with electric shock to cause the egg to grow into a duplicate of the animal from which it came. Cloned animals have a tendency to develop cancer and arthritis in a very short time. The famous Dolly, the cloned sheep, died prematurely this way. (17) Is it safe for humans?

Danger lurks everywhere, and only Almighty God can help us. We live in a country where two million people pick up infections in hospitals every year, and ninety thousand of those people die from the infections. (18)

Acknowledgements

01. Earth Changes TV, Jan. 4, 2007, by Mitch Battros, http://earthchangesmedia.com.
02. CBSTV.com, Jan. 2, 2007, by Kerri Lyon, http://wcbstv.com.
03. Jerusalem Post, Dec. 28, 2006, Jerusalem, Israel.
04. AFP News, Dec. 29, 2006, http://news.yahoo.com.
05. AFP News, Dec. 29, 2006, by Guillaume Lavailee, AFP, Canada.
06. Earth Changes TV, Jan. 11, 2007, by Mitch Battros, http://earthchangesmedia.com.
07. Ibid.
08. Ibid.
09. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Associated Press, Dec. 27, 2006, by Stephan Grauwels.
12. Pravda, Dec. 23, 2004, Pravda News, Moscow, Russia.
13. Chicago Tribune, Jan. 1, 2007, by Jon Hilkevitch, Chicago, IL.
14. New York Times, Jan. 1, 2007, by John F. Burns & Marc Santora, Baghdad, Iraq.
15. London Daily Mail, Jan. 10, 2007, by SeanPoulter, London, England, UK.
16. Associated Press, Dec. 31, 2006, Washington, D.C.
17. Associated Press, Dec. 28, 2006, Cox News Network.
18. AARP Bulletin, Jan. 2007, by Katharine Greider, AARP.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON???

I would like to talk about what is going on in the world. Do people not realize what is going on? Listening to the daily news is like reading my bible. I can't believe how everything is just falling into place and how daily, Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. It is all happening so quickly.

We are breaking records daily. Global warming is the greatest concern and this world as we know is changing drastically day after day. Nothing is going to remain as it did.

Since the 911 incident we have already begun entering this new world. We gladly accept the government intruding into our daily lives in the name of stopping Terrorism. Big brother is watching over our shoulders and is now conscious of nearly every thing we do.

The amazing thing as is that WE WELCOME all this intervention into our private affairs and we think we are being safer when all along we should be very discerning.

Without talking "conspiracy theories", who is it that is causing this new world order to exist?

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Whatever is happening on the earth - we were warned. For years upon years we were warned. Jesus warned us ahead of time so that we could be prepared and not be caught up in the frenzy of fear.

It is just the BEGINNING. Things will get much worse before they get better. God is reaching out to you. Are you listening? Are you paying attention?

It is like a woman that is in the last days of her pregnancy. The labour pains come on sporadically at first. Then they begin to get closer and closer till the baby is born.

We will experience one great catastrophe after another upon this earth.
There is definitely going to be great changes coming. It is not the same old earth we used to live in.

Are you watching and waiting?
Are you looking up?

If you do not have peace about the things happening in this world, please click here or check out the red button on my side bar.

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Joh 14:29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

Hope you have a great day.

DOINGS OF ALEX

Dear Diary,

I 've got to tell you about what Alex did the other day.
I put him in his play pen while I was doing something. A few minutes later I said to him "Would you like me to make you a little tent?" All of a sudden clear as a bell he answers "O K"
I was shocked and looked at him and figured, "o.k. that was just a fluke". So I continued doing what I was doing.

As I began clearing off my table, I heard him say "All done."
Again I was shocked as he never says anything and here, twice he replied correctly. I hear him quite often imitating things he hears but he has not really learned to connect the words with their meaning yet.

But since that day, every time he finishes a bottle or I finish something I am doing and he says "All done". It is so cute. I would have expected his first words to be "No" or something similar but he has to be different.

The other night they picked him up and as he was about to leave I said "Give Grandma a kiss goodbye." He walked over and gave me one. I was so shocked and thrilled at the same time. He never does that.

He is the type that you wave bye bye to and he just looks at you like you are a nut. Then a few minuted later when he isn’t thinking too much about it - he will wave. Either he wants to do things his own way or it quite hasn’t connected yet.

I did a video of him dancing from the time he was 1 year old till now (17 months old) but I can’t seem to get it on my blog. The address is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrEbmrCg00s

If you would like to check it out.

Anyway, that is it for today. Must get back to babysitting.

Hope you have a great day.

DAILY DOINGS

Dear Diary,

So today was my first OFFICIAL day of babysitting since the holidays started. Mind you I babysat on Wednesday as Rob went to a funeral and I babysat Thursday night while they went to a movie, but today was a real day.

He came at about quarter to nine and was in a great mood. He seemed to stay in a great mood all day. He was so funny today I was laughing steady. I don’t know what got into him but he was so funny, cute and adorable.

At one point he did this little Indian Type dance where he stood in one place and stomped his feet up and down while bent over. Of course the minute you try to tape it he stops. I was laughing so hard and could hardly stop. Then around 4:30 he started watching for his mom and dad. He kept jumping on the couch and looking out the window and kept checking the door every few minutes. It is amazing. He has this inbuilt clock that seems to tell him when it is nearing time to go home.

Then at one time he was so involved in watching "Wheel of fortune" that he fell over sideways onto the floor. I couldn’t help but laugh. He thought the couch was there but was so involved he didn’t notice that he wasn’t near it. The look on his face was priceless. So shocked and yet trying to make me laugh even more. What an performer when it comes to getting attention.

When his dad left him this morning he was crying and hanging onto his leg like I was the meanest grandmother in the world, yet when it comes to going home, he acts like he is content to stay forever.

This little guy makes my life all worth while. What would I do without him???

I sometimes wonder what my role is in life and then I look at Alex and think that maybe he is my role. He has no other grandmother besides me. He is my youngest daughter’s child.
I miss not being able to spend the same amount of time with my other grandson, Tyler but then I reassure myself that at least he has another grandmother that I am sure dotes over him. If not, I will have to get in gear and make an effort to spend more time with him as well.

I was just thinking today, "Am I still as content as I was before Christmas?" The answer is yes. I guess I have accepted the fact that I am alone and a grandmother. It is me and Jesus all the way. He is my source, my comfort, my husband. He is all I need to get along in this world. He will lead and guide as He sees fit and it is up to me to just let him be God and let me be me.

Hope you have a great day.

AN ENTRY TO AMUSE - NOT

Dear Diary,

So what do I write to you today. I already wrote my blog for Grandma Chick so I have Bible on the brain. Is that what I am going to write about or will it be something else. We will have to wait and see.

Last night I babysat my grandson Alex while his parents had a well deserved night out. He is such a darling to babysit and so cute, but of course I can get carried away talking about my grandkids, so I will quickly leave that subject for now.

I ordered some stuff from Ebay again. I haven’t done that in about a year. It was fun but it all goes too fast and you can spend way too much money too easily. I know how to buy things on there but I have never learned how to sell stuff. Oh well, better if I don’t know and if I stay away from Ebay altogether.

Soon all the regular programming will be back on t.v. and I will be all set. Each night I have a round of t.v. shows that I watch and they keep me amused.

I am hoping I can start crocheting again or maybe get back to quilting. While Alex is here, he will not let me near the sewing machine so I will have to come up with some way to sew while he is here.

If any of you check out Grandma Chick’s Bible Basics, maybe you have ideas of things that you would like to see there or things you might want to contribute. Please feel free to comment or let me know via email and I will see what I can do.

After being a Christian for over 30 years, I thought I would like to share some of the interesting things I learned. Things I found very interesting or things that stimulated me wanting to read my Bible more. Not all the hermeneutics or Apologetics or that kind of stuff, but just little interesting tid bits that we learn over the years. My motto is "Take what you need, and leave the rest"

Well it is another beautiful day out here. Not at all our regular January weather. Usually by now we are getting weather that is 40 below. To have the weather at zero or above is very very unusual for this time of year. I, personally, am loving it. I hate snow and cold. I know though that someone out there is suffering because of this. Maybe the farmers. Somehow it will all come back to bite us in the end. To enjoy weather like this we have to give up something else. Nothing comes without a price - except Salvation and Jesus paid that price already.

Well, I guess that brings us to the end of another thrilling report. Hope you were sitting down for all this excitement. Hee Hee.

Hope You have a great day.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Dear Diary

Here it is the third day of the year and the temperature is supposed to go above freezing today. What on earth is happening to our weather? In Manitoba here we really like to discuss the weather. It is always our main topic of discussion. (That and the fact that we can get if for you wholesale.)

I have heard rumour that the poles are shifting - maybe that is the problem. I have also heard of global warming and maybe that is the problem. But then again I have read the Bible so I KNOW what is going on.

Many people are confused and fearful at the things that are going on around the world. As a child of God, I have been prewarned of most of what is happening so I am not afraid. I marvel at God and his word and how up to date it is. We can read about what the Bible says in the daily newspapers. It is totally amazing.

The bible says that in the times leading to the end there would be all kinds of things happening on the earth that can't be explained away. The earth is like a woman about to give birth to a child. It is going through birth pains and you can just about predict when the next major labour pain will come.

We have been warned that nation would rise against nation. We have been told there would be great upheavals in the earth. We have been told about new disease and pestilence. We have been told everything we need to know - yet why are the masses so blind as to what is going on? Why can't they see it?

When I started this blog I had no idea it would take this direction but I guess this is the direction it has taken for a reason. I believe everything happens for a reason.

So what is God trying to say today? Are you ready should his coming be today? He says he will come again as a thief in the night. When we least expect it. Till then we are to be watching and waiting.

We have to be extra careful because we have been warned that there would be perilous times. Times when many will go to and fro and claim that they are the Christ or that they have the answers. Many will be deceived and will follow wrong doctrines and the lies of the enemy.

This is a time in history when trusting man must come to an end for all time. It is a time to fully put our trust in Christ and let him control EVERY detail of our lives. We cannot listen anymore to what man has to say. Our God is coming and we are to be waiting and watchful.

Don't be like the people the Bible warns about that say "Hey, we've been waiting for his coming for years and it still hasn't happened." He knew his coming would be in the future so he warned his followers to not get weary in waiting or to give up.

So my word to you today is to LOOK UP. Soon he will come to get his children and to set up his earthly Kingdom. Till then, Keep the Faith that was once delivered to you by our forefathers and the apostles before them.

Have a great day.