My Dad's Memorial Service Eulogies

These are the Eulogies by Darlene and Bonnie for my Dad's Memorial Service on Nov.5, 2011.
The Video was taken by his great grandson John and is a little shaky but the sound is excellent.

MAKING MEMORIES FOR YOUR FAMILY

Think back over the years and try to remember some of the best memories you can recall?  Are these memories about things you got or about experiences you had?  For most of us our memories consist of things we did and experiences we had. 

When my children were growing up I wanted to make memories for them; Memories different from the regular memories of growing up.  We all have those, but I wanted something extra special to stick out in their minds when they got older.  Something they would remember with fondness.  I found that in making memories for my family, I created wonderful memories for myself and I had so much fun coming up with ideas and implementing them.

The types of memories I am talking about are the totally out of the ordinary kind – not the kind that become traditions – although that is o.k. as well.  These should be things that normal families don’t always do; things that stick out above all the rest.

Here are a few examples of some memories I created with my family.  

After taking a course on being a “Total Woman” our challenge for the week was to make sure that the last thing our husbands saw in the morning before he left for work was a bright smiling face, after all if anything bad had happened to me or him that day, his last memory would be one of me smiling. 

I was never a morning person and rarely got up when my husband left for work in the wee hours of the morning but I was determined to meet the challenge.  I would drag myself out of bed, get ready, give him a big hug and kiss, and would walk him to the car. I would stand there smiling and waving as he drove away – even if it was raining.  It put a smile on his face and he really appreciated the effort I made.  It was something totally out of the ordinary but it was a gift from my heart to his. 

When my oldest daughter was about seven I decided to put on a ‘restaurant night’ for her and her grandparents.  I typed up a menu.  She got to chose which foods would be served and she got to invite her grandparents over for the special event.  We decorated the table and used the fancy dishes.  My husband and I were the maid and butler and we did not eat with them.  This was her special night with her grandparents and we were making a lasting memory for her. 

One year I decided celebrate Christmas in the summer to make memories for other members of my family.  I invited them over for dinner on a certain day and didn’t tell them what I had planned.  I served a full turkey dinner on my best dishes and then invited everyone down to our rec room.  There I had set out a fully decorated Christmas tree and I had presents waiting for them. (I bought a few dollar store items for each person and wrapped them in Christmas wrap.)  I had Christmas music playing softly in the background. As I handed out presents I would wish them a Merry Christmas and explain that Christmas should not only come once a year.  I still hear comments from certain relatives saying “Remember the time you had Christmas in the summer?”  We all had a lot of fun and some great memories.

Memories are made of experiences and not so much of things.  They come from our hearts and minds.  It’s o.k. to put little notes into your husband or child’s lunch box every now and then but if you do it all the time, before long they take this for granted and it doesn’t really stick out in their memories. It becomes more of a tradition.  

Try to think of ways to surprise your family with the totally unexpected. Make sure to include teenagers and get them involved in ideas and planning as well. At first they may scoff at the idea but eventually they may come around and enjoy themselves.  Make sure to take plenty of pictures and video so you can enjoy these special times together in the future.

Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

Pick one member in a family and make that person King or Queen for the day.  For one special day, that person doesn’t have to do chores, gets to choose their favorite foods to eat, picks their favorite movie to watch, etc.  Everyone in the family has to do something extra special to honor that person for the day.   Make sure every member of the family gets their chance at being king or queen for a day but spread this out over the year so it does not become a regular event but sticks out in the person’s memory.  A twist on this could be a day to celebrate an Un-Birthday half way through the year.

Throw a picnic in the middle of your living room or in a park in the middle of winter.

Have a family pajama party and everyone sleeps together on the living/rec room floor, or make a tent with blankets and sleep there for the evening.  

Have each child invite one friend over for a family night of charades, board games, pizza making, cookie baking, or crazy menu night (see below).  Make the evening different and special so the friends will remember it as well. 

Make a coupon book or coupon jar and hand it to family members for a job well done.  The coupons could include things like a free back rub, free hugs, a favorite meal, an extra hour before bedtime, or any number of things.  Use your imagination and make it fun.

Plan a “Help our neighbors” night.  Get the family together to do something good for your neighbors.  You could shovel their walk, mow their lawn, rake leaves, pick weeds, etc. Another spin on this is to do something for someone else ‘anonymously’.  Leave a bouquet of hand picked flowers tied with ribbons, some groceries, a plate of cookies, a card, or a special note saying something nice about them.  Don’t let them know who did it.  Leave it on their doorstep and run.   This will create memories and encourage family members to be more thoughtful of others. 

Invite one of your children out on a date.  You could go out to a movie, out for a meal, to the zoo, museum, etc.  Make it a special evening just for that child.  This works great with teens. 

Make a Scripture/Bible Cake and make a game of it.  Get the family to look up the verses and find the ingredients.  The recipe can be found here: http://www.abetterhope.com/funpage.html

Plan a “No Electricity” night.  No T.V., radio, electronic games, etc.  Turn out everything you can that runs on electricity. Make sure to unplug or turn off telephones.   Light candles, serve a cold dinner and have everyone pitch in with clean up.  Hand wash dishes as a family then sit together and tell stories. 

Have a crazy menu night.  Menu items are disguised so no one knows what they are getting.  Here are a few examples:

           

1.  Themed after a favorite T.V. character or show.

Mickey’s Marvelous Munchies

Minnie’s magnificent magic marinade

Daisy’s delectable dairy

Donald’s dingy dragon soup   

Pluto’s pompous poison

Goofy’s grand and gross grunge Etc.

2.  List food items in a foreign language so they don’t know what they are ordering.  The following are a few examples in Italian.

la mela – apple

il burro – butter

la cena – dinner

Here’s one site that has some food names in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Swedish. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/food.shtml

3.  Numbers and letters menu.  Pre-choose a food item and assign a letter to it, the same with utensils.  If your child picked the letters c, p, a, and f for their meal and the number 3 and 6 for their utensils, this is what they might get:

C = soy sauce

P = wiener

A = glass of water

F = raw vegetable

3 = large serving spoon

6 = napkin

Now they have to eat whatever they have chosen with only the spoon and napkin.  This will cause giggles all the way round when they see what they have ordered.  Of course you can serve a regular meal afterward.

4.  Create a menu with the craziest, grossest or funniest names you can think of. Kids seem to enjoy eating their food so much more if the food has the craziest names.  Get them to help name foods for other meals and you will see them gobble their food up on no time and they will have fun doing it.

Scrambled wiggly worm spaghetti

Dead fish eyeball soup

Lazy lying lousy leftovers

Greasy grimy garden greens

Ewieey gooey  chopped and mangled potatoes

5.  Here’s a site with a crazy menu.  http://www.theidearoom.net/2010/03/blog-sway-with-idea-room.html

I hope you enjoy these ideas and have fun making memories with your family. Please feel free to share your ideas as well.

JOYFULLY COOKING AND EXPERIMENTING WITH MOM'S HOMEMADE VEGETABLE SOUP

This is my mom's homemade vegetable soup - with a few alterations.

Darlene (my sister) and I grew up with a mother who made nearly everything from scratch. She came from a family of 18 so everything was just thrown together without any measuring. If more people popped in for dinner, more ingredients were added. The sad part was that mom would never measure anything.

Whenever one of us would ask her for a recipe she would invite us over to watch her make it. With 5 sisters as well as myself, I can bet we each have a different recipe. That is how versatile this recipe is. Mom changed it whenever it suit her mood and we learned to do likewise.

My daughters wanted the recipe so I decided to make it as mom taught me, but after I prepared each ingredient, I measured the amounts and put them down on paper so I could give it to them.

I heard about this 'miracle diet' soup that worked like magic. Being a soup lover (and needing to lose weight) I did a search on the internet and found it. They claim you can eat as much of this soup as you want and you will not gain a pound, in fact you would probably lose weight. (like magic)  (I wouldn’t guarantee this but it is worth a try.) It is all made of vegetables so it is very healthy.
I started to read the ingredients. I was so surprised to read a very similar version of my Mother's Homemade Vegetable soup. (No wonder I was so skinny as a kid.)

Mom's Basic Home Made Vegetable Soup
(serves 8 or more people depending on your prefrences.)

2 large diced carrots
3 C. Diced cabbage
1 diced medium onion
2 diced celery sticks
1 large can of tomatoe juice (or) 1 large can of tomatoes,
1 large bay leaf
Aprx. 3 heaping tblsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. Cover vegetables with tomatoe juice and add about another can full of water. Bring to boil on high heat. When it begins to boil, lower the heat to about medium and let it simmer for at least an hour.

The can sizes I use are about equal to a litre (or a little over a quart). You can vary the amount of liquid depending on how thick or thin you want the soup. (The same with the vegetables. Add more veg. or other ingredients for thicker soup, cut large or small.)

Variations:
My mother made this soup by simmering a soup bone for hours and then adding the vegetables. I never use the soup bone.
I have also made this soup by adding about 1/4 cup of any/or all of the following: barley, lentils, peas, corn, green or yellow beans.

• I like to add leftover cooked rice, noodles, macaroni, or spaghetti, and eat it as soup.
• If you aren't that fond of soups, try a thicker version of the soup, using less liquid, and serve it over your favorite food like a stir fry.
• Add chunks of leftover beef or chopped beef for a vegetable beef type variation.
• Leave out the tomato juice and add barley for a vegetable barley type soup.
• Add beets for a type of red borscht.

Experiment! Have fun with it! Make it your own!

See what kind of MAGIC you can make, and who knows, depending on how you make it, you might just lose a few pounds to boot.

MEMORIES OF MY DAD

My dad has been heavy on my heart since we learned that he is suffering with cancer.  He may be leaving this earth soon but he is leaving behind a treasure trove of beautiful long lasting memories.  I want to take this time to share some of these with you.

Being the oldest of six girls I have known him the longest and I am truly grateful for all that time I got to know him.  To me he’s been the greatest dad that anyone could ever have asked for or wanted.

As far as I know, dad has always been ‘real’ with no pretenses about him.  He never seemed to care if someone was rich or poor or whatever their station in life was.  He seemed to treat everyone the same and I know of no one who ever met him that didn’t like him.

Material things never seemed important to dad.  He always made the most of what he had around him and ended up turning many of those things into memories of some kind.  Like the time he took an old Genie Ware jug and made a lamp out of it. He used a Genie Ware bowl turned upside down for the lamp shade.  (I won a prize for having the most unusual item.)

Dad was a kid at heart and played with us often.  He loved to chase us around the house and tickle us till we would beg him to stop.  He tickled me so much when I was little that today I am no longer ticklish. 

‘Touch you last’ was one of my favourite games and I never could get that last touch in no matter how hard I tried. 

We looked forward to going to bed each night because dad would give us the ‘jiggles’.  While we lay on our back he would pump our bended legs back and forth as fast as he could while we giggled with glee. 

Dad was a practical joker and loved playing tricks on me. He would come home from work each day and hang his coat in our bathroom.  A little later he would go in and when he came out he would hand me a bubble gum and say “I pooped some bubble gum for you.”  I was very naive and believed him.  I would beg him over and over again,” Dad, can you poop some more bubble gum for me?” 

My dad played the violin and he would use it to baffle me.  When I would go to the bathroom, he would rush and get his violin and play music by the bathroom door.  When I came out he had the violin hidden and he would say “I heard you peeing music again” and I would wonder how I did that. 

Some of his crazy antics are the best of memories that I will always cherish. 

Dad wasn’t a great carpenter but the things he made were from the loving heart of a father to his daughters.  I’ll never forget the Christmas I woke to find a brand new doll lying in a freshly made wooden crib with my name on it.  He made us each one and also made one for our neighbour’s girls. 

A neighbour of ours had a lawn swing and I would go to their house regularly to swing on it.  Dad ended up making a child size version of it and I spent many a day swinging to my hearts content.  Here is a picture of it.

One time dad made a large wooden platform and attached it by ropes in our garage.  I think he had begun to make a large lawn swing and ended up turning it into a garage swing.  Rain or shine, kids from all over the neighbourhood would pile up on that thing and swing back and forth for hours at a time.  We had so much fun swinging, singing and knocking each other off.

Another thing about dad was that he always seemed to have a song in his heart.  No matter what he would be doing he would either be singing or whistling a tune.  On long trips, it was only natural that we would all sing some of his favourite songs.  When I had children of my own, I carried on that tradition, trying to teach my daughters some of their grandfather’s songs.

From as far back as I can remember dad was a storyteller.  I loved sitting at his feet and I could sit for hours while he told stories.

My favourite stories were those he would tell of poor little girls that were so ugly that no one wanted or loved them.  I would empathise and cry my heart out as I begged for more.  Eventually mom would have to tell him to quit telling us stories and making us cry.  We loved them and couldn’t get enough. 

Many of his stories were of his childhood, some were of his exploits with one special friend he had, and many were made up just to entertain us. Each of his stories was rich with anticipation, adventure, mystery and comedy. 

One such story was about the time he and his brother went hunting late one night.  There had been wolves spotted nearby and they were determined to kill them.  They set themselves up behind some bushes and waited.  Before long they saw a pair of yellow eyes glaring at them through the darkness.  Slowly and quietly, he set up his rifle, carefully aimed and shot the wolf square between the eyes.  To his surprise nothing happened.  As he watched the eyes separated and went in opposite directions.  He then went on to explain that it was actually two wolves standing side by side, each with one eye opened and one eye closed. The shot had gone right between them.  He loved building us up and then delivering the punch line.

Soon he will be going to live with the Jesus that he loves so much.  He will once again be reunited with his parents, brothers and some of his sisters not to mention some of his children, grandchildren and friends who have gone on before. 

I can just see them now as they walk together on streets of gold or they gather around him under the tree of life.  He will entertain them with stories of his wife and girls and tell them stories of what has been going on down here since they left.   

I will miss him exceedingly but I know he will be happy and healthy and living in the arms of Jesus.

I love you dad.

PEOPLE ARE WEIRD - At least I am.

This is from an older post I wrote in 2006 but I wanted to update it and see if I can get some other people sharing.  I do some (what I call) “weird” things and I wonder how many others have these same habits or similar type weird habits.  Many think they are alone in their “weirdness” but I am finding we all share this “weirdness” in some way or other.  I wonder what causes it.  Is it something we are born with, or do we develop these habits as we age?    

I’ll start with the age old question: When you eat your Smarties do you eat the red ones last?
I find myself sorting mine into piles of different colours.  Then I try to make even piles of the colours.  I put the odd numbers in a pile by themselves and eat those first.  I will eat one of each colour to make sure the piles stay even - and yes, the red are usually the last to go.  

I also do this with M & M’s, Jelly Beans or any other small candies that have a lot of colours.  Smarties seem to be the only instance where I keep the red ones till the end.  I wonder why?  Is it because the commercials have brain washed us?  (As a child I liked to lick the red ones and smear them on my lips to make lipstick.)  

 

Eating Potato chips is an adventure for me.  I can’t seem to just grab a handful out of the bag and eat them.  I have to go through this ritual of sorting them into sizes first.  Largest in one pile, medium in another, smaller in yet another, folded have their own pile, and last is all broken smallest pieces.  I eat the broken smallest pieces first and work my way up to the biggest chips at the end.  It is like I am rewarding myself with those nice large Potato chips.

 

I seem to be a person that likes to count things.  My favourite character on Sesame Street was the Count and I consider myself Mrs. Count.  It seems it doesn’t matter where I am, I find myself counting things.  It isn’t a conscience choice; I just catch myself doing it.  When we are driving a long distance I find myself counting cars that pass on the highway.  I’ve observed that cars seem to pass in groups of six at a time and then there will be a long space before another group of six appear.  It’s weird I tell you.  I wonder why that is?

I can understand why farmers will tend to have more advertising signs in their fields as you near a town or city but one farmer had a total of 20 signs in his field alone.  I think that is overkill.  Mind you maybe it is those advertising signs that help pay for his field. 

Another strange thing I seem to do is to buy things in groups of two when grocery shopping.  I like even numbers and I always want an extra “just in case”.  Three of an item seems too much and one not enough.  Certain things I will buy in fours if they are on sale - again there is that even number.  Things like ketchup and mustard are a few of the single items I buy.

 

As I’ve aged, I seem to get more of these strange foibles.  I have certain forks, knives and spoons that are my favourites.  I will search through the utensil drawer just to find my favourite, even going to the extreme of washing them if they are dirty so I don’t have to use a regular utensil.  I somehow feel deflated if I have to use a regular utensil and can’t use my “special” ones.  I have a few dishes that I re-act the same with.

When I pay for something with cash (doesn’t happen too often anymore) I find myself paying with bills even though I may have the correct amount of change. I have this thing about having a lot of change. When my bills run out, I may think I am broke till I begin to count my change.  Then I feel like I’ve won the Lottery when I see how the change adds up.

One of the things I’ve noticed is how people will sit with an empty seat between them and another person in a waiting room unless they come in with someone or know that person.  If I am sitting in a large area with lots of empty chairs and someone comes and sits right beside me, I feel uncomfortable.  Why can’t they find their “own space.” It is like we have this magic circle of protection around us and we don’t want people we don’t know in that circle unless it is necessary. 

Here are a few more of my foibles:

• When I drink anything out of a cup I have to have a spoon in it.
• If I drink something out of a can, I always have to shake the can at the end to make sure there is no liquid left or I sip till I don’t hear anything. 
• When it comes to certain paper type products I seem to be “stingy”. 
• I count the sheets of toilet paper I use. 
• When using paper towelling, I will rip the sheet in half and sometimes even quarter size depending on what I need it for. 
• I will reuse dryer sheets at least once. 
• When jotting notes, I try to use the correct size paper.  I hate wasting a whole sheet for just a few lines. 
• If a napkin only has a little part used, I will use that same napkin for something else -as a coaster under a drink, or to wipe up a spill, etc.

Now you know some of my deepest darkest secrets and you can see how REALLY WEIRD I am. I guess you already knew that before.
 

Here are a few habits that others were willing to share on the original post. (Names withheld to protect their identity)

Poster 1

• I squish my can when I finish a drink.
• I can't sit a drink down if there is a little pop on the top. I have to have a clean top.
• I eat my ravioli in layers--one at a time.
• I wipe my teeth all the time--in the car, shopping--everywhere. I use a tissue.

Poster 2

• I have to have all of my movies in alphabetical order as well as my CDs.  
• If there are items with a bunch of different colors, I always have to put them in the order of the rainbow.
• I don't like to let anyone else help me when I am putting up my Christmas decorations because I like it just so...
• I lick my ketchup chips before I eat them.

Poster 3

• I sort my M&M's and eat them in order as well, one of each color until finished.
• The sound of the microwave beep drives me nuts so I turn it off one second before it beeps.
• I almost always use the back door into the office rather than the front door even though the front door is closer to the parking lot.
• I can never hug someone just once; I’ve got to give that second little hug for good measure.

Poster 4

• I bite my Smarties, and I make wishes on the green M&M's.
• I eat the chocolate rim around a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup first and then the middle.
• I never touch my food with my hands. I'm quite adept at it.

Poster 5

• I like to read three books at a time.
• My CD's are in alpha order, but my DVD's are just stacked up.
• I have a big basket of beanie babies up on the hutch of my computer desk--I haven't touched them in a year or so.
• I cannot bear to throw out a piece of paper that has something printed on it. I might need it some day. Same thing with odd bolts screws and nails.
• M&M's – I can't eat them because of cholesterol.
• Now I've said too much. IF you print this comment, be sure to save the paper.

Now it is your turn, come on now - Fess up!  Share some of your “weird” habits with the rest of us.  Just click on the pencil below the post to share your comments. 

Enjoy your “Weird” habits.  We all have some.

MOM MOMENTS

Luk 2:19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

My oldest daughter walked into the room crying. I went to her and put my arms around her as I asked her what was wrong. I felt the uncertainty and pain as she tearfully told me that she had lost her unborn baby – again.

My heart cried out for her.  “Oh, God, why?  Help me to help her.”

As I held my crying daughter I was reminded of the adorable little girl she once was.  Her only concerns then were playing with dolls, tea cups and dishes.  Her biggest calamities where when her toys didn’t do what she wanted them to do.  Life was so much simpler for her then.  When had my little girl grown up so fast?

I felt so close to her at that moment.  I was thankful that she was able to share her deep pain and feelings with me at such a time.  She was confused and afraid but I was there for her and she knew it. I would have done anything to ease her pain.  I would have taken that pain upon myself if it had been possible. 

In that instance I began to realize the love our Heavenly Father’s has for all of His children.  I realized that there was nothing too big or too awful that I couldn’t take to Father God. He would understand.  He would be willing to die to take my place.  He understood. I loved my daughter so much and yet God loved her much more than I ever could.  In fact, He loved me so much that he entrusted this person into my care from the time she was conceived.

In my mind I had to give her over to God and trust Him to comfort her as only He could.  There wasn’t much more that I could do to help her. I reassured her of God’s love and told her that He had it all under control. He knew what was best and He would eventually work things out in the best way possible.

Many years have come and gone and God has gifted my daughter with two extraordinary sons.  My special Grandsons!  The oldest is 5 years old and the youngest is 2. She was unable to have children of her own but God knew that one day these two little boys would need a good home.  He knew that she would love them as her own and that she would teach them about His love.

Psa 113:9  He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

--------------------------------

I anxiously waited for news that my grandchild had arrived.  No news was forthcoming so I decided to go to the hospital and wait there.  I arrived on the scene only to be told it would still be awhile but they let me see my daughter for a short time while.  She was in labour but nearing the end.  I looked at my little girl laying there about to give birth.  It didn’t seem that long ago that I was laying on a hospital bed giving birth to her.  As one pain after another came she seemed to handle it so well.  I thought about how brave she was; how great she was doing; and how she was being so strong. I wanted it all to be over for her sake. 

In the waiting room I paced back and forth, sat down, stood up,  walked a little, lay down, everything I could think of to relax but I couldn’t.  I wondered if this was how fathers felt when they were waiting for their child to come into the world. 

Finally my son-in-law came into the room and told me I was the grandmother of a healthy baby boy. I was overjoyed as I hurried to my daughter’s side.  There in her arms I saw my first grandchild for the first time.  As they placed that little bundle in my arms, I burst into tears.  I couldn’t help it.  He was so precious and so beautiful. I let my tears flow as I looked into his tiny face. I felt like he was as much mine as he was hers. I was holding a little miracle in my arms.  Here was a new life that came forth from my daughter; my little girl! She was all grown up now and starting a family of her own.  I was so very proud of her.

Psa 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Pro 17:6  Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

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I’ve shared these special "Mom Moments" with you in the hopes that it would remind you of our Father in Heaven.  I wonder if He ever gets “Father Moments” as He looks down on His children.  Does He sense a special closeness when we are willing to trust Him with our deepest pain?   Does He look on us with so much love and admiration that He feels like He will burst?  Do we sense His arms reaching out to gently hug us when we are having problems?  Do you think He chuckles when we do something funny or foolish and enjoys seeing us have fun?  And then I wonder how He really feels when a lost soul is finally born into His kingdom?  I wonder how He will feel when He finally gets to take His adopted children home to live with Him for all eternity?

The apostle John describes our experience as God’s children who have been born into His family by the new birth. 

John 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Romans 8:23 tells us “we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

At the Second Coming of Christ our resurrected bodies will be glorified and will then possess all our inheritance that the son ship involves.

Many think that the Bible says that the angels rejoice when someone gets saved.  Well, maybe they do, but let's read it again:

Luke 15:10  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

The joy is in the presence of the angels.  Could that be referring to God?  Maybe it is God that is expressing joy! 

“Maybe He is having a Dad Moment.”

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.

THOUGHTS ON CHRISTMAS

Hello Once Again Diary

Do I make this a regular thing or just wing it for now? Humm. I will have to think on that one for awhile.

Yesterday I babysat Alex for about an hour in the morning while Rob Snow Blowed for me. Then in the evening I babysat for about 2 hours while they went to a movie. I hadn’t seen him all week and he had to be in a extra good mood. I love him to pieces. He is so sweet and cute and cuddly now and just makes my day. What a blessing it is to have Grand children.

(Thank you Jesus for giving me such a beautiful gift in my old age.)

Today I have to get busy. Up till this morning everything seemed manageable, but this morning for some reason I am in a bit of a panic. When I think of all I still have to do and the little amount of time, I think, I will never get it done. But then I think "O.K. Girl, take it easy, one thing at a time. So what if the floor isn’t exactly the cleanest, or something isn’t just right. The idea is getting together with people you love and want to spend time with - not a home inspection. So take it easy and enjoy what you are doing." So that is my plan. Enjoy the day and clean as I go.

I wanted to get a new outfit for Christmas, but when you are my size, it is not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do. First of all it is to "get out shopping". Then it is finding something in my size. Then when I try things on, I become so depressed I end up giving up. So most of the time I am defeated before I even try. I can live with getting and wearing hand me downs. What the heck - it is a lot cheaper that way and no depression set on by looking into dressing room mirrors.

Anyway, clothes have never really been my thing. As long as I am covered and comfortable. I do not believe in the old saying that the suit determines the man. I also do not believe in the saying "You get what you pay for". I have found over the years that if you are careful and diligent, you can get a lot more than what you pay for and get good quality to boot. It just takes a little more work sometimes.

I guess I would be what you call a very low maintenance type of woman. Don’t need a lot to keep me happy. Just lots of hugs and affection. I love heart gifts rather than splashy money gifts. Don’t give me a gift if you feel you HAVE to. I would rather not get anything than get a "NEEDED TO GET YOU SOMETHING" gift. My daughter and I were discussing this last night.

She is of the opinion that it has all gotten so commercialized etc. I agree to a point but then I think it is still what each individual makes it. Sure it is Jesus’ birthday and we all know that. (Well some of us more than others) So with that in mind, what would Jesus have us do? Jesus believed in celebrations. The Jewish people had many celebrations. So, what should we as Christians do? Can we enjoy this time of celebration or should we be all somber and Holy?

So what is the intention? We honour Jesus’ birthday. So how can we do that? By honouring our families and enjoying their company. I believe that Jesus would want us to Celebrate Christmas as a time of Families getting together and loving one another. That is the greatest gift we can give him.

If you have Jesus in the right place in your heart, I don’t think that Christmas or any other time of year is going to change what you feel inside and what you believe. So with Jesus in his proper place in your life, the next thing you have to do is make sure you have your family at the right place in your life.

In this fast paced world with so many things to do and places to go and restrictions on time, it is nice to have a time to look forward to each year to just celebrate the family and share with others of the good fortune we have had in the previous year.

My Christmas shopping begins in January. I always have my family on my mind whenever I go shopping or to garage sales or second hand stores. Whatever comes along I think "Humm, maybe my daughter would like that" So I might buy it and put it away till Christmas.

Why put it away you might ask? Why not give it to her right away? Well, I have found out that people like to "give" more than receive (most of the time) So giving gifts for no apparent reason doesn’t seem reasonable to some people. Some people can accept gifts at Christmas but have a hard time accepting gifts at any other time of the year.

But then there is MY joy in giving. I love giving gifts and will give gifts throughout the year as well. I like to listen throughout the year for hints as to what the people I love might be wanting or needing. I like to give gifts that are more of the "want" type than the "Needing" type. You can go out and buy your own needed gift but when can you ever get those gifts you really want but never get around to buy yourself. So to me, Christmas is like icing on the cake. That’s when you get those extra gifts - sometimes unneeded but loved just the same because you know the person was thinking about you and caring.

Anyway, I think I have said enough for today. Have a great day and if I don’t get back to you MERRY CHRISTMAS.

DEAR DIARY

So is blogging supposed to be easy or hard? I ask you? Is there some sort of rhyme or reason to this blog thing? If it is just like writing to a diary, o.k. I think I can do that. If it is to be smart and funny and grammatical and all that hog wash, then I am a no way hosea - kind of person.

So here goes.
(Quick word of warning - My diary entries were always very boring so read if you like or leave - all the same to me.)

Dear Diary.

Yesterday I went to have my regular doctors appointment. Woo Hoo, I lost another 6 pounds. I have been averaging about 2 pounds a month and this has been going on for some time now. I was so excited when I finally went under 200 pounds and now my next goal is 175. It doesn’t seem I have been doing anything out of the ordinary except babysitting so maybe that is what is helping. All the getting up and down and lifting and putting down is burning calories - YIPEEEEE!!!!

While I was in Gimli I decided to stop and have coffee with my daughter. That was enjoyable. Then I did some last minute shopping and came home and unloaded the car.

(Do you know that unloading the car is one of the things I hate doing the most since Val died. I guess I never realized how many loads he had to haul in all the time.)

So now I have all my preparations nearly done. Aren’t I a good girl?

Christmas is just 2 ½ days away. This year has been really special for me. I don’t know why but it is one of the first years I have really looked forward to Christmas. Usually I am a scrooge at Christmas time. Not that I am cheap - as I am exactly the opposite - it is just the whole thing gets me down and depressed usually. I don’t know why. Just never liked it, or birthdays or special family occasions of any kind.

So this year I started at the beginning of November and put up my tree and decorated my house. I really love it all. I am enjoying everything from top to bottom and will not be in a hurry to take it all down. (Maybe it is because I am seeing it all through my grandson’s eye)

I am also having Christmas dinner at my place this year. We haven’t done that in a few years. Usually I don’t look forward to it at all but this year it has been different again for some reason. I am enjoying it and really getting into making a feast for everyone.

I am really sorry I didn’t have this spirit when Val was alive.

I even went so far as to send out a few Christmas cards this year by snail mail. (Couldn’t afford the price of stamps so could only mail a few) Can you believe it? Haven’t done that in many many years.

It seems since the computer came along no one sends out Christmas cards anymore. I think it is a shame really. I can remember my mother and my aunt having competitions as to who got the most Christmas cards in the mail. Back then you could mail a Christmas card for about 1 cent each. My mom had over 100 cards one Christmas.

One thing at our house that I noticed. We were a very poor family and many times had to wait for Christmas or birthdays to get clothing that we needed. We didn’t get a whole lot of presents but we sure appreciated what we did get.

The thing was that mom and dad made Christmas the best part of the year. Mom would decorate the house from top to bottom. Dad would get a real tree and we would all decorate it with mostly home made stuff.

Mom would go all out in cooking and baking. She would make hundreds of goodies for Christmas. Where she got the money to bake all that stuff, I will never know but you can be sure we had tons of stuff to eat and that wasn’t even including the Christmas dinner.

Many times dad would make us our Christmas presents. I remember one year he made us all doll beds and we got little dolls for Christmas. Each crib was hand made with our names on it.

Christmas mornings we would be up about 5:30 in the morning trying to wait for our parents to get up. Then we would go crazy unwrapping presents.

Thanks Mom and Dad for some of the loveliest Christmas’s ever.

Well diary, I guess that is about it for today. Hope you have a great weekend.