Friday, May 7, 2010

May 7, 2010

on the ledge

mangos riping up in the sun
i wish i liked them more.
i am not crazy about mangos. yet.
hopefully i will develop a taste for them
the trees are loaded with them right now!

this was taken at our lawyers apartment.
she just had a baby and isn't back at the office yet
but we needed some papers from her so she told us
to 'drop over'
only in roatan.
so we did 'business' at her dining room table
we need to renew our residency in a couple of weeks 
something we need to do yearly.
but the paperwork
oh the paperwork
it is agonizing.

isn't it so like me that while they are talking about 
passport photos, and letters from banks, and documents
that need photocopying that i am 
looking happily out the window and i spy this 
lovely scene

beauty  ripening on a ledge
to the sound of water cascading down.
so sweet!


:-)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

May 6, 2010

saskatchenwanese, eh?

saw this in west end this morning.
had to laugh!
i lived in saskatchewan for about 4 years
and somehow i can't imagine someone coming
here to learn to dive.

(now that is a stereotype if i ever made one!!)
not saying that everyone there is a farmer
but i can say i haven't ever met someone from saskatchewan living 
here in roatan before.

oh i should say this just in case you don't know:
saskatchewan is one of our canadian provinces...
pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country.
f.l.a.t
praire
rapeseed fields
wheat fields
horses 
cows
combines
tractors
men wearing hats that say John Deer

Oh, of course some cities in between all that.
oh and WIND!!!
it is soooo windy there... it's nuts.

i remember once we left saskatchwan and drove to ontario
to visit bob's parents
our son matt, was a little guy and as little ones do
he woke up at the crack of dawn and so 
i took him out on the deck so he wouldn't wake up the rest of the house
it was so cute because he looked around
smiled and said,
"nice...no wind!"
*s*

have a great day!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

May 5, 2010

try something new

i remember in elementary school there
were a couple of big no no's.
one was chewing gum in class
another was back talking the teacher
and the other was wearing
pink and red
together

that was just plain wrong.
ha..
well
this 
hibiscus 
proved
them
all 
wrong

*s*

today i went to sandy's to show her how to use her
canon 40D camera
sometimes manuals can be daunting so it is 
easier to shoot in 'automatic' mode

i have an aversion to automatic.
i find they do the best they can to figure out
what we are actually wanting to focus on
and the colors that will work best.
but in manual mode the creative juices can florish

i think she learned some things...
she learned she has a macro lens
*woot!*
she learned she can focus on one part and not the other
i taught her how to find bokeh
i taught to watch for backlight
watch for light
watch for light

did i mention
watch for light??
always
find the light
in photography
in life
everyday.
once we find the light then everything is fine.

it's true.
even in dark times 
like when i lost my mom
and i thought the darkness of grief would consume me
i would see a child laughing wholeheartedly 
~light shining~
or i would see the sun continuing to set
~light shining~
or one of my kids would give me a hug
~light shining~
or bob would make me laugh and in that minute
i would forget my sorrow.


find the light.

and don't be afraid to learn new things
like how to use a camera
or how to make a fancy dessert
or how to forgive
or how to drive a car again
or how to plant some seeds.

xo

and maybe just maybe
wear pink and red together!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

May 4, 2010

ask Me

i made that mirror for buddy.
i was at the coffee shop with melissa and saw a 'curtain' of 
those mirrors hanging down and i had looked
without success for a little bird mirror for buddy so
i went to the manager and asked for a couple.
my friend thought i was crazy.
my mom always said, "no harm in asking!"
and guess what?
he gave me two.
so i glued them together, 
added beads
and as you can see little buddy is really enjoying it

he has been playing all day
i am happy to say that he is adjusting to his new cage
and getting tamer everyday!

"until now you have asked for nothing in My name,
ask and you will receive so your joy may be made FULL!"
John 16:24

Monday, May 3, 2010

May 3 , 2010

adios mi hija
(goodbye my daughter)

this morning we faced the inevitable
we knew that the day would come when emily would return
back to school in canada.

for the past few days i have felt my heart get heavier
and heavier
sadness is an interesting thing... like how does my heart
to know to squeeze so tight that it threatens to stop beating?



i love living in roatan.
i do.
BUT 
being so far from the kids is really hard on my heart.
it is just that we are sooo far away and it isn't easy to just drop in to see them.
and they can't get 'home' that easily either.

i have shed tears
unashamed today.
i miss my kids so much 
that it hurts.

BUT through it all
there would be a sweet calm that would sweep over me
every now and then
like a breeze and i would be assured that He
is near us all
helping us to lean in.

this day has been a mix of calm peace and a choking feeling in my heart.
it is a time of adjustment and i am grateful for the prayers of many of you
and for the peace that gently stirs my soul to believe
and
be grateful

 so
thanks. 
xo

goodbye sweet emily...
love will follow you home.
IMGP0560

Sunday, May 2, 2010

May 2, 2010

on the rock

i bought this hand carved cross as a gift for 
my mom from a little shop by the sea in 
nova scotia about 10 years ago.
when my mom died then 
it came back to me

i didn't bring too many personal things to roatan
but i wanted this with me
it reminds me of her
i reminds me to have faith
it reminds me that love should be
the fabric of my life

so this morning
i went for a walk by the sea
climbed this little rock face
placed the cross there

all to say
i believe
i do
i believe that He holds the whole world in His hands
He has me
He has you
He has my children.
Emily leaves for Canada tomorrow
she is in His hands.

the cross
 the cross means forgiveness
it means freedom
my life is not the same as it was.
He has changed me radically.

i believe.
no matter what you are facing
i hope that faith will rise up,
remind you of His love that pierced his soul
that took Him to the cross
for you
for me

happy sunday.
xo