Moving Day

I'm spending most of the day today beginning to move to my new home.

It seems a little surreal to even write that sentence. I've lived in the same place since birth, and today I'm beginning to draw that to a close.

We won't be sleeping in the new place tonight, probably not tomorrow night either, but we're moving and beginning to set up our new place all day.

Crazy.

Blogging might be a little sparse over the course of the next week or two. My schedule is quite busy, and I'm not exactly sure when we'll have internet hooked up in our new place.

Pray for me - I'm finding this whole thing equal parts exciting and terrifying. And there are so many spiritual things attached to this whole process in my life.

More Thinking!

I've been following the American presidential campaigns with a great deal of interest lately. I'm fascinated to see who eventually wins the nomination for each party, and who the "religious right" will ultimately vote for, affecting the outcome of the election.

I mean, from what I understand, two of the leading republican candidates are pro-choice, and both have had multiple marriages. The third leading candidate is pro-life, has strong family values, and has been married only once, but is a Mormon. So, the party that the religious right would normally vote for has a choice between two candidates with views that directly contradict their own, or someone who is a member of a cult. I think I'm going to take a somewhat perverse and cyncial pleasure in watching this one play out!

On the other side, two leading candidates would be historic - a black man, or a woman.

I hold dual citizenship - Canadian and American - and American politics have always fascinated me.

So, the election is over a year away, but I'm watching with baited breath to see what the outcome is.

(My grandma just called - returning a message I left. I'm taking her out for dinner, so I'll have to do the rest of my thinking later!)

What I'm Thinking About (in no particular order)

There are a lot of seemingly random things on my mind at the moment, and I thought I'd take a stab at writing them down here before I head to bed. (And can I just say that I am absolutely in love with whichever genius made it possible for me to be laying in bed, typing a blog post on my laptop, which is connected to the wider world via a wireless connection...)

I've been thinking about those people who challenge my concept of what it means to live simply. I've been impacted again this week by Shane Claiborne and the Simple Way community in Philadelphia. Their home burnt to the ground last week in a seven alarm fire that started in an abandoned factory across the street. Several other homes in the community were also destroyed. If you go to their website you can watch a great video, showing footage of the fire, and find opportunities to donate money and help rebuild. You can find the website here.

I've been thinking about the times when it seems impossible to make a just choice. I was reminded this week that the little things count. I work for Mennonites. Because of their justice loving, and pacifist nature, when I chose the funds that the company will invest my RRSP contributions into, I had the option to choose what they call ethical investments. So I did. This means that my money is not supporting tobacco companies, and more importantly, that it is not supporting armament manufacturers.

I read a powerful book this week. The story of some guys about my age who travelled from the Southernmost tip of Africa to Egypt, primarily via dirt bikes. The story of what the author learned about himself over the course of the journey. It is ultimately a story of faith in the face of unspeakable tragedy, and I greatly enjoyed it. I also liked that the publishers allowed the story to not resolve - that they honored the questions instead of rushing for answers. The title? It's called "The Only Road North" and is by a guy named Erik Mirandette.

I watched a fun movie with Megs tonight. "Ratatouille". Very fun. A kids movie, but with lots of enjoyable humor and a feel good message about living to the fullness of who you are.

Ben and Jerry's makes a great raspberry sorbet. This is important news. Especially since it doesn't contain milk or milk extracts. I can eat as much of this as I want without paying for it in stomach ailments for the next three days.

Work was nearly unbearable today. Everyone was grouchy and stressed and it seemed to be catching. It was however, my weekly Subway lunch day with one of my coworkers and that as always was enjoyable.

I start moving on Monday. I started packing last night. Books mostly so far. I think I have five or six boxes of books packed, and two more bookcases left to empty.

I'm loving the music that Jacob and Lily are making these days. I listen to their album at least once ever couple days at work. I think I played it three times in a row this afternoon, since it was making me smile with fond memories, and was helping me work to avoid catching the grumpy mood floating around the office.

I'm going to do some more packing tomorrow, some church admin work, maybe watch a movie, do some errands, drive T. to and from work, and just generally hang out and enjoy a quiet house - I love when the house is empty.

I'm doing the Stampede thing in a big way this year, because my new roommate only gets one shot at it in the year she's here, and wants to see everything. So we're going to the cheap "sneak-a-peek" night - $3 admission, and Jann Arden is playing the Coke Stage. I like Jann Arden. We're also going to see the rodeo on the first Saturday afternoon, and the Grandstand show on a yet to be determined evening, as well as touring the barns, exhibits and grounds. I'm excited for the rodeo, not so much for the grandstand show, but think it'll be a good time.

I think I've found a Bible study group to hang out with for the next while. They eat together one meeting a month, make it a priority to be together every week in various people's homes, worship, pray and study the Word together. I like that. I like that right now there's no formal "pastor" figure. I like that these are simply people who have made it a priority to spend time together in the presence of God each week.


I am loving sending real mail these days. Send me you're mailing address and you'll get a card! Probably a funny card, as I have a slightly twisted sense of humor. I bought one the other day that was captioned "Amish Road Rage" - you can picture the scenes depicted.

And with that, I think I'm going to read for a bit and head to bed...

See you around!

Spiritual Courage - Henri Nouwen

Spiritual Courage

Courage is connected with taking risks. Jumping the Grand Canyon on a motorbike, coming over Niagara Falls in a barrel, walking on a tightrope between the towers of New York's World Trade Centre, or crossing the ocean in a rowboat are called courageous acts because people risk their lives by doing these things. But none of these daredevil acts comes from the centre of our being. They all come from the desire to test our physical limits and to become famous and popular.

Spiritual courage is something completely different. It is following the deepest desires of our hearts at the risk of losing fame and popularity. It asks of us the willingness to lose our temporal lives in order to gain eternal life.

Donut Harrassment?

Okay... so I have a much more substantial post brewing inside my head, and I'll get around to writing it sometime today or tomorrow, but for now, this headline caught my eye in my morning perusal of the news. Who could resist a headline that involves Canada's national police force, and food from Canada's favorite coffee and donut shop?

Timbits Used in Drive-By Harrassment: RCMP