Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Canada Apologizes to Rwanda
I found this article about Governor General Michaelle Jean apologizing to Rwanda on behalf of Canada for failing to intervene in their genocide to be quite powerful.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Great Article by Bono
It's no secret that I'm a fan of U2, not just for their music, but for Bono's work to use his fame as currency and raise awareness of the major issues of poverty and social injustice in our time.
He wrote a great Op-Ed piece for the New York times recently. Definitely worth the few minutes it will take to read it, if only for the fact that it presents hope.
He wrote a great Op-Ed piece for the New York times recently. Definitely worth the few minutes it will take to read it, if only for the fact that it presents hope.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Associations
I'm somewhat amused by the way the human mind creates seemingly random associations.
I'm sitting here, eating my favorite kind of weekend lunch - hummus, soft spreadable cheese, melba toast crackers for the hummus and cheese, and fresh fruit (blueberries today).
As I was eating the cheese, I suddenly found myself thinking about Africa.
It took me a second to realize why.
Growing up, my dad always talked about eating this particular brand of cheese (called "The Laughing Cow" in English) while he was in Africa. Somewhere along the way, this cheese became associated with Africa in my head, and with travel there, and all the confused thoughts I have on that subject.
And so I'm sitting here, eating my simple lunch (and quite enjoying it), and thinking about the potential of travel to Africa, and laughing at the fact that cheese is what led to these thoughts.
I'm sitting here, eating my favorite kind of weekend lunch - hummus, soft spreadable cheese, melba toast crackers for the hummus and cheese, and fresh fruit (blueberries today).
As I was eating the cheese, I suddenly found myself thinking about Africa.
It took me a second to realize why.
Growing up, my dad always talked about eating this particular brand of cheese (called "The Laughing Cow" in English) while he was in Africa. Somewhere along the way, this cheese became associated with Africa in my head, and with travel there, and all the confused thoughts I have on that subject.
And so I'm sitting here, eating my simple lunch (and quite enjoying it), and thinking about the potential of travel to Africa, and laughing at the fact that cheese is what led to these thoughts.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hippo
Bet you thought this was going to be another post about one of my multiple visits to the zoo, huh? Nope it's the latest quiz result. Apparently the African animal that I am most like is the hippo! And, while no woman likes to be told she's a hippo, the description really did make me chuckle. Because quite a lot of it is uncannily accurate!
You Are a Hippo |
 You are sensitive and deep. You have a spiritual side to you that's hard to deny. You naturally bring out the best in people. You are a true healer. You have a strong power over others. You've learned to harness this power to make their lives better. You tend to have intense dreams where important things are revealed to you. |
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
I found this article quite interesting. It talks about this movie, which I would like to see, I think.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday Morning Again...
In an hour I'll leave for church. Not the church I'd prefer to attend, but the church I grew up in.
My parents are speaking about their recent ministry trip to Africa, and that somewhat necessitates my presence.
Hopefully a few of the people with whom I've always had good relationships will be there, letting me at least visit and catch up with them.
Then, this afternoon, after church I'll be at Mom and Dad's house, celebrating Father's Day.
Father's Day is always a bit hard on my heart. My relationship with my dad, though a bit better in recent months, has always been a challenging one. My relationship with a heavenly father is so mixed up at times in my relationship with my earthly one.
I bought a father's day card recently. It was awfully hard to find an appropriate one, and I went with the fallback of a humorous one. It was the most appropriate to our relationship.
Anyway... time to find clothing to replace my pajamas, and breakfast.
My parents are speaking about their recent ministry trip to Africa, and that somewhat necessitates my presence.
Hopefully a few of the people with whom I've always had good relationships will be there, letting me at least visit and catch up with them.
Then, this afternoon, after church I'll be at Mom and Dad's house, celebrating Father's Day.
Father's Day is always a bit hard on my heart. My relationship with my dad, though a bit better in recent months, has always been a challenging one. My relationship with a heavenly father is so mixed up at times in my relationship with my earthly one.
I bought a father's day card recently. It was awfully hard to find an appropriate one, and I went with the fallback of a humorous one. It was the most appropriate to our relationship.
Anyway... time to find clothing to replace my pajamas, and breakfast.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
D-Day, Snow, and other early morning thoughts
Today is the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Take just a moment to stop and remember the sacrifice of those soldiers all those years ago. And just a moment to be thankful.
It's snowing. Actual white stuff accumulating on the grass. Thankfully not accumulating very much, but still, it's snowing. I blame my dad. When he goes to Africa, we unfailingly get snow. (It's true that he usually goes in January, when snow is a bit more expected, but still...)
Two days ago, it was 74 degrees (F) in our house, and we had the furnace basically turned off. Today, the furnace is running once every hour or two to maintain a temperature of 70 degrees.
I slept oddly last night. There was a decision resting rather heavily on my mind, and I woke at different points with totally different opinions on which way it would go. At the moment I'm feeling quite peaceful about the direction I think it's going to go.
I finished a fantastic book last night. Sometime this weekend I'll be writing a review of sorts on it and sharing it here.
I'm still loving M*A*S*H*. I'm almost through season 5. (I own all 11 seasons on DVD.) I often play it in the background as I'm cleaning, or cooking, or sometimes just as I'm puttering around on the internet.
I just looked to see if there were any good kids cartoons on this morning. Didn't the deal used to be that cartoons started nice and early on Saturday morning, to keep you busy and quiet until mom and dad were ready to get up and start the day? Almost no channels have kids shows this morning, and the ones that do have titles like "Raspberry Jazzberry Jam". The Care Bears are on at 9:30. Maybe I'll watch them, just for old times sake. We used to watch The Care Bears at around noon every day when we were home schooled. The Care Bears, and Inspector Gadget. Those were quality entertainment.
And with that, I'm either going to go find a book to read, or take a nice long shower and start getting ready for the day. I've got some fun plans, as long as my decision making skills don't flip-flop yet again!
More later...
It's snowing. Actual white stuff accumulating on the grass. Thankfully not accumulating very much, but still, it's snowing. I blame my dad. When he goes to Africa, we unfailingly get snow. (It's true that he usually goes in January, when snow is a bit more expected, but still...)
Two days ago, it was 74 degrees (F) in our house, and we had the furnace basically turned off. Today, the furnace is running once every hour or two to maintain a temperature of 70 degrees.
I slept oddly last night. There was a decision resting rather heavily on my mind, and I woke at different points with totally different opinions on which way it would go. At the moment I'm feeling quite peaceful about the direction I think it's going to go.
I finished a fantastic book last night. Sometime this weekend I'll be writing a review of sorts on it and sharing it here.
I'm still loving M*A*S*H*. I'm almost through season 5. (I own all 11 seasons on DVD.) I often play it in the background as I'm cleaning, or cooking, or sometimes just as I'm puttering around on the internet.
I just looked to see if there were any good kids cartoons on this morning. Didn't the deal used to be that cartoons started nice and early on Saturday morning, to keep you busy and quiet until mom and dad were ready to get up and start the day? Almost no channels have kids shows this morning, and the ones that do have titles like "Raspberry Jazzberry Jam". The Care Bears are on at 9:30. Maybe I'll watch them, just for old times sake. We used to watch The Care Bears at around noon every day when we were home schooled. The Care Bears, and Inspector Gadget. Those were quality entertainment.
And with that, I'm either going to go find a book to read, or take a nice long shower and start getting ready for the day. I've got some fun plans, as long as my decision making skills don't flip-flop yet again!
More later...
Thursday, June 04, 2009
2001 (A Thursday Morning Mish-Mash)
(This is my 2001st blog post! How crazy is that? I've been doing this for quite a while now I guess...)
I'm glad it's Thursday, because that means it's almost the weekend. And this weekend, my house is going to be empty - just me! And that is absolutely one of the most exciting things I can think of right now. I'm so looking forward to the quiet and the space. I love my roommates, but I'm expecting the next month to be a bit wild, and the few days quiet break will be a nice relief before the full-on craziness of moving and final wedding preparations kicks into full gear.
Our landlord is showing our house at 8 tonight. Which means that after work we need to do a bit of tidying. And, that at just before 8, we need to clear out for 20-30 minutes or so. Which, quite frankly is a bit inconvenient, but, I think I'll go get a strawberry lemonade, or an iced passion tea lemonade at Starbucks, and that will redeem the inconvenience. And, hopefully, the people will fall in love with the house, and the landlord will like the people, and this will be the only showing we'll have to endure.
I'm listening to Karla Adolphe's various solo albums, and her Jacob and Lily album again lately. I love Karla's voice, and feel privileged to call her a friend. I also love her lyrics - they seem to speak so deeply to the places in my soul that long to be drawn out.
I'm thinking a lot about the providence of God right now. There'll likely be a blog post on that topic coming soon.
I had a dream about shoes, and wearing shoes that weren't mine and changing shoes, and knowing this would be the last time I'd wear certain shoes last night. It was a rather striking dream.
They're forecasting a mixture of snow and rain for Sunday. Snow. In June. (yes, I've lived here all my life. And yes, I know it can snow in literally any month.) Seriously. It's supposed to be 23 degrees today, and by Sunday we're possibly expecting snow. How gross is that? On the other hand, I can quite nicely blame my dad - everytime he goes to Africa, the weather gets ugly. (Of course, he usually goes in January...)
My heart remains somewhat discombobulated, listening, praying, waiting. The dreams are frequent still. And many I care about are facing challenges this week. So I'm listening and praying and waiting, and feeling just a bit tired and discombobulated in the midst of that.
And now, now I'm off to make toast for breakfast, and kick start what promises to be a very full day.
Here's hoping for beautiful things, new seasons, joy, hope and life to be the things we each encounter today!
I'm glad it's Thursday, because that means it's almost the weekend. And this weekend, my house is going to be empty - just me! And that is absolutely one of the most exciting things I can think of right now. I'm so looking forward to the quiet and the space. I love my roommates, but I'm expecting the next month to be a bit wild, and the few days quiet break will be a nice relief before the full-on craziness of moving and final wedding preparations kicks into full gear.
Our landlord is showing our house at 8 tonight. Which means that after work we need to do a bit of tidying. And, that at just before 8, we need to clear out for 20-30 minutes or so. Which, quite frankly is a bit inconvenient, but, I think I'll go get a strawberry lemonade, or an iced passion tea lemonade at Starbucks, and that will redeem the inconvenience. And, hopefully, the people will fall in love with the house, and the landlord will like the people, and this will be the only showing we'll have to endure.
I'm listening to Karla Adolphe's various solo albums, and her Jacob and Lily album again lately. I love Karla's voice, and feel privileged to call her a friend. I also love her lyrics - they seem to speak so deeply to the places in my soul that long to be drawn out.
I'm thinking a lot about the providence of God right now. There'll likely be a blog post on that topic coming soon.
I had a dream about shoes, and wearing shoes that weren't mine and changing shoes, and knowing this would be the last time I'd wear certain shoes last night. It was a rather striking dream.
They're forecasting a mixture of snow and rain for Sunday. Snow. In June. (yes, I've lived here all my life. And yes, I know it can snow in literally any month.) Seriously. It's supposed to be 23 degrees today, and by Sunday we're possibly expecting snow. How gross is that? On the other hand, I can quite nicely blame my dad - everytime he goes to Africa, the weather gets ugly. (Of course, he usually goes in January...)
My heart remains somewhat discombobulated, listening, praying, waiting. The dreams are frequent still. And many I care about are facing challenges this week. So I'm listening and praying and waiting, and feeling just a bit tired and discombobulated in the midst of that.
And now, now I'm off to make toast for breakfast, and kick start what promises to be a very full day.
Here's hoping for beautiful things, new seasons, joy, hope and life to be the things we each encounter today!
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Travelling With the Eyes of God
Slowly, oh so slowly, my heart is again feeling ready to dream of far-away places. Of traveling and praying and walking as a witness to the things God shows me. India seems to be popping up a lot right now. Peru remains constantly on my radar. Back to Italy, and into France, Germany, and Poland. Maybe, maybe even Africa. My heart is tentatively reaching out, testing the waters of dreaming of time spent in these places again, and that is both thrilling and terrifying.
That said, this thought from Henri Nouwen caught at me when it arrived in my inbox last week.
Travelling With the Eyes of God
Travelling - seeing new sights, hearing new music, and meeting new people - is exciting and exhilarating. But when we have no home to return to where someone will ask us, "How was your trip?" we might be less eager to go. Travelling is joyful when we travel with the eyes and ears of those who love us, who want to see our slides and hear our stories.
This is what life is about. It is being sent on a trip by a loving God, who is waiting at home for our return and is eager to watch the slides we took and hear about the friends we made. When we travel with the eyes and ears of the God who sent us, we will see wonderful sights, hear wonderful sounds, meet wonderful people ... and be happy to return home.
That said, this thought from Henri Nouwen caught at me when it arrived in my inbox last week.
Travelling With the Eyes of God
Travelling - seeing new sights, hearing new music, and meeting new people - is exciting and exhilarating. But when we have no home to return to where someone will ask us, "How was your trip?" we might be less eager to go. Travelling is joyful when we travel with the eyes and ears of those who love us, who want to see our slides and hear our stories.
This is what life is about. It is being sent on a trip by a loving God, who is waiting at home for our return and is eager to watch the slides we took and hear about the friends we made. When we travel with the eyes and ears of the God who sent us, we will see wonderful sights, hear wonderful sounds, meet wonderful people ... and be happy to return home.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Kidnapped Aid Workers Freed
A follow up on the story I've been following this week about Aid workers kidnapped in Darfur:
Seized Darfur Aid Workers Freed
Seized Darfur Aid Workers Freed
Friday, March 13, 2009
Kidnapped Aid workers
This story about 3 aid workers kidnapped in Darfur has caught my attention, since one of them is a nurse and artist from Canada. These three articles all touch on the same information, and obviously share a common source, but the different parts of each of them were quite interesting to me.
Location of Kidnapped Aid Workers Known
Montreal Nurse Kidnapped in Sudan
Africa Removed My Rose Colored Glasses
Location of Kidnapped Aid Workers Known
Montreal Nurse Kidnapped in Sudan
Africa Removed My Rose Colored Glasses
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
News today...
These are the headlines catching my attention this morning:
16 Dead after German School Shooting
10 Die in Alabama Shooting Spree
Tanzania "Witch Naming" Underway
16 Dead after German School Shooting
10 Die in Alabama Shooting Spree
Tanzania "Witch Naming" Underway
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Headlines
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Couple More Headlines
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Headlines - Saturday morning
I had another rough night. Just at the moment I'm not up to writing properly. So here are some headlines that are catching my attention, and drawing my heart to pray a little.
LRA Rebels Commit New Atrocities
Obama Begins Historic Rail Trip
Chinese Women Want More Babies
Iran Executes Two Men by Stoning
Threatened Pakistan Schools Close
LRA Rebels Commit New Atrocities
Obama Begins Historic Rail Trip
Chinese Women Want More Babies
Iran Executes Two Men by Stoning
Threatened Pakistan Schools Close
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Causing my heart to pray...
Some headlines drawing me into a space of prayer tonight:
Women Banned from Baghdad Shrine
Tetris Helps to Reduce Trauma
Ethiopia Imposes Aid Agency Curbs
Tremors Hit Indonesia Quake Area
Earthquake Deaths Highest Since 2004
Women Banned from Baghdad Shrine
Tetris Helps to Reduce Trauma
Ethiopia Imposes Aid Agency Curbs
Tremors Hit Indonesia Quake Area
Earthquake Deaths Highest Since 2004
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
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