Christmas is Over

It was a quiet Christmas this year.  Gone are the big family Christmases of the past.  They diminished a little with the loss of my mother in 2005, but even a bit more when my father moved from the home we all gathered at.  Fortunately, we all still try to get together as much as we can for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It’s difficult, because two of my siblings live on the west coast.  I have a brother in Toronto, three siblings in Ottawa, my dad is in Napanee and I, of course, am in Cobourg.  We also have obligations with our spouses’ families as well, of course, but at least we try to get together.

It’s interesting, because there are eight kids in my family.  At least there were.  We lost our oldest brother to cancer five years ago.  Despite, or perhaps even because, six of us are adopted, we continue to keep in touch and try to get together when we can.

Back to Christmas.  I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that I wasn’t sure if my youngest daughter would be coming for Christmas because she works in the retail world and this is a very busy time for those folks.  She was given Christmas Eve off, so she came up that morning.  Kaitlyn had to be back for an early shift at Holt Renfrew on Boxing Day, so we had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, opened gifts Christmas morning and then had leftovers for lunch before she took the afternoon train home to get ready for work the next morning.

Fortunately, my oldest daughter had come from the city last Monday and was able to stay until early Sunday morning.  That allowed us to do some baking together and enjoy Christmas together and she was even able to join us at Dad’s, where his girlfriend Sally prepared a lovely lunch and delicious dinner, despite being quite under the weather.  God love her.  My family members from Toronto and Ottawa were also able to join us for a lovely day in Napanee.

I now have a resting week that my MS has been begging for, for a while. I’m afraid that I need to give in a bit more these days, if I’m going to continue working.  But that’s okay.  It has now been 21 years that I have been aware of the MS and I am still upright.  It is quite a blessing, I know!

So, I pray that everyone had a great Christmas with family and friends and also pray that the New Year brings good health, joy and prosperity to all!

Almost Here!

As I write my weekly blog, I think about the past year and everything that happened and how fast it whipped by!  I also think about the days ahead, leading to Christmas, as well as Christmas itself and New Year celebrations!  This has always been my favorite time of year.

Yesterday, I bought the last of the Christmas gifts and today is wrapping day.  Tomorrow I start baking (probably just pies, for now) and Monday, I go into the city to have Christmas lunch with my good friend Viv and will bring my oldest daughter back with me for the week!  It will be nice to have her here.  We have more baking planned!

This will be the Christmas with the fewest people that I have had for a while.  It will just be Cavan and I with my two daughters and since my youngest is working retail until she finishes school, she has to be back home Christmas Day to be ready for Holt Renfrew’s Boxing Day, which starts really early.  At least we will all be together for a little while.

Saturday, much of my family will be at my dad’s house.  My three siblings and their families who live in Ottawa should make it, as well as my brother David and his partner from Toronto, and then Cavan, my oldest daughter Alysse and me.  It should be a great time!

After that, I have a week of relaxing at home and catching up on the Christmas movies I haven’t gotten to yet.  I’ll try to get ambitious enough to do some organizing, as well!

Somewhere in there, we need to catch up with Cavan’s four kids and the rest of his family.  That isn’t planned yet, so we are trying to keep days available to fit that in.  We try to accommodate everyone.  We don’t want to miss anyone at Christmas!

Home Alone

Okay, I’m not actually home alone.  Who can possibly be alone with two cats in the house?

Cavan’s gone into the city to visit his uncle who is in Sunnybrook hospital.  Uncle Ron is recovering from surgery that removed his bladder, prostate and some of his rectum.  Ron had gone through radiation for prostate cancer and suffered complications that included the burning of part of his lower intestine with the radiation.  We are praying for a recovery.

I’m actually getting over some kind of bug, trivial compared to what Uncle Ron is going through!  I’m feeling better today, although still a bit weak and I think I still have a touch of a fever.  I’m not visiting the bathroom with the frequency I was yesterday, so I must be on the mend!  Mostly, I think I’m just worn out since it is the end of the year.  Nothing that a couple of week’s rest can’t fix, I’m sure.

Under the weather or not, I still have my second Christmas tree to decorate and a few little things to take care of today.  I think I can manage by working for a short while and resting for a while.  It’s back to work tomorrow!  Mind you, I will be working from home tomorrow and Thursday and just in the city Tuesday and Wednesday.  Friday, I begin vacation until the New Year!

Next weekend I need to finish up my gift wrapping and get my baking started.  I look forward to Christmas every year and yet it wears me out!  Mind you, it is a great celebration at the beginning of what is often a long and dull winter.  After the really nasty winter last year, I am becoming quite nervous about the drive home from work in the snowy darkness.  Snow never used to bother me.  Perhaps it’s just that I’m getting older? 

Oh well, nothing terribly exciting to blog about today.  I missed blogging last week because I was away in Ottawa and I usually blog on Saturdays, but I did not even have the energy to make it downstairs to my office yesterday.  So, today, I have at least gotten that far!

As I close my blog, I wish everyone a safe Christmas season.  Christmas is less than two weeks away!  God bless!

Christmas is Coming!

I love this time of year!  The Christmas tree, the lights, shopping for that special thing you think that someone will really enjoy.  Unfortunately, it is always accompanied by the worry about money, of course, but I know that things will always work out okay.

Believe it or not, I'm actually a bit ahead of the game.  I have my Christmas cards all ready to write (that’s today’s job!) and even my newsletter written.  Yes, I do a newsletter.  I must confess that for some years, when I was younger, I thought of them as annual brag notes, detailing all the great things folks were doing, but then I came to look forward to them every year to catch up with everything.

Life is just too busy!  If we can’t take the time to get together, at least we can hear about what a great year folks have had and enjoy reading of the achievements of everyone.  It’s kind of sad, and yet enjoyable at the same time.  Unfortunately, we sometimes only hear of the passing of someone we cared about, but never seemed to find the time to visit through the year.  Where does the time go?

On a lighter note, we begin to make plans for the coming year.  Can you believe that 2015 is just around the corner?  It seems crazy, but it seems like every year goes by faster than the last.  Or does it just seem that way, as you get older?

I remember the worry about the whole year 2000 thing.  I was on a big project at work for it.  And yet, here we are 15 years later and it was a mere memory of a year at work.

Before I finish my blog for this week, I have to comment on the passing years and the pride I have in my children.  They have accomplished a lot with their own challenges and I couldn't be prouder of them as young adults, contributing members of society, living on their own.  I can’t imagine anything more satisfying than the pride one has in their children. 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

Okay enough already!  It’s only November and I’m tired of winter already, so the folks in Buffalo must be even beyond tired of it.  My goodness! We live along the lake as well, but didn’t get hit with lake effect snow like they did. We thank the good Lord for that.

This week and for even the next week, it looks like temperatures will stay above freezing, so hopefully, the next snowfall won’t happen for a while.

It’s interesting how the weather is such a topic of conversation.  Pretty much every call I’m on with my colleagues in Edmonton, Calgary and Houston, we have to compare notes on how the weather is.  

My boss’s boss loves to ski in Calgary, so he is delighted when it snows out there.  I keep telling them to keep that weather out there, of course.  His boss is often in Houston, so I always tell him to bring the warm weather!  Like that is even possible!

Of course, for anyone who likes to have some control in their lives, that is one of the things we have no control over.  We have to be adaptable. We need to be prepared for almost anything within the season. 

I am getting more and more afraid of driving in the snow in the dark, so I expect that I will be working from home a lot this winter!  I should also pack a bag and keep it in the office, just in case I get unexpectedly stranded in the city!

Driving home this past week in the snow was frightening and it wasn’t even white outs.  I now drive in the right lane, white knuckled, just trying to get home, while the transports fly by me.  Fortunately, the highway is three lanes, all the way to Cobourg.  And, I expect to be working one more winter yet!

My God and my guardian angel drive with me, always. Amen

Book Fair

I have to blog about the last few days I spent at the inaugural Toronto International Book Fair.  For two reasons, one, I had a great time and two, that’s why I’m two days late getting my blog done!

On the one hand, I did not sell many of my books, but on the other hand, I met some really great people, saw some great authors and had a blast.  I was afraid the days were going to be long and boring, but I was quite wrong. I took my dear friend and favorite bibliophile Viv with me and since she is 88 years young, I figured by the end of Saturday she would have had enough, but she and I were there every day from open to close and had such a great time.

We were very organized.  Everything I had to take to the table they had set up for me was either on my walker, or in my backpack.  We only needed one trip from the car each day and picked up a coffee for Viv and a tea for me on our way to the elevator.  We would say our ‘good mornings’ to those who were at their booths or tables already, on our way to the table, and set up and settle for the day.

That, by no means, meant we didn’t move.  There were other booths to visit, authors to hear and sign books and snacks to be had.  We loved the smoothie stall that wasn’t far from our table. We chatted with people who came to visit and, of course, bought several books!

We were thrilled to get books signed by some great authors:  Debbie Macomber, Jeff Kinney, Margaret Atwood, Claire Cameron and Neil Pasricha.  Our only regret was that we didn’t stand in line to get books signed by Commander Chris Hadfield.  He was there and the line was really long.  We should have persevered anyway.

So, would I go again next year?  I probably would.  It was a little disappointing in terms of selling my own books, but I think that the exposure was worthwhile.  Besides, it was fun!

Let the Children Come to Me

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.  Mark 10 13-16  NIV

I believe that it is with the little children that we must start.  Children are not born with prejudice or bias or hatred.  It is because of this that I wrote my stories to tell children of God and Jesus.

I will be the first to say that there are passages in the Bible that are not all unicorns and rainbows as my daughter likes to say.  But the message is clear.  Treat others as you would like to be treated. Love and serve God, because it is in doing that, that we love each other and treat each other as we should.

In my prayers, I ask for world peace, no pain and no hunger.  It is through loving each other that we can attain world peace and no hunger.  No pain can be partially attained the same way, but there still remains pain through disease, unfortunately.

Can we not all, like Jesus, reach out to the children of the world that they may be raised by kind and compassionate people that their world might be better than ours?

It does not matter if we feel we resonate best with Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto or any of the other many religions of our diversified world.  The basis of all major religions speaks of the kindness, compassion and love of our Creator.  Let us all honor that Creator with our own kindness, compassion and love and pass it on to the little children.

The stories that I wrote show the kindness, compassion and love of our Creator’s creatures.  The stories are based on stories from the Old and New Testaments.  These documents are the basis that my own teachings rely on and I believe that we can reach the children beginning with these stories.

Please begin here:  AnimalsoftheBible.com to reach your own children.

Family Life

I was looking for a great quote to start my blog with today.  Something profound that might touch folks and inspire them to inspire others.  I guess I would like to help make the world a better place one soul at a time really.  But I came across a whole list of quotes on family life.

Why does this strike a chord with me?  Mostly because family life means so much to me.  So, let me tell you my story of family life, parts of which you will likely have read, if you follow my blogs.  But let’s begin at the beginning.

When I was born, I was given up for adoption.  I was adopted into a family and eventually became the oldest daughter of eight kids.  Six of us are adopted and as we like to tease our two siblings that were not adopted, we were chosen and they were mistakes.  Trust me; this always draws a laugh, because we are that kind of family.

Eventually, I grew up, going through the usual family stuff, the teenage challenges and the finding my way in the adult world.  I married as people often do, but that’s where things became a bit different than in most people’s lives.

My husband did not love me. This I was unaware of and I certainly did not suspect because he told me all the time that he loved me.  It became quite apparent, when he convinced me to have kids.  I wasn't opposed to the idea of having kids, but since I was quite a bit older than my youngest siblings, I always felt like I had my kids,

So, flash forward to my first pregnancy, where I discovered at eight months along that my husband was seeing someone else.  I gave a lot of thought to giving up my child for adoption, because I really believed that a child was best raised by two parents.  But my husband said that he and this other woman would raise her.  Over my dead body!

So, I gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter. I should point out that my husband was dumped by that woman who felt guilty about the situation.  Imagine that!

He talked me into another child and sure enough, he and this woman got back together and when my second child was a week and a half old, left me for this woman, telling me that he had never loved me.

They are, of course married and I raised my two lovely daughters on my own.  This challenge was compounded by the fact that a year after my husband left, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

My beautiful girls are grown and on their own now.  My oldest a very talented hairstylist, is in demand for weddings and photo shoots.  My youngest still has a few more months of post secondary school, studying to be a buyer.  She is already working for Holt Renfrew and has already been approached by Tiffany’s.

So, back to the topic at hand:  Family Life.  My family is not typical, but we love each other and have a great time when we are together.  My kids grew up knowing that they were, and still are, deeply loved and supported by me and the rest of my adopted family and that nothing in insurmountable.

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

‘The idiom "a day late and a dollar short" generally means that someone has both missed an opportunity and been inexcusably unprepared for it. A briefer translation of this saying could be "too late and too little." It can also refer to an unfavorable review of a person's efforts as poorly timed and too inadequate to make any improvements to a given outcome. This phrase is often characterized as one of the English sayings that place underlying importance on time and money. Preparation and organization are usually highly valued in cultures that use these kinds of idiomatic expressions.’ ~  wiseGEEK

I’m a day late with my blog this week and feeling a dollar short!  I so often sit down to blog with no clear idea on what to write on.  Usually, I just start and it comes to me, sometimes taking a totally different path part way through, than I thought it might.

My idea was really to write something each week that resonates with people.  I would love to actually be quite profound every week, but that is a bit of a lofty goal and rather presumptuous on my part!  For some reason, I am feeling that God is wanting me to reach out to people, make them think and help them to remember Him.

I’m sure that is why I wrote my books.  I am hoping that as each story is read to a child they will, as youngsters, come to know and understand God and Jesus, so that they can lead lives that God will be proud of.

That isn’t to say that it isn’t possible to reach adults, nor am I even suggesting that we shouldn’t even try, but I believe that if you introduce children to God and Jesus at an early age, even if they stray from time-to-time, they are most likely to come back to the path at God has for them.

So, ‘But Jesus said “Let the children come to me, and don’t try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom”’ ~ The Holy Bible CEV

Let us teach the stories of God to the children that they may follow his word for the rest of their lives.  IJN

Let not us all be a day late and a dollar short. IJN

Family

I wrote my Thanksgiving blog on the things I am thankful for and pointed out many of the things that I am thankful for.  Most of what I am thankful for is family and I was fortunate enough to have some of my family with me for Thanksgiving.

My brother David came to visit from Toronto.  He was driven by my daughter, Alysse, who needed to rent a car anyway for some weddings she was doing the hair for.  Alysse also brought her fiancé David and Kaitlyn, my other daughter.  I was so glad that they were able to make it!

From Ottawa, came my brother Paul, who drove my sister Carol and her daughter.  Her husband Glenn had to stay home because his mother was in the hospital and because we weren't sure of my nephew’s hockey schedule.

So, with Cavan and I, that made nine for dinner.  A nice number that fit nicely around my dining room table.

Everyone arrived on Saturday, in time for dinner and were able to stay until after Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.  In preparation, I had made three pumpkin pies, an apple pie and a pecan pie.  That’s the first pecan pie I have ever made.  My pumpkin and apple pie skills are really good, but I think I need work on pecan!

Saturday evening, my daughter Kaitlyn made pumpkin cupcakes and they were delicious!  Oh, and I also made Monkey bread to have for Sunday morning breakfast.

A good time was had by all and everyone was a big help.  David was on turkey and stuffing duty and did a marvelous job.  I took care of the potatoes and various vegetables. Carol always seems to be happy on cleanup duty and I thank all of them for coming and for the extra helping hands! I’m afraid that although I love the visitors, they do wear me out, so I am always so grateful for the help!

So, I am hoping to host Christmas dinner and hope that we will have another group of family gather around.  It may not be the same group, but these occasions are family time and any family that can make it is more than welcome!

My Canadian Thanksgiving

As I sit and type my Thanksgiving blog I think of all of the many things I am thankful for.  They are far too many to even list and most of them are people.

I am most thankful for my daughters, who I am very proud of.  Alysse is a hairstylist who is a greatly admired and sought after talent for weddings and photo shoots.  Kaitlyn is on the home stretch to finish her degree in Retail Management, studying to be a buyer, and works at Holt Renfrew—very prestigious!  She has already been contacted through LinkedIn to be interviewed for Tiffany’s!

I am very thankful for Cavan, who loves me and helps me especially with the day to day things that my MS no longer allows me to do.  Lately he has had to put up with a lot of crankiness, as I seem to be doing the job of three and a half people at work and a lot of tasks have to fall through the cracks just to get the important stuff done!

I am also very thankful to, and for, my parents; my mother who I still miss every day and my father, who at 85 still can’t stay still and will pop out to Las Vegas, or wherever on a whim.  I am thankful, for my siblings, their spouses and children, all who enrich our lives.

I am also thankful for all of Cavan’s family, who enrich our lives.

Then, of course there is my dear friend Viv and my co-workers and colleagues, my bosses, and their bosses and so on.

I am also particularly thankful that I am still able to be upright, even after living with MS for over twenty years.

I can’t forget my cats, my house, our home, my car that still runs and the lovely little town of Cobourg where I live.

Of course, I recognize that this is really truly only the tip of the iceberg for what I am thankful for.  I am very blessed that God has allowed so much in my life!

Blue Jays

I’m not talking about the baseball team, I mean actual blue jays!

Before I actually moved into my house about two years ago, I had this film installed on main floor windows at the back of my house, which faces east. 

What, might you ask, does that have to do with blue jays?  Well, I knew that during daylight hours, from the outside, the windows are like mirrors.  That gave me the great idea to start feeding the birds.  This became great entertainment for my cats, of course, because I have sliding doors and I could put peanuts right outside the door and the blue jays would come.  With the sliding door acting like a mirror to them, they had no idea the entertainment they were providing to my furry friends.

My house is built into a bit of a hill, so the main floor of my house is actually the second floor from the back.  What I discovered, was that wherever the birds go, they seem to leave behind their poop.  Not nice!  So, I stopped feeding them and the rain looked after cleaning up the mess.

I missed the jays, so this year, I had the film put on the downstairs windows and I put peanuts outside the downstairs sliding door, leading to the patio to see if they would visit there and lo and behold, within ten minutes of the peanuts hitting the concrete, there they were!  The jays were back, as were my cats.

I actually started it this week because my daughter is coming next weekend and bringing her cat, who will love it.  She lives in the city and only has a Juliette balcony, so little Kanye hasn’t see a blue jay.  This will be so much fun!

It’s a win/win situation.  The blue jays get fed and the felines get entertained and boy are the jays aggressive!  They fly at each other and fight over the peanuts.  They even keep the ravens away.  I quite enjoy the ‘show’ myself.

Word on the Street

Last Sunday started out as a rainy day...................

I headed into Toronto to take a friend of mine into downtown Toronto to see Word on the Street (WOTS).  It rained on and off the whole way in and I wasn’t very hopeful about the event and figured we would only stay a short time.

Viv’s grandson was there, when I arrived at her house, so we just chatted for a while, but before long, it was a beautiful sunny day!  It hadn’t been forecasted, but there it was—the sun, blue skies and the odd soft, white puffy cloud.

Viv and I drove downtown, parked at my daughter’s place and trekked over to Toronto’s Word on the Street.  We wore light jackets as it started out cool and even put our rain coats into a bag, just in case!  But of course, that was our insurance and we didn’t see another raindrop!

We wandered the different booths, each under its own cover, which turned out to be useful for blocking the intense sun, rather than a deluge of water!  Viv and I found some great deals on books, but the crowds were pretty thick, or we might have bought a few more!

We also found Author Solutions, who had a booth that included my book “Animals of the New Testament.” The fellow manning the booth took my picture there, with my book, and we got an Author Solutions bag with their catalog, which also included my book, and we carried on!

Now, I need to contact the Cobourg Public Library, which is hosting Word on the Street Northumberland and see if I can get involved!  Our little town is hosting their own WOTS on October 25^th from 10am to 4pm.  I wonder if I can do some reading to the kids!  I think it would be a great way to showcase my books.

So, watch for WOTS in your city or town.  It is a great place to see the latest in literature!

Then I have the Toronto International Book Fair (TIBF) in Toronto in November!  A busy book year!

Cats

So, this morning as I was looking for a blog topic, I turned to one of my cats and said, ‘So, any ideas for a blog topic?’  Just so you know, I was not expecting a response!  But then I thought that I have never written about cats!  How strange since I have owned several over my lifetime.

The first cat I owned was a female ginger tabby, that I picked up at the Humane Society and was a gift from a friend of mine.  I named her Asreal, like the cat on the Smurfs, but with an ‘s’ instead of a ‘z’ in her name.

I realized early on that she needed a fellow feline, so although my brother who was living with me at the time was against it, I went out and got another one. The only ginger tabby left was a little male, so he became my latest housemate.  Since at the time, ‘The Great Gatsby’ was my brothers favorite book, our male feline was named Gatzby.  Again a switcheroo of ‘s’ and ‘z’ in the name.

Those two lived through my getting married and having kids and getting divorced.  So, my kids grew up with cats.  Asreal and Gatzby were with me for five years before I had kids.

We lost poor Gatzby when he was about 13 years old.  I swear he had a stroke and died in my arms overnight.  I claimed I would never have any new cats because he broke my heart when he died, but of course, one Halloween, we saw this sweet black cat at a pet store and so Jett was added to our family.

We lost Asreal at the reasonably old age of 17, which is not too bad for an outside cat, but before she was even gone, we picked up Squeaks at the Humane Society.  She’s a very pretty calico.

So, these last two cats are indoor cats because I got tired of the fleas and injuries the first two would get outside.  They are great company for me, although my current life partner doesn’t much like cats.  Too bad!  They aren’t going anywhere!  They can generally be found curled up in front of my monitor as I work, which is where Jett is now, or sitting on my lap, or curled up next to me on the bed as I sleep.

Cats are great company and although I swear I won’t have any more after these two are gone, who knows....................

Just a Rainy Saturday

A rainy Saturday, the perfect day to get caught up on a few things!

I’m looking for a ‘hot topic’ for my blog today and not coming up with one, I’m afraid.  What is it about rainy days that make you melancholy?

I could whine and complain about the fact that my books aren’t selling very well.  Mind you, I didn’t put them out there to make money, although I was hoping that the Christian market would see them for what they are:  a way to teach the work of God and the stories of Jesus to three to eight year olds.

I could whine and complain about my MS.  Now there’s a good topic!  But then I have to admit that after 21 years, I am still working full time, only using a cane and managing quite nicely thank you, despite the myriad of funky symptoms that I have that are an annoyance, but still allow me to do many of the things I like to do.

I could whine and complain about the fact that I am still working, although I could have retired earlier this year.  That one folks have heard before and if you have, you know that I continue to work because my youngest daughter isn’t finished university yet and I am happy to contribute to her education so that she has no debt, when she is done.

I could whine and complain that I never seem to get entirely out of debt for one reason or another.  Well, this one is pretty much entirely my fault because I choose to spend my money where I do.  I chose to support my daughter at university, I chose to invest in self publishing my books and I chose to put money into finishing off my house.  Of course there were a few things along the way that I had to spend money on like my car, that I would rather not have to do, but it was a necessity.

So, I could do all that whining and complaining but I chose to consider the blessings that I have and know that the good Lord will get me through all of the challenges that I could whine and complain about!  Having said that, I am well aware that my challenges are very minor compared to probably most folks in the world.

Blessings!

Can you believe it’s September already?  School is back in session, colleges and universities too. This is the time of year that I start to watch for the beautiful colors of the trees, as God changes the leaves on the trees to gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow.  This reminds us that winter is coming, followed by spring and new life growing on the trees!

Autumn is my favorite time of year because of the colors, the cooler temperatures and, of course, Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather together and remember all of the blessings in their lives and be thankful for everything God has given them.

I have so many blessings in my life, some of which have come in the form of a challenge.  Except for my multiple sclerosis and the money problems I always seem to have, I don’t have many challenges in my life right now.  I seem to have gotten through the many challenges thrown my way, although of course, that doesn’t guarantee that I won’t have more down the road!

That is why we must all remember our blessings.  I don’t really like to count them, because putting a number on blessings isn’t helpful.  When I say my prayers, and list many of my blessings, I know that I forget so many things that I am thankful for day to day that go relatively unnoticed and I am especially thankful for the blessings that I overlook because they are just things that get me through each day.

I have been introduced to this ‘mindfulness’ thing recently.  This is where we take the time to live in the moment.  It’s very difficult to do, but it allows you to take the time to smell the roses, actually taste what you are eating and focus on prayer.  So many times, I begin my prayers and my mind wanders to something else.  I have a ways to go to get this right!

I was sent some information on mindfulness and the very first tip is:  smile the second you wake up!  It sets the tone for your day.  So, let’s all try to do that.  Seeing your blessings will surely follow!

Exciting News!

Well, folks, yet again my blog is late.  This time, I was away for part of the Labor Day long weekend in Orillia with my sweetie Cavan and my father and his girlfriend.  I must say that it always seems odd to say that my 84 year old father has a girlfriend, but I probably mentioned some time ago that I lost my mother in 2005 to cancer and my father, God love him, lost his first girlfriend to cancer, as well.  It was tough to go through losing his wife and then first girlfriend to cancer, but Dad is a trooper.  He has found a partner to live and travel with and we are all happy for him.

Anyway, that isn’t what the exciting news is!  Toronto is going to have their inaugural Toronto International Book Festival (TIBF)!  It will be the 13^th to 16^th of November and will have many famous authors, including Margaret Atwood, Debbie Macomber and Anne Rice and little old me!  I am so looking forward to this!

There are actually seven streams of interest, including ‘Inspire!’ at the main stage, where authors will speak!  Not me, of course, I’m just the little guy, who will be at a little table in ‘The Hub’ selling my books.  Fortunately, The Hub is right next to the main stage, so I should be able to see everything.

This is pretty exciting, because I haven’t really had a book launch yet, although one of my books will be featured at the Toronto ‘Word on the Street’ (WOTS)!  I will be there with my favorite bibliophile, Viv, to meet the various book vendors etc. This is an exciting year for books in Toronto!

I hope to see a great turnout to both WOTS, in September and TIBF in November!

Back Home!

Well, after a bit of a hiatus from work and blogging, I have returned from my trip to Ireland and the Isle of Man.  We spent most of our time on the Isle of Man and I just loved it.  I could so retire there!

Dublin was okay, but I don’t even care much for big cities in Canada, so it didn’t have much of an appeal for me.  We did do the hop on/hop off bus to see the sights though, and there is way more history there than in Canada.  We also did a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and saw some nice views on the way there and the way back.

The Isle of Man had quite a draw for me, though.  We had a lovely room facing the sea in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man.  From there, we could walk to the shops and take tours to anywhere on the island.  We hired a taxi to drive us south and the sights were amazing.  We stopped several places for a walk around and pictures:  Rushen Abbey, Castle Rushen and a lovely farm along the way too.  How beautiful it was!

I have to say that Peel Castle was my favorite.  We had a taxi drive us directly there on another day.  The original part of the castle was built in the 11^th century.  Imagine that!  Parts of it are still standing.  It was so amazing.  There were even two different churches that were part of the structure.  We stayed late that evening to get some pictures of the sunset that we were told were amazing.  We were not disappointed.

Another day, we took the electric train north, to see the east coastline and visit Ramsey.  It was a lovely little town on the coast.  But I have to say that I didn’t feel as at home as I did in Peel.

Well, one day, if I win big on the lottery, I shall buy a home there.  The Isle of Man is so lovely and steeped in history.  It would be a wonderful place to retire and spend the rest of my life writing.

Isle of Man

I have never been to the Isle of Man.  I’m heading across the pond tomorrow!

My mother-in-law is from the Isle of Man, so I am part of her family that is going over to the Isle of Man to give her one more visit.  She is 82 and except for the Alzheimer’s, she is reasonable healthy.

We leave tomorrow and everything is pretty much ready except for the packing, which shouldn’t take long.  Our house sitter / cat sitter even came by for the key yesterday, so all is under control.

I was planning to take my laptop to do a bit of work while I was away, but my boss talked me into just having a nice vacation from our day-to-day stuff, so I should be truly rested when I return.

So here’s the plan:  the eight of us fly into Dublin, where we will spend a day to try to get used to being five hours ahead of our regular time, then we take the two and a half hour ferry to the Isle of Man, where we will stay and tour for five days then we ferry back to Dublin for three days of some sightseeing there, then, of course we are back to Canada and reality.  Sounds like fun!  I’m really looking forward to it!

So, just a little history lesson:  The island's parliament, Tynwald, has been in continuous existence since 979 AD or earlier, making it the oldest continuously governing body in the world.^[32] Tynwald is a bicameral or tricameral legislature, comprising the House of Keys (directly elected by universal suffrage) and the Legislative Council (consisting of indirectly elected and ex-officio members). These two bodies meet together in joint session as Tynwald. (taken from Wikipedia!).  Interestingly enough, the Canadian parliament is based on this government, which has been in continuous existence for over 1,000 years!  Pretty amazing!

This should be a great trip, and likely means that I won’t be doing my weekly blog next weekend, but stay tuned for the following week, when I should have some fun stuff to say about the trip!

CISO Planning

I just spent several days out in beautiful Alberta, for work.  I spent about a day and a half in our Calgary office and about a day and a half in gorgeous Kananaskis country working with our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and other leaders on our team.

The first part of the visit was to connect with folks I work with in the Calgary office.  When you work from Toronto, it is so nice to actually be in the same room with your colleagues from time-to-time.  Two guys were even up from the Houston office.

The second part of the visit was to sit with my colleagues and do a three year plan for our IT Risk team.  It was a great experience and I have to say that those guys are the greatest to work with.  The collaboration was amazing.  We managed to hammer out our vision, the mandate and the principles and strategies.  We even presented it to our Chief Information Officer (CIO) on the second day and with a few tweaks, we were all in agreement.

We  now have some work to do, of course,  Each of the six strategies were assigned to someone who is to now come up with a charter and flesh out the ideas.  This will be the busiest part!

I will lead the charge for strengthening and expanding our IT Risk Management service.  This may sound boring, but I’m quite looking forward to it!  My challenge is that we are meeting with our CISO in three weeks and I’m on vacation for more than half of it!  Yikes!

So, I guess that I have a lot of work to do and then I’ll be on the phone a bit, while vacationing in the Isle of Man.  Oh well, it needs to be done!

Set of Four!

Finally, the first four books are all out!  The covers can be seen and the descriptions are correct!  The full set of four!

I have so many ideas for some more in this series, but I need to see if these sell first, before I even dare to invest in another book or two.  I’m thinking of ‘Even More Animals of the Old Testament’ and, of course ‘Even More Animals of the New Testament.’  Then, of course, I could do ‘Still More Animals of the Old Testament’ and ‘Still More Animals of the New Testament.’

I have to say, though, that I will probably have to start duplicating some animals.  So far, in all 24 animals I have used over the 24 stories, I have not had to repeat an animal, although there are two birds, a dove and a crow.  Does that count?

Writing has been an interesting journey for me.  As any author knows, the actual writing part is only a small part of the whole process.  The marketing part is huge! And, I have to say that I’m not great at marketing.  I believe in my heart that these books are great for children to learn the stories of God and Jesus and the many other people in the Bible, but how best to get them to the people who will read them to the children?  That’s the challenge.

I am plugging away at it.  I even have over 1600 followers on Twitter!  Who knew that an old technology person like me could do that?  Even my kids are impressed!  Of course, with Christmas only five months away, I’m hoping that things will ramp up at the right time.  These will be a perfect Christmas gift, especially ‘Animals of the New Testament’ which includes the story of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds, the wise men, etc.

So, those of you who know that the word of God needs to get out there and start especially with the young folks, please get the word out!  The books can all be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble!  You can be directed to the Amazon page for each book from the book website:  AnimalsoftheBible.com.

Thankful

I promised a more cheerful blog this weekend, so I’m trying to find an upbeat topic on a cloudy, rainy Sunday morning.  Everyone needs a challenge!

Well, I’m miffed that AuthorHouse has put a ridiculous description for the paperback version of my fourth book on the book sites (Amazon, Barns & Noble, etc.).  How can I try to sell something like that?

I have the usual fatigue and MS symptoms, along with deteriorating typing skills—a great combo for someone trying to be a writer!

I’m worried about money because my youngest, who is still at university, will no longer have money coming from her estranged father, because she is now 22.  My company was also giving her some money each year, but she is in her fifth year, so that ends.  And, of course, the RESP (registered education savings plan) money has run out.  So, I have that concern too (hence really wanting my books to sell)!  I promised myself that my kids would not begin their working life in debt!

So, what do I have to write a cheerful blog about?  I am still upright!  This sounds kind of odd I’m sure, but for someone who has been living with MS for over 20 years, I consider this to be an achievement!  I have needed my walker from time-to-time, but mostly, I just need my cane.

Can you tell that I’m kind of a ‘glass is half full’ kind of person?  Well, that has a lot to do with my belief system.  I believe in God, Jesus and my angels lead by Trudy, my Guardian angel.  Who could possibly be more blessed?  I also truly believe that we all choose to be in the situations that we are in, meaning choose even before we are born.  The challenges in this life were discussed and agreed upon long before I was born, given up for adoption, adopted and guided by everyone I have in my family and the friends and colleagues I met along the way.

I am blessed to have who and what I have in my life.  All is according to God’s plan, discussed with me, and I leave my life in His hands to teach me the lessons I need to learn while I am here.  That is why I never understood the ‘why me?’ when someone gets the diagnosis of MS, or whatever.  It’s because that is the way it is meant to be.

So, all is as it should be and I am truly blessed.

Unhappy Birthday

Today is my birthday!  Strangely enough, I am not unhappy because I am getting older.  Getting older does not bother me, although perhaps it should!

Every year on my birthday, it is my annual day to think of all the things I have not accomplished.  I don’t expect to bring about world peace (although that would be nice!), but I would like to do something really worthwhile.  Oops, there is that feeling unworthy again!

I have no-one to blame but myself, of course. I could, and should, get myself moving and do something useful. Like many, the excuses for not finding the time come too easy:  I work full-time, I have multiple sclerosis, I’m a single mom (truthfully, my kids are grown and on their own, so this one doesn't even count!), I’m too tired, I don’t know where to start, and on and on.

Perhaps, I just need to be more persistent.  I have written four lovely books in a series that tell Bible stories from an animal’s point of view.  I think that those are useful, but of course, they are not useful if they are not being read to the children they will be useful to!

So, my challenge to myself for between now and my next birthday is to work on getting those books out there!  My second book, ‘Animals of the New Testament’ will be featured in Toronto’s Word on the Street in September, but I need to work harder.  I need to come out with some online marketing ideas that are not annoying to the online world—there is the challenge!

So, wish me well and perhaps next year won’t be and UNhappy birthday!

And I promise that the next blog will be more cheerful!  I have written two downers in a row!  That perhaps, is another challenge to me, work on some more inspiring blogs!

Unworthy

There is a part in the Anglican Communion service that says ‘I am not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Thy table’ and it seems to have taken hold of my life from a young age.

I have never felt worthy of much in my life.  I was adopted, so perhaps I felt that I was unworthy even as a baby. I am the second oldest of eight children and so I did quite a few firsts.  I was the first to get my driver’s license, the first to buy a car, the first to buy a house, the first to have children, but also the first to be divorced, the first to raise children on my own (actually the only) and the first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (okay, the only one for this too).

I like to believe that I am a good person, a good Christian even. My family mostly ignores me and I don’t really have friends, so I guess there must be something I’m not doing right.

Most every night (I must admit that sometimes I forget and fall asleep first), I say my prayers and give thanks for all of the blessings in my life and I do have many, I know.  I am most thankful for the angels who watch over me and guide my life, my daughters of course, Cavan, who does love me, both of our families, my co-workers and colleagues, my dear friend Viv (who turned 88 this year, God love her!), my house—our home, my cats of course, my car that still runs, being able to be upright (anyone with MS will understand what a blessing that is!) and even my bosses, my salary and the little town of Cobourg where I live.

I have more than most folks and I acknowledge that I am blessed to have all of it!  I have been blessed enough be able to put my kids through college, so that they will have no debt when they begin to work.

Despite my disability, I have achieved quite a bit through perseverance and yet I feel unworthy of even the love of my family, which I use to explain their avoiding me.  Will it change anything I do?  No, because I still believe I am a good person, even if I am unworthy, but it does make me sad.

Church with a Twist

Tomorrow (Sunday, June 29^th), St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Cobourg is trying something new.  They are having a social media service at 10:30 am (GMT -5).  All in attendance will be encouraged to share the service online!

Everyone there will be tweeting and Facebooking, posting to Pinterest and Instagram and getting the information out however they interact with everyone on the World Wide Web.  What an amazing idea!  It will be interesting to see how it goes.  I will be watching Twitter and Facebook, because that is as much as I can handle!

It is nice to know that even a church that is over 100 years old is keeping current and doing their best to reach as many people as they can.  Times they are a changin’ and even old fogies like me need to try to keep up.

Just this year, because my Christian children’s books are only sold online, I have gotten into internet stuff I never dreamed I would.  I am blogging and if you are reading this, you can see my work here.  I was on Facebook already, to keep up with my kids, but I now have a ‘fan page.’ Imagine that.  I am also on Twitter (@JanetKWarren) and already have almost 1,000 followers.  Who knew that could happen.  I am even on Pinterest and people send me pins!

What’s next?  Who knows?  What I have discovered is that although I never spent much time on the internet because I don’t play games, I can sure spend a lot of time on the social networks!  I am particularly fond of retweeting inspirational tweets I see.  Anyone who follows me will know that.  I am hoping that at least occasionally, I send something that hits home with someone and make a difference.

So, everyone give @StPetersCobourg a quick tweet and follow #stpeterscobourg tomorrow to see just who we can reach!

Vacation over for now!

Well, yesterday I returned from a fabulous cruise in the Bahamas and to Key West.  I have decided that this isn't the best time to cruise because it is really too hot for the multiple sclerosis down there at this time of year, but it was a great time none-the-less.

My good friend Viv was the belle of the ball.  They all loved her there!  We met some of the most wonderful people and just to tell you how much fun it was, Richard Paul Evans put his arm around Viv as she entered the dining room on the last day and his brother Barry ran up to them and said “That’s my girl!” 

Everyone was great, the wait staff, the folks that looked after our room, the rest of the Richard Paul Evans cruisers and his family and staff that were there to help out.  There was a great time had by all.  I should also point out that the food was fabulous.  Royal Caribbean were great hosts.

It isn’t often that I do many trips in a year, but this is a year for them.  I was in New York City for a few days earlier this year and even had a week in Calgary on business.  Then I had this cruise and now, Cavan and I are planning a trip to the Isle of Man with his family for August.

Cavan’s mother is from the Isle of Man and since she is now over 80, this will likely be her last trip home.  This will be the first trip to the Isle of Man for Cavan and I and we will also spend some time in Dublin.

Of course I shall also have to take a few copies of the books I have written with me!  I gave copies to Jenna, Richard Paul Evans’ daughter, for Sam her son, who is the right age to read the books to.  I hope Sam enjoys the stories!  Of course I also hope they like them enough to have their publisher work with me, but we shall see.  I didn't ask that of them, of course, I’m afraid that I am not a very good salesman!

Vacation

Today, I get to pack for my author week vacation!  I feel sad to leave Cavan behind, but Viv and I are going to have a fun week on a Caribbean cruise and get to meet two of our favorite authors this week!

This weekend is also Father’s Day weekend and my niece’s birthday!  I am very blessed to still have my father.  He will be 85 later this year and is still very active.  Last year, in addition to multiple trips to places like Rama, Niagara Falls and Windsor, he was in South Africa, Hong Kong and Australia!  I can’t keep up!

My niece will be 13 on Sunday!  I cannot believe that so much time has passed!  I remember the day she was born.  What a darling and a very clever girl, with a great singing voice.  She has many opportunities ahead of her, because of her talents.

I would be remiss if I didn't also mention my youngest daughter’s birthday, which was Thursday of this past week.  She is now 22!  Wow, my baby is a grown woman, going to Ryerson University, working at Holt Renfrew.  She is also a very bright woman with lots ahead of her and despite the challenges of dyslexia, and the struggles involved, she is one of the brightest people I know.  She will go far and I am very proud of what she is accomplishing.

So, as I pack, it is with swirling memories of other events around this time.  Of course the fact that 2014 is almost half over hasn't been lost on me.  Can you believe it?  I too, have accomplished much this year.  My fourth book will be out soon!  I make apologies often for it being self published, but I see the accomplishment in the writing of the books and putting them out there to the world.

So, back to my packing and preparing to leave my work, friends and family behind for a few days to focus on the literary world!  Wahoo!

My Guardian Angels

A few years ago, though a lovely lady by the name of Jean, I was formally introduced to my guardian angel.  Jean, along with her long time partner Deb, are the Angel Ladies in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

My guardian angel’s name is Trudy and we have been working directly together since Jean formally introduced us.  It was through Trudy and my literary angel (whose name I do not know), and the other angels that God has been kind enough to have watching over me, that I wrote my books.

I hadn't been planning to write until I actually retired, but the angels prompted me to get moving and gave me the idea of writing these stories as six stories to one book.  I believe that the writing Bible stories from the point of view of animals, was my idea, but they could very well have planted that idea too!

Now anyone who writes, who actually would like to make money knows that if you want literary income, you need to write something that will appeal to the masses.  My books fit into a fairly small niche market.  They are Christian, children’s books written for four to six year-olds. Rather a small market indeed, however, this is what I was guided to write.

I believe that these stories will bring both the Old and New Testaments back to the children and allow them to learn and remember the stories, and God willing, grow into great kind and giving Christian adults.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if I had a small hand in that happening?

So, please spread the word.  There are three books out there now and one more to come in the next month or so.  You will find them here.

Author Week

Good Saturday morning!  My, how the weeks fly by.  In two weeks. I shall be doing my packing for The Walk Cruise with my dear friend and favorite bibliophile Viv and, of course, Richard Paul Evans.

Viv is an avid reader.  I would say that I am as well, but since I still work full time, I cannot match her rate of about four to eight books per week.  I read when I can, work because I must, clean when the dust bunnies start to take over and write because I am guided to do so.  So, at least for now, I don’t read as much as I would like, because there are other things demanding my attention.

Viv and I have our favorite authors.  Everyone has their favorites, I’m sure!  There are many, but two of those that must have special mention are Richard Paul Evans and Diana Gabaldon.

Richard has written many books that have touched my heart, so much so that I have bought them for family members and most specifically, I bought ten copies of ‘The Four Doors’ and gave them as Christmas gifts.

Diana has written two series of books, the most well know I suspect is the Outlander series.  Viv and I just purchased the 20^th anniversary edition of the very first one called ‘Outlander’ of course!  The eighth in the series comes out in about a week and a half—already on order, of course!

So, why would I mention the two authors in the same blog?  Their books are very different, although all well worth the read.  Well, I’m mentioning both of them because I get to meet both authors in the same week!

Viv and I booked the Richard Paul Evans cruise over a year ago and just discovered last week that the very day we land back in Toronto, Diana Gabaldon will also be in Toronto!  What an amazing coincidence!

Viv has actually managed to have her son not only drive us to the airport to fly out for our cruise at the crack of stupid, but also pick us up and drop us near where Diana will be, when we land back in Toronto.

Life is good!

Book One Story One

This is a bit unusual, but this blog is going to be the first story of my first book.  I own the copyright, but I thought I would share it to see what folks think about it.

A very long time ago, in fact it was well over 2000 years ago; there lived a lovely little white dove named Miriam.

Miriam lived in the beautiful olive tree behind the home of Noah and his wife Emzara.  Every day Noah or Emzara would set out seeds to feed Miriam and often, they would chat with Miriam.  They spoke of how disappointed they were with everyone they met.  Everyone was so very wicked and did not pray to God every day, like they did.

Both Noah and Emzara were very kind people and would even pray in their garden when the weather was good.  Miriam liked to hear their prayers and knew how kind and wonderful God was. 

One day, Noah told Miriam of a flood that God was sending and that he had been asked by God to build a huge ship called an ark. God had told Noah that the ark must be big enough for all of his family and two of every kind of animal in the world.  Noah asked if Miriam would help him to gather the animals when it was time to load the ark.

Miriam knew that this was a very important job and now, Miriam had Ezra, who was a mate for her.  Ezra was also very kind and gentle and Noah told Miriam how happy he was to have Ezra helping Miriam to gather the animals, when the ark was ready.

Miriam had also met the three strong sons of Noah and Emzara.  Ham, Shem and Japheth were going to help with the building of the huge ark.  Miriam knew how very happy God would be to have all of them building the ark.  Ham, Shem and Japheth and their wives would also be on the ark with Noah and Emzara as well as Miriam and Ezra.

It was a lot of work to build something so big, but all of them worked very hard every day except Sunday, while Miriam and Ezra flew overhead and watched.  Just as Noah and his sons were finishing the ark, Miriam heard God tell Noah that the rain would start very soon and would not stop for forty days and forty nights. God told them that they would all be safe and dry on the ark.

While Noah and his family were gathering food and water, Miriam and Ezra began to gather the animals.  All the animals were very happy to be chosen to be on the ark and were all very kind to each other.  From the largest elephant to the tiniest ant, Miriam and Ezra brought animals from every corner of the earth.  The animals walked, flew, hopped or slithered their way onto the ark, just as the rain began to fall.

When Miriam and Ezra made sure that Noah and his family, all the food and water and all the pairs of animals were aboard the ark, there was a mighty crash, as God himself closed the ark door, ready for the flood.  That was when the rain got very heavy. 

Just as God had told Noah, it rained for forty days and forty nights and all of the land disappeared, even the tallest mountains.  Every creature, large and small, was warm and dry in the ark.  Even when God sent the strong winds to dry up the earth, all of God’s creatures were safe aboard the ark.

One day, the ark finally stopped floating and everyone knew that soon, there would be land and that everyone would be able to leave the ark.  It was soon after that that Noah called on Miriam again for help.  He asked her to fly out and see if it was safe to leave the ark yet.  Miriam brought back an olive branch and Noah knew that very soon it would be time to leave the ark.

Sometime later, Noah sent Miriam out again, but this time asked Ezra to go with her and when they did not return, Noah knew that they had found somewhere to land and build a nest.  It was time for everyone to leave the ark and find a new home!

The same as the animals came onto the ark, they left, two by two, walking, crawling, flying and slithering. The sun shone down brightly and everyone was happy to see the bright new world that was clean and fresh.

Noah and his family built an altar and as they all knelt down and thanked God for keeping them safe and dry on the ark, Miriam and Ezra flew down to pray with them.  They all thanked God for bringing them through the rain to this beautiful new world. 

Copyright 2013