white fluffy wonderfullness

We have snow. And it's marvelous!
Today, after decorating the lounge to look like a Christmas story, I stole the Thiessen kids to go play outside in the snow. There's something so amazing about the snow. Maybe it's the flipping out of the snow fort and knowing you're going to land safely in a pile of fluff?
I'll post pictures of our super-amazing indestructible snow for soon...

blessings

Blessings don't always come the way you expect them to. A smile, handshake, letter, hug, child, laughter... there are no limits. I sometimes forget that, that blessings are so simple that I'm blind-sided and a little surprised when they hit me.
I go to a different kind of church, one that reaches out to drug addicts and alcoholics, and although I feel a little out of my element... ok, a LOT out of my element... one of the guys who is currently coming out of an addiction gave a testimony this morning that falls into the category of one of those "blind-sided" blessings.
How did I not see the blessing? How did I miss that I have the privilege of seeing these peoples' lives changed? This morning, my blinders were taken off.
Lord, help me to keep them down.

dusty

I enjoy the office. I enjoy knowing what I'll be doing every day and I enjoy being inside, watching the winter set upon us from my rolling chair (which, I'm a little ashamed to say, gets used too much for tasks that my feet are very capable of doing... like rolling to Marie's desk or refilling the paper tray in the printer etc.).

Well, even though I love that, I also like a little change. Oh... this week, there's change. We're renovating the office. Not simply redecorating or sprucing up. Things were ripped off walls, immense "oops" holes were made by over-powerful female staff, desks collapsed on top of people, toes were crushed, a large amount of wall putty was put on big holes, 12 year-old shelves came crashing down...  it's been wonderful! 

I've also come to the conclusion that there's a whole lot of prep work to do just to paint! It's crazy! But the thing is, with the rose-petal pink we chose for the walls, any "defect" would be super obvious...

thanks for the memories

Staff meeting: it happens every week... as ususal, we were rushing to make it before 4:15 so we could score some fancy tea (for me) and exquisite coffee(for Marie). Last Thursday we were swiftly walking (not quite running yet...) and we saw that our internet providers posted this hilarious sign next to the driveway; what better photo op then to pose next to a guy way too excited for not-so-high-speed internet?

trigger

Have you heard that smell is the biggest "memory" trigger? I have... and I never thought it was true. Tuesday night I walked into a building that housed a pool and this sense of anticipation crashed over me like a wave. I wasn't even there for swimming and I got the sudden urge to dive right into the over-chlorinated just to feel free. To be able to move and feel weightless. We were talking about "why swimming?" and the conclusion was drawn that with most sports, it's like you against another person, or yourself. With swimming, it's you against "the elements" it's you against the water...
For me it's like nothing else matters, I can't push through it. I can kick hard, pull stronger and conquer the challenge placed in front of me.
But that's just with swimming... we can try to apply it our everyday lives. To push harder to make it through, to keep our heads above water, but in general, we just end up drowning. Eventually, we run out of strength; the waves pile up and we need to grab onto the side. But that's where God comes in: He pushes us forward. When we admit that we're weak and can't push and pull ourselves through, we simply have to allow Him to haul us to the finish. The great part, is that we don't make it to the end wiped and without energy, we have a renewed strength and we cross the finish line, almost ready to take on the next sea, pool or puddle.

all comtemporary like...

After driving around Joliette a couple of times I finally found a cafe that offered wireless internet! This makes me happy. The simple pleasures in life. The internet at the centre has been down for the past 4 days and although I don't blog on a regular basis (or - hardly ever), oddly enough, I've wanted to for the past 4 days.

So here I am... sitting by a big window in a cafe with my faithful Toshiba, a huge mug of hot chocolate (note to self: always get a small here...), a scarf and my cell phone next to me and I can't help but think I'm like the model of contemporary. Not so much? Ok, I tried.

This weekend I met an amazing bunch of people from Montreal and they were truly inspiring. It's been a long time since I've seen a passion like I saw in them. Their hearts and lives are truly sold-out to the Lord and for His work to be done in their lives and through them as well. I had a passion like that once... where did it go? It gave me a huge wake-up call... I want my passion back!

What does that look like? Did I lose it? Or, did I simply get used to it being a passion and then not get as "excited" about it anymore?
I've been debating this with God for the past couple of days- and asking Him to give me my passion back and He keeps reminding me, that it's still there... just kind of stale. And it's true, I guess. I'm feeling like I've lost touch with God in some aspects of my life, and I'm desperately seeking Him. It's like, in that, the more I seek Him, the more my passions will be reignited.