This weekend was a big one for our family. We packed the car, picked up the kids from school and literally headed for the hills. We were attending my cousin’s wedding which was being held in a town 4 hours away, a town that is nestled in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. The drive was smooth and the scenery breath taking. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to drive through the Rockies can I suggest you put it on your ‘must do’ list. Around every twist and turn your breath is taken away by beauty and majesty. A definite reminder that God exists and nature is just one expression of this existence I refer to.

As we drove towards the fun and festivity the weekend promised there was a heaviness in our hearts. Only days earlier a dear friend who has been battling breast cancer took a turn for the worse. Her battle had become a fight. So in all of our excitement we had for my cousin and the weekend she had dreamed of, we silently ached, knowing that hours away our beautiful friend, Judy, could possibly pass from here to eternity and take her last breath.

Upon arriving at our destination we settled our children into the hotel, movies were on, snacks at the ready. This allowed Philip and I the opportunity to head down to the rehearsal party. We chatted and caught up with family and friends and fully engaged in the evening, it was relaxing and fun. I was enjoying the conversation and the much needed laughter but at 9:28pm I heard my phone buzz, indicating to me that I had received a text message. Fumbling through my bag I found my phone and with hesitation pressed the message receive button. My heart was pounding and I think I quietly knew what to expect. I breathed, blinked my eyes a few times and with all the courage I could muster I clicked on the message from my friend, Heather. The message was short and to the point and simply said, “Judy is gone to be with Jesus.”

My husband and I graciously excused ourselves for the evening and headed to our car. We clung to each other as we walked through the snow and on the icy road. The road being so slippery reminded me of life, sometimes your feet can come out from right under you. Sometimes the ground you are walking on isn’t so secure. Before getting into the car I looked back at the venue we had just left, the joyful sounds of laughter could still be heard and through the windows I could see the merriment that continued. I realized that even in the midst of beautiful joy and celebration sometimes sadness can find it’s way through the crowd.

Today, as I reflect on the weekend, my heart leaps for joy as I think of my cousin and how she is walking into her future with her new husband by her side. I think of my beautiful friend, Judy whom we are saying good-bye to and although my heart breaks because we will miss her and life won’t be the same without her added sparkle. I feel my heart skip a beat because through my faith in God I know that she now stands on solid ground, healed, whole and embracing eternity.

The words I hold onto today can be found in Ecclesiastes 1:3~8

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather then, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Take time today to hug those who are close, call those who are far and let them know that your life is better because they are in it.
Susan

As many of my readers will remember, my late father, Graham Taylor, loved a good garage sale. He would drive miles to pick through odds and ends. Never did a sale go by that he didn’t return with a treasure chest (actually it was his red truck) bursting with gidgets and gadgets. Sometimes he would even return with the odd live animal perhaps a dishwasher for a cool $5.00 or a much needed tea set. You never knew what would accompany him on his return.

He loved garage sales and would often marvel at what people would sell. He would giggle away as he shared stories about buying a crystal water jug for $2.00. He would tell us how he was sure the seller had no idea it was crystal and what a steal he got. Then of course there were the old books, that now line the shelves of my mothers home. My father was a man who loved the written word. He knew his grandchildren loved to read as well and for him, finding a box of classics on a table for $10.00 was hard to pass up. I must admit, just last night my daughter cracked the cover of one of his book buys. She loves to read them and is reminded of him with every page she turns. Every once in awhile the kids are surprised with a hand written note on the inside. Grandpa always made sure he documented things, even down to the smallest of events and here my kids are treated with yet another memory of a great man.

Whilst we were living in Wolseley (a few years ago) there was a garage sale in town. Dad was up and wanted to get there early because he knew it was going to be a good sale. The lady hosting it had three children, so my father new that there would kids toys and more. He wanted to dive in and make a few purchases that would put smiles on his grandchildren’s faces.

My mum and I stayed home and let my dad have his fun. After about 30 minutes of being away we heard the kitchen door open. There was laughter and the kids were anxious to see what grandpa had bought. He pulled out toys and trinkets and of course, books. There was one purchase that seemed a little odd, almost like the saying ‘one of those things is not like the other’. He had bought a pair of Mukluks for $1.00. He pulled the Mukluks out and with perfect form created an impromtu presentation ceremony and presented them to my daughter Sophia. You see, my father knew how much Sophia loved fashion. He saw something in these used Mukluks that said ‘Sophia’.

To my surprise my daughter squealed with excitement, wrapped her arms around grandpa’s neck and thanked him over and over. Now, fast forward 3 years and these well used Mukluks have been, since the first day of receiving them, her everyday shoes. She has been stopped by the most fashionable women in shops and on the streets of many cities to ask where she purchased them. Mother’s at school comment on her style and how much they like them and girlfriends ask to borrow them. Who would have guessed that a pair of $1.00 Mukluks bought from a garage sale could create such conversation and in some cases even coveting.

This past weekend our family was in Edmonton attending our son’s soccer tournament. Between games we braved the West Edmonton Mall for some retail therapy. Whilst shopping my daughter was (once again) stopped in her tracks by a fellow female shopper and was asked where she got her Mukluks. She responded by saying, “My grandfather bought them for me for $1.00 at a garage sale.” The girls face flashed with shock and responded by saying, “I’ll buy them from you for $50.00.” To which Sophia replied by saying, “No thank you, I really like them.” We parted ways and as we did, we marvelled at the lure of these Mukluks.

We carried on shopping and an hour later bumped into the same girl again. This time she greeted Sophia with, “Okay, I really want those Mukluks. Can I offer you $100.00 right now and you can go and buy any new shoe you want?” Sophia graciously replied, “Thank you but no thanks, these are really special to me.” We parted ways and again we marvelled at the conversation surrounding the hand-made footwear.

Who would have thought that my father’s $1.00 purchase at a garage sale would create so much conversation. As her mother I’m not sure that it’s the Mukluks that really shine, rather I believe it’s the beautiful girl that walks in them that gives them their lustre. These Mukluks are special because they were the last gift my father ever gave my daughter. The gift had almost no monetary value to them but it was a gift from the heart. My father SAW who my daughter really was, he took the time to know her and now through these $1.00 Mukluks and the attention they bring, she is reminded every time she wears them how much she was and is loved. How her grandfather saw her and that’s a gift that no one can buy, no one can ever take away or touch because it’s locked in the secret place in her heart.

One girls trash truly can be another girls treasure.

Susan

I’m writing this article from the comfort of my couch, the fire is dancing in front of me, billowy pillows surround me, my legs are stretched out and my feet are resting comfortably on my coffee table, my computer nestled nicely on my lap. I’m comfy. It is morning and it’s the quiet of the morning which is my favourite time of day. The kids are still nestled in their beds and the house is quiet. This is my time to focus, pray and dream. I love the quiet of the morning.

Here’s a video of my friends, Barry Southgate and Darlene Zschech, singing this song. Enjoy friends.

(Reposted….. It’s as good as it was the first time. Enjoy!)

I heard it said once that if you stand for nothing you will fall for anything. I think that’s an extremely powerful statement. I know in my own life there have been moments and situations that I have been saved from, simply because I knew exactly where I stood personally and at times corporately.

Hearing this statement caused me to consider my life today. I am a wife and mother of three who, together with my husband Philip, are trying to raise strong, confident, compassionate children who will hopefully make a difference in this world. With this in mind I’ve realised that it is incumbent upon Philip and myself to know exactly where we stand and what we believe in so that we can give our children a foundation to stand on.

This brings me to the Code of Conduct, which means ‘a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group’. We need to establish our own, personal Family Code of Conduct, this will allow each person the ability to know exactly what we as families stand for and what the expectations are of everyone in the group/family. The grey is erased, everyone is on solid, common ground and together families can move forward.

I’m not naïve enough to think that something like this will save us all from possible heart ache, pain and tears that will be shed over the years. However I do believe that when there is a common goal and a thread that brings us together as families, when we know what we stand for, falling for anything else is a lot harder. When we come face-to-face with the possibility of falling that’s when we hear that still small voice that calls us back and helps us to stand in the midst of craziness, strangeness, darkness and confusion.

Whatever the age of your children or grandchildren talk to them and together; establish your own Family Code of Conduct.

Susan

I received this email the other day and I thought I would share it with all of you (I asked for permission of course). As the title says, this emails exemplifies ‘life as it comes’. The email is from Michaela, whom you all know and love, to her friends and family, simply filling them in on life and asking her community to step up when life gets hard.

Enjoy.

Susan

Email from Michaela to friends and family:

I hope this email finds you safe, happy and well.

Much ado about everything has been happening since the last update that I thought I’d share a little with you all so you can join our family in prayer. I’ll make this a quick one.

Please pray for my younger sister who, for those who don’t know, is living in the UK and has just had a new baby. My sister took ill the other day was rushed to hospital were, from what we gather, was in a semi-comatose state for 3 days and still has the doctors baffled as to why. She has come out of the woods (thank God) and is now responsive, but I would really appreciate your ongoing prayer for her, her husband and their three children for the weeks ahead when she will be in recovery. A BIG thanks to Evangeline’s brother and sister-in-law who kindly travelled from London to stay for a couple of days to help Luke out with things at home. Their five year old handled things fine, but their two year old lost the plot for a while and will hopefully be much better now knowing that mummy will be home soon. Their newborn was settled after realising that the bottle is now her new best friend. My brother-in-law is SUCH a good husband and father. Keep him in your thoughts and pray he will be strengthened during this time.

Just quickly, last week my 13 year old daughter Mannie flew up to Sydney to stay with my parents where she had a wonderful time terrorising Rocky (my youngest brother), playing with the last remaining chicken Blacky (Hero, Will’s dog made a light meal of the other two Snowy and Teryaki and ate alfresco right outside the back door for the kids to see…so considerate of him!) and visiting various friends and relatives. She told me upon arrival back in windy Melbourne that she didn’t have enough time to squeeze in all that she wanted to do and see all the people she had listed…oh the life of a traveller…a teenage traveller at that! Thank you to everyone who managed to pop in and spend some time with Mannie, she really misses everyone, as family and friends are everything to her. She was also grateful to live the life of a jetsetter for a week. Heaven help me when she’s 18 and wants to tour the world with her girlfriends!

Melbourne had gale force winds last Wednesday and many neighbouring suburbs are still blacked out. We were spared which is just as well because I just bought a fresh tub of chocolate ice cream! With the weather so bad I panicked slightly as that was the day Mannie flew in. She was fine when I FINALLY reached her. What should have been a 30min trip took 2.5hours as many roads were closed due to accidents. Once I got to the airport and was told Mannie was not on her flight and they had no record of her flying as an unaccompanied minor. Of course after getting her to search another few hundred times, I burst into tears with my brother on the other end of my frantic phone call trying to calm me down and help me figure out what the mix-up was. Basically the lady at check-in in Sydney told her she didn’t need to worry about giving her the already filled in paperwork, so she was never registered as an unaccompanied minor. So you can see how after being so late I kinda lost it. That aside I am happy to have my baby back home nestled safely into our cute little house that is currently being showered with autumn leaves…a truly gorgeous sight. Autumn being my favourite season will be captured on our new camera so I can email you visual updates of our adventures.

For all those who love Thai, I have discovered the best Thai food in Australia at a dinky little restaurant called The King & I, which is close to home. For the rest of you who don’t really care, try not to be jealous that Koko Black is not yet in Sydney or anywhere else that I know of. It is a Belgium chocolate and coffee house which makes whatever you’re gourmet choice of coffee and the like taste like drive through decaf.

I’ll sign off now. Thanks to all who have already committed to pray for my sister and thanks to all who’ll begin. Knowing that you’re all spread across the world, but still a phone call or an email away helps during the rough patches.

Love to all,
Michaela.