Keep Calm and Carry On

Have you ever really, realllllly wanted – even needed - something to happen… and it didn’t?

Of course you have. We wouldn’t be human if we got everything we ever wanted. But sometimes, it seems kind of cruel, doesn’t it?

Remember the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory - I love this movie. I think it borders on profound. It’s like a brochure on the evils of greed, gluttony, and selfishness. The hero is none of those things; the other children are all of those things. The hero survives; the others are destroyed by their impulsiveness, obnoxiousness, and covetousness.

They see something, they need to have it, they go out and get it.

They’re not much different than you and I.

We see something, we need to have it, we go out and get it, don’t we?

These past four months I’ve struggled with situational contentment. An issue we’ve prayed for hasn’t changed; a situation we’ve needed to resolve has remained the same. I feel ready to break, and yet, there’s been no give.

I used to believe we’re not given more than we can handle. Now I feel like that can’t be right.

Sure, I’m not the kids in this story. My biggest problem is not whether or not I get an invitation to a chocolate factory, or how much TV I get to watch, or if I’m the world record gum chewer.

My problem is actually a legitimate problem. What I want seems pretty reasonable.

But you can’t always get what you want.

The thing about these seasons where you can’t get what you want is that it makes it very hard to watch other people seem to get what they want. It makes it very hard to hear other people muse about your reality as hypothetical situations -‘if I were you, I’d do this…‘ I want to be teachable. I want to be open. I want to grow. But something I wish I could tell the world, "guess what, you don’t have those things. Be happy and stop talking."

So today, I’m going to get up and do the things I need to do. I’m going to go about my day and be thankful. I’m going to care for my husband. I’m going to clean my house. I’m going to make dinner. I’m going to take the puppy for a walk. I’m going to wash those clothes, I’m going to . .. … .. …

The more I do those things, the more thankful I am for all of those things I need to do.

We are blessed by abundance. Sometimes we just need eyes to see it.

Perhaps, if we got everything we needed, we’d never see those things.

So, in case any of you are in one of those seasons where you desperately need something to change and, for some bizarre reason, it just won’t, know that there’s at least one other person fighting hard to

keep calm and carry on.

It’s going to be okay. Really. Realllllly. We can do it.

Blessings

What is?

Does anyone remember the game show “Jeopardy?” For all I now; it could still be on t.v. in reruns, I don’t really watch much t.v.

Anyway the premise of the show is that it features trivia in a wide variety of topics, including history, literature, the arts, pop culture, science, sports, geography, and wordplay; however, unlike them, it has a unique answer-and-question format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.

For example, a contestant might select "Presidents for $200," and the resulting clue might be "The Father of Our Country; he didn't really chop down a cherry tree," to which the contestant would respond "Who is George Washington?"

I’ve been feeling a lot like a contestant on Jeopardy recently with each and every visit to my Doctor. Readers will recall this post and this one where I decide that I am determined to find out what ails me, to two years later to this post where I have resigned myself to not finding any answers.

However, I decided to pursue it just a wee bit more.

So if we were playing Jeopardy, let’s select health for $800.
Clue: Fibromyaglgia, Supraventricular tachycardia, Hypoglycaemia, Hypertrophy Calcineurin Arthritis, these medical terms refer to this.

Cue the music - {do do do dodo do do do dah dah dah dah dun dun dun dun dun dun}

Answer: What has Anita been diagnosed with?

Ding, ding, DING, ding DING!!!!

You WIN!

I am sure you must have a lot questions - I know I did - so thanks to Wikipedia, let me break it down for you. .. . . . .. . .

Fibromyalgia:
a central nervous system disorder, is described as a 'central sensitisation syndrome' caused by neurobiological abnormalities which act to produce physiological pain and cognitive impairments. The defining symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic widespread pain, fatigue, and heightened pain in response to tactile pressure. Other symptoms may include tingling of the skin, prolonged muscle spasms, weakness in the limbs, nerve pain, muscle twitching, palpitations, functional bowel disturbances, and chronic sleep disturbances. Stress may be an important precipitating factor in the development of fibromyalgia.

Supraventricular tachycardia:
is a general term that refers to any rapid heart rhythm originating above the ventricular tissue. Symptoms can come on suddenly and may go away without treatment. Stress, exercise, and emotion can all result in a normal or physiological increase in heart rate, but can also, though more rarely, precipitate SVT. Episodes can last a few minutes or as long as 1 or 2 days, sometimes persisting until treated.

Hypoglycaemia:
is an abnormally diminished content of glucose in the blood. The term literally means "low sugar blood". It can produce a variety of symptoms and effects but the principal problems arise from an inadequate supply of glucose to the brain, resulting in impairment of function, characterized by shakiness and altered mood and thinking.

Hypertrophy calcineurin arthritis:
calcified arthritis located on the C4 {this is the big one}, C5, and C6 cervical vertebrae which affects the nerves on the right side of the body and these nerves also run from the brain through the spinal cord to the body. They connect to the muscles and tissues of the body, allowing them to function.

So there you have it.

While there is no cure for any of these, it feels good to finally have some answers.  I've known this for a while and yet I was hesitant to write and post this to the blog for fear that once it’s “out there” I’ll be labelled not by who I am but by what I have.

Blessings

On being a farmer's wife

As a child we would visit my Schwartzentruber grandparents on their farm and I remember going into their dairy barn with my nose plugged closed so I would not have to smell that fresh "county" air. How ironic is it that I married a dairy farmer?!?

After losing our dairy barn in 1998 and deciding not to re-build, we chose to remain on the farm and become a cash cropper. For those who are unfamiliar with 'farm-talk' that means we grow a variety of crops (corn, soy beans, wheat etc.) for cash.

Farmer in the Dell
The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell
Hi-ho the dairy-o, the farmer in the dell.

 

The farmer takes a wife, the farmer takes a wife
Hi-ho the dairy-o, the farmer takes a wife.

One of the things I've learned during both planting and harvesting is that it's very important to stay out of the farmer's way during this time and just let him do his thing. It used to be a stressful time for me when the kids were younger, because Daddy was very busy and parenting our kids would become mostly my responsibility. Now though it's much easier to cope with the long work days and the stress he faces relying on the weather for getting the crops off.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1 it reminds me There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: knowing this helps me to put the busyness into perspective and to know that this is not forever. I wonder..... shouldn't there be a support group for us.

Hello my name is Anita and I am a farmer's wife.

Blessings

Panic

“Ok - promise me you won’t freak out” are the words my son says to me the other day, and all I can think of is: “W-H-A-T?!? are you kidding me of course I’m going to freak out” but what I actually say is “o-k-a-y, sure, so what’s going on?” to which he repeats “don’t freak out, ok?”

Why is it when we’re about to give bad news to people we hesitate or we try to prepare them by telling them that even though I’ve got bad news, everything is ok. Um, hello, if everything was ok, then why are you telling me not become alarmed.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a tendency to panic which according to dictionary.com is: a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behaviour.

Yep, that’s me alright.

As I hear or experience any type of trauma, my mind leaps ahead to worst case scenarios. Like the one time when my husband was late one evening and I have him dead and the funeral all planned. Or when I can’t reach my son on the phone and I think he’s passed out because he lit his gas stove and the noxious fumes have filled the room. Or, how about the time I am home alone and I hear a weird noise so I lock myself in the house constantly looking out the window for any intruder. Or, well, anyway I am sure you get the idea. Wayne thinks it’s because I watch to many movies or read to many books that have these type of stories in them and then I find myself thinking through all these crazy ideas.

I tend to be afraid a lot. In fact, I tend to limit the opportunities that are offered to me because of fear. I’ve often thought about writing a bucket list {which is basically a wish list of things you want to do before you die} to help me overcome my fear, but then I’m afraid I’ll only let myself down cause I won’t be able to cross anything off because there are just too many things that I am afraid of.

And then I gently remind myself of this: John 14: 27 {NIV} Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Blessings

you-google-izer

Have you ever wondered why? Why are leaves green? Why do cats purr? Why aren't we happy?

Why is probably the most singularly asked question that our world has revolved around. When you have a question where do you go to find the answer? I use the Internet most of the time, books second and asking lastly. I go onto the net to find out everything from medical advice to how to clean something.   It's no wonder then it's nicknamed "The Information Highway". There is truly a marvel of information found on the net.

Just the other day I wanted to find out how to set an older watch - one we have long since lost the instruction manual for - so off to google I go.  And there it was - the exact instructions - AWESOME!!!  Making the watch useful again. Putting random words in the google search bar could get you into trouble so you should be careful with what you type in ..... .

The information available on the Internet these days is kind of like having a school; where you learn the newest and most up to date info without having to buy all the textbooks, at your fingertips.

I love to read and cuddle up with a good book but when I want info in a hurry it's to the computer and surfing the net for those quick answers. There are times when it can be frustrating not finding the answer you're looking and I've always wondered who puts all that info out there?

When you have questions, where do you go for the answers? 

The only dumb question is the one not asked.

Blessings

K. P. A.

{Kyle Protection Agency}

We were in Orillia over the weekend, spending time with our son.  And as he chauffeured us around showing us 'his' town, and with him being 295lbs and 6' 3", it felt a little like having our own personal bodyguard, giving me at least a feeling of celebrity status. 

From the moment we arrived we were busy with: eating lunch at the TUX, {where he works as security} walking through the many shops downtown, while there was also an old car show through streets of town and just hanging out at his place.

We also spent time with our niece Brenda, her husband Rich and their two adorable children, Cedar & Nemma.  They blessed us with a place to stay and breakfast the next morning. 

Spending time with my Spike always bolsters my spirit. Watching our son become an independent young man, out on his own, helps me to realize that I did a good job as a parent. Sure I/we weren't perfect, and I know we made our share of mistakes - but when you see your sons or daughter "out there" on their own, well, it makes me proud.

As we finished lunch with Kyle & his girlfriend Teya we walked through the park and I captured this photo of them.

And before you know it, it was time to head for home.  Saying good-bye was hard as it always seems to be.  As we drove the many miles to get back home, the ache in my heart did start to ease and as I sit here remembering our time together, I am thankful.  Thankful that we can spend time with family, enjoying each other's company, and so very, very thankful that it's only a few hours of a drive; one that we can make again and again.  Until next time .. ... . ... .

Blessings

Being the only one

I walk through my house, thoughts swirling through my mind like the dust bunnies doing dances in front of my vacuum.

I think of other women who have cleaner houses. Which leads to thoughts of other women who cook better meals. And that goes on to other women who have cuter outfits, and are better at twitter, and can make small talk with ease.

I wish I could be like… is the refrain that goes round and round in my mind.

Finally I hit the power button on the vacuum, feeling drained myself.

I whisper a question, “God, why do I feel I need to be like so many other people?”

It seems there is an answer that comes so quiet…

Because the enemy would rather have you be like anyone but Jesus. As we used to say, um, duh. If I’m busy trying to be like Mary, Martha and Margaret then I’m left with no time to be me. Or, more specifically, to let Jesus be who He is through me.

Each of us are made in the image of God. That means we’re created to show Him to the world in a way no one else ever has and no one else ever will.

I do that by being who He made me.  And you do that by being you.

So listen, let’s decide together that we will stop trying to be like each other.  And instead be conformed to the one whose likeness we’re made in.

I empty the vacuum bag, dust and clutter giving way to clean again. I smile because my heart suddenly feels like that too.

Comparison replaced by clarity – about who I am, what I’m called to do, and the God who choose me for His purposes.

And you.

And you.

And you.

All of us. Just as we are – and unlike anyone else.

Blessings