As Christmas approaches, it doesn't seem to take long before we start to hear....Keep Christ in Christmas.
Who needs to keep Christ in Christmas?
Those who believe that Jesus is their Saviour.
It would not make any sense to tell anyone else to keep Christ in Christmas.
As many people know I often question Christmas anyway. I see it as a man made holiday, not something that the Bible has told us in any way to celebrate. So, personally I am getting a little more laid back about worrying about doing things exactly right.
Because to be honest, if we want to celebrate that we are so totally unable to save ourselves, that God had to come down in bodily form to die for us, I truly don't see how what we are doing in December truly reflects that. O.K., I know that He came as a gift and the Magi brought gifts, so now we give gifts.
But lets not kid ourselves that we have the corner on God's idea of how we should celebrate something that really gets very little airplay in the Bible.
I have a fascination with the feasts of the old testament. They are deep and rich in meaning. They were (and are) celebrated in the way that was commanded by God. I can not read Exodus and Leviticus with realizing to a point how absolutely holy God is and how we are incapable of doing anything on our own.
I feel that Christmas cheapens God.
So enjoy the season, thank God for His Son and enjoy your family but make sure you don't make Christmas more than it is.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Inside my head...
When will I stop spinning. Why, when I have been at home for 16 months now, do I still feel like I am not on top of anything.Why do I get so angry. I know why...
My twisted view on my life is that when I get my home organized, everything will be fine. But looking waaayyy back to the beginning of my posts..well...that's what I thought then too. But I 'think' that if I let go of that goal, my world will surely collapse.
Today I'm feeling a little toppled...
Hugs
Yo
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Kindred Spirits
I have a dear friend who has spent a huge part of our friendship living in Alberta. One of those friends that you just wish lived next door, because you know you would never tire of each other.
We have had good times together when Tami was young, we've loved the Lord together, we've bought automobiles together and sadly, shared the experiences of breast cancer together.
I was overwhelmed and humbled when I received this e-mail from her after announcing my retirement.
I think that through my many experiences she has been living in my head, she has understood so well.
"So you took the step, eh?
Congratulations on 27 years of dedicated hard work that you gave the credit union.
You deserve to be honoured for it all. (I have never liked the word `deserved')
I suspect this retirement comes with a whole lot of mixed emotions -
relief, thankfulness for the job that was,
for the freedom to move on from there,
an awareness of what it cost you to work there all those years in terms of your physical energy, your emotional energy,
an awareness of how hard you worked and how much of your heart you invested in that place and in those people,
an awareness and memory of the things that were difficult,
pride in having done it all these years and all kinds of memories....
I wish you all the best too in whatever the future holds for you Yolanda.
May you be blessed and may you know happiness and contentment in it."
Thank you Pat.
Hugs
Yolanda
I've gone to find myself. If I get back before I've found me, please keep me here!
We have had good times together when Tami was young, we've loved the Lord together, we've bought automobiles together and sadly, shared the experiences of breast cancer together.
I was overwhelmed and humbled when I received this e-mail from her after announcing my retirement.
I think that through my many experiences she has been living in my head, she has understood so well.
"So you took the step, eh?
Congratulations on 27 years of dedicated hard work that you gave the credit union.
You deserve to be honoured for it all. (I have never liked the word `deserved')
I suspect this retirement comes with a whole lot of mixed emotions -
relief, thankfulness for the job that was,
for the freedom to move on from there,
an awareness of what it cost you to work there all those years in terms of your physical energy, your emotional energy,
an awareness of how hard you worked and how much of your heart you invested in that place and in those people,
an awareness and memory of the things that were difficult,
pride in having done it all these years and all kinds of memories....
I wish you all the best too in whatever the future holds for you Yolanda.
May you be blessed and may you know happiness and contentment in it."
Thank you Pat.
Hugs
Yolanda
I've gone to find myself. If I get back before I've found me, please keep me here!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Dutch Bingo
I'm back...maybe.
A few months back I signed up for a Wellness class at the Baptist church I was attending. I sat beside a girl names Dawn. She didn't attend the church but knew the girl that was leading the class. AND SHE WAS NOT DUTCH!
When we shared our names, she commented that Yolanda sounded dutch. Yes, I told her...I was dutch. She asked me my last name. I said it was Westerik, not a very common name. She told me that her husband was dutch and his grandmother was a Westerik.
Well, after a bit of back and forthing I found out that her husband's grandmother and my dad are FIRST cousins....their dad's were brothers!
and......
She also told me she knew another couple with the name Westerik from years ago...
their names...Brent & Jenny!!!
What fun is that!!!
That's all for today, but I am truly going to try to visit more regularly in the future.
Hugs
Yolanda
Quote:
A few months back I signed up for a Wellness class at the Baptist church I was attending. I sat beside a girl names Dawn. She didn't attend the church but knew the girl that was leading the class. AND SHE WAS NOT DUTCH!
When we shared our names, she commented that Yolanda sounded dutch. Yes, I told her...I was dutch. She asked me my last name. I said it was Westerik, not a very common name. She told me that her husband was dutch and his grandmother was a Westerik.
Well, after a bit of back and forthing I found out that her husband's grandmother and my dad are FIRST cousins....their dad's were brothers!
and......
She also told me she knew another couple with the name Westerik from years ago...
their names...Brent & Jenny!!!
What fun is that!!!
That's all for today, but I am truly going to try to visit more regularly in the future.
Hugs
Yolanda
Quote:
We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Two special Ladies
On Monday July 27th, my 52nd birthday I had the privilege of spending the day with my Tante Elly and my sister Roelien. We shared many wonderful memories and I just want to share a few. The first question I had for Tante Elly was...."how did you meet mom?"
Tante Elly and her family moved to Transcona from Holland in January 1955. It was cold! They moved in right down the street from mom and dad on Melrose. There was a stove in their house but it did not work. Tante Elly said to her husband...I saw blonde kids playing outside a little way down the street. So he went over and found out their neighbours were a 'dutch' family. Can you imagine how exciting that must have been?! Dad came over with fuses in his pocket, because he had already figured that might be the problem. That evening Tante Elly and family were already visiting for coffee. And so began an extremely special friendship. Tante Elly shared many stories of how they helped each other through many difficult times. Tante Elly was sick through all her pregnancies and had a nervous breakdown after Bruce was born. Mom always watched her children. And Tante Elly watch our family when mom went to her many church activities.
Then she shared this story:
A few years later...not to sure how many...Tante Elly got a gift of 6 liquer glasses from her husband. This was the first gift she had recieved from him in Canada, because there was just no money. (she spoke often of how both families had no money). Any way...mom was having company and asked if she could borrow the 6 liquer glasses and Tante Elly of course lent them.
But , one of them broke. Mom was hearbroken when she told Tante Elly. (when Tante Elly was telling us what mom said, I could almost see mom). There was course nothing to be done as there was no money to replace it. But mom felt she had to repay Tante Elly and so gave her a silver spoon holder that she had received from one of her sisters.
At the end of our beautiful visit with Tante Elly we had gifts to exchange with one another.
Roelien got a gift bag and so did I.
In Roelien's gift bag....5 liquer glasses...
In my bag...a silver spoon holder....
There are no words to describe that moment.
Hugs
Yolanda
Great is Thy faithfulness...O God my Father.
Tante Elly and her family moved to Transcona from Holland in January 1955. It was cold! They moved in right down the street from mom and dad on Melrose. There was a stove in their house but it did not work. Tante Elly said to her husband...I saw blonde kids playing outside a little way down the street. So he went over and found out their neighbours were a 'dutch' family. Can you imagine how exciting that must have been?! Dad came over with fuses in his pocket, because he had already figured that might be the problem. That evening Tante Elly and family were already visiting for coffee. And so began an extremely special friendship. Tante Elly shared many stories of how they helped each other through many difficult times. Tante Elly was sick through all her pregnancies and had a nervous breakdown after Bruce was born. Mom always watched her children. And Tante Elly watch our family when mom went to her many church activities.
Then she shared this story:
A few years later...not to sure how many...Tante Elly got a gift of 6 liquer glasses from her husband. This was the first gift she had recieved from him in Canada, because there was just no money. (she spoke often of how both families had no money). Any way...mom was having company and asked if she could borrow the 6 liquer glasses and Tante Elly of course lent them.
But , one of them broke. Mom was hearbroken when she told Tante Elly. (when Tante Elly was telling us what mom said, I could almost see mom). There was course nothing to be done as there was no money to replace it. But mom felt she had to repay Tante Elly and so gave her a silver spoon holder that she had received from one of her sisters.
At the end of our beautiful visit with Tante Elly we had gifts to exchange with one another.
Roelien got a gift bag and so did I.
In Roelien's gift bag....5 liquer glasses...
In my bag...a silver spoon holder....
There are no words to describe that moment.
Hugs
Yolanda
Great is Thy faithfulness...O God my Father.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Praising the Lord!
As many of you know we are having some fun with our addition.
The floor is rotten.
So I have had to venture into unknown territory to see if insurance would pay for it.
We were very fortunate that nephew Brent's boss was in the neighbourhood and came down to check out the situation once Brent discovered it. He pointed us in the direction of Title Insurance.
So I took a deep breath and faxed off all my information to Title Insurance (after a short phone call in which they were NO help) I had also e-mailed them earlier.
I gave myself a weeks deadline to call again if I I didn't get a reply. Well, I chickened out the first day. The next day, I said that I would call if I received nothing. I prayed as I opened the mailbox, AND THERE WAS THE INFORMATION I WANTED.
So the next step was getting in touch with the city. So I e-mailed them June 28th and have been waiting patiently. Yesterday I resent them an e-mail but it 'seemed' to bounce back. So today I was planning to phone and send a registered letter if necessary.
And yes you guessed right. Today I got an e-mail from them!!!!!
Now we aren't really a whole lot further along yet with the repairs..but communication is a very important first step!
Hugs
Yolanda
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.
The floor is rotten.
So I have had to venture into unknown territory to see if insurance would pay for it.
We were very fortunate that nephew Brent's boss was in the neighbourhood and came down to check out the situation once Brent discovered it. He pointed us in the direction of Title Insurance.
So I took a deep breath and faxed off all my information to Title Insurance (after a short phone call in which they were NO help) I had also e-mailed them earlier.
I gave myself a weeks deadline to call again if I I didn't get a reply. Well, I chickened out the first day. The next day, I said that I would call if I received nothing. I prayed as I opened the mailbox, AND THERE WAS THE INFORMATION I WANTED.
So the next step was getting in touch with the city. So I e-mailed them June 28th and have been waiting patiently. Yesterday I resent them an e-mail but it 'seemed' to bounce back. So today I was planning to phone and send a registered letter if necessary.
And yes you guessed right. Today I got an e-mail from them!!!!!
Now we aren't really a whole lot further along yet with the repairs..but communication is a very important first step!
Hugs
Yolanda
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.
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