Yikes! I'm going to have to edit my Profile!

Ruth and I are going to be Grandparents!!!!!!

I found out last week from Kim that her and Dan are going to have a baby by the end of this September. Kim and I planned to hold off telling Ruth until her birthday next week. She was going to give her a birthday card that said " Happy Birthday Grandma!" and surprise the socks off Ruth. I was going to warn the manager of Tuckers that there will be a lady screaming at our table, but all is good, she just found out she is going to be a grandmother! Kim says " are you sure you can keep it a secret for a whole week?" I said, " no problem".

Guess who couldn't keep it a secret? Ruth found out yesterday. Kim couldn't wait. Oh well, it was her surprise to begin with.

WOW! I'm too young to be a grandfather! She was just a kid herself a few years ago. She just got married! It must have been that book we gave them. Boy they learn quick.

I think I need a reality check. Maybe an ice cold shower will work.

I like babies. I always wanted one of my own. Now I'll have one to play with. I'm going out to buy him/her a fishing pole. I'm going to be the fishing/ teaching Grampa! Maybe after the shower I'll become rational again.

I'm going to be a grampa!

I'm going to be a grampa!

Did I mention I'm going to be a grampa?

Ruth is going to be a grandma!

She's too young to be a grandma!

Oh Boy! or Girl? Who cares? As long as it's healthy!
We need to keep them in prayer.
Would you join us?

Celebrating 50 Years of Life

My wife Ruth turns 50 on January 31st, 2008. We had a celebration on this past Friday Jan 25Th at Crossfire( Thanks Pastor Roy & Patti for letting us use the church) which consisted mostly of friends. There were over 40 people in attendance with several who wanted to be there but couldn't. We will have another celebration on on her birthday which will be more intimate and include mostly family members and a few friends. There is a little poem that says; " You count your age by friends not years, you count your life by smiles, not tears." By this measure, Ruth is a very rich lady indeed!
So, why all the hoop law for one person? There are some who would say; " who cares?" It's only another birthday. To those I would say, firstly, Jesus cares, allot, and secondly, by all the friends Ruth has, I would say there are many who care about her very much and many who's lives she has made a positive life changing effect.
You see, Ruth is a very special person. She has a gift that I do not possess. She has the ability to open up her heart and show love to people she hardly even knows. After 15 minutes with her, it is like they knew each other for 15 years. Open, honest, loving giving. She has that same child like trust that most children have. You know what I mean. Children can go up to anyone, without fear, with this child like innocence, without prejudice, and shower love and affection on a complete stranger. Ruth has not lost this child like innocence. Unfortunately, this also makes them vulnerable.
One of the things I admire mostly about Ruth and have since the very first day I met her, is despite her physical limitations, she loves life to the fullest, she loves people, and she never gives up trying and nothing seems to wipe that smile off her face! Her mobility, as she gets older, is making it harder and harder for her to get around and causes chronic pain in her left leg and hip. Years of epileptic seizures and the acquired brain injury from 3 brain operations has taken it's Toll ( no pun intended, that's her maiden name) on her body. Her neurologist just told her this past week, that she will not be able to work again. She said this has brought some closure to her struggle to find work and has lifted a burden she has had to have gainful employment. She really wants to work and contribute to society. That is her heart. But she can't. For periods of time she has tried working at Old peoples' homes, March of Dimes, Walmart, and the last job was Homewell Home care being a companion for an old couple. Even that got too hard for her eventually. I could see her frustration as she fought her physical limitations to try and do her work, but "it" seemed to win every time.

I was thinking at her party the other night, looking around at who was there and listening to the words of those that spoke kindly about Ruth and how she has made a difference in their life. You know what God showed me? All these years, not knowing it, Ruth has been doing God's work.
There were people at the party, that may not have been there, had Ruth not intervened just at the right time under the leadership and guidance if the Holy Spirit. You see, Ruth and Holy Spirit have a very special relationship. They talk to each other. He is as real to Ruth as I am. He is her friend and constant companion, her protector, provider and her leader. I know for a fact that there was one happy family in attendance, with two beautiful children, that would not be there had Ruth not obediently, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, taken this troubled, vulnerable young lady into our home and unknowingly counselled her back onto the right road and provided what she needed to get herself back on her feet again. Candy mentioned this in her words, and acknowledged her thankfulness to Ruth for this. There are many others that have been affected because of Ruth's special relationship with Holy Spirit.

And then there's me! There was a time in my life, I was NOT a nice person. My heart was so hard, I could make Al Capone look like a school boy. Then Jesus got a hold of me and gave me a second chance. Then, I believe Holy Spirit sent Ruth into my life to finish the job. I don't think anybody else could love me like she does and has. I have not deserved it and many times I have not returned it, but Ruth with that never give up attitude has stuck with me and now we are on a road together working as " The Team" under the direction of Holy Spirit.

Ruth, honey, you are working! You are doing God's work loving people and helping to change lives for the better. Keep up the good work!
I believe when you see him face to face, you are going to hear those sweet words from the master; " Well done, good and faithful servant."

I Love you and HAPPY FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY! Celebrating fifty years of fruitful life.

Numbers 6: 24-26
"The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

AND MANY MANY MORE..........................................................

BURNS SUPPER

This has nothing to do with burning dinner. I, along with my dad, Lynn,Bruna and Lynn's friend from her old job, went to the Erskine Presbyterian 7Th Annual Burns Supper. This church is just around the corner from the King St. Baptist church our church would like to move into. In fact, we got to park in the parking lot! Cool. Ruth went to see Mama Mia with her girlfriend who treated her for her birthday. Rabbie Burns was a Scotsman( a colourful one) that lived back in the 1700's. He is remembered because of his poetry and song writing and his life is celebrated by good Scotsman everywhere by eating a good meal that included Steak Pie, Mashed Tatties, Peas, Neeps, Haggis, Cake, Tea, Coffee and Juice. The Haggis is piped in ceremonially by bag pipes. What is Haggis? It's a traditional Scottish dish made from sheep's offal, oatmeal, suet and seasonings, boiled in a bag made from the sheep's stomach. It tastes kind of like liverwurst. Not bad. The evening consisted of a tribute to the Immortal Memory of Rabbie Burns, a toast to the Lassies, a toast to the Laddies and the singing of Auld Lang Syne ( Remember New Years Eve?) which he apparently wrote. The entertainment for the evening was by a group called the Scottish Connection. They were excellent musicians. If you enjoy Gaelic music, which I do, you would love this group. My Scottish genes were a dancin'. Let me leave you with a song, that was sung by Deborah Szabo.


THE STAR O'RABBIE BURNS


There is a star whose beaming ray
Is shed on every clime
It shines by night, it shines by day
And ne'er grows dim wi'time
It rose upon the banks o'Ayr
It shone on Doon's clear stream
A hundred years are gone and mair,
Yet brighter grows its beam

CHORUS
Let Kings and curtiers rise an' fa'
This world has many turns,
But brightly beams aboon them a'
The Star o' Rabbie Burns

Anybody want to go next year? I'll be there! Thanks Dad. Another good memory!

Automation for the Nation

Well, so far this year I have had several buses that are equipped with the new automatic stop caller. This thing is great, cause I hate calling stops. As you may know, it is now law in Toronto that we call every stop just in case we have a blind person on the bus. It's a ladies voice. I would say she was in her mid thirties and smokes a pack a day of players plain by the sounds of her. We have other buttons we can push to ask people to move back, move behind the white line, warn of a short turn, proof of payment route etc. These are a man's voice. Why? I have no idea. I guess they think the man's voice is more like a disciplinarian or something. There may be some truth to this. When Kim, our daughter was younger, if Ruth wasn't getting anywhere with her discipline she would always ask me to interject with my "male voice". She did seem to move a little quicker. We must sound scary or something. In the dog world, it's usually the "B----", I better not use the "B" word (girl dog) that does the barking at the kids (pups). Not so I guess, with people. Although some of you single moms may beg to differ, cause you had to play both roles.
So, before each stop this nice lady calls out the stop for me and then it is shown in writing on a screen as well. Would you believe that people still come up and ask me what the next stop is? I mean really, how dumb can people be? I wouldn't believe it when I first started this job, but after 10 years of dealing with the public, you tend to get a little sceptical. People really don't listen. No wonder psycho therapists are so much in demand. They get paid to listen to us. I think I'm going to need one pretty soon. My stress level has come down a few notches with this device. If you can imagine a bus route that is 45 minutes long one way, it may have over 100 stops and then 125 going the other way, all different names( that's 225 stops on one route) and we were having to memorize over 50 routes. This was next to impossible,cause you had to call the stop well before you got to it, so just reading the street sign wouldn't cut it. It was taking me 3 to 4 weeks to memorize a short route that was 15 minutes one way. This had only about 60 stops both ways. It got to the point that we were so frustrated, nobody was calling stops anymore and if they fired one of us, we were all going to walk off the job. We have to multi-task as it is. Drive a large vehicle in demanding city traffic, deal with difficult people, schedules we have no control over, collect money, answer questions etc. etc. One more task was getting a little too much. But thank God that is almost over. OK enough beefing. I'm thankful I have a job and an automated work spouse to help me out. Here's your laugh for the day.

" After he finished his route, a bus driver had to explain to the supervisor why he was 10 minutes late: " I was stuck behind a big truck."
" But yesterday you were 10 minutes early," reminded the boss.
"Yeah", the bus driver replied. " But yesterday I was stuck behind a porsche!"

Have a blessed week!

What to do??

Well...... It's Ruth's birthday on January 31, and she'll be turning the BIG 50. This is one of those milestone birthdays and we who know her, know she loves to party. It's especially big for her, because after three brain operations and one where she almost bled to death, according to her Doctors, she's not supposed to be here. She was also not supposed to have a smile and be paralyzed on one side. But we all see her big smile don't we! They were wrong and she has beaten the odds. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with her, was her dogged determination to never quit, plus her beautiful smile and she was kinda cute too! Problem is, she's always the one doing the planning. I'm not a party planner. I work out of town and have precious little time for planning parties. I like going to them, but not planning them. What do I do? Her birthday falls on a Thursday, which happens to be my off day, so that's not a problem, but she wants like 30 people or more to her party. Who's going to come on a Thursday night? We could have it the Sunday before, after church, but she says she likes house parties, cause not everybody she wants to come can afford to eat out. So how about the Friday before the big event? How do we fit 30 people in our Kitchen/living room to eat? What do I do? She also loves surprises, how can I make this a surprise? What would you do if you were me?
I need all the help I can get.
Any Suggestions?
Anybody want to come to a party?

Tommy's Story by Mark Sanford

Tommy is a newborn. He misses the warmth of his mothers womb. But no loving arms have picked him up to cradle and rock him. He wriggles, but no one laughs. He coos, but no one coos back. Eventually, he stops cooing. He lies rigidly in his crib, detached. He will grow up with a feeling his life makes no impact, as if he weren't real. He will come to feel hollow, empty, vacant, like something is missing.
Tommy is an infant. He needs to bond, heart to heart. He needs to melt into someones chest. His spirit yearns for that and only that. It is the sum and focus of his life. But mom doesn't hold him. She does not sing to him. She only feeds him, changes his diapers, bathes him, as necessity demands. Tommy no longer cries, nor does he yet have words to express his rage. He has but one weapon- simply to vow, even without words, not to bond with her. Others come who do hug and sing, Grandparents. Babysitters. But Tommy does not melt into their breasts. He is putting up the shield of isolation.
A spirit friend comes to live with Tommy. His name is " Isolation". Tommy can't see him or hear him. But he is there, drawing strength from Tommy's armor. He helps Tommy use it to shield himself from bonding heart to heart. Isolation easily gets past Tommy's parents, for they have placed no protection around Tommy. In fact, they have unknowingly invited him into their home. And isolation brings another invisible friend to Tommy, a friend named " Distrust". If Tommy was aware that he was with him, he would think Distrust was helping him to hold up his faulty shield. In reality, he is shooting poisoned arrows through it.
Tommy will later describe this shield as a sheet of Plexiglas placed between him and the world. It dulls colours. It shuts out beauty and quenches passion. It deadens loving touches. It wraps itself around Tommy like a warm womb which was his first and surest place of refuge. And just as an unborn child hears noises indistinctly, Tommy in times of stress actually hears sounds and voices as muffled and far away.
As he grows through childhood, Tommy is more susceptible than other children to the harshness of the games people play. He takes nothing in stride. If his little friend, Jeffy, spends time with someone else, Tommy won't join them to make a threesome-he must have Jeffy all to himself. In order to stave off abandonment, Tommy takes up the sword of Possessiveness. But it staves off only Jeffy. Now, another invisible friend, " Envy", lays hold of the sword, and he and Tommy wield it together.
As a teenager, when his girlfriend chooses to date someone else, Tommy vows he will never trust a girl. His old friend, Distrust, draws more power from his vow, and begins to whisper in his ear about the traits of women. Tommy thinks these are his own thoughts: " Look at that one; what a gossip she is! And that one- she's so stuck on herself....."
With each choice to withdraw, Tommy's "friends" gain more strength and grow in numbers, until they reach their goal- that Tommy becomes a loner and they his only companions.
Tommy might change his mind. He might one day decide he's unhappy he can't talk with his wife, that a hug is nothing more to him than two bodies making contact, that he is compulsively critical, that he feels deeply alone, way off somewhere, even in the middle of a crowd. But by then his invisible friends, empowered by the arsenal of weapons in his flesh, will be stronger than his feeble resolve to resist them. By then, he will not be able by his own choice to feel some one's heart close to his. He will be completely captive. He cannot escape. He will need someone to carry him out of his prison.
Tommy didn't just walk into that prison- he built it around himself, bar by bar, stone by stone. And in the same way it must be taken down, bar by bar, stone by stone. His counselor must build the trust which his parents did not, and bond him to God in a way Tommy alone cannot. Through the process, he will be led to forgive parents who did not bond with him, friends who rejected him and girlfriends who dumped him.
It may be a cliche, but is very apt, that the layers of the onion must be peeled. Between those layers, Tommy's "friends" will be hiding. As he dismantles his defenses, and the layers are stripped away, those friends will become visable. James 4:7 says, " Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Because Tommy resists, some will flee on their own. Others, more stubborn, will have to be commanded to leave. When Tommy repents of his vow never to trust a girl, Distrust will flee. Isolation will be cast out as Tommy breaks the vow not to bond. He'll repent of possessiveness, forgive those who didn't claim him, and Envy's root will be severed. When at last Tommy is out of prison, he may see colors brighter, hear sounds more clearly, feel for the first time his wife's spirit melt into his. But that is only the fruit of his healing. His counselor must understand the process which leads to it.

Back to the Routine

After 10 wonderful days off over the holiday. I'm back to the every day grind and work routine. I had all the holidays off this year. First time in 10 years. For a bus driver, that is quite something to get all the holidays off. If you are one you know what I mean. Probably won't happen for another 10 years. Actually, I've been quite fortunate, in that I have only worked one Christmas day in 10 years. I was talking to my union steward today and told him that and he looked rather shocked. I don't think he has been able to pull that off himself. Somebody somewhere must like me. It was a good holiday and ended with a really good party at Gregor and Nancy's. Then Chad's birthday party on Jan 1st/08. What a great way to end and start a year, celebrating with good friends and family. I am blessed. God is good.

First day back and I'm running 8 minutes behind schedule on my route. I'm in a hurry and I get Mr. bottle man at Windermere and The Queensway. This is an old crippled man who collects beer bottles for some extra cash. He can hardly walk and he is carting around twice his body weight in beer bottles. $.10/ bottle he gets, and he must have had 150 bottles. That's $15 by my math. Probably took him 10 hours to pick them up and deliver to the beer store, minus transportation cost of $3.70 round trip. That would be around $1.13/ hour I figure. When I saw him with his shopping cart full of bottles, I could feel this anger rising up inside me, cause this was not going to be quick process. He was going to bury me in lateness. I didn't need this right now, thank you very much. I was tempted to do what many drivers would do and shut my doors and drive away trying to catch up my lost time. The supervisors love you when you do that. But something wouldn't let me. I wonder what that would be? I waited. Suddenly, this peace came over me and this inner sense of wonderment at the struggle of this old man trying to make some cash the only way he knew how. Then another wave of wonderment brought a sense that I should be kind to this man and be patient. Fortunately, there was somebody else getting on the bus who noticed his struggle and helped him with his bags full of bottles. There are still kind people in the world. He thanked me profusely for waiting, as though he had experienced the shut door and take off routine before. He talked with very broken English, but I could tell he was happy to get out of the cold (-12c) and that he was proud of the treasure he was soon to exchange for cold hard cash. A job well done. A good kind of pride. I came to his stop in front of the beer store and was prepared to secure the bus and help him off myself, partly because it would be faster and partly because I was slowly gaining some respect and admiration at his determination and resolve to work for a living, despite his obvious disability. I've met many immigrants that come to this country thinking it is the land of milk and honey, only to discover that not speaking the language and no skills gets you no job and no money. Many of them live on the transit system, just to keep warm this time of year. Again someone else got off at the same stop, saw his dilemma and helped him off with his precious cargo. I didn't have to lift a finger. I thought God made me strong so I could help people like this? I also caught up on my time at the end of the line. Guess who I picked up on the way back? Yup, Mr. Bottle man, minus the bottles. He greets me getting on the bus with the biggest smile and enthusiasm I have seen in a long time, " HI DRIVER!!". He was happy to see me and obviously still thank full I waited. You know what? So was I. I am so glad I didn't act on my first impulse. I could have ruined a God moment with my words and my actions and possibly crushed someones spirit in the process. Thank you God for that moment and for Mr. Bottle man. He kind of reminded me of the widow's mite. He did more in a days work than I think I ever have. He was truly blessed because he was faithful in the small things and was using the gifts God gave him, and he didn't even need my help!
I learned my lesson of humility today. I was humbled. God is good.

Mathew 10:29-31

" Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."