these are our moments...

the chronicles of Murry.


we camped on the Victoria side of the Murry river. but the moment we stepped into the water for canoeing, swimming or floating we were on the New South Wales side of the Murry.

"there is nothing that could make this day better: it is perfect. There is nothing that could ruin my day. it is that perfect." these are the words that wandered in and out and through my head as i leisurely paddled down the Murry river in new south wales, Australia. ah, what a wonderful day. I sit over looking the Murry the second morning of the trip. there is a still silence that was desperately missing from the bustle of the Sydney streets. the boys are still asleep and there is a quiet peace. creation. oh how marvelous. the warm breeze and the redundant dip, turn, fan of the paddle are my constant companions: my dear friends.

it is in these moments of still, silence, and solitude in and out of the water; with, around, among the boys i am confronted by the majesty and unconditional favor of the Lord. i feel at rest. i feel at peace with myself and those around me. i have no worries. i have no pain, no shame and no regret. the river has been redeemed back to myself, bought and given back to me by a gracious LORD who loves and lives and breaths life into me and the river.

while on this journey, i have been filled with the wonder and awe seen in the eyes of the children in Narnia the movie. i have savored the moments, and the memories. it was on the first day that i was found to have mused, "it is not so much the destination as the journey.... the getting there."

i started the trip stating that i had the best group. and how i had the awesomest boys. in the power of expectation they lived up to my expressed appreciation and surpassed even what they thought they could do. i was always speaking out how much enjoyment and fun i was having. and as i sought to get to know my traveling companions i took time each day to specifically notice their kind and valiant actions in preparation to share and encouragement them on the last night. as well, i sought moments. with my trusty little camera i sought the moments that captured a special memory for each young man.

i have written each article to include a photo, appreciated action, a memory and a Scripture reference to each of the young men who journeyed with me. i have formatted this blog so that these tributes will appear after this entry. please be patient. it will take some time to get them all up.

these are our moments...

and i really am here

so we have are in the middle of our third day here in Australia when i am compelled to manifest this proof that i promised. i have to quite half way through to go to Hillsong Church so i am finishing early Monday. In Saskatchewan it will be midafternoon on Sunday... as i finish this blog. today, at home, it is just short of the one week mark of the first time Wanda Marie and i hear of the opportunity to come! i feel like i have done the touristy thing for long enough and i am looking forward to heading off to the camp to prepare for the canoe trip.

we will be traveling the Murry River. Interesting thing about it is that the surrounding area produces 40% of Austrailia's agricultural produce. when i read that i said in my head, "We are going home." We are going where we are familiar. i have been saying, while here, "Not only are we Canadian but we are RURAL Canadian." here are some picks and descriptions of the places we have been:

1. layover in Hawaii

2. the Darling harbour in Sydney

3. Didjeridoo

we saw a live didjeridoo performance our first day in Sydney. it was very great. the guy was really good. it was interesting to listen to the explaination of the song. the last song whihc he played was described as his ancerstal families' story of creation. so here is a pick of me and the didjeridoo:

4. Sydney Opera House at night

5. Sydney Harbour Bridge

The bridge at night from the vantage point of the top of the ferry on our way across the harbour. The brisk, warm constant gusting of the wind as we moved at full speed over the water reminded me of the warm Saskatchewan harvest dusk winds.

this blog is dedicated to April. I love you April and i really am and here.

so here is your proof ...

6. Sydney Wildlife Sanctuary:

this is not a bear...



i see you... little big poisonous deadly snake... and i pray i don't see you again in the wilderness...

Kangaroos lick their fur to cool down when they are too hot.

Reptile Thingy:

7. Sydney Aquarium:

the seal has found the sunny spot for sunning.

the under bellies of some random Astrailian sea creature:

Platupus: native to Australia and New Zeland. i leart many interesting facts about the platupus. for example they are the only animal known to use elecromagnetic feilds to locate food. interesting eh?

The camera could not capture the brightness of this magnificant Coral:

Jaws!!! here i am in frount of a shark!

if the fall doesn't kill you the crocodile will... more on this later...

so here is your proof...

with love, from australia

so here is an update for all you dedicated blog readers. i wanted to put a picture on for proof but i can't right now...

but wanda marie and i are in australia right now! we left on wednesday ot 2:30 from stoon and arrived this morning at 7:30 friday their time. i faound out that i was coming on tuesday morning of this week. we first heard about it from steve maier on sunday evening. well talk to you all later.

we are leading some grade 10 students on a canoe trip. so talk to you later. bye.

with love, from australia

all my contenment issues

an online dictionary defines content as "satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else". when contentment is defined by that same site (dictionary.com) words and phrases such as "ease of mind", "satisfaction" and "happiness with one's situation in life" are used.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary found on the same site is cited as defining contentment as follows: "a state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be (1 Tim. 6:6; 2 Cor. 9:8). It is opposed to envy (James 3:16), avarice (Heb. 13:5), ambition (Prov. 13:10), anxiety (Matt. 6:25, 34), and repining (1 Cor. 10:10). It arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility, and of an intelligent consideration of the rectitude and benignity of divine providence (Ps. 96:1, 2; 145), the greatness of the divine promises (2 Pet. 1:4), and our own unworthiness (Gen. 32:10); as well as from the view the gospel opens up to us of rest and peace hereafter (Rom. 5:2)."

.... well that saved me a bunch of research. :)

so i have been thinking about the word "contentment". here are my musings.

for quite a while i have been thinking about how, apparently, i am not content. by the definitions above i am perhaps very far from contentment. realising my need to be content i have spent considerable amount of time pondering how i am to induce contentment in my own life. the more i pondered the angrier i got.

contentment, to me, seems so passive and evasive.

i am not sure if it is connotation or expectation that contentment seems so passive... "just accept your lot in life..."

but it seems to be evasive because it seems to have the desire to cover up, hide and pretend that the desires of one's heart are not really there... "just accept your lot in life... and be happy."

i have had mono for over a month. i am, thankfully, past the 10 days of night sweats and temperatures of over 100. i am past the part where i was barely able to eat because my pussy tonsils where so swollen that there was just enough room for a Tylenol to fit... if you think i am lying ask my mom... she inspected them daily. i am past the days when my entire sustenance was soup and ice chips. now i am just tired and have to have naps in the afternoon... it may sound like the life but it is not.

another more unbearable consequence of having mono was the fact that i wasn't supposed to play contact sports for one month. with the advent of the NISL season i figured i would skip the one week of preseason and the first week of the season. i figured doctors always give a longer than necessary sentence. so the second week of the season i played and was tired after the first shift... and no it wasn't because i wasn't in shape so much as all those mono sites crowding the white and red blood cells out of my blood. (i forget which one carries the oxygen).

anyway, with mono there is the possibility of the complication of an enlarged spleen... that is why there is to be no contact sports for a month. if there is an enlarged spleen, and it were to get hit it would start to bleed and one could bleed to death. i figured that if i happened to have an enlarged spleen, which i don't know if i did, and i happened to get hit in the spleen, which there is a low probability of that occurring i would get to the hospital and get some medicines and what not before i went into shock and the next week i would be back happily playing soccer.

one of the guys on my team said, "it is better to miss a few weeks at the beginning of the season, than to miss the whole season because you are dead." my reply is just as candid, "it is better to die happy, than to have never truely lived." Wanda Marie looked like she was going to carry me off the court my first shift becasue she knew the gavity of the whole situtation.

i must not have been listening when my mom told me that the reality of a bleeding spleen is that it has to be surgically removed and thus no soccer for at least six weeks.

luckily i did not get hit in the spleen with an hard shot and so i still have my spleen.

when i considered the ramifications of my actions and the reasons behind them i realised i got dissatisfied... i got discontent.

i was the coach of my team yesterday and we had our two best games of the season so far, even though we still lost them both. being the coach doesn't mean that i don't wish i could play soccer instead of yelling, "sub when you can" periodically.

i did realise that my definition of contentment was a far better alternative to pretending and passivity than the other definitions i had encountered.

Crystal's definition for contentment: "making the most of the situations that you find yourself in."

here are some more gleanings that i contemplated as i prepared for soccer the day i embraced being the coach.

being the coach did not negate the fact that i hope to one day play the game

as i dressed in a cute brown button up top with delicate gold stripes i realised that i do not have to look like, or act like the rest of the people on my soccer team to have value and worth. i do not have to have the same role as them to be an asset to the team.

i can be actively pursuing the position of coach instead of bemoaning the fact that for a time i can not play.

contentment, then is not passive, it is not deceptive but the pursuit of reality making the most of the situations you find yourself in.

i think i will apply this to all my contentment issues.

while i became and become

i don't know how to say this but i think i have been very foolish. i have said silly things and complained incessantly. i have thought that i am entitled to something. that somehow i deserve more than what i have. i do not necessarily deserve anything, especially an easy, nice or tidy life.

thank you for your belief, patience and understanding in me while i became and become.

my own personalized pair.

i helped my dad during harvest and i thought that you all might enjoy some pictures of me and the crop. these pictures are so sunny; they make me miss the heat of summer.

the snow that momentarily graced us yesterday with its presence is only a realisation that winter is closer then i want to acknowledge.

for all you "non - farming types": this is oats.

here i am peering out the window of the tandem truck. you will notice the stylish and practical overalls that i am wearing. though you can not see it in the picture my name is embroidered above the pocket. they are my own personalized pair.