Being Busy

I always forget how busy Decembers get. For some reason my brain is in a loop that says December will be the light, breezy time of the year. My brain is wrong.

I hate it when people say that they are busy. Always seems to be a clever way of pointing out how important they are. However, I've noticed myself slipping into the habit... mostly due to the month.

Between year end at work, Christmas and personal functions. It's craziness!

All that to say this.

No matter how busy you are, where you have to drive, the food you need to cook, tires you need to change, gifts you need to find or deals you need to close. Take some time to just rest.

That might be going for a walk, watching a movie or just sitting with the Christmas lights on. Whatever it is, this time of year is too awesome to not take a minute to smell...er... the... snow...

Seriously. As counter productive as it seems. Taking a break can give you just the right amount of edge to wrap up the big time drainers.

At least this is what I've come to conclude over the last two weeks!

Beautiful

One of the best things about radio (and one of the reasons I was interested in it in the first place) is all the awesome songs that you get to experience.
There are so many talented artists that are producing great material.

It's overwhelming actually, and really easy to miss some of the gems.

That's the case with Beautiful. It's a worship song by Phil Wickham that came out a few years ago. It went right under my radar upon initial release. However, life finds a way.

A friend sent me the song a few weeks ago, I've been hooked ever since!

It really captures the adoration aspect of worship. Singing praises to God.

"I see your face in every sunrise, the colors of the morning are inside of your eyes"

Talk about poetic. Also, the whoo whoo whoos are a nice touch.

Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I have been!

A Different Take On Up

Up is one of my favourite movies. It really is a masterpiece from Pixar.

"But it's a kid's movie" you say. You have obviously never seen Up. Or any Pixar film really. A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Wall-e all deal with some heavy themes. Up? It tackles death and morning.

Ya... fun topics for a kid's movie!

Something else I love are parodies. Good ones. Anyone can make fun of something. But a good parody understands what makes the original great (or lame) and embraces that.

That's what this parody of Up does.

It takes the style of Michael Bay (a guy famous for using a lot of explosions and lens flares) and adds it to the sentimental Up.

I thought it was funny. Hope you do too.

Praying For Our Enemies

This week was a terrible week in Ottawa. There are a plethora of posts about it on Facebook by now. I won't go into the details, you've likely seen them already. If not, there are better educated people talking about it on-line.

However, I will say that I've been thinking a lot about Michael Zehaf Bibeau. The shooter. 

More specifically - His family.

When tragedy like this hits, our first response is to pray for the victim and their family. Which is good! Don't get me wrong. Not praying for them would be awful.

But what about the culprit? More specifically, what about his family?

If I was Michael's father, I would be a mess today. I probably wouldn't even be out of bed. You're full of grief at the lose of your son... and the horrible things he did minutes before his death. Man, I'm getting down just thinking about it.

Assisting the "enemy" is something that human nature tells us to not to do.

Then I read Matthew 5:43-45

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Yesh.

That's why I'm trying to see our enemies differently. Michael Zehaf Bibeau did a terrible thing. However, his family shouldn't suffer for it. 

Had he survived, I think I'd still be writing this. Though I would change it slightly. Pray for the family but also the culprit. How to pray, is beyond me. I guess that's why we have the Holy Spirit. When stuff like this happens and we don't have the words.

OK! That's was heavy. Happy post next week, promise!

Grocery Shopping

It's something that divides a lot of people. Some love it. Some hate it. Some haven't done it in their entire life. I enjoy it... until I get home and realize I forgot one obscure item.

Thankfully, that has improved recently. I generally leave with everything I need.

I just need to fix my second issue.

Running into people I know.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with running into friends or acquaintances at the store... except the timing.

Haven't washed your hair today? Wearing track pants because you just had to "quickly run to the store"? In a hurry? You are guaranteed to run into someone.

It's also usually someone that hasn't seen you in a while and wants to catch up.

The worst is when you are in a hurry. A few weeks back I was at the conveyor belt when I realized cheese was on sale. Since I don't want a mortgage, I usually buy cheese when it's on sale.
So, it was off to dairy as fast as possible. Of course, in the process, you bump into someone. Then you have to look like a jerk as you say "hi" while running in the opposite direction.

Really, I'm in a rush... it's not you it's me.

Thursday, it was a different story. I was getting some stuff for the food bank and saw someone from a distance. Not only was I wearing house stuff... I had a shopping cart full of beans. While I do like beans... I don't like them that much.

So I avoided them. Least I look like a bean obsessed foodie.

I realized how trivial these concerns are in the grand scheme of life... However, when they happen, the last thing they seem is trivial.

Thanksgiving

I've been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving recently. Probably because it's this weekend. Also because I have a thing for turkey, potatoes and gravy followed by a slab of pumpkin cheese cake (you only live once... hence the slab).

Along with the fantasies of my plate stacked with perfection in bird form, I've been thinking about the food bank.

I know, talk about having two opposing thoughts.

We are so blessed to be able to have Thanksgiving meals. Some people flat out can't. They aren't even necessary "poor" either.

I knew someone that had a job... that was just making ends meet. That was it. They couldn't get any more work due to personal reasons (single parent). Thanksgiving would have been a luxury at that time in their life. Thankfully, the food bank was there for them.

The store I do most of my grocery shopping at has a drop off bin... that I've never even noticed before. How many other people walk past it? What would happen if everyone saw it and put food in it?

If you enjoy Thanksgiving, I want to challenge you to share that joy with others. Take something to one of the drop boxes. Pop a donation off to your local chapter. Whatever. Do it for the poor, the ones going through hard times or just because it's the right thing to do.

Also - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

P.S - That picture has me even more excited about Sunday...

Scotch Peppers

As mentioned in a previous blog. I like spice.

A lot.

The same goes for cooking.

I recently discovered Scotch Bonnet Peppers. They were listed on a handy chart in the grocery store as being one down from Ghost Peppers (the hottest pepper known to man). PERFECT!

Suffice it to say, Scotch Peppers began cropping up in a lot of my cooking endeavours. Especially when the recipe needed some extra... kick.

Making rice? Cook them with Scotch Peppers. Need burgers with some flavour? Fry 'em up with Scotch Peppers!

Of course, this is beginning to sound like a horror film. The main character has discovered something that brings them joy. However, soon it will deliver great pain and horror!

That climax of terror happened last Sunday. It was chilli day. Not that I have a chilli day... I was just making chilli that day....

While chopping some red onions (which was like reading a Nicholas Sparks novel) I whipped some tears out of my eyes.

Mistake.

Immediately, I couldn't see. Searing pain covered my eyes. The tears came like a flood (much like watching a Nicolas Sparks movie). I couldn't open my eyes.

Great. There go my retinas. I've ruined myself forever. All that is floating through my mind as I pour litre after litre of water on my swelling eyes.

Eventually, I realized I could in fact open my eyes. I just had to hold them open to convince my brain of that.

Why did that happen? I had been chopping Scotch Bonnet Peppers right before cutting the onion.

Moral - Don't touch your eyes when cooking.