This picture just makes me laugh. Joy and I were playing ping-pong at Chesley Lake. She’s looking for the ball and I have it….too funny!

Enjoy the sun,
Darc

Well….I am back from a tiny vacation and some time off from blogging. I know you all missed me so much….and I missed you all as well. The last few weeks have been insanely busy and I don’t think things look like they are going to slow down any time soon. I was up at Chesley Lake for a few days a couple of weeks ago and am hoping to get up for another few days come this long weekend….if my work schedule permits it. Then I come home and it’s off to Pensylvania for a weekend College and University conference for young adults interested in ministry and missions….me being the latter…..however I once heard a statement that I have adopted….”the mission field is the space between your two feet”. Anyways on Saturday my family and I headed to Stratford for my cousin’s wedding. We all traveled in one vehicle….something we have not done in a while…usually I drive so the 3 of us kids are not squished in the back. It was a bit of an adventure but a lot of fun as well. The wedding was beautiful, Steph is the first of the cousin’s to be married….she married Greg…..I think they make a beautiful couple. I know they will be very happy together. Weddings make me so happy….it is a day that usually feels like a dream come true. At least I imagine it to be that way. Sometimes I worry that I will never find the right guy…..or that he will find me….since I am quite shy when it comes to those things, although many don’t know it. I know I have to trust the Lord with my heart and that he will bring him along in his timing…..I still manage to worry a great deal over the whole thing. I suppose it is a lot of girls dream to meet the man of her dreams, get married and have a family. Those are all dreams of mine but I think somewhat more down to earth as I get older and observe what seems to work and doesn’t work in a relationship. I am glad up unto this point that I have never been in a relationship. There are too many girls who think that there whole life will be fixed when she falls in love. That her man will make everything perfect and make her feel wonderful all the time. I think that this way of thinking is too much for any human being and only sets people up for relationships that fail and lack depth. I dream of being in a relationship where I can’t wait to see the person just because I want to talk to him and hear what he thinks about things. I love to hear about couples who just love being together and have fun learning more about the other. I work with a girl who I think has a great marriage. She has such a deep respect for her husband, I see it in the way she talks about him. She loves to hang out with him. She gives me lots of great advice. She often tells me how much you have to work at your marriage to make it great……she really seems to live out what she says. I love to listen to the stories she tells me of all of the fun her and her husband have. It makes me look forward to one day doing life day by day with your best friend. Learning to love them completely…..to be able to see all of who they are and love them unconditionally. It’s like practising loving someone everyday the way that God loves us. Whoever he is….I just keep praying for him, praying that God will weave the stories of our lives together and it will be beautiful. I pray that he would come to know and love Jesus more and more everyday. Hmmm……see…..this is what weddings do to me! Anyways so there is my rant for the evening…..I better head to bed, tomorrow I need to head to the office again…..lots to be done for the new Sunday School program we are starting in the fall called 252 Basics…..lots of recruiting to be done. If any of you out there feel the desire to serve and be blessed through this program and the kids….I would absoloutely LOVE to hear from you!

Many Blessings,
The Kindred Spirit

Today was a bit cooler. It was nice. I love the warm weather but it is nice to have a day where it isn’t sweltering. I worked at the mall today, it was a good day. Tonight we had our second sunday school meeting to get ready for the new program starting in september. I am really excited about the program. We just keep praying that God will place a passion for serving on people’s hearts. I trust that He will give us the people that we need. Yesterday was very hot. While I was working at the mall I was making small talk to a woman while she was checking out at the cash register. I was comenting on how hot the day was, the women’s reply made me think for the rest of the afternoon. She said “yah, it’s like hell out there”. Hmmm….it’s like hell out there. I wanted to say I don’t think you know what hell is like. It reminds me of that saying that earth is the only hell some will know and the only heaven others will know. I guess for that woman’s sake and for anyone’s sake I guess I should hope it is like hell out there and that she won’t ever have to experience what hell is like. Some of the people that come into the store say very interesting things. Tomorrow morning Josh and I are up and at it again….we are babysitting Ron and Renee’s 3 beautiful girls. They have so much energy and passion….I love it!!!! I will need to remind myself of this when my alarm goes off in the morning. I guess that’s all for tonight.

Sleep well my friends,
The Kindred Spirit

Today is a blah day. You know those days where the sun is shining but you just don’t feel like its sunny. You feel like the clouds should be out or it should be raining. Today I feel sad. In yesterday’s blog I said that I thought that I would sleep great last night….I was wrong to say the least. I had a horrible sleep last night and there wasn’t much sleeping. For some reason I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid and my heart was racing. That kind of thing doesn’t happen to me very often. Usually before I go to sleep I think about all of the events of the day and of the next day and go over every detail that I can remember. Things bother me at night because I analyze it all in my mind. Last night I kept having memories of scary things and I just couldn’t find a thought of peace to lull me to sleep. This morning Josh and I were up early to babysit. This afternoon I am working at the office. So perhaps today is a blah day because I feel tired. Nothing ever seems right when I am too tired. Things bug me, my temper is quicker and I just can’t be content. I am on call to work at the mall tonight but I kind of hope I don’t have to go in but I really should want to because I need the money! Usually I get called in when I don’t want to be and I don’t get called in when I want to be….funny how that works. I guess I will find out later. Today is also hot….actually I think hot doesn’t even describe the weather…..extremely hot and humid would be a better description. We have a new air conditioner upstairs in our house….I am so thankful for that. Anyways I hope your day is less blah than mine!

Blessings,
Darc

I was inspired when I visited my mom’s blog today and I too felt the need for a change. So I changed my blog too…..I like to change stuff like that….I will use this one until it becomes boring to me! Anyways today was a good day. I expected it to be sunny but it was rather cloudy. I taught kids church this morning and then went out for lunch to Swiss Chalet…the ultimate after church restaurant….and that was followed by a lovely excursion to Starbucks. By the way I think I am becoming addicted to Starbucks. I just can’t get enough of those green tea frap’s. I also watched Pride and Prejudice again….love it….could watch it a million times! I love Sunday nights….mom is making pizza and I think Dad is creating a blog. Aren’t we just becoming quite the blogging family! My youngest brother Josh got Facebook yesterday and he is already hooked…..it is so funny. The only 2 that aren’t on facebook are my Dad and Greg….but I think it is only a matter of time.

Yesterday my Mom and I spent the day down in the Markham-Stouffville area with my Nana. It was a great day. I love talking to my mom about everything. She is a great listener. We got pictures taken in one of those mall photo-booths….they are great…I will post them later. The Markville mall is huge. It was quite a shock to see that many people shopping…it is a long way from my small town. On the way home we sang our hearts out to some good ol’e country….gotta luv Martina….have you ever heard a woman sing like she can? When we got home at around 10 the new front load washer had arrived. For those of you who didn’t know, the washer has been down in my house for about 2 weeks now. I thought that the new washer would arrive sooner than it did so I decided that I could wait to do laundry and didn’t need to go to the laundrymat…..stupid…..I did 3 loads of laundry last night out of nothing but pure desperation to be reminded of what clean clothes smell like. So I was up quite late, or should I say early washing clothes. I felt it this morning. I didn’t take a Sunday nap today either. I think I will sleep well tonight. Perhaps I can get in another load of laundry before I go to bed…..the front load washers have a window in the front, you can watch your clothes being cleaned. Of course I would never do that because I have better things to do with my time……..most of the time! I would also really love to finish the book I have been reading tonight…..SexGod….the name may be a little sketchy to some of you but I tell you….read it and it will change your life! On the note of Rob Bell, I watched his newest Nooma video yesterday called “store”. It is about anger. It was great, it made me think. Rob Bell usually makes me think though. I have really been trying to control my mouth lately. One of the family traits that runs in the line of women in my family is a quick tongue. We Timbers women are good with our mouths. I don’t want to use that trait to hurt people. It is really good for me to practice building people up with my words and not putting them down. Although I have to take it one step at a time. I feel things deeply and in turn react to them deeply….sometimes that is a wonderful thing and sometimes it works against me. So that is one of the areas I am trying to grow in. Anyways if you have a chance to see “Store” I definitely recommend it!

I better head downstairs and see how Dad’s blog is coming along. Hope this evening finds you well,
The Kindred Spirit

One of my friends from work went camping and took this shot. I love it. It is absoloutely breathtaking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Yours Truly,
Darc

I have been reading a lot lately. Guess my reading has to do a lot with my desire to know God more and understand him. One of my favourites that I have not been able to put down is Sex God by Rob Bell. He is an amazing communicator. This excerpt made me think a lot about the way I love people and about love….this is what Rob writes…….
“Love is handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back because they don’t want it. That’s why it’s such a crushing ache on the inside. We gave away a part of ourselves and it wasn’t wanted.
Love is a giving away of power. When we love, we give the other person the power in the relationship. They can do what they choose. They can so what they like with our love. They can reject it, they can accept it, they can step toward us in gratitude and appreciation.
Love is a giving away. When we love, we put ourselves out there, we expose ourselves to be vulnerable. Love is giving up control. It’s surrendering the desire to control the other person. The two – love and controlling power over the other person – are mutually exclusive. If we are serious about loving someone, we have to surrender all of the desires within us to manipulate the relationship.”

Too often I try to have control in my relationships. Come to think of it, I think a lot of us are guilty of that. There is something about having control that gives us this sense of power. Love is giving up control. Hmmm….that’s a powerful statement, a statement which I think has the power to transform our relationships. I guess we see the ultimate example in Jesus. Jesus loved and never demanded control.

I think I have a lot to learn about love!

Learning to love more,
The Kindred Spirit