Tribute: In Loving Memory of Princess

Just to let you know that I needed to take a little time off from putting posts up. Our family has been saying goodbye to our special little dog that we love so much.

Thank you for your patience.

Mandy Tanner

A Special Tribute to “Princess”

In Loving Memory of Princess 

April 24, 1999 – November 14, 2009

That little ‘dash’ in between April 1999 and November 2009 overflowed with the most wonderful memories of our beloved Princess. She filled our lives with a love, joy, and happiness that cannot be put into words.

Princess loved to play. My youngest son put the cantor for his bagpipes on the floor and she took ownership of it.   

Princess was always so good with her little sister Mercedes. They spent many hours running and playing. 

Princess absolutely loved Christmas. She knew that there were goodies in her stocking. She would sit beneath her stocking and watch it for a month before Christmas each year.    

Princess loved the scarf she got for Christmas. She wore it for weeks before she was OK with us taking it off of her.

Summer 2007, Princess was stricken with disc problems in her back. With special food, chiropractic, massage, medications and a lot of love and attention, she stayed with us for an extra 2 years and 4 months. More than anything, Princess loved to go out. Regardless of where we were going, she was at the door and wanted to come with us. She could only walk short distances and would not have been able to go the long route with us. She was so happy when she got her Radio Flyer wagon and we put her little bed in it. We would take her out of the wagon to let her walk a little and put her back in to ride the rest of the way. Winter and summer, she would hurry to the door at the mention of taking her for a walk.

When the weather got cold, we bundled her up and she would peek out from her little quilt and watch everything. She loved her walks.

We are very Thankful for the ten and a half years of love and joy that she brought to our family.

 On November 14, 2009 Princess went to Puppy Heaven.

She can run free again.

Special Post: Rememberance Day

A Tribute to the Fallen, Wounded, Those Who Served, and Those Who are Serving

John 15:13:   Greater love has no one than this; that he lay down his life for another.

Remember to Thank a Soldier & Pray for Our Troops

Highway of Heroes - Slide Show – Click the Picture Below to Watch

Daily Encouragement: A Little Hope Can Go A Long Way

Everyone has something that they are going through. Just remember that everything is going to be OK. May you be encouraged that God always provides a ray of hope if you watch for it. This may come from an external or internal source. If you are having a hard time finding a source of hope and inspiration, look into your past. Each of us has a time that God answered prayer. Hold on to the experience of that special time in your life, knowing for certain that the sun will shine again. 

You get better mileage on the road of life when you run on hope than despair.

Daily Encouragement: Be Thankful, Be Happy, Someone Cares

We’ve all heard the cliche, “It’s one of those days.” On “one of those days” , our troubles overwhelm us, God seems so ever faraway, and the Light that we should exude wanes. But there is a solution, but it’s not intuitive. Be thankful, and be happy. Before, you brush this very obvious statement aside, let’s go a little deeper. To illustrate, let me tell you about my friend, Jake.

Jake does not like to give gifts… not at Christmas, birthdays, etc…; however, he also doesn’t ask for anything as he doesn’t like getting gifts either. He can be sort of a Grinch really. But, when someone does give him a gift, an unmistakingly genuine smile grows on his face. It’s a smile of thankfulness. But why does he smile if he doesn’t like receiving gifts?

It’s easy for me to say “just be thankful and you will be happy.” But that’s overdone, and frankly kind of shallow. One should ask themselves, “Why does being thankful, generate happiness?” I will conjecture that it is because the thankfulness extends well beyond the gift or gifts. The root of thankfulness lies in the purpose of gifting. If someone doesn’t like you, are they likely to give you a gift? Probably not. Quite the opposite, people give gifts to convey a message: a message of caring, love, appreciation, acceptance, and so on. Thankfulness is realization that what you have is an expression of someones positive connection with you.

Gift = Caring = Thankfulness = Happy    —> Pretty simple math, right?

Now, hears how it works. We don’t need to just think of something we are thankful for, but also who or what is the source of what we are thankful for. At the very basic level, it’s thankfulness for God’s provision, but it’s not just limited to that. Your thankfulness can extend to your family, your friends, your spouse, your children, your co-workers, and yes, even your boss. I’m sure that you could build a list as high as the mountains.

We should certainly be thankful for the freedom bought and paid for by our soldiers who care deeply for their countrymen.

I challenge you. Find something to say thank you for, and when you do, let it remind you of the gifter and how much they care about you. When you think of it, please feel free post it here as a comment, as others could use the encouragement.

Daily Encouragement: Something for God to Take Care Of

We can sometimes get so caught up in repeatedly asking God for help with our problems that we forget to listen to what he has to say to us. His message could go like this:

This is God. Today I will be handling all of your problems for you. I do not need your help.  So, have a nice day. I love you.

P.S.  And, remember…..

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it on your own.  Kindly put it in the SFGTTCO (something for God to take care of) box. I will get to it when I know that the time is just right, and in your best interest. All situations will be resolved, but in my time.

Now, you have a nice day.

God

Daily Encouragement: Live Out Your Dreams

May you trust that each day you are where you are meant to be.  Allow creative energy to come to and flow through you as you step out in faith. May each new step in your journey bring you closer to living out your dreams.  It is here that you learn to walk on the waters of life. Hold on to your faith and keep going forward.

Journal Entry: Managing Indecision and Frustration

What to do when you don’t know what direction in which to turn?

Indecision triggers fear and can be paralyzing. It also tends to be very draining emotionally. The solution is to tell God that you need Him to open only the right path, and block the wrong path.

Make a decision, even if you are uncertain it is the right one. Look at what is in front of you and determine a plan. Boldly take a step forward and watch how your pathway twists and turns to get you to where you are meant to be.  Keep going forward, even if the way seems unclear, slow moving, and overwhelmingly frustrating. There are invisible powers that exist to protect you and will manifest in the journey. The unique treasure of experience will unfold into a personal revelation of God in your life.   

No one ever said it was going to be easy. Never the less, there is always a solution. Keep on believing and going forward. 

Story: Angel for a Phone Operator

Some situations in life drive us to our knees in prayer for divine assistance and intervention. Then, sometimes we look back on a situation that God intervened on, and we see that he was one step ahead of us. Thank God!

Several years ago an amazing miracle came my way… I had not even considered asking for it, and at the time, I didn’t even realize I needed it.

At the time I was still working in financials and education savings programs for young children, and there was a family that had started some fairly substantial savings programs for their children. One day, I received a call from the client, and she informed me about their plans to work outside of the country for a few years. I explained everything that they needed to do to secure their savings plans for their children. A number of months went by, and that gnawing inner voice initiated my concern for this family’s investment. 

One day, an information package came from head office indicating there was an issue with the account that needed to be addressed. I became very concerned, as I was not sure if I would be able to contact the family. I knew they had planned to move to another country, and I did not have any way to contact them. I looked up their initial contact information in their file and decided to call their home phone number. I dialled the number and got an automated voice message and thought perhaps they had not moved yet or they had left a forwarding voice mail to their new address. As I was not certain about the messaging service, I left a cautious, but explanatory message emphasising the importance of the call.  A few hours later, a lady returned my call. She said the family had moved a few months prior, but she was their best friend and had their new phone number. She indicated that she was late for an appointment and would call me back in the evening.

That evening she did not call back. I was concerned, so I took out their file and dialled the same home phone number as I had during the day. To my surprise, I got an automated message that said the number was no longer in service. I thought maybe I had dialled the number wrong, so I dialled it three more times. Each time the message stated that the number was disconnected. I checked the call display, but somehow the number the lady called me back from had been erased. At that point I realized that there wasn’t anything I could do about it, so I decided to let it go into higher hands.

The next day I was shocked when the lady called me back. She said that she had been too busy to call the evening before. When I explained that I tried to call her back but was informed the number was disconnected, she confirmed that, yes, the number had been disconnected for a few months. In disbelief, I asked if they had forwarded their voice mail to her number. She stated they had not. I asked what her number was so I could compare it to the number I had been dialling. The numbers were not even remotely similar. She said, “It’s a miracle! I’m the only person they left their new number with. How could you have possibly been connected to my number?” We marvelled at the impossibility of this happening and how someone up there must really be looking after this situation. She provided me with their new contact information and I was able to reach the family. When I finally reached the client and recounted the story to her, she could hardly believe it. She said, “It’s a miracle!”

Had I not been able to contact them, the couple would have been in a position to lose a substancial investment for their children. Fortunately, I had kept good records of all calls and this miracle saved their accounts. I was very thankful for God’s intervention, even though I did not realize that the clients and I needed it at the time.

It is truly incredible to look back on situations and how God is always one step ahead of us, preparing the way for our best interest. He is always encouraging us to trust that his Love reigns and to keep going forward.

Journal Entry: September

If you gaze at the Northern Lights in Alaska, you will be fascinated at the streaks of colourful light that dance across the sky in unique patterns. This is all a reminder to put our faith in an all powerful and loving God who is far greater than humanity. Who on earth could create with such magnificence and power?

Continue to encourage one another and keep going forward…

Journal Entry: After the Concert

This could not have been possible without all of the generous sponsors and great volunteers that rolled up their sleeves, lent a hand, and worked hard. A big thank you to everyone that was part of a fever of activity that made the “Compassion” benefit and sponsorship for under-privileged children a successful event. Without the generous sponsorship of Allstar Show Industries, who donated several thousand dollars worth of sound equipment and a technician to operate the soundboard, the concert could not have happened. In addition, the local Christian radio stations AM 930 The Light and Shine FM aired advertising for the One Voice concert. A lot of people pounded the pavement to gain all of the sponsors that opened the way for the concert to happen.

When we needed plywood to build a drum riser for the bands, Winsor Plywood cheerfully donated what we needed. Marshall fabrics came to our aid with 40 meters of fabric.

 Many of the guests said it was the best concert of the year. The music was great and so were the activities.

 Upon entering the gate of the amphitheatre, people were excited to enter their names for many free draws. These included a free skydive package from Eden North Parachute School, several free dinner gift cards from Montana’s and The Olive Garden, and free singing lessons from Milton Liska. There was even a tall vase filled with jellybeans and everyone had fun trying to guess how many jellybeans were in the vase. There were almost 4000 jellybeans. A young girl went home with enough sugar to last her a year. Hopefully she shares them.  As well, Axe Music donated a beautiful electric guitar that was raffled. The young man that won the guitar was thrilled.

Being an outdoor concert at the Hawrelak Park Amphitheatre, some families enjoyed sitting on the grass behind the nice seats instead of being restricted to specific seats. This offered parents with strollers and older children an opportunity to let their children run around and have fun while parents relaxed and enjoyed the music, although many enjoyed the comfort of the amphitheatre seating.

Val Martin from Joyful face painting donated her time by painting spectacular images on the faces of the children. There was coloring for the children, and an opportunity for 30 young children to receive a small music instrument and go up on the stage with the band ‘On the Altar.’ The band performed ‘This Little Light of Mine’ (Rock and Roll Style), while the children enthusiastically danced, sang, and played along.

By the end of the night, everyone was exhausted, but happy.

 Someone dared to dream, step out in faith, and let God’s hand bring the reality and joy of the event together. It took approximately 100 days of pushing through all of the work and obstacles to make the event a reality.

Wow!!! And “Thank you Lord” is all I can say. It truly was amazing.

A large charity group has come on board with the One Voice concert and has stepped in to ensure that a big name Christian music artist will be there. Dare to dream and step out in faith.