Your Gift

I believe that God created us for good works and to ensure we fulfill our mission in life, He gives each one a special gift.
Your gift is what you do best.
Your gift is the accumulation of life experiences.
Your gift when it is utilized gives you a sense of joy and satisfaction.
Your gift grows as you invest it in others.
Your gift is for the benefit of others but always results in your own development.
“When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little better for my having been here.

It’s a wonderful life and I love it.” Jim Henson,

A friend is a gift you give yourself. Robert Louis Stevenson

Green

It’s strange how words can represent so many things and one has to know the context of the message to understand its usage.
A 'green-eyed monster' had to do with jealousy; 'eating your greens' is maintaining a healthy diet; the grass greener on the other side deals with contentment; and a 'green-horn' is a rookie. Green used to mean just that – one of the many colours of the rainbow. When a city was referred to as green and clean city, it used to mean that it was full of trees and flowering plants.

Today if you googled the word ‘green’ you would probably get the website of a “save-the earth” group or political groups with an environmental agenda. I much prefer to stick to the original designation of the word “green.” Did you know that the word green comes from the Old English word grene, or in its older form, groeni, meaning “to grow.” (Wikipedia) Growth is what I see when I look at the green plants in my garden. The average homeowner cringes when spring arrives, and their lawns grow an inch a day. I actually love mowing the lawn for the smell and the excuse to be outdoors. Green speaks to me about growth opportunities which sometimes comes with a sacrifice and can be inconvenient. “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Psalm 23:2
Whether it is found in an old growth forest or in a tropical paradise, green is still one of the most pleasing-to-the-eye colours.

Green lily pads.

Childhood

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. Elizabeth Lawrence

There was a time when sunny days seemed to be the norm. Especially on Sunday mornings, when we would fill the buckets and take turns washing dad’s car. The sun seemed warmer yet its rays were gentler. Though we yearned for long school breaks, it never stopped us from playing from dawn to dusk. No one ever thought about the fear of dirt or disease; not one sibling worried about tomorrow, because today was just too fun to consider anything else. Birthdays and holidays marked our calendar...not month or year. Fun was anything that could be caught or created, not bought in the shopping Mall. In fact that terminology had not been invented yet! Spiders, snakes and guppies from the drain became inexpensive pets to be kept as long as mom did not discover them. Sticks and stones took the place of rackets and hockey sticks. Life was great and time seemed to stand still...until we realized pimples...then wrinkles...then aches...

“The events of childhood do not pass, but repeat themselves like seasons of the year.” Fred Rogers

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Eleanor Farjeon

Relive the best time of your life – adopt a childlike attitude toward life!

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV)

CONTENTMENT

Nice car!

Living in a material world can be more than tempting. When all you see around you are trappings of the rich and famous, sometimes, it requires self-control, and lots of self-denial.

I do believe that God does call some to be in that category of the wealthy, but for most of us, He requires us to live within the limits of our calling.

Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.
Benjamin Franklin

For all of us He requires us to live within our means – no matter how large the income may be.

Proverbs 23
When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. Anonymous

My Favourite Gardens –Queen Elizabeth Park

Tucked away in a busy part of Vancouver is a virtual Garden of Eden. The first trees and plants went into this old quarry in 1961.

Through the years, the shape and design of this fabulous garden has evolved, but it still remains one of the most beautiful gardens I frequent. Late spring is the best time of the year to visit Q. E. Park. If you can time it such that the tulips are still in bloom together with the rhododendrons and azaleas, it’s an amazing splash of colour. This year was an amazing display of blooms due to an extended winter and a hotter than normal spring.

Brightly coloured tulips are best grown against a backdrop of blue forget-me-nots.

It’s also one of the preferred places for wedding photos. There was an incident years ago that I witnessed the groom falling into the pond while crossing a little stream. It certainly makes for unforgettable memories.

I relish the memory of many picnic dinners in the garden with my wife and girls.

The best part about this garden is that it’s free. Sometimes the best things in life are free.

You've got to get creative sometimes to enjoy the many outdoor activities that do not cost a cent yet are just there!

Cherry blossoms and blue forget-me-nots.

One summer at Buntzen Lake

I was just going through some old pictures last night and came across some funny shots of the kids in our old pink blow-up canoe. I guess they must have been in elementary school when we decided to embark on this crazy adventure.
It was late summer and I had recently purchased a 12 foot long blow up canoe, which happened to be bright pink in colour. We had planned this picnic on my off day and decided to test out our canoe in Buntzen Lake. We picked this lake with the lame notion that it would be harder to drown in a lake compared to the open sea.

After about 20 minutes of vigorous pumping on the bellows to inflate the canoe, we were ready for our great adventure across the lake. We even packed a hug cooler box with our picnic lunch in the front of the canoe.

It must have been a strange sight, two adults with two little girls paddling a pink canoe across this wide expense of water. We were pleasantly surprised that it rode quite high in the water and tracked pretty well and we got across the lake to a sandy beach area in 30 minutes.

We had a long picnic lunch and paddled back to the other side of the lake without incident.

Our trusty pink canoe still sits deflated and packed away in my garage, 15 years later. Perhaps, I could repeat this adventure again but this time when we have grandkids.

Thought: Great memories often are created from crazy, spontaneous and simple adventures. Often they are never repeated again! Yet those moments last a lifetime.

Branding

Recognizable signs and logos?

Most everyone from Moscow to Manchester, recognizes the famous swoosh or the Golden Arches. We live in such a Brand-Name-Conscious world that most people can identify these logos. From the time a toddler is able to sit independently and watch TV ads, and from the moment they put on their first “Wee”boks, we are hooked on brand-name products.
It’s more than just creating a simple and recognizable symbol to sell a product.
Many company logos have a history behind them; they are more than some creative product of a graphic artist; there’s a reason why companies choose their logos.
The most recognizable brand-name logo in the world is the cross.

The irony of this symbol is the fact that it really is a cruel implement of death. Imagine wearing a 24 karat gold electric chair trinket around your neck. Who would put a guillotine on top of a steeple? Yet this is the most powerful symbol in the world because it has the most profound message and a personal and penetrating history of God’s love for mankind.
A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. Jeff Bezos