My Mom - Eulogy that I gave at my mom's funeral, June 29th, 2013

My Mom

I stand here today to tell you what my mom means to me:

When I was sick, she was my nurse, - I can remember having the mumps. I could not open my mouth...mom bought me a bag of Doritos...I was able to slide them between my teeth and then let them dissolve in my mouth...

When I needed to go to hockey or baseball, she was my personal chauffeur- one time we were coming back from a hockey game in Mitchell...it was snowing so bad we could not see the road...mom had me stick my head out the window so we could see where the shoulder of the road was. We made it home safely...

When I was in trouble, she was my advocate, - we aren't going to talk about this one :)

When I was confused, she was my voice of clarity,

When I was depressed, she lifted my spirit,

When I was angry, she calmed me down, - my sister (I won't say which one (Faith)) had the ability to turn a kind, gentle me...into the incredible hulk....one night my sister and I had a minor disagreement...I got mad and put my foot through the side of the couch..picture a hole ...a big hole...through the side of the couch...I then went outside, got my hockey stick and started to shoot the puck....mom came home from work saw me outside and said...What did Your sister do?... I caused the damage...my sister got in trouble :)

When I was bitter, she sweetened my mood,

When I got mad at God, She reminded me that " all things work together for good to those who love God"

When my Papa (grandfather) passed away, I got very mad at God. I asked my mom a couple questions...questions that a lot of you are probably asking right now...."How could a kind and loving God take such a wonderful person?" or "Why did mom suffer painfully for her last 15 years and then die suddenly?"

I'll answer the second question first....I truly believe that my mom was specifically chosen by God and given His grace, to be an example for me...an example for us all here today.... an example that no matter what my situation is, I have a choice...I can choose to praise or I can choose to complain...I can choose to honour God, or I can choose to ignore God...I can choose to focus on what I don't have, or I can choose to make the most out of what I do have... I can choose to focus on my shortcomings or I can choose to focus on my strengths....I can choose to be bitter or I can choose to let go...I can choose to hate or I can choose to forgive.... I can choose ...The choice is mine...but the choice is also yours.... My mom was an example for us...an example God used to draw us closer to Him...if we choose....

Now back to the first question - How could a kind and loving God take such a wonderful person...my mom answered it to me this way..."Papa was ready...Papa loved the Lord with all his heart...God was giving more time to others - time for people to come to know Him."

My mom told me that...and I chose to be mad at God....I chose...But my mom prayed for me...she loved me...she encouraged me...she believed God would get a hold of me....and He did.

Today, I mourn my mom. I miss her dearly. I wish I could talk to her one more time – the last time I talked with her was Monday afternoon at 5:35pm...On Tuesday morning @ 2:45am she was gone....I wish I could give her one more kiss, give her one more hug....just one more... .she's my mom....But even as I mourn, even as I miss her...I know where my mom is. Do Not say that I Lost My Mom...When you lose something, you don't know where it is – I know where my mom is !!! I know that she has finished her race...she has gained her prize....I know that the Lord welcomed her by saying...."Well done, my good and faithful servant."

I know that one day, I will see her again. And on that day, I will talk with her... I will give her a kiss...I will hug her...and I will thank her for being a loving... Godly.... Mom to me...

I Love You Mom :)

Fishing and God Speaking

Wow, it has been a long time since I wrote on this blog...I thought this may be an interesting story to tell -

Over the last 3 months, I've gone out ice fishing several times. Never catching anything. Often the other people I go with catch fish, and I like that. It adds a bit of excitement to a quiet time. Then a week ago I decided to go out by myself. Just some quiet time, a chance to get away and commune with God. Nice and quiet, no one around – the odd bird singing, but that is few and far between. It's cold here – really cold. The ice is 4 feet thick. The warmest day fishing was -7 C. Most days were between -20 and -12C. (Not including the windchill).

So there I am, Snowshoeing, the snow a couple feet deep, and drifted on the frozen lake. A light wind, but it is enough to bring a bit of a chill. I walked out to the middle of the lake, drilled a couple holes, and started fishing. Fortunately a few days before I went out, some others had been to the same place. The holes were only slightly frozen (a few inches of ice) and they were easy to punch through.
There I sat. Sled in front of me, snowshoes sticking up from the snow to create a wind shield and my portable heater pumping out some warm air. For an hour, nothing...It was a nice time to look around at the trees. The sun was behind the clouds and no one...absolutely no one was around. No snowmobiles, no cars, no trucks, no other fishermen....Just me and God. You never know how loud silence is, until there is nothing making a sound.
I prayed, and prayed and prayed some more. Fishing was secondary – an excuse to get away and be alone with God. It was really nice.
Then I heard the ringing of a bell....ding ding...ding...ding ding... That's when it hit me - “I had a fish on !” I have bells on the end of my ice fishing rods in case I get a fish on and I am not looking at it....well it worked.
I looked over to see my rod tip in the hole...the pole still in the holder but bending and bouncing violently. I ran over and grabbed my line by hand. A few seconds later, my first fish caught ice fishing was laying beside me. I was happy. Finally, I got that gorilla off my back.
Of course I had to take a picture of it, so I did. Then I released the Northern Pike back down the hole, into the lake.
I fished and prayed and enjoyed His creation for another 2 hours – not even a nibble...That was ok.
I went home, and had really enjoyed my time on the lake.
The next day I was talking to a friend and I had told him about catching my first fish ice fishing. He said one thing that intrigued me. He asked me what time I caught my fish – I looked at the picture that I took and the time stamp was 13:51. So that means I caught the fish between 13:47 and 13:51. He said to me – look up that scripture.
So I typed 13:47-51 into Google and guess what came up. Matthew 13:47-51 Parable of the Fishing Net :) Here is that scripture -

Matthew 13:47-51 Parable of the Fishing Net

47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 


49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?”
“Yes,” they said, “we do.”


I sit at the computer thinking – “You are so good Lord !” “You even speak to me when I am fishing :)” 
There is a lot in this passage of Scripture...next Blog, I'll expand on this passage - Be blessed friends !

Ontario Teachers Strike, Government Blinks, Kids Lose

On Wednesday my children brought home papers informing us that on Monday December 10th there will be  no classes for them as the teachers are striking for one day. Later that night, I heard that the union has picked 2 school Boards - Avon/Maitland in Southern Ontario (60,000 students) and Ontario North East - a relatively small school board. That is where my children go. 

Across the street from my house is a French Catholic School (also know as private school that is funded by the public) They will be teaching on Monday. The students that go there will be getting an education.
Now before you start putting your comments on what this strike is all about...save it for the spin doctors. I have heard both arguments and I know how each side is "staying on message". The French Catholic & French Public Teachers unions both accepted the same deal that the ETFO rejected. Here's what it boils down to. The Union is in a power struggle with the Government. A struggle that in all likelihood will be won in court. That is what the experts are saying. Unfortunately that is not good enough. 

Then is the locations of the strikes...2 relatively small boards - Not Toronto...that is where the majority of the Liberal seats are...but in Northern Ontario (NDP) and in Southern Ontario (PC). Does no one else see what is happening here. First of all, it is a test. A test to see what the Government will do...the answer is - Nothing.  Second, there is a Provincial election coming up...soon - The Union recognizes this - they have been very close to this Government for the last 8 years - they don't want to burn all the bridges. Third, this effects a relatively small number of students. The Union doesn't want to upset the cart totally until they see what the Government will do.

I have family as teachers, I have friends as teachers. They  are hard working, energetic and devoted to their jobs. I also went through a teachers strike when I was in high school....a long strike...very long. I lost a math credit - I couldn't "cram" everything I needed to know in a short period of time when the teachers returned. And all through the strike the message was "no student has ever lost a credit because of a strike" I would disagree.

This is not the right move by the ETFO - They talk about Democracy...having their rights taken away. Yet if a teachers breaks rank and chooses to teach while a strike is on that teacher can be fined up to $500 a day. Not very Democratic. 

The Government has been voted in to lead. The government has been voted in to make tough choices. I see neither leadership or choices....I see politicians looking towards the next election.

In all this - The kids Lose.

Fishing through the Ice

For the last few days I thought - should I post this? I shared this with my Assembly on Sunday and wanted to expand upon it.

About a week ago during prayer at our church I saw something very interesting: Here is what I saw - There were two rolling hills, one to the left, one to the right. In between was a large bay - I was standing on a dock looking out over the bay. The bay was frozen and there were people ice fishing all across the area. As I looked to my left - boats were tied to the docks, the ice had locked them in. They were perfectly good vessels, just frozen - bound by the ice. 
As I turned and looked over the bay again, I notice that an icebreaker was coming. People that were fishing were happy - they would soon be able to use their boats again. Closer it came. I could see the water now appearing through the breaks in the ice. Good things coming - 

As  I thought and prayed about this, this is what came to me: 
Often our lives are like the people fishing on the ice - we are drilling a hole and trusting the Lord to catch a fish here, catching a fish there. All the while our our boats are locked in the ice. Then along comes the spring and the ice breaker.
But between the ice fishing and boat fishing there is a dormant time - a time when you can't go on the ice and a time when you can't go out in the boat. What are you doing with that time?
Are you preparing your nets? Are you refreshing your supplies? Are you fuelling up? Are you excited about the opportunity to go back out and go fishing?

I believe that Jesus is asking us the same thing - How are you using your time? Have you prepared? Are you ready to venture out when the time is right?  Are you ready to catch not one fish but thousands? Are you tired of being bound by ice, and are you ready to move freely?

It's given me something to think about, it's encouraged me - We are watching you break the ice Jesus - now we have to be ready to fish :)

"Early in the Morning" - a recap of Easter Service

Ark of the Covenant as depicted by bibleplaces.com

I have a vivid imagination - I can't remember a dream that's never been in colour. When I read a book, the story becomes alive to me. When I tell a story, I like to explain, expound and entice my listeners with details that capture their attention. 
As I was preparing for Easter Sunday's service, my mind was running...so many thoughts coming into my mind. I was excited. 
I read from John chapter 20 - the story of Mary going to the tomb of Jesus on that wonderful Easter morning. I couldn't help but picture what it was like...Cool morning air, the birds just starting to wake. The dim light of a lantern as Mary walks toward the garden tomb. How was Mary feeling? Was she nervous? Was she concerned that she was going to a tomb? What was she expecting to find?
Then imagine her astonishment, the stone rolled away. This tomb that was sealed. She immediately ran to tell Peter. She was frantic, her Lord was gone. 
(Here is an interesting thing...did she look into the tomb before she got Peter? She tells Peter that the Lord's body has been taken out of the tomb...Did she look before getting Peter or did she just assume that someone had stolen Jesus's body?)
One other interesting detail that I really like is when the Peter and the other disciple had left, and Mary was at the tomb..she looks in and sees 2 angels. Remember her eyes are filled with tears, she's crying and weeping. 
One angel at the foot of where Jesus laid, and one foot at the head of where Jesus had laid. This got my mind going - where else do we see 2 angels - one at the head and one at the foot? The ark of the covenant. Here is a little history on it - This ark was in the Holy of Holy's in the Jewish temple. The top of the ark was named "The Mercy Seat" This "Mercy Seat" had an angel at the head, and one at the foot. The High Priest would sprinkle blood for the atonement for himself and his family, the other priests, the Tabernacle, and the people of Israel.
Now go back with me to the story of Mary looking into the tomb. 2 angels...one at the head, one at the foot or where Jesus was laid...He was the Sacrifice for our sins...Do you see the similarity?
Just some thoughts :)


Blessings to you.