It is well.

Hey guys.

The past couple of weeks have been a little nutty.

Some of you may already know that Lyle (my wonderful stepdad) has been in the hospital for awhile now. He was diagnosed with epidural spinal abscesses. Basically, he had something comparable to tumours along the base of his spine that were causing him a lot of pain and threatened to cause neurological damage or paralysis if not treated immediately. On Thursday night they decided to do emergency surgery to try to reduce the risk of paralysis. The surgery went well, although they were unable to remove the abscesses, they could release some of the pressure around his spine. He's still at Royal Columbian Hospital, and they're now attempting to take care of the rest of the "problem" with antibiotics and other medications.

Thank you to those of you who were praying for our family - we can't tell you how much we've appreciated it! Lyle has really felt God's comfort through this whole ordeal (I think he's been calmer than mom and us four kids!) and we're obviously also VERY relieved that he still has full function of his limbs (and his mind!).

Lots of love.

Toms Shoes

This movement is rad.

Toms shoes is a company which was developed for the purpose of distributing one pair of shoes to a child in a third-world country for every single pair of shoes that they sell.

What an awesome idea.

http://www.tomsshoes.ca/content.asp?tid=529

check it out.

Personally, I love this pair:

I just need to have a little recovery time from my "all natural supplement" med purchases and school tuition and then these bad boys will be making an appearance on my feet! haha

Autumn

I wrote this poem in the end of August 2009, and it seems fitting to share it once again...

My eager friend has left his subtle fingerprints across a day that is not his own.
A scent, one smell - a memory. "Back so soon?"
But no. Just a hint, in jest, before retreating - almost undetected - into the August midday.
A shade, a hue, has caught my eye - a leaf anxiously embracing my dear friend's splendor.
A deliciously majestic auburn, shaming it's neighbors in appearance.
But this poor, beautiful leaf will be the first to fall... a leader for the myriads to follow.
"You're too early, dear friend", and I know he agrees as the wind catches my hair.
"A couple more weeks, then?"...and I know he's gone again.
But soon, as time dances away another season, he'll return.
With ferver and passion he'll paint his canvas in rich golds, intermingling reds, oranges and browns - a stunning work of art.
But his welcome is never as warm as the world which he creates around us.
A sigh, at first;
a mourning time over the loss of another sweet season who left us much too young.
In this sad state we sit, as my friend labours, unappreciated, to remake the world around us.
He knows his time will come...
And then, before it even seems he was here at all, he will be the one dearly missed.
I've missed you, my old friend. Welcome back.

on with the show!

As you may or may not know, I spent these past two weeks running "Shine Performing Arts" day camps! My mom and I were out to lunch (literally and figuratively) one day back in March or early April and we were discussing the possibility of me running my own musical theatre classes... and that's how Shine Performing Arts was formed! My friend Jon Campbell from Kuztek solutions created the website (http://www.shineperformingarts.com/), I printed flyers out and posted them around town and I ran ads in the Abbotsford newspaper. Slowly but surely, parents began to sign their kids up!


So, August 9th-13th I had nine children between the ages of 6 and 8 learning about singing, acting and dancing down in the Youth Center of Immanuel Fellowship Baptist church! Monday through Friday, 9am - 2:30pm, I was "Miss Jay". At the end of the week we invited the parents to come and watch us "perform" what we had learned. One of the moms video taped the kids performing - http://www.youtube.com/user/celinasart#p/a/u/1/m_HOCsJmyTQ


Sorry about the whining kid... believe me, it was much more annoying in person! haha


Then, the 16th-20th I had six 10 - 12 year olds (and one random 7 year old little sister who asked to join in half way through the week!). This camp was more drama based - we played lots of theatre games, learning about improv, blocking, vocal techniques, etc. Really fun! Below are some pics of them from the last two days.

I had a tonne of fun with these kids. Many of the parents from both groups were wondering whether I would be running once-a-week classes in the fall, which I was hoping to do! So, all in all, it was a great two weeks, and I look forward to many more camps to come!

songs that equal "summer"

So, here are some songs that will FOREVER make me think of summertime...

Phil Vassar - Six Pack Summer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYpdFYWNSC4

Nikka Costa - Everybody's Got Their Something
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyeoW4ifNik

Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5CLmflrwIA

Brandtson - Earthquakes and Sharks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTIUDsb2XGs

Chris Brown - Forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sMKX22BHeE

Lessons from Job.

Recently, when feeling quite frustrated with my current health-situation, I have referenced Job. Job's story is found in the Old Testament of the Bible - he was a a Godly man: generous, kind, righteous and integral. For this reason, he is the target of Satan's attack. In an attempt to cause this "Godly man" to curse his Lord, Satan causes him to lose his children, his wealth, and eventually his own health. Greatly afflicted with health problems (including boils all over his skin), Job is visited by 3 "friends. They urge Job repeatedly to "repent of his sin", for clearly this is God's punishment! Job argues with them, telling them that he really has nothing to confess - he has lived a life which glorifies God. Basically he says "I haven't done anything wrong. I don't understand why God is doing this to me; why He hasn't answered my prayers." He is upset. Frustrated. Confused. That's how I've felt. I understand that Job's situation was MUCH worse than what I am going through, but I have related to his lamenting more than once...

... and then I read the end of the book - an extremely humbling experience, I assure you.

Job has basically said "I don't deserve this" when he receives this response from God...

Chapter 38
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?

3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone..."

On to Chapter 40...

...2 "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!"

3 Then Job answered the LORD :

4 "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.

5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more."

6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:

7 "Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

8 "Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?"

9 Do you have an arm like God's,
and can your voice thunder like his?

10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at every proud man and bring him low,

12 look at every proud man and humble him,
crush the wicked where they stand.

13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.

14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you."


Basically, God is saying "you don't deserve this? Who are you? Do you deserve ANY of what I have given you? Imagine if I gave you what you TRULY deserve!"

In Chapter 42 Job humbles himself before the Lord:

1 Then Job replied to the LORD :
2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'

5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you"

The Chapter ends by telling us that God blessed the latter part of Job's life twice as much as he blessed the first.

So, I'm finally starting to understand that I can't comprehend God's plan... I can't predict His timing. I believe He'll heal me. I believe that He's teaching me joy, patience, contentment, perseverance and humility. I do know, however, that He has been merciful to me. God has given me a life of hope and purpose which I don't deserve. The creator of the Universe loves me and I really don't have a clue why.

I have to dive into the Bible more... it's full of awesome truths.

if you think of me...

Hey guys.
So, as some of you may know, I'm still struggling with some unidentified health issues. If you look back on my blogs from this past winter you'll see just how severe it was... and although I had thought that I was nearing the end of it all, it seems that I'm not "in the clear" just yet. Although I am still eating quite plainly, I've been having some random outbreaks lately: a couple spots on my face and neck,my jawline, my shoulders, down my arms and along my neckline.
Needless to say, I'm frustrated. It's not easy to change your whole lifestyle in order to beat something just to find out that you're really not beating it at all. I want to be patient and gracious through this whole process... so I could use some prayer.
So, if you're thinking of me, pray that God would give Kyle and I a maturity beyond our years as we deal with this constant annoyance. I'm honestly SO grateful for how far I've come since those scary pictures in February, and for the fact that I have felt God's comfort through it all. I know that there are a lot of you that have had me in your prayers, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

Love. (Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self-Control)

Jay