My intentions were good to keep up with the blog during the school year, especially since I figured I'd be encountering some intriguing people and subjects and debates (you're guaranteed some disagreements in a class of 40 people!). However, here I am, on my Christmas break, thinking that maybe it's about time for an update.
The year 2010 has been eventful to say the least. In some ways, it seems like January 2010 was really 12 months ago while other times it feels like it was just yesterday. The only resolution I ever make is to somehow try and reign in the passage of time; to wield my power to slow it down somehow; to treasure those moments worth treasuring. I'll keep working the Jedi mind power and let you know how it's going. I get the impression it's gonna be a fruitless effort. The year started out in pretty much the same fashion as the end of 2009; Jeff was driving long haul and I was holding down the fort here in New Brunswick. Pretty much the same deal as Halifax, only a bit more happening in the relationship department. We were beginning to think a bit more seriously about my starting school in September and planning in the direction of Jeff coming off the road around the same time. You may remember that the long haul trucking was intended to be a temporary deal and when I started school full time, he'd come off the road to be home more so that the day-to-day up keep of the house and cats and the newly acquired responsibilities of school wouldn't be so overwhelming. Quitting day came a lot sooner than we had expected.
In mid-February, after quite a few "smaller than usual" paycheques and getting "stuck" in cities with no loads for days at a time, he decided that it was time to move on and the search began for other trucking jobs in the area that were more local in nature. The job he found right away had a lot of promise but fell flat very quickly. So that job forced yet another job search; this time with a larger company. In the lean time, Jeff was able to help an organic farmer friend with some basic building he needed done (some shelves, a couple of cold frames, and a resourced cabinet). I was helping out with packaging and weighing the produce to take to the market so we were both able to help out in our respective ways. Not long after that, Jeff was hired at the company he is currently working for. This job, unlike the previous two, he likes very much. They treat him really well and have been accommodating with emergency trips to the dentist or doctor's appointments. There's opportunity for him to work extra hours should he want them on Saturdays and holidays.
The months on March and April were rather skinny in the wallet but we were able to save enough for me to make a short trip to Calgary in May over the long weekend. With the help of some passes from my flight attendant sister, I flew out to Calgary to have some photos taken of us siblings that we wanted to give Mom & Dad as an anniversary gift. Even though it was a whirlwind trip, we did go to the Body Worlds exhibit at the science museum since it wasn't a very nice day for the zoo. (The zoo was my first choice but it was a chilly, windy day so it wasn't the most pleasant of conditions for exploring the zoo. Besides, just gives me something else to look forward to next time we visit.) The pictures were taken by a professional photographer at the church that my family goes to. She did an excellent job and the pictures turned out great! I was afraid that it was going to be too posey-posey but that's not her style. She told us at the start that she wanted us to just be natural and not focus so much on the camera. We were able to pull Mom and Dad in for some family shots and she also got some really nice individual shots of them as well. Overall, it was a wonderful trip and I very much enjoyed the little bit of the city I was able to see and the visit with the family.
After I got back from that trip, I needed to dive headlong into full time work at the coffee shop. Some days, it was really challenging to get up and go to work as it was a rather warm summer, reaching highs that I hadn't felt since leaving South Carolina. Fortunately, we had a line on a really great swimming spot on the local river so that helped wash away the excessive sweat. The goal was to work and save money through out the summer so that we could continue to build up the savings we have for my schooling. Not a very exciting summer but we knew that would be the way it worked out for this past summer and the one coming. Jeff did surprise me with a small anniversary trip to a town about 3 hours from here. It was truly a surprise. He had it planned and even let a few other people in on the secret and the cat was never let out of the bag until he let it out. Anyone who knows Jeff knows that he usually can't keep a secret long. He tells you he's got a surprise for you and then tells you what it is. :0) He succeeded in his secret keeping this time. We had a really great, relaxing time. I did manage to take a day to meet up with my mom while she was visiting east in July and that was fun too!
The summer flew by and before I knew it, school was getting ready to start. I knew it was going to start sooner or later but it sure crept up on me. I'm usually much more prepared for these things but it didn't dawn on me that I might need things like school supplies. I don't usually pay attention to that stuff 'cause I'm not a student and I don't have kids in school...oh, wait! I am a student this year! Oi! Guess I better get some school supplies! School started and I felt about as nervous as all the 5-year old's heading off to kindergarten. What if I don't get there on time? What if I forget my lunch? Will anybody like me and want to be my friend? What if this nursing stuff is too hard and I flunk out on the first day? Is that even possible?? Yeah...my imagination's a little overactive! Suffice it to say, I was a little nervous. That nervousness quickly dissipated and as with anything new, we settled into the routine of things and I began to find that I was really enjoying learning about anatomy and physiology and the hands-on skills of nursing. And even more surprising, I was making really good grades...like closer to the top of the class than the bottom. Wow! Maybe this really is what I'm supposed to do. So the classes rolled along and we had a few ups-and-downs but we're no worse for wear. Then came time for our first clinical. (Cue thematic music) That's the part of the show where we show whether we've actually learned anything in class and lab but this time, we're not just practicing on our class mates. We're working with real, live people who may be with or may not and may be able to roll over to their side or may not and they may be able to tell you when something hurts or they may not. AAAAHHHH! I was excited but crazy nervous on my first day in clinical but we made it through and enjoyed the experience. My next clinical will be at the same place but it'll be a lot better the second time because I have some idea of how things work there.
After our two weeks of clinical, we were back in the classroom for the remaining two weeks of the school year before Christmas break and that was the toughest two weeks we have had yet. We had a couple of large projects that we due and a couple of big tests. It was a tough week to stay motivated and push through to the end. We made it and now I'm almost done with the Christmas break. Hard to believe that classes start back in one week.
It has been a relatively quiet holiday season but we have managed to stay busy leading up to it. In October, we hosted a Pampered Chef party which was a ton of fun! Normally it is mostly women who interested in that kitchen-y stuff but we have many friends who asked if their husbands could come too 'cause they like to cook too. So we had a co-ed party. What a hoot! A couple of weeks later, Jeff took a week to drive down to South Carolina to clean out our storage unit and bring what remained of our worldly possessions that were still down there back up here. It was a pretty quick trip but he was able to connect with a few people along the way, including his family, whom he hadn't seen in about a year. Soon after he got back from SC, the Christmas parties started for his work and mine. Mine didn't allow me to bring a guest so I opted not to go. His, on the other hand, were. The big corporate shindig rented out several rooms in a hotel that they gave to their employees free and a fancy dinner and lots and lots of prizes and gifts. The local Christmas party was mostly paid for except for your drinks but it was still fun to go and meet some of the folks Jeff works with on a daily basis. We were also able to have two of our closest buddies (more so Jeff's closest buddies since they're guys) come and spend the weekend with us, one of whom we hadn't seen since he helped us move to Fredericton over a year ago.
The events in our life over the past year have been fairly mundane and "normal"; nothing out of the ordinary. Our emotional lives have been a rollercoaster. I will have to let Jeff share his story since I wouldn't do it justice but let me summarize it: he has had some pretty major breakthroughs in some areas of his life that God has been trying to get his attention. In the course of his journey, he has shared some of the same teachings with me and I am beginning to see that I need some of those same kind of breakthroughs in my life. I have been running on my own steam and now I'm worn out. God didn't create us to live life on our own strength but through Him. Unfortunately, most of us are guilty of that very deed. We tell God to point us in the direction we want to go and then take the reins. It's no wonder we get lost and turned around. God's the one who invited us along for the ride and now we're telling him how to to get to where he's taking us! Ouch. We've been working through a lot of the teachings from Jack Frost and also from David Baldwin and those have been proving invaluable. If you would like more information about either of these ministries, we'd be happy to pass that information along.
I've never been much for resolutions...never keep them anyway so why bother making them? Instead, I look forward to what God brings our way in 2011. I'm sure it will be an adventure. May you also have an adventurous 2011! Here's a picture slide show for your enjoyment!
28.8.10
Tips for Travelling Adventures
I actually wrote this post a few weeks ago but in the busyness of school starting, I forgot to post to it. So here it is....
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We've been wandering down memory lane a bit over the last couple of weeks and reminiscing over some of the crazy travel adventures we have had the opportunity to experience.
What sparked all this remembering? Some friends are moving from this side of the country to the other. They're young and vibrant and have decided to check out the other coast for a while and see where God leads. As I listen to them share how they reached the decision to make the move in the first place, I am reminded of our many moves between here and the US or just between provinces here in the Maritimes. It's quite odd for us to be among the "stay-behind-ers"...seems like we're always the ones moving. But it's kinda nice to be a "stayer" for a change.
Anyone who has known us for any amount of time knows that we've moved....a lot! And in the past few years, those moves have been big...the "sell everything that doesn't fit in the car" kind of move. It seems crazy and like we're out of our minds but I've had people tell they wish they could take those kind of adventures more often. We have grown a bit wiser in the technical end of the moving adventure and we have had the opportunity to pass on that advice to our friends but now I'll share some of those tidbits with you now.
1. Get out of the plane and open your parachute...you can sit around all your life and wonder what it's like to just up and move where you think God is taking you, but if you don't jump out of the plane, you're gonna miss out on the adventure of a lifetime. God gave us planes for a good reason--to jump out! And statistically speaking, you're odds of dying in a plane crash are far, far higher than in a parachuting accident. So even if you're skeptical or afraid, you're safer in the air than in the plane.
2. Sell everything that can be easily replaced. Dishes are replaceable. Knick-knacks are replaceable. Electric mixers with removable paddles are replaceable. If it didn't cost you much, it won't cost you much. Have a yard sale...everyone should have a yard sale whether you're making a big move or not. Not only does it cleanse and purge your stuff (you'll be stunned at how much you've accumulated), but it also cleanses the soul of our materialistic, consumptionist tendencies.
3. Plan your driving realistically. The 20 hour, one shot deal might have been good when you were in college and didn't know better....or maybe you did know better and just wanted to be a highway superhero....put the cape away and take your time. Sleep is good and your friend...helps to keep you alert and danger-free. Stopping for the night earlier than you might have allows you time to smell the roses wherever you find them. That sign luring you to the world's biggest ball of string...well, if you're driving 20 hours today you'll miss. But drive 10 today and you'll have time to see the famous ball-o'-yarn and visit the ice cream stand across the street.
4. Do not over estimate what your vehicle can handle. Most of us drive ordinary vehicles; not Bat-mobiles. If hauling a trailer as part of your move, use the right kind for the stuff you're hauling. That Beverly Hillbillies looking vehicle was us on our initial move to the US. (Please don't try this at home...we are trained professionals.)
Those are a few tips that we have learned along the way and passing on to you for your adventuring enjoyment.
Party on, Wayne; party on, Garth.
__________________________________________________________________
We've been wandering down memory lane a bit over the last couple of weeks and reminiscing over some of the crazy travel adventures we have had the opportunity to experience.
What sparked all this remembering? Some friends are moving from this side of the country to the other. They're young and vibrant and have decided to check out the other coast for a while and see where God leads. As I listen to them share how they reached the decision to make the move in the first place, I am reminded of our many moves between here and the US or just between provinces here in the Maritimes. It's quite odd for us to be among the "stay-behind-ers"...seems like we're always the ones moving. But it's kinda nice to be a "stayer" for a change.
Anyone who has known us for any amount of time knows that we've moved....a lot! And in the past few years, those moves have been big...the "sell everything that doesn't fit in the car" kind of move. It seems crazy and like we're out of our minds but I've had people tell they wish they could take those kind of adventures more often. We have grown a bit wiser in the technical end of the moving adventure and we have had the opportunity to pass on that advice to our friends but now I'll share some of those tidbits with you now.
1. Get out of the plane and open your parachute...you can sit around all your life and wonder what it's like to just up and move where you think God is taking you, but if you don't jump out of the plane, you're gonna miss out on the adventure of a lifetime. God gave us planes for a good reason--to jump out! And statistically speaking, you're odds of dying in a plane crash are far, far higher than in a parachuting accident. So even if you're skeptical or afraid, you're safer in the air than in the plane.
2. Sell everything that can be easily replaced. Dishes are replaceable. Knick-knacks are replaceable. Electric mixers with removable paddles are replaceable. If it didn't cost you much, it won't cost you much. Have a yard sale...everyone should have a yard sale whether you're making a big move or not. Not only does it cleanse and purge your stuff (you'll be stunned at how much you've accumulated), but it also cleanses the soul of our materialistic, consumptionist tendencies.
3. Plan your driving realistically. The 20 hour, one shot deal might have been good when you were in college and didn't know better....or maybe you did know better and just wanted to be a highway superhero....put the cape away and take your time. Sleep is good and your friend...helps to keep you alert and danger-free. Stopping for the night earlier than you might have allows you time to smell the roses wherever you find them. That sign luring you to the world's biggest ball of string...well, if you're driving 20 hours today you'll miss. But drive 10 today and you'll have time to see the famous ball-o'-yarn and visit the ice cream stand across the street.
4. Do not over estimate what your vehicle can handle. Most of us drive ordinary vehicles; not Bat-mobiles. If hauling a trailer as part of your move, use the right kind for the stuff you're hauling. That Beverly Hillbillies looking vehicle was us on our initial move to the US. (Please don't try this at home...we are trained professionals.)
Those are a few tips that we have learned along the way and passing on to you for your adventuring enjoyment.
Party on, Wayne; party on, Garth.
25.8.10
The Long and Short of it...
I had decided a long time ago that once my hair had grown to an acceptable length, I would cut it and donate it. One day two weeks ago was cutting day.
I have cut and donated my hair before a few years ago and it seemed like such a great cause that I thought I would encore the performance as long as I am able to keep growing my hair to a suitable length. The required length for donation is minimum 10 inches. That doesn't seem like much to look at it on a ruler or tape measure but in hair, it's quite long. I was trying to coincide the shedding of my ponytail with my starting school in which I have been successful (school starts in 1 week...aaah!). I figured get a new 'do for school and adding my small hairy contribution to the wig world is not all a bad thing. Locks of Love is where I will be sending my hair.
The top picture is how long my hair was before I cut it. The bottom is what it looks like now.
I have cut and donated my hair before a few years ago and it seemed like such a great cause that I thought I would encore the performance as long as I am able to keep growing my hair to a suitable length. The required length for donation is minimum 10 inches. That doesn't seem like much to look at it on a ruler or tape measure but in hair, it's quite long. I was trying to coincide the shedding of my ponytail with my starting school in which I have been successful (school starts in 1 week...aaah!). I figured get a new 'do for school and adding my small hairy contribution to the wig world is not all a bad thing. Locks of Love is where I will be sending my hair.
The top picture is how long my hair was before I cut it. The bottom is what it looks like now.
23.6.10
The Spudwick Papers -- An Update
Okay...we're back in business. Now, it's time for an update. It's been plenty long enough, wouldn't you agree?
So life has been a little crazy of late but things have settled down for a while so I can fill you in on the details.
Since the last update, Jeff was having a rough time with the job he had found. The promises his bosses had made were just not happening and eventually he found that his paychecks were laughably small. So it became necessary for him to put in his 2-week notice with that job and try to find something else local and a bit more steady. He is now working for a much larger company and is home every night. He works long hours so he's not always home early enough in the evening to make supper plans with friends during the week but he does get to sleep in his own bed every night. This new company treats him well and they seem to really like having him on board. To date, he enjoys his job (it's a mix of some long haul within the province and local around the city) but is finding that overall, he's getting tired of the trucking industry in general. For now, it's a job that pays the bills and allows us to meet the financial goals that we have set for ourselves.
My desire was to post an update about a month or so ago but the computer decided to crash...again. So after a lengthy series of emails sending the same information to six different people trying to convince them that it was still under warranty, they finally sent a box so that I could send the computer off to be fixed. Even after we got it back, we were reluctant to get it set back up again because then we'd have to fuss with getting it back online (it's a complicated story but suffice it to say that I was going to have to spend a few hours on the phone with our internet provider). Eventually, we got it set back up and the internet hooked back up and now here we are.
In the middle of all the computer crash mess, I was preparing for a trip out to Calgary to visit my family for a weekend. Yes, I realize that it seems kinda silly to only go for a weekend but that was the time that I and they had available so we made it work. There was a specific reason that I was going out there in the first place. Visiting my family was the bonus but the real reason was for my siblings and I to have some photos taken as an anniversary gift for our parents. They had hired a photographer from their church; she was really great to work with. I wasn't super keen on the posey-posey sort of photo shoot (we could have done that at Sears) and as it turns out, neither is she. We had a lot of fun and she captured some really great moments. Here's the link to see our photos.
The day before I left for my trip out to Calgary, I had a meeting regarding the government funding that I had applied for my nursing school. I had a previous meeting back in November and had a pile of paperwork to fill out and submit as part of the application. After that was all done and submitted, I had a follow-up meeting which, as it turns out, was basically the "we've checked you out and you seem like an okay person so we'll give you some money to help you" meeting. It was a big relief to walk out knowing that I have been given a major financial boost. They are offering a very generous funding package including paying all my books and half my tuition among other benefits. My end of the deal is to be in school every day and pay my half of the expenses (the remaining half of the tuition, student fees, etc). A week after I got back from Calgary, I had an orientation at the school which I left beginning to feel very excited about the prospect of school happening...at last. I'm not usually one to get overly excited about things way in advance of them happening but with school...oh, yeah! I'm getting pretty stoked!
In the meantime, we are both just working, working, working and trying to take advantage of the local activities, like yard sales and the Saturday morning farmer's market. We did however make an overnight excursion for our anniversary to a little town called Grand Falls. Unfortunately, the falls were dammed up to power the hydro plant. It was still nice trip...even nicer that Jeff surprised me with it and to boot, managed to keep it a secret for a week. Usually, he's busting at the seams to tell a "surprise" so I'm even more impressed that he was able to keep it a secret for a week!
Well, it has taken about a week or so to get this update finished and off to the printers so I suppose I should sign off and post it before another week passes. As the most interesting man in the world would say, "Stay thirsty, my friends". That shouldn't be too hard if it is as hot where you are as is it here.
So life has been a little crazy of late but things have settled down for a while so I can fill you in on the details.
Since the last update, Jeff was having a rough time with the job he had found. The promises his bosses had made were just not happening and eventually he found that his paychecks were laughably small. So it became necessary for him to put in his 2-week notice with that job and try to find something else local and a bit more steady. He is now working for a much larger company and is home every night. He works long hours so he's not always home early enough in the evening to make supper plans with friends during the week but he does get to sleep in his own bed every night. This new company treats him well and they seem to really like having him on board. To date, he enjoys his job (it's a mix of some long haul within the province and local around the city) but is finding that overall, he's getting tired of the trucking industry in general. For now, it's a job that pays the bills and allows us to meet the financial goals that we have set for ourselves.
My desire was to post an update about a month or so ago but the computer decided to crash...again. So after a lengthy series of emails sending the same information to six different people trying to convince them that it was still under warranty, they finally sent a box so that I could send the computer off to be fixed. Even after we got it back, we were reluctant to get it set back up again because then we'd have to fuss with getting it back online (it's a complicated story but suffice it to say that I was going to have to spend a few hours on the phone with our internet provider). Eventually, we got it set back up and the internet hooked back up and now here we are.
In the middle of all the computer crash mess, I was preparing for a trip out to Calgary to visit my family for a weekend. Yes, I realize that it seems kinda silly to only go for a weekend but that was the time that I and they had available so we made it work. There was a specific reason that I was going out there in the first place. Visiting my family was the bonus but the real reason was for my siblings and I to have some photos taken as an anniversary gift for our parents. They had hired a photographer from their church; she was really great to work with. I wasn't super keen on the posey-posey sort of photo shoot (we could have done that at Sears) and as it turns out, neither is she. We had a lot of fun and she captured some really great moments. Here's the link to see our photos.
The day before I left for my trip out to Calgary, I had a meeting regarding the government funding that I had applied for my nursing school. I had a previous meeting back in November and had a pile of paperwork to fill out and submit as part of the application. After that was all done and submitted, I had a follow-up meeting which, as it turns out, was basically the "we've checked you out and you seem like an okay person so we'll give you some money to help you" meeting. It was a big relief to walk out knowing that I have been given a major financial boost. They are offering a very generous funding package including paying all my books and half my tuition among other benefits. My end of the deal is to be in school every day and pay my half of the expenses (the remaining half of the tuition, student fees, etc). A week after I got back from Calgary, I had an orientation at the school which I left beginning to feel very excited about the prospect of school happening...at last. I'm not usually one to get overly excited about things way in advance of them happening but with school...oh, yeah! I'm getting pretty stoked!
In the meantime, we are both just working, working, working and trying to take advantage of the local activities, like yard sales and the Saturday morning farmer's market. We did however make an overnight excursion for our anniversary to a little town called Grand Falls. Unfortunately, the falls were dammed up to power the hydro plant. It was still nice trip...even nicer that Jeff surprised me with it and to boot, managed to keep it a secret for a week. Usually, he's busting at the seams to tell a "surprise" so I'm even more impressed that he was able to keep it a secret for a week!
Well, it has taken about a week or so to get this update finished and off to the printers so I suppose I should sign off and post it before another week passes. As the most interesting man in the world would say, "Stay thirsty, my friends". That shouldn't be too hard if it is as hot where you are as is it here.
30.3.10
Forgiveness is a Choice
I have been mulling over the idea of forgiveness since I was listening to a call-in radio show a few weeks ago on this subject.
It's one of those things that seems like you understand but then when you really stop and think about it, you realize you don't. Anybody else had that feeling? Maybe it's just me. I have been really thinking about it a lot and trying to wrap my head around it and I think I've come to some conclusions.
Before you can really discuss this subject with anyone else, determining their view on morality is key. Christians believe that God created the world in a perfect state but that got ruined when sin entered. Sin changed everything. Now there's a big gap between mankind and God but God wants us to be near him. We can't be near him when we have sin so he gave us a solution. He sent his son in a human form to earth and sacrificed him on the cross as payment for our sins so that we can be forgiven. If you don't believe that, you really can't understand what forgiveness is all about.
As I drift back to that radio show, I remember hearing numerous stories of people who carry regret in varying degrees over things they did or said or didn't do or say to those important in their lives. My first thought is, "wow...they sure do carry a lot of guilt!" But guilt cannot be a substitute for forgiveness. Forgiveness lets go of everything. I began to wonder if those people really understood what forgiveness is.
Over the past few weeks, the idea of forgiveness has not been far from my mind as there has been a lot of mention of a forgiveness conference that is touring across Canada. This conference is strongly supported by the churches and we are encouraged to go and participate in an effort to show our support. It is a response from the Native peoples to Prime Minister Harper's public apology for what the European immigrants inflicted when they migrated to the new world. To give a brief synopsis; there has been an unrest and in some cases, animosity from the Native people groups towards the Canadian government that dates back to before the birth of this country. The government and churches over the decades imposed many hurtful programs in an attempt to anglicize the Native people through residential homes. Later, in an effort to make peace, the government "gave" the Natives their lands back in the form of reservations. Needless to say, there has been a large wedge placed between the Natives and the rest of Canada. {Please note that this is a very brief history and not by any means intended to an accurate historical account. I am simply giving some background information for those unfamiliar with that history.}
As I think back in my own life and as I hear about the world's view on forgiveness, I am entirely convinced that forgiveness is a choice. It's not always an easy one but it is a choice. I am boggled by the magnitude of God's choice to place all my (and the rest of the world's) sin on his son and sacrifice him on our behalf. What an amazing act of love! I'm glad that God is who he is and that never changes. He gave his son so that I could be forgiven. Should I not then in turn forgive my fellow man?
It's one of those things that seems like you understand but then when you really stop and think about it, you realize you don't. Anybody else had that feeling? Maybe it's just me. I have been really thinking about it a lot and trying to wrap my head around it and I think I've come to some conclusions.
Before you can really discuss this subject with anyone else, determining their view on morality is key. Christians believe that God created the world in a perfect state but that got ruined when sin entered. Sin changed everything. Now there's a big gap between mankind and God but God wants us to be near him. We can't be near him when we have sin so he gave us a solution. He sent his son in a human form to earth and sacrificed him on the cross as payment for our sins so that we can be forgiven. If you don't believe that, you really can't understand what forgiveness is all about.
As I drift back to that radio show, I remember hearing numerous stories of people who carry regret in varying degrees over things they did or said or didn't do or say to those important in their lives. My first thought is, "wow...they sure do carry a lot of guilt!" But guilt cannot be a substitute for forgiveness. Forgiveness lets go of everything. I began to wonder if those people really understood what forgiveness is.
Over the past few weeks, the idea of forgiveness has not been far from my mind as there has been a lot of mention of a forgiveness conference that is touring across Canada. This conference is strongly supported by the churches and we are encouraged to go and participate in an effort to show our support. It is a response from the Native peoples to Prime Minister Harper's public apology for what the European immigrants inflicted when they migrated to the new world. To give a brief synopsis; there has been an unrest and in some cases, animosity from the Native people groups towards the Canadian government that dates back to before the birth of this country. The government and churches over the decades imposed many hurtful programs in an attempt to anglicize the Native people through residential homes. Later, in an effort to make peace, the government "gave" the Natives their lands back in the form of reservations. Needless to say, there has been a large wedge placed between the Natives and the rest of Canada. {Please note that this is a very brief history and not by any means intended to an accurate historical account. I am simply giving some background information for those unfamiliar with that history.}
As I think back in my own life and as I hear about the world's view on forgiveness, I am entirely convinced that forgiveness is a choice. It's not always an easy one but it is a choice. I am boggled by the magnitude of God's choice to place all my (and the rest of the world's) sin on his son and sacrifice him on our behalf. What an amazing act of love! I'm glad that God is who he is and that never changes. He gave his son so that I could be forgiven. Should I not then in turn forgive my fellow man?
The Spudwick Papers -- Feeling a Little Discouraged
It has been a while since we gave our loyal readers (all two of them) an update on us. (I'm pretty sure only our mothers read this...but that's okay...we know they love us!)
To be honest, it has been a trying few weeks. Jeff has been trying to find a rhythm with his new job that works for him and allows him to get a normal amount of sleep and accomplish what his job requires of him. For a while it seemed like what was being asked of him was almost to the point of being impossible, both physically and legally but the company was recently audited and has been required to make some changes. These changes should bode well for both Jeff and the company. Unlike his previous job, Jeff is now home most nights for which he is grateful but there's a drawback...there's no consistency to his paychecks. This job is much more dependent on the weather than his last and the organizational structure is much looser. We have found that his paychecks are rather on the shy side of things which has added to our overall sense of discouragement.
The older of our two vehicles, usually a reliable car, has had some major repairs on it that have dug into our financial bottom line. Just as soon as we fix one problem another pops up right away. It has been like this for about 2 weeks. It's not that we can't afford to have the repairs done; we can, but we're having to take it out of the savings for other purposes. We had thought that we might be able to consider buying a house within the next year or so but that idea has been pushed to a very, very back burner. Cutting other expenses has become the name of the game but you can only cut back so far. We have already cut back on a lot of expenses since Jeff is not driving long haul anymore but the car repairs are eating up much more than we've been able to cut back. Short of Jeff finding another new job that pays a consistent wage to meet our needs, we may have to just stick it out until I can get finished with school (my finishing date is still two years away).
We know that it is ultimately God who provides for us. He has also promised to prosper and not harm us but he also promised that as followers of Christ, we will face hardships. It really is no surprise that all this "not so fun" stuff is happening but it sure is not very comfortable either. In the bigger picture, these events are rather small and in comparison to the trials that some other folks in our church are having, our issues are pretty small. It's all about our perspective. Are we viewing our difficulties from our eyes or from God's eyes? And are we focusing on the truly eternal things; the things that matter the most, like how we react in the midst of our troubles? Are we still worshiping our Creator and giving him the glory his deserves? Kinda makes our troubles seem so much smaller when I think of it that way.
For now, it's one day at a time and deal each issue as it comes up but more importantly, praising our God in the midst of it all. I always feel better when I worship...here's one of our favorites for you to enjoy.
To be honest, it has been a trying few weeks. Jeff has been trying to find a rhythm with his new job that works for him and allows him to get a normal amount of sleep and accomplish what his job requires of him. For a while it seemed like what was being asked of him was almost to the point of being impossible, both physically and legally but the company was recently audited and has been required to make some changes. These changes should bode well for both Jeff and the company. Unlike his previous job, Jeff is now home most nights for which he is grateful but there's a drawback...there's no consistency to his paychecks. This job is much more dependent on the weather than his last and the organizational structure is much looser. We have found that his paychecks are rather on the shy side of things which has added to our overall sense of discouragement.
The older of our two vehicles, usually a reliable car, has had some major repairs on it that have dug into our financial bottom line. Just as soon as we fix one problem another pops up right away. It has been like this for about 2 weeks. It's not that we can't afford to have the repairs done; we can, but we're having to take it out of the savings for other purposes. We had thought that we might be able to consider buying a house within the next year or so but that idea has been pushed to a very, very back burner. Cutting other expenses has become the name of the game but you can only cut back so far. We have already cut back on a lot of expenses since Jeff is not driving long haul anymore but the car repairs are eating up much more than we've been able to cut back. Short of Jeff finding another new job that pays a consistent wage to meet our needs, we may have to just stick it out until I can get finished with school (my finishing date is still two years away).
We know that it is ultimately God who provides for us. He has also promised to prosper and not harm us but he also promised that as followers of Christ, we will face hardships. It really is no surprise that all this "not so fun" stuff is happening but it sure is not very comfortable either. In the bigger picture, these events are rather small and in comparison to the trials that some other folks in our church are having, our issues are pretty small. It's all about our perspective. Are we viewing our difficulties from our eyes or from God's eyes? And are we focusing on the truly eternal things; the things that matter the most, like how we react in the midst of our troubles? Are we still worshiping our Creator and giving him the glory his deserves? Kinda makes our troubles seem so much smaller when I think of it that way.
For now, it's one day at a time and deal each issue as it comes up but more importantly, praising our God in the midst of it all. I always feel better when I worship...here's one of our favorites for you to enjoy.
21.3.10
March Birthday Madness
So this week has been filled with birthdays (in fact, the whole month is filled) and since I didn't get to send each of those special people a personal birthday greeting, we'll do it blog style!
We hope that each one of you had a very special day, filled with love and blessings. As you embark on this next year of your life, may it also be filled with even more blessings! Love and hugs to each one of you from us!
We hope that each one of you had a very special day, filled with love and blessings. As you embark on this next year of your life, may it also be filled with even more blessings! Love and hugs to each one of you from us!
12.3.10
And now it's time for Silly Songs with Spudwick
This is the part of the show where Spudwick comes out and sings a silly song....well, we won't really sing it.
This one I picked just because. It's silly and rivals the hall-of-famers that Veggie Tales has made famous.
For your viewing pleasure, the Muppets with Me-nah-me-nah. (Sorry for the poor quality of this video.)
This one I picked just because. It's silly and rivals the hall-of-famers that Veggie Tales has made famous.
For your viewing pleasure, the Muppets with Me-nah-me-nah. (Sorry for the poor quality of this video.)
3.3.10
Validation
A friend had sent me an email last week with a link to a video in it.
Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of YouTube. I don't spend hours on end looking up videos to watch but I sure appreciate others who have the patience for that. When I got the email with this video link in it, I was quite taken with the quality and message of this little project. It is about 15 minutes long so if you can find the time to spare, I highly recommend it.
Without further adieu, Validation.
Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of YouTube. I don't spend hours on end looking up videos to watch but I sure appreciate others who have the patience for that. When I got the email with this video link in it, I was quite taken with the quality and message of this little project. It is about 15 minutes long so if you can find the time to spare, I highly recommend it.
Without further adieu, Validation.
20.2.10
Moving Right Along : A Spudwick Update
The Muppets capture it well in their song "Moving Right Along". Some days, you wake up and wonder how you ended up in Saskatchewan when you were heading for Hollywood but the bottom line is you're moving forward...or at least a relatively forward motion.
For the past month or so, Jeff has been rather upset with his company because he has not driving a lot of miles. For a job that pays by the mile, it's imperative to have a reasonable number of miles, thus translating into a paycheck to make it worthwhile him being gone from home all the time. Despite his many and repeated efforts to get the point across to the dispatchers (the people who set up his trips for him) that he needed more miles, he was ignored. I would get repeated phone calls in a day hearing how disgruntled he had become with this company. So he began to seek out alternative employment, focusing his efforts on the local companies. He did find one that he applied for but really had little hope that he would get. It is a small city and as is typical in the Maritimes, it's all about who you know or who's your family. Because he was out on the road when he put the application in, I encouraged him to call the company to make sure they did indeed receive his application and get a gauge on when they thought they might have a decision made. A week or so later, there was a message waiting on our answering machine from this company. They wanted to interview him. He scheduled the interview and they were ready for him to start that day. Not that he likely would have done that anyway, we already had a friend coming from out of town.
I asked him how the interview went and I got a rather somber reaction and response. Not the typical, "Woot, woot....I just got a new job!" It was very much a "yup...they want me but I don't know if I want it" reaction which was not what I was expecting. Long story short, this new job is not just a straight trucking job like his last ones have been. You jump in your truck, hook to your trailer, go to destination A, pick up your load, drive to destination B, drop off the load...(in a well run company, it would be repeat. With this last company, it was sit for an unspecified time until figure out where to send you next). This job is with a waste management company but it's not the city garbage pick up. It's with other industrial waste like shredded tires. The run he was hired for is a short term contract hauling shredded tires from our city to a dump in Maine but they would like to keep him on long term after the contract is finished. Because their business is garbage and waste, they use different trailers than just the straight box trailer with a refrigeration unit. Their trailers have conveyor belts and tarps...equipment he's not familiar with. Anyone who knows Jeff knows that he can learn to do anything if he's taught how to do it and that was where some of his apprehension was coming from. We have lived in the Maritimes for many years and know the tendencies of life here. Small companies just don't have the manpower to dedicate one person to training so they walk you through briefly, show you all the important stuff but then you're on your own. The rest you figure out along the way...sometimes that fine but other times it can be really bad. He didn't want to find himself in a situation that would be beyond his ability to figure a way out since he'd be working with unfamiliar equipment that likely has a lot of $$$$ attached to it too. He went for a few hours the next day to be "trained" on the equipment and get familiar with the truck he'd be driving but he still felt really nervous about it all. He decided to take a stab at the job and see it plays out.
He's being working at it now this week and it has been a very trying week. There have been a lot of very early mornings and not so early bedtimes. There have been several truck issues, all fairly minor but certainly annoying. Overall, he has been rather unsure if he could really do this job to the standard he believes he should. He is a man of integrity and he's figuring and working the driving times and distance to see how he can maximize the number of loads he can haul in a week and still be legal. (This company pays by the load rather than by the mile.) The company wants him to get two loads a day, 5.5 days a week, which can't legally be done. He figures he could likely get nine a week which is reasonable. He had one really good day this week where he was able to get two loads done and no truck issues so that was encouraging for him. We'll see how the rest of it goes.
On the up side, he is gaining a paycheck based on his loads, not his miles so even if he only gets one load in a day, he still gets paid for that load. The potential is there to make a decent wage and be home a good bit more. That's the latest news from this neck of the woods. This has been Fan of the Muppets reporting. I leave you with this song.
For the past month or so, Jeff has been rather upset with his company because he has not driving a lot of miles. For a job that pays by the mile, it's imperative to have a reasonable number of miles, thus translating into a paycheck to make it worthwhile him being gone from home all the time. Despite his many and repeated efforts to get the point across to the dispatchers (the people who set up his trips for him) that he needed more miles, he was ignored. I would get repeated phone calls in a day hearing how disgruntled he had become with this company. So he began to seek out alternative employment, focusing his efforts on the local companies. He did find one that he applied for but really had little hope that he would get. It is a small city and as is typical in the Maritimes, it's all about who you know or who's your family. Because he was out on the road when he put the application in, I encouraged him to call the company to make sure they did indeed receive his application and get a gauge on when they thought they might have a decision made. A week or so later, there was a message waiting on our answering machine from this company. They wanted to interview him. He scheduled the interview and they were ready for him to start that day. Not that he likely would have done that anyway, we already had a friend coming from out of town.
I asked him how the interview went and I got a rather somber reaction and response. Not the typical, "Woot, woot....I just got a new job!" It was very much a "yup...they want me but I don't know if I want it" reaction which was not what I was expecting. Long story short, this new job is not just a straight trucking job like his last ones have been. You jump in your truck, hook to your trailer, go to destination A, pick up your load, drive to destination B, drop off the load...(in a well run company, it would be repeat. With this last company, it was sit for an unspecified time until figure out where to send you next). This job is with a waste management company but it's not the city garbage pick up. It's with other industrial waste like shredded tires. The run he was hired for is a short term contract hauling shredded tires from our city to a dump in Maine but they would like to keep him on long term after the contract is finished. Because their business is garbage and waste, they use different trailers than just the straight box trailer with a refrigeration unit. Their trailers have conveyor belts and tarps...equipment he's not familiar with. Anyone who knows Jeff knows that he can learn to do anything if he's taught how to do it and that was where some of his apprehension was coming from. We have lived in the Maritimes for many years and know the tendencies of life here. Small companies just don't have the manpower to dedicate one person to training so they walk you through briefly, show you all the important stuff but then you're on your own. The rest you figure out along the way...sometimes that fine but other times it can be really bad. He didn't want to find himself in a situation that would be beyond his ability to figure a way out since he'd be working with unfamiliar equipment that likely has a lot of $$$$ attached to it too. He went for a few hours the next day to be "trained" on the equipment and get familiar with the truck he'd be driving but he still felt really nervous about it all. He decided to take a stab at the job and see it plays out.
He's being working at it now this week and it has been a very trying week. There have been a lot of very early mornings and not so early bedtimes. There have been several truck issues, all fairly minor but certainly annoying. Overall, he has been rather unsure if he could really do this job to the standard he believes he should. He is a man of integrity and he's figuring and working the driving times and distance to see how he can maximize the number of loads he can haul in a week and still be legal. (This company pays by the load rather than by the mile.) The company wants him to get two loads a day, 5.5 days a week, which can't legally be done. He figures he could likely get nine a week which is reasonable. He had one really good day this week where he was able to get two loads done and no truck issues so that was encouraging for him. We'll see how the rest of it goes.
On the up side, he is gaining a paycheck based on his loads, not his miles so even if he only gets one load in a day, he still gets paid for that load. The potential is there to make a decent wage and be home a good bit more. That's the latest news from this neck of the woods. This has been Fan of the Muppets reporting. I leave you with this song.
20.1.10
It's just coffee...
The more I work in food service, the more I get a kick out of people and their funny little habits.
I work at a popular coffee fast food restaurant that has made a name for itself selling coffee and donuts that has become ingrained into the very fiber and DNA of people's daily routines in this region. In my three years of working for this company, I have met many a customer who plan their road trips around where they'll be able to get their coffee fix. Many smokers are heavily addicted to our coffee and as a result, we see many of them several times through out the day feeding their addiction. As long as everything runs smoothly and everything they want is available, no one blows a gasket.
BUT...if something tragic happens, like we run out of cappuccino mix or decaf coffee or our tea machine breaks (all things which are out of the average worker's control...we don't do the ordering and machines are bound to break), boy, oh boy! watch out! This week, we have had all of the above mentioned mishaps occur so we have had to deal the wrath of some very nasty customers. Most are understanding (those are the ones who realize that it's just coffee...no need to have a heart attack over a machine that breaks or running out of a product) but the memorable ones are the ones who genuinely feel that we are in a conspiracy targeted only at them. One lady has become one of regulars has a bit of a love/hate relationship with us. She's a rather demanding woman, expecting things to be just so. If she tips, we've met her expectations (having her coffee ready in a tray and she doesn't have to wait for anything) but if something is not to her liking, she lets you know it. A month ago, we had run out of decaf coffee so when she came to the drive-thru speaker to put her order in, we had to let her know that we could fill the regular coffee order but not the decaf. Well, she didn't want anything then. Most customers would have left it at that and just driven through rather than stopping at the window. She stopped. She demanded to know why we had no decaf coffee. We explained that it was an ordering shortage. Doesn't the manager know how to put in the order? came her curt reply. We simply said that he does know how to put in the order but sometimes things just get forgotten. That was not good enough for her; she was calling the head office. How could someone not order enough decaf? What is the world coming to?! I don't know what resolution the head office gave her but they must have appeased her somehow because this week, we ran out of decaf, she simply changed her order and made no threats to call the higher ups.
The customers that really crack me up are the ones who ask if we joking when we say we're out of what they're looking for. My sarcastic side wants to retort with, "Yup, it's all just a bad joke". Obviously, I never have said that to a customer and never would but it sure is tempting. Yesterday was probably the best reaction to our "out of decaf" response. This customer is a regular but also very innocent. After ordering their decaf coffee, we proceeded to tell them we were out. They suggested we put on another pot. We had to emphasize we had no decaf coffee packets in the store with which to make decaf. Oh. Well, are all the other stores out too? We responded that it was not likely that all the other stores were out of decaf as well. Another store should be able to serve you decaf. The customer's final question was if we were going to continue having decaf?......
Uh...what?!....how did it escalate from "we're out of decaf until our delivery arrives in a couple of hours to we're not to have decaf anymore"? We got quite a chuckle out of that response. Yup, it's a conspiracy...all the stores across Canada are going to stop carrying decaf and not tell anyone so you'll have to try and put in your order for decaf and get disappointed every time (insert impression of evil, maniacal laugh). Our goal is to get you addicted and then tell you you can't have it because we're not going to carry it anymore (insert more evil, maniacal laughter).
After 3 years of working for this company, I am still amazed at the level of addiction and "ownership" our customers have at our stores. The more extreme the reaction, the more memorable they are. One guy decided to bust up our drive-thru speaker because we had closed early for the holidays and he didn't get there in time to get his coffee before we closed. Every morning, we have our two "fixtures" who are banging on the window wanting us to open early so they can claim their seats that they compete only with themselves to acquire. We also have our regular seat warmer crowd who come in expecting that we will drop everything, even pass on waiting on the next customer in line, to tend to their every whim and need for 1 packet of sugar or 2 creamers and get upset with us if we ask them to wait until we're finished waiting on the customer at hand.
It amazes me that something as simple as coffee can be so integrated into their daily routines that they have a need to protect it. It's just coffee, folks, it's just coffee.
I work at a popular coffee fast food restaurant that has made a name for itself selling coffee and donuts that has become ingrained into the very fiber and DNA of people's daily routines in this region. In my three years of working for this company, I have met many a customer who plan their road trips around where they'll be able to get their coffee fix. Many smokers are heavily addicted to our coffee and as a result, we see many of them several times through out the day feeding their addiction. As long as everything runs smoothly and everything they want is available, no one blows a gasket.
BUT...if something tragic happens, like we run out of cappuccino mix or decaf coffee or our tea machine breaks (all things which are out of the average worker's control...we don't do the ordering and machines are bound to break), boy, oh boy! watch out! This week, we have had all of the above mentioned mishaps occur so we have had to deal the wrath of some very nasty customers. Most are understanding (those are the ones who realize that it's just coffee...no need to have a heart attack over a machine that breaks or running out of a product) but the memorable ones are the ones who genuinely feel that we are in a conspiracy targeted only at them. One lady has become one of regulars has a bit of a love/hate relationship with us. She's a rather demanding woman, expecting things to be just so. If she tips, we've met her expectations (having her coffee ready in a tray and she doesn't have to wait for anything) but if something is not to her liking, she lets you know it. A month ago, we had run out of decaf coffee so when she came to the drive-thru speaker to put her order in, we had to let her know that we could fill the regular coffee order but not the decaf. Well, she didn't want anything then. Most customers would have left it at that and just driven through rather than stopping at the window. She stopped. She demanded to know why we had no decaf coffee. We explained that it was an ordering shortage. Doesn't the manager know how to put in the order? came her curt reply. We simply said that he does know how to put in the order but sometimes things just get forgotten. That was not good enough for her; she was calling the head office. How could someone not order enough decaf? What is the world coming to?! I don't know what resolution the head office gave her but they must have appeased her somehow because this week, we ran out of decaf, she simply changed her order and made no threats to call the higher ups.
The customers that really crack me up are the ones who ask if we joking when we say we're out of what they're looking for. My sarcastic side wants to retort with, "Yup, it's all just a bad joke". Obviously, I never have said that to a customer and never would but it sure is tempting. Yesterday was probably the best reaction to our "out of decaf" response. This customer is a regular but also very innocent. After ordering their decaf coffee, we proceeded to tell them we were out. They suggested we put on another pot. We had to emphasize we had no decaf coffee packets in the store with which to make decaf. Oh. Well, are all the other stores out too? We responded that it was not likely that all the other stores were out of decaf as well. Another store should be able to serve you decaf. The customer's final question was if we were going to continue having decaf?......
Uh...what?!....how did it escalate from "we're out of decaf until our delivery arrives in a couple of hours to we're not to have decaf anymore"? We got quite a chuckle out of that response. Yup, it's a conspiracy...all the stores across Canada are going to stop carrying decaf and not tell anyone so you'll have to try and put in your order for decaf and get disappointed every time (insert impression of evil, maniacal laugh). Our goal is to get you addicted and then tell you you can't have it because we're not going to carry it anymore (insert more evil, maniacal laughter).
After 3 years of working for this company, I am still amazed at the level of addiction and "ownership" our customers have at our stores. The more extreme the reaction, the more memorable they are. One guy decided to bust up our drive-thru speaker because we had closed early for the holidays and he didn't get there in time to get his coffee before we closed. Every morning, we have our two "fixtures" who are banging on the window wanting us to open early so they can claim their seats that they compete only with themselves to acquire. We also have our regular seat warmer crowd who come in expecting that we will drop everything, even pass on waiting on the next customer in line, to tend to their every whim and need for 1 packet of sugar or 2 creamers and get upset with us if we ask them to wait until we're finished waiting on the customer at hand.
It amazes me that something as simple as coffee can be so integrated into their daily routines that they have a need to protect it. It's just coffee, folks, it's just coffee.
12.1.10
Adoration, Devotion and Frustration
Adoration. Devotion. Strong, heavy words on their own but in the context of my walk with God, even heavier. Do I really adhere to the strength of these words? Do I really adore Him? Am I really devoted to Him?
When I think of these words, my mind immediately wanders to the writers of the old hymns. Seems to me they had a much better understanding of adoration and devotion. The dictionary defines adoration as an act of worship and profound love or regard*. Devotion is defined as ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle and is a synonym for love*. I have to be honest with myself, realizing that I know I don't live like that for my God. It is where I would like to be but I am nowhere near there...yet. There are countless songs of worship over the years that use these very words. Sure, it sounds really good to sing about adoring and being devoted to God but I have to wonder if we don't use such words a bit too flippantly...I know I do. I have not delved into the depths of God long enough and deep enough to be able to say that I do adore Him and am wholly devoted. Adoration and devotion require sacrifice. Have I put myself on the altar of sacrifice? Will I be able to do so wholeheartedly? My desire is to be overwhelmed with adoration and devotion for the God who created me to be His friend. It is causing me to struggle with letting go of the things I use as distraction and that is causing me frustration. I am frustrated with myself for not being further than I think I should by now. I could go one of two ways with my frustration:
1) I could just stay there and wallow in my frustration and not do anything proactive or
2) I could recognize that yes, I am frustrated about my current spiritual locale and use the momentum of the need to do something and do something.
I once heard a speaker say that he really likes frustrated people because he can do something with them; they're ready for change, they're not satisfied with the way things are, they want to be proactive.
My concluding thought is simply that I choose not to spend my time in self-wallowing but start where I am and work on perfecting the few things I have figured out and allow God to work out the rest as I spend more time hanging out with Him. I can only adore and be devoted to Him if I truly know Him. In my thinking through this issue, I was reminded of a quote from the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring the elf queen, Galadriel says of the hobbit's mission to destroy the one ring, "All is not lost, there is yet still hope."
*Definitions acquired from thefreedicitionary.com
When I think of these words, my mind immediately wanders to the writers of the old hymns. Seems to me they had a much better understanding of adoration and devotion. The dictionary defines adoration as an act of worship and profound love or regard*. Devotion is defined as ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle and is a synonym for love*. I have to be honest with myself, realizing that I know I don't live like that for my God. It is where I would like to be but I am nowhere near there...yet. There are countless songs of worship over the years that use these very words. Sure, it sounds really good to sing about adoring and being devoted to God but I have to wonder if we don't use such words a bit too flippantly...I know I do. I have not delved into the depths of God long enough and deep enough to be able to say that I do adore Him and am wholly devoted. Adoration and devotion require sacrifice. Have I put myself on the altar of sacrifice? Will I be able to do so wholeheartedly? My desire is to be overwhelmed with adoration and devotion for the God who created me to be His friend. It is causing me to struggle with letting go of the things I use as distraction and that is causing me frustration. I am frustrated with myself for not being further than I think I should by now. I could go one of two ways with my frustration:
1) I could just stay there and wallow in my frustration and not do anything proactive or
2) I could recognize that yes, I am frustrated about my current spiritual locale and use the momentum of the need to do something and do something.
I once heard a speaker say that he really likes frustrated people because he can do something with them; they're ready for change, they're not satisfied with the way things are, they want to be proactive.
My concluding thought is simply that I choose not to spend my time in self-wallowing but start where I am and work on perfecting the few things I have figured out and allow God to work out the rest as I spend more time hanging out with Him. I can only adore and be devoted to Him if I truly know Him. In my thinking through this issue, I was reminded of a quote from the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring the elf queen, Galadriel says of the hobbit's mission to destroy the one ring, "All is not lost, there is yet still hope."
*Definitions acquired from thefreedicitionary.com
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