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A Net in Time

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Engagement Means Commitment

March 21, 2025 By Annette1 10 Comments

so this past week the whole family got sick to one extent or another. All with varying degrees of symptoms running through our bodies.   Hubsters and I had plans for a weekend date which looked like they weren’t going to happen.  Illness and travel aren’t good driving buddies.   But then we had a respite.  Saturday tired but perky and I NEEDED to get out of the house.  Three days of forced confinement running chills and upset body systems… I wanted out!  We decided we’d pack clothes in case an overnight we could do, but headed out.   The lad, the bunnies and piggies could care for.  🙂   You see, my hubby thinks to himself “engagement means commitment!”  🙂  (at least that’s my spin today).  

Part of the way there my body gave us a good scare (and a half) but we pushed through, made our event, and puddled around a bit after and then headed home.  We decided that being stuck in a hotel room if health turned more negative was not our idea of WhooHoo fun.  Hubby was beat up tired when we got home and I wasn’t much better.  But a good day out we had.  Hubsters said “I had a good time, glad we went, but very glad to be home.”   Let’s see how I play out this second helping on the word prompt Engage. 

blurry image of a crowd, text engagement means commitment

Engagement means commitment

Reflection on a Sunday morning
driving to church,
hubby lying in bed,
illness catching up to him.

Realizing that engagement
means commitment.
Hubsters meant it, years
ago, when “I do” was uttered.

Over the years, he’s
shown time and again
what that commitment means.
The love expressed in
permanent form.

He Loves me.
Even when he’s tired,
and his body unwell,
And he sees a pacing wife
with too much energy to spare.

What’s the plan, love?
What shall we do?
As he fakes wellness and
plans to follow through.

In the car, a lovely day,
the weather’s in our favour.
A long drive, tickets in hand,
the Sportsmen Show awaits!

We went, we saw, we chatted much.
Oohed and aahed and had some fun
people watching, people avoiding,
crowds getting too much.

Out, head home after muddling
about at IKEA, a stuffed, very
cute owl attending.
“I can’t think anymore hun,
let’s get going.”

Home, to bed, and in the morning
a hubster poorly enough that church
not an option. And I realized.
This was love! 🙂

A later in the week footnote

As I read over this post it made me think back to a time when I chose to love my hubby more than my friendship with others.  A time when I helped him out with a needful task. Turns out that engagement means commitment from both sides in a relationship.  🙂 

Filed Under: Faith, Poetry Tagged With: faith, Poem, poetry, Word Prompt

Life Journey

March 14, 2025 By Annette1 10 Comments

I think I’m on a journey of reflection lately, not necessarily a bad thing that.  This post isn’t quite what I thought it would be this morning after a brief conversation with fellow sickie!  🙂   On a positive note my son is feeling some better, enough to do a paperwork day at his new job.  But hubby is now sick with me!  GAH, I guess our plans for the weekend are fully cancelled.   BUT my body doesn’t respond well to gastrointestinal illness, and recovery takes longer.  Hopefully my life journey will be a bit of a encouragement to this young lady as she continues on hers.  Learning to cope with some dignity instead of despair and too much frustation.  🙂   

This post is part of a five minute Friday word prompt.  Find out more at Miss Kate’s. 

text is life journey points to www.anetintime.ca image depicts person looking at different pathways

Life Journey

laying quietly in bed
gradually feeling a sense of
emergency, thinking, oh shoot,
not going to make it.
as yet again…
sickness hits and a mess ensues.
more laundry,<br />more washing up,
getting rather tired of this.

frustration with one’s body
mounts and then one stops as
in a moment of God-clarity
realization hits that one’s
life journey impacts others.

a young lady dwells with us
who struggles with her body
with unexplained illness striking.
hers so random doctors
can’t figure it.

she questions why,
and I understand the question.
because it’s one I’ve
oft asked, why was I cursed
with a body that dislikes
so much of life,

even though
both of us are relatively healthy,
happy, hardy people.
just with bodies with issues.

and we are minded of others
who have it worse
for much longer than
our brief bouts of
not being okayish with
the bodies we live in.

hopefully in this life journey
my experiences can show some
patience with God’s path for me.
Perhaps also a way to push through
to something more.

Filed Under: Faith, Poetry Tagged With: #fmfparty, faith, Poem, poetry, Word Prompt

In Pursuit of Love

March 9, 2025 By Annette1 8 Comments

A sermon heard this morning, a word prompt of pursue, and I find myself at a bit of a impasse. Impasse being the wrong word but a potential turning point.  In Pursuit of Love has me seeking within.  I’ve felt introspective most of the day after listening to this mornings sermon. My goal, to listen to it again.   Time will tell how my heart continues to heal yes? 

dog jumping for a heart shaped balloon.  text in pursuit of love

In Pursuit of Love

 this morning in service
Pastor Luke spoke on
trust and obey, a
good sermon from a young pastor.

the songs throughout the
service emphasized how much
God loves his people.  a people
that he calls to trust in
his redeeming work.

and so I sat, listening,
feeling how broken I am inside
lately, so distant and faraway from
all that is lovely true and right
and suddenly I see it abit more clearly.

in pursuit of love am I.
a desire to feel that
surpassing love of God that
beats it’s way past the hurt and
isolation felt so deeply within.

needing to know that depth of love
from the song “the love of God”
where an ocean filled of ink would be
drained from God’s expression of
love for his people.

I want, I suppose, to feel
that God is in pursuit of love
with me.  that love drives that
incessant voice within me, come, come,
come, repent, love, live.

to have that demand to trust
be returned as a felt definable
reason to listen more closely to
the come, come, come.

because right now I want to
listen. the hesitation rides
hard. the aloneness and hurt
and what feels like betrayal
rides my inner thoughts strongly.

I suppose as I write I’m coming
more to terms with what is going on
inside of me.  the way is opening
to listening to the promptings.

a good thing that perhaps?

festive decoration for celebration party in restaurant
Photo by rovenimages.com on Pexels.com

1 John 2:28-3:2

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that&amp;amp;lt;/span> </span></span>he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

I John 3:6-10

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s[ seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Filed Under: Faith, Poetry Tagged With: faith, Poem, poetry, Word Prompt

Original Sin

March 3, 2025 By Annette1 6 Comments

So Miss Kate provided the word prompt of original for this Five Minute Friday.   Immediately I thought, Original Sin, but nothing was coming to me.  Nothing else came to me either so I decided to see what my fingers might come up with my original idea, and voila… words came. 

Not quite what I expected, but it works I think?  Tell me your thoughts eh?

Person holding up a cross with a sunrise background.  Text: Original Sin

Original Sin

When I first saw this word
I thought, hmm, original sin?
But I didn’t really know where
to go with that.
Sin isn’t really original
at this point.

But we aren’t just talking about
sin, we’re talking original sin.
That moment when Satan turned
against God and went after
the pinnacle of God’s creation.

Satan said to himself
“I’m as good as God!”
And then by his actions,
showed his competitive nature,
his devious, destructive path.

Twisting God’s words
“Did God really say,
‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Forcing Mary to recall God’s
exact words, and muddling them up.
“We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 
but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree
that is in the middle of the garden,
and you must not touch it, or you will die.’

God never said they couldn’t touch it.
So additions made,
changes in thought pattern introduced,
and so sin continued.

God wants better from us.
He gave us a prime example
to follow, and who could make
us right with him.

Jesus, his very own boy.
Perfection (seeing as he is God)
wrapped up in a human body
(so able to be tempted).
Who finished out his human
life not sinning even once.

So original that eh?
That one could win past
the heavy-artillery that was
thrown his way.

The question remains then:
Since he is such a good example,
why do I have such a time
imitating him better?

It’s annoying! 🙂
I want to do better and
yet, and yet, I fail
over and over again.

Original sin….
The sneakiness of one
who would say
I’m as good as God.
Creeps so easily into my life too.

And yet, I keep fighting,
it’s what I’m called to
do, it’s what YOU are called
to do too.

Filed Under: Faith, Poetry Tagged With: #fmfparty, Devotional, faith, Poem, poetry, Word Prompt

The book of chaos series

February 26, 2025 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

I’m part of this book list from BookBub. They send out offers to get books for free or cheap. I forgot to bring a physical book to work one day and thought I’d read on my phone instead. The Book of Chaos was in my most recent purchases. All I can say is I got hooked and so picked up the rest of the series using Kindle Unlimited. Thought I’d tell you about this lovely middle school fantasy series.

Review picture for The Book of Chaos series by Jessica Renwick

Some Basic Details

Title: Series: the book of chaos

One: The Book of Chaos
Two: The Guitar of Mayhem
Three: The Bow of Anarchy
Four: The Curse of the Warlock
Five: The Song of Embers

Author: Jessica Renwick
Series: Starfell
Publisher: Starfell Press
Pages: Averaging 350 pages
Intended Audience: middle school
Genre: fantasy, friendship, mystery, 
Available formats
: hardcover, paperback, audio, kindle

There is to be a sixth in the series that finishes off the entire story, but it hasn’t been written yet.  The author wrote me a very nice email explaining family sorrow, and that the sixth is still on it’s way. 

The Basic Story:

Fable, a 12 year old girl, living a sheltered life in a quiet village. She has magic but needs to keep it hidden. She gets stolen away by a magic book.  Lands in a kingdom where magic is the norm, but an evil lich is causing a whack of trouble.  This lich wants Fable because of her developing powers, and so a battle of wits and power ensues.  Fable develops friendships with youth and adults as she engages in this battle for dominance. 

The Author: 

Jessica Renwick is from Alberta Canada where she loves to read mysteries and horror novels.  She turns that love into novels for middle schoolers.  She has chickens and dogs to help keep her busy in her garden when she’s not writing or reading.  

starfell series

So what did I think?

So I was abit taken aback that this series is considered horror.  I didn’t find it scary at all.  Some of the characters are mean and get into doing nasty stuff, but it’s not overly scary.  I suppose if I was in upper elementary school I might consider it rather scary though…  It’s hard to say, I’m an adult and can’t really remember what would have scared me back then.  🙂 

So what did I like? 

 I loved the core group of friendship that formed fairly quickly. Fear for one’s life can create bonding instances can’t they?  🙂   

I loved that the older folks, the adults in the picture, were very willing to help the children out.  They were protective (sometimes overly) but their concern was for the safety and well-being of the youngsters in their charge.   

I am currently very intrigued (and wanting to read book six) by the changing character of one of the “bad guys”.  My curiosity is stoked about what is going on with this individual. 

The characters weren’t static.  They grew and changed, sometimes through developing confidence, sometimes because hard things happened to them, and sometimes just because new skills emerged. 

What didn’t I like?

Fable was very persistent in thinking she was a bad, horrible, untrustworthy person just because her grandmother was.  It got to feel very repetitive despite her friends reassuring her frequently. 

The lack of patience in the youth, never wanting to wait for the adults to help them out and taking things into their own hands.  Granted, the team of friends was basically what the story was about, not about the adults.  So from a story perspective it makes sense that they acted as they did.  But as a parent reading, I found myself disliking the “we are right and they are wrong” persistent attitudes.   

I do get disappointed by the persistence in middle school fiction of having a same-gender relationship of some sort going on.  Granted the one in this read feels like a natural extension of who the people are, but could easily have been written without it. 

Final thoughts

BUT because I am so invested in this story, I actually wrote the author and asked her when the sixth book is coming out.  She wrote me a lovely letter in response speaking to family tragedy causing a delay.  And I’m sorry she’s had to deal with such sorrow. BUT!!  I hope she recovers from her family concerns soon and book six comes out!

I mostly enjoyed this series and really hope book six comes out soon.  The story is good and continues from book to book.  I love the gradual reveal of new talents and the confidence that grows in each of the youth, some more quickly than others eh?    So give The Book of Chaos series a read eh?   ONLY if you like magic, and mildly scary stuff though!  🙂 

 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Books for Middle School, fiction

What is Worship

February 22, 2025 By Annette1 4 Comments

What is worship came to me after a busy day of working at home. This despite sleeping in after a rough night of not sleeping so well. The mice are newly bedded, rabbits fed, laundry mostly finished, cat food made, and an office cleaned. Oh, right, and I helped hubby put together my new stationary bike. Then to top it all off… the fun of writing a post for five minute Friday! One couldn’t ask for a better day eh?

text: what is worship
image: person standing against sunlight sky with hands upraised

What is Worship

what is worship?
wandering hearts
waiting and wakeful
woe deepens

ordered time
oohs and ahhs
ovations and salutations
orchestra needed?

respectful
resourceful
willing hearts
worry lessens

singing, clapping
sacrificing self for greater
souls uplifted
scripture sung

heavy hearts softened
healing
hands uplifted
honouring God himself

introspection
indicated action
illumination surprises
illustrated love and grace

pain lightens
prayers sung in adoration
people changed
praising the creator and sustainer

Filed Under: Faith, Poetry Tagged With: #fmfparty, faith, Poem, poetry, Word Prompt

But I don’t have a farm

February 16, 2025 By Annette1 10 Comments

Hmm… what does one do with a three letter word such as but.   This is a tough one for me and I’m not really sure what I’ll come up with.   I guess I’ll let my fingers do their talking and then come back to this intro and reword as necessary eh?  🙂  And my fingers did their talking and we came up with But I don’t have a farm.  A bit of a fun glimpse into part of who I am.  🙂 

image of a black hen with text but I don't have a farm

But I don’t have a farm

A surprise happened.
My sweet feller got me a valentine’s present
Me….

I shouldn’t be surprised
He loves me dearly
but we don’t exchange presents

Not for made up commercial holidays
and just the basics for other
times of celebration throughout the year.

So a present
It shocked me a bit
and then I hugged him

with just a bit of exuberance
and a lot of delight
and he grinned.

I apologized for getting
him nothing, and he said
“ah well, not like we planned it”.

but he surprised me
with a chicken blanket
which is currently warming me.

If you don’t know me well,
know that I have this minor love
affair with chickens.

I have figurines, pictures,
mugs, etc. all sporting
a chicken theme.

If I had a farm, I would
have chickens in abundance.
Banties and some laying hens.

I would show them, and fuss over
them, and talk chickens all day
like I do with my bunnies. 🙂

BUT I don’t have a farm
I have a large backyard
with room for bunnies and cavies.

AND if I get it all figured
some quail, the big ones, as
they are quiet and small.

Easier to manage in some ways
than chickens are, and yet…
giving me a chicken feel.

and my heart will be happy! 🙂

chicken themed blanket wrapped around a middle aged lady

Filed Under: Poetry Tagged With: #fmfparty, Animals, Poem, poetry, Word Prompt

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I am centered by the love of God and family. Smiles are brought about being a Writer, Poet, Hiker and reader. Growth occurs as I educate my son, raise him up in the fear of the Lord, love up on my critters and live as a pastor’s wife.

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