Remembering our happy, yesterday world: a tribute to Chet Eagles

     

     "We need to remember our happy, yesterday world."      

     It matters not what our age may be, we will, sooner or later, be called upon to face the harsh reality of death. It rips apart life's closest bonds, leaves our hearts broken, ushers in loneliness, and opens floodgates of tears. 

     

     This was our family's experience this past week, as Chester (Chet), my nephew, left this world for another, at much too young an age. 

     Though for many years he and his family lived far off in Ontario, I have always felt a close bond. You see, I was instrumental in helping Chet's mom and dad find each other. 

     

     Living in Vancouver during the early years of our marriage, Nels and I enjoyed having his brother Lawrence, live with us. 

     A bachelor at the time, I told him about my girlfriend, Anne, describing her fine attributes and how I could see they would make a perfect match. 

     As Anne was living in the east, in the city of Moncton, I offered Lawrence her address, hoping he would write her. 

     There were no convenient Emails back then! 

     Some time later, Nels and I were pleasantly surprised to learn that Lawrence had indeed taken the advice, and had been corresponding for months already. He even had a trip to meet Anne in person now on his agenda. 

          Of course, the rest became history, with their marriage taking place several months later in Vancouver, with brother, Nels officiating. 

Nelson and Beulah and baby Karen (left) with newly-married Anne and Lawrence.

     I felt indeed blessed to have my girlfriend living close by, and as well, to have her now part of the Eagles' clan. 

     Anne and I were soon having "baby-talk" conversations. My second child, Debi, was born just three months before Anne's first child, Chet. 

     

     Our good times of hanging out together were not to last long. 

     Lawrence, having received an appealing job offer, soon took his family to live in Thunder Bay, Ont., so far away. 

     I'm sure baby Debi missed her cousin and playmate, Chet, who at nine-months-old was confidently walking circles around her while she timidly chose to keep to a safe perimeter. 

     The years have a way of passing all too swiftly.  

     

     A trip to Thunder Bay in the summer of '73, saw our families, (most now in their teens) reuniting and bonding as true cousins. 

     Our phone calls kept us connected over the years, helping us stay abreast of the important events happening in each of our families. 

     I now look back with gratitude to a moment some two years ago — a scene around my dining room table. Our family was enjoying (what has now become) Chet's final visit with us. 

   

     The camaraderie and happy exchange reminded me that there's little in life more precious than, "family ties woven throughout the years." 

     

     The many comments from Chet's friends and co-workers posted online, would make his momma and daddy so proud. 

     Comments such as — Chet was a kind, gentle soul, pleasant, positive attitude, with a unique sense of humour, etc.. 

Chet enjoyed his visit to British Columbia, sharing time with his daughters, cousins and brother Vaughn and his family.

     Certainly his adventurous spirit and inspiration to, "enjoy life while we have it," made an impact on those around him, and I'm sure, especially on his loving daughters Jenna and Carley. 

     The strong legacy of family love continues. In the midst of death, life has brought new hope into our family. 

     

     Baby Thea Alexandra, was recently born to Kylee and Austin, making Laureen and Dave, (Chet's sister and brother-in-law) first-time grandparents.      

"Gently as the evening sun says goodnight to the trees, 

Quietly as grasses bend before a rushing breeze, 

Surely as the ocean waves advance to touch the shore, 

Silently as autumn leaves fall to the forest floor, 

So may the passing of the days heal loneliness and pain, 

Until nothing but warm memories of love and joy remain."    

     

"Some days there won't be a song in your heart — sing anyway!" 

— Emory Austin

 — beulah

My home is my mission

     

     Volunteers have been honoured this week, as communities have been celebrating National Volunteer Week April 10 to 16, 2016. 

     It's been said, "Volunteers are the roots of strong communities." 

     Volunteering is about making a meaningful contribution by helping other individuals and the community at large. Informal volunteering can be as simple as helping out a neighbour or family friend. 
     

     It could involve helping with garden work, grocery shopping, running errands for the elderly or shut-in, counselling or giving emotional support to a neighbour or friend in the midst of a difficult situation. 

     

     Those who choose to volunteer for their community have innumerable options — volunteering in critical services such as firefighters or Search and Rescue crews; delivering meals to housebound seniors; or something as simple as helping to keep our neighbourhoods clean and safe. 

     People volunteer for an endless variety of reasons. It could be — to acquire new skills, meet new people, or just to give back to their community. 

     Of course, volunteering makes a huge difference in the lives of others, but the benefits for the volunteers is huge! 

To name a few: 

• 1. It decreases the risk of depression. The social interaction with others helps one experience what we might call the happiness effect. We're told it's similar to the feeling after a good workout, as it releases dopamine within the brain. 
• 2. It helps both your body and mind to be active at the same time. 
• 3. It improves one's self-confidence. 
• 4. It also reduces stress levels. 
• 5. By giving of your time in service to others, it gives one a sense of meaning and purpose for living, like none other.

     I just returned from my weekly volunteer effort at our local Bibles for Missions Thrift Store. 

     I am one of over 75 volunteers who process thousands of items, many of which are sold daily in our store. 

     I'm excited to be a part of a joint ministry with the Canadian Bible League serving Canada and 45 countries worldwide. We pass on some of these donations to other organizations within our city. 

     The friendship and camaraderie I've experienced from our manager Susan and fellow workers: Ev, Beverley, Betty, Sandra and others, makes my weekly volunteer experience a delight!  

     Recently, as I was reminiscing, I began recalling a particular season when I felt quite overwhelmed with all that life was demanding of me.

     The decade of the Seventies was the busiest in the history of our family. 

     Our four children were each attending a different school — from elementary to college, often needing car rides. 

     Choir, band, soccer, basketball, music lessons and part-time jobs all seemed to require endless chauffeuring by Mom. 

     Mom was also completing night school courses herself, while simultaneously operating a preschool business and heading up the preschool department at church. 

     It was a time when I often felt unappreciated by my family, I never had time left over to offer volunteer service or to help out my neighbours. 

     At that time, I came across an insightful message in a pocket pamphlet, entitled, My Home is My Mission. "Of course!"— I now understood it. The words helped me to understand that I was exactly where the Lord wanted me and of Him who had placed me there. 

     I began to realize my mission couldn't be more important!  

   

      The reason I tell you all of this, is that the memories of my past have helped me to realize just how God has graciously blessed me with additional years, good health and an abundance of energy. 

     Perhaps, it's so that I can finally get to fulfill some of those earlier desires to be a community volunteer. 

     As the needs among my neighbours and friends arise each day, I have an opportunity to help. I need to remain sensitive to those who daily cross my path.  

     "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37: 4

— beulah

The calming effects of colouring

     

   

     We often hear suggestions, these days, about finding ways to de-stress so we can better handle our busy lifestyle. The effects of stress in our lives is often experienced by both young and old. 

     I've heard that in the workplace, the desire for companies to be more efficient — having a greater production in a shorter time frame — has put stressful demands on their employees. 

     Even many of the youth today find their complete week filled with study workloads and sports training, both of which are admirable. But, even young people can experience times of unhealthy stress. 

     Stress can be defined as something that you feel, not by what is going on around you, but by what is going on inside you. Not experiencing a sense of peace within ourselves, is like seeing the ocean in a tumultuous storm, with its high ominous waves crashing the shoreline. 

     Striving for perfection during our work day can put us in a state of turmoil. We need to remind ourselves that being human brings imperfection. 

     When our lives become overloaded, maybe we need to take inventory and ponder what the peace-stealers are. Perhaps we need to say "no" to things that are not bringing joy or satisfaction or bearing good fruit. 

• Am I wasting energy fussing about something I have no control over and cannot change? 
• Am I often rushing because I have not previously organized myself, and so am stressed over being late? 
• Do I listen to gossip when I know it breeds negativity — listening to someone repeatedly complaining, knowing they are not willing to help themselves? 

     Consistent exercise should be top on our to-do list. We know it raises our heart rate and releases endorphins that make us feel better — a great stress reliever that can elevate our mood. 

     Taking time to relax, doing things we enjoy, maybe even reacquainting ourselves with pleasure, can help. 

     

     I've been quite amused seeing the popularity of colouring books for adults on the store shelves. They encourage one to colour and contemplate, another way to de-stress. 

     Surprisingly, I find myself hooked!   

     Recently, I decided to volunteer some of my time working at our local Bibles for Missions Thrift Store. As it has been some time since I have rubbed shoulders with those in the workforce, at first, I found myself a little anxious. 

     Though it is a volunteer effort, I wanted to be a worthwhile contributor. I needn't to have worried. Everyone soon graciously and lovingly dispelled any and every one of my anxious concerns. 

     We do have the ability to be in a state of peace at all times, if we go within, be quiet and know that the turmoil that often surrounds us, will pass. 

     

     I quote to myself the following, which soon brings my anxious thoughts into perspective:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

— Philippians 4: 6-7    

     As Marcus Aurelius said, "Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it."    

— beulah

A very Good Friday, indeed

     

     Easter has come and gone. Here we are in this beautiful season where new life is happening all around us. The various flowers — crocuses, tulips and daffodils, having laid dormant all winter, are now pushing their heads through the soil, eager to show us their beauty. 

     To me, this is always a vivid picture of the meaning of Easter — Jesus' willingness to die on our behalf, then His resurrection, bringing new life to humanity. 

     I was poignantly reminded of this as I entered Passion Week. I was blessed to have an unexpected opportunity assisting in the program for a friendship group for challenged adults, at my church. 

     The song our trio presented was entitled, The Healer, the chorus reminding us, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; Surely He bore our sorrows, And by His stripes we are healed." (Taken from Psalm 53:5). 

     Then came Good Friday. I get a recurring feeling that I could just ignore that day and let my thoughts skip ahead to the uplifting news of that first, wonderful Easter Sunday. 

     But, I knew I needed to pause and reflect on the terrible suffering Jesus endured for me. 

     We read of His disgraceful treatment, "...his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness."  — Isaiah 52: 14b  

     Attending a Good Friday service, it was a serious time of reflection for me. Face-to-face with the reality, it was my sins that caused those nails to pierce His body. I, along with others, on our knees before the wooden cross, with hammer and nail, symbolically added a nail to His pain and suffering.  

     Then came Easter Sunday.  The joyful celebration I experienced at my church, once more amazed, as I realized anew Jesus' words, "...Because I live, you also will live."  John:14:19b  

     
     

     One detail in the Easter story causes me to wonder — why did Jesus choose to have the scars remain on His resurrected body?  

     Couldn't He have had any perfect body He wanted? 

     He knew there would be people like the disciple Thomas, who said,"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger where the nails were— I will not believe it?" 

     To Jesus, no doubt, the scars are a permanent reminder of His days spent on earth, confined in a skeleton and human skin.  But, Wonder of Wonders! 

     Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of our own!  Now, living for the future, puts today in perspective.

— beulah

"Testing, testing. . . 1, 2, 3 testing" — "Is this mic on?"

     

     At this moment, I find myself in a state of euphoria. I just returned from seeing my delightful surgeon Dr. Baliski. 

     He is friendly, caring and personable — a young man, who seems to always have time for a warm chat with this aging grandma. 

     The preparation for a colonoscopy procedure is never pleasant, however, the test results are necessary for one's peace of mind. To receive news that all is well and further tests not required for three years, cannot but fill my heart with gratitude! 

     Of course, then the question, "Why me Lord?" and,"What now?"  

     My heart grows heavy when I remember relatives and friends that are having to go through long periods of treatment. So many situations arise in life that are just too difficult to understand. 

     

      At this time, the former mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford — with his family by his side — is once again experiencing the return of his cancer. 

     Though many of the problems he dealt with while in office were of his own doing, for some reason I always felt compassion and a heartfelt sorrow for the way he was wasting his life and abusing his body. 

     Ford was the subject of one of my blogs, dated Nov. 21, 2013, should anyone wish to research it.  

Talented and efficient son, Dave.

     Which brings me to this next thought. 

     Three years ago this month, I began this journey of writing my first blog, it being posted March 10, 2013, now amassing a total of 170 posts with over 22,000 page views. 

     At the time, hardly knowing what a blog was, I began my adventure. Though still not too savvy using the computer, I must say it has truly been an adventure I have enjoyed as I try to keep my brain active. 

     Of course, kudos to my talented and efficient son Dave, who's choice of accompanying pictures and arrangements always gives each post that needed zing.

     

     I hope that in some small way, sharing a few of "my lessons learned while doing life," may continue to be a blessing to many of you. 

     Thanks to you who take the time to read them.

— beulah

Love, big enough to include everyone

     "Freely you have received, freely give." 

— Matthew 10:8b    

     The news media keeps reminding us that this week marks five long years since the terrible holocaust erupted in Syria. 

     During that time, we are told over 250,000 Syrians have been killed, one million wounded, and 12 million displaced — a total of one-half of Syria's pre-war population. 

     For me, it is mind-boggling and just too difficult to comprehend the life these millions of refugees have endured, while simply trying to preserve their lives and the lives of their families. Their cry for international attention brought help from many countries as they responded, showing their willingness to receive and integrate many into a new way of life. 

     Kudos to our own government for reaching out with empathy to our fellow-man. The horrible situation which is on-going, is far from over. 

     Who can imagine enduring the terrible situations such as those stranded at the Greece-Macedonia border, aimlessly waiting for someone to come to their rescue?  

     When Jesus answered a teacher of the law, "What is the greatest commandment?" His answer, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, was immediately followed with, and "Love your neighbour as yourself." So we ask, "Who is our neighbour?" 

     God is the Father of all in the sense that He created all and His love and care extends to all. 

     Although we are of One, He has chosen to give us our own colour of entity. The mixed races spread across our world, remind me of a box of colourful crayons.  

     

When the al-Mohammed family arrived in Kamloops recently, they left much behind. The family — dad Khaled, mom Reem and children Ineam, 9, Mustafa, 7, and Yaman, 18 months — were sponsored by Refugees and Friends Together (RAFT), an organization that has brought many refugee families to Kamloops in the past two decades. Dave Eagles/Kamloops This Week

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Our skin tones may be different but we are all out of the same box of crayons. Our new friends entering our country may not have the same skin tone as us, and for sure may not speak our language. 

     But, we are to love everyone given by our Creator in the different colours He chooses to place around us. 

     Someone wisely said, "If we, the world's people, all got together in one group in total darkness and shared conversation, would colour matter? So, why should it matter when the lights are on and we are tempted to "tag someone" with whatever?" 

     

     Could it be because of our misplaced attitudes we miss the beautiful colours of life which may even be our neighbours from every nationality across our fabulous world? 

     Discrimination is a huge trait of society today. It spells unfavourable treatment and judgement, usually based on race, colour or gender. 

     I learned early in life Jesus' love is big enough to include everyone! 

     The little song I was taught while very young, says it right. "Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, All are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world." 

     Every person is of immeasurable value to Him, and we all stand equally. Love knows no boundaries.   

     As we remember..."the Lord... he upholds the cause of the oppressed... he gives food to the hungry and watches over the alien." 

— Psalm 146: 6-9 

     He wants us to be His hands and feet and help our neighbour. Cheerfully giving to those in need, we remember it's an investment in heavenly treasure.    

     What an exciting future awaits us... "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands – And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb..."Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." 

— Revelation 7: 9,15,16

— beulah