V is For Vibrant by Lorilee Guenter

 

Edinburgh Harbour

The drive between Calgary and Saskatoon has a portion that is long, straight and dull. There are no twists or turns. The horizon and the road meet at some distant spot beyond view. I commented on the boredom that accompanies such an unchanging landscape. Then I turned my head. The gentle undulating hills and open prairie was interrupted by a coulee, a rugged gash that cut through the land. The effect caused sharp shadows that highlighted the sharp drops of the land. Light and shadow bring the area to life, they catch the eye and add interest. Further down the road, ranch land gives way to crop land. The vista remains large and unconfined. The possibilities seemingly endless or exceptionally boring depending on your point of view. We paused to take a picture of the golden fields as the sun began to set. Two very different views in this vast vibrant land that could have been lost in the mundane monotony of the drive.

This past spring, I commented that I don't want to make a bucket list. From my point of view, it limits the possibilities. A bucket list requires its creator to consider life from their vantage point and choose the things they hope for. It sounds like a good way to dream of possibilities. Each choice has the potential to expand or contract your view. Once the list is complete, you start working your way through it. Each time you do something from the list you remove it. Step by step, the bucket becomes empty. Then what?

I sat on a hilltop overlooking the Edinburgh harbour. As I watched a cruise ship head out to the North Sea, the vista in front of me was awe inspiring. I sat on the grass and caught a glimpse of the vastness of the sea. Behind me lay the city which encircled the base of the hill. Then the sun began to set. Clouds of an offshore storm fought with the colours of the sunset for our attention. I could smell the grass the sea and the storm as the wind cooled my skin.

One the way back to our hotel room, I realised where my resistance to the bucket list idea originates. I would never have thought to put "watch a sunset over Edinburgh harbour" on my bucket list. In looking to accomplish a set list, how many moments like this would I miss. I recognised I would rather fill my empty bucket with moments of gratitude and wonder than empty it as I cross items off a list.  I want to appreciate the many gifts God gives me in the moments of my days. I lack words to describe some of my experiences. Every time I try, I fall back into cliche. I continue to savour them, hoping one day the words will come. If the words never come, it doesn't matter. I've still had the experience.

God gave me many moments of wonder on that trip. Each one is a gift, a glimpse of the complexity of His Creation. Each one a glimpse of His love for me. He knew what I needed in that moment to refresh and restore me after a full day. He fills us until we overflow with Him. Instead of emptying my bucket, I want to fill it with the many unexpected gifts lavished on me as a child of God. Some moments are large and breath taking, others are smaller, close to home and just as important.

I trust God will continue to turn my head so I see the vibrancy of each moment, and each conversation He orchestrates. Life may not always be easy but it is full of God's abundance. I pray your bucket is filled a little more today.

She Loves You Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! by Glynis M. Belec

It’s funny how it happened. When I was a wee lass living in Scotland, the Beatles had just hit
the top of the pops and were taking the country by storm. I had Beatle tea-towels, Beatle wallpaper in my room, Beatle cups, Beatle records and whatever else sported the shiny faces of the Fab Four!

Shortly after that, I started taking a liking to writing songs and poetry – but especially songs. I fancied myself penning the next She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah for those Liverpudlian boys. My sister and I wrote what we thought would be chart topping hits, but they never made it outside our council house door.  Well maybe for a party piece or two for lovely relatives who were able to grin and bear it.

                But I never stopped trying. I scribbled poetry in my jotters and occasionally imagined what it would be like to be a writer. Then somewhere along the line, I forgot. But I still read. I lapped up books like Little Women, Little Men, What Katy Did Next, Beautiful Joe, all the Diana comics I could get my hands on and then every year I would get a Diana Annual for Christmas.

                In school I got good marks in classes that had to do with the languages, be it Latin, English, French. I began to fall in love with the formation of words and I desired to express myself on the written page. I dabbled throughout my teen years and got involved in drama – a wonderful way to share words aloud – although not my creations. However, I felt a definite leaning towards creativity.

When I came to Drayton, where I live now, I remember picking up the newspaper and reading an ad for a 12 week freelance writing course. I’d recently won a county wide writing contest that I had entered on a whim (actually I don’t think it was a whim now that I have discovered how God works!) But I started to fancy myself as a writer once again.

                It was an amazing learning experience. Over those 12 weeks, I realized how much I had to learn and how much I overused Beatle - and Simon & Garfunkle (gag) clichés, particularly in one piece I submitted for critique. One of the requirements for that piece, was to pen something about our spouse. I recall, with much chagrin now, the flavour of what I wrote. I remember talking about my husband being akin to a ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and how I had to learn to ‘Let It Be’ and ‘All We Needed Was Love!’ Oh my, Jean Neiderer (the lovely teacher who I am still trying desperately to locate so I can thank her – and apologize) must have laughed her editor head off. It must have been a Hard Day’s Night for her when she red marked that piece.

                But I’ve grown up a little now. I have not arrived in my writing life by any means. I never will because, like marriage and my Christian faith – there is always something to learn and room to grow. Instead, now I have a different motivation for writing. 

     When I began a beautiful relationship with the Lord in the fall of 1986 something happened. God opened up doors and my passion focused on writing for Him. I think I started to realize that we are not only given gifts, but we have a responsibility to use them wisely and for His glory. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

      I can think of so many people and so many reasons for me to create a personal writing memorial, but the One who has the greatest influence on me and to whom I owe the most gratitude, is the One who sacrificed it all. And for sure, I know He loves me (Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)