Simple Luxuries

I know folks are struggling. But in the midst of the juggling....sometimes it´s helpful to enjoy the simple things that give you joy.

Simple mushrooms fried with salt and paprika and vegetable oil over the stove.....the most basic appetizer, but loaded with yum.

What are somethings you enjoy in their most simple forms? Scrambled eggs? Without milk or other spices....just eggs scrambled with some salt?

Or a toasted bagel with butter?

Or a spoonful of peanut butter  straight from the jar?

Come on folks, don´t let the hard times steal all your happiness.

There is so much good left in the world, so many kind people, honest people and hardworking people who share the fruits of their labor every week with their families, churches and causes they believe in.

Don´t ever feel like things can only go from bad to worse. Things can get better. We do not know the future, but we do know what to do. We know to continue to do the basics, to work hard, to spend within our limits and put something aside for investing and savings. We know to share with those who have less than we do, and we know how to give to God.

We know how to be honest. We know how to earn an honest day´s wage.

The rest is up to your imagination and the the Lord above. Don´t give mankind access to all your emotions. Don´t let the newcasts of the day cause you to feel like life is terrible. Turn that news off sometimes, when you need to get a hold of yourself and reframe your mindset to that which is productive.

You are smart. You are kind, you are generous. You know good people.

Pray for your friends. Pray for your clients, Pray for those who run things in your region. They need your prayers right now. Tell yourself your prayers are important and powerful.....because they are.

You may not see the result of your prayers instantly, but every now and then God will allow you to see how powerful a change your prayers bring about.

Remember that Spirit is always greater than Flesh and live accordingly. I know I know....easier said than done, but know that God loves you....with open arms and great patience.

Know that you are not alone. You are loved and you are needed. Maybe you don´t feel this way right now. But it´s ok to feel whatever you are feeling whether passive or productive.

Just know that you are great worth in God´s eyes. Don´t give up on getting what you need.

Sow some good seeds into someone else´s life today....you never know what God will do for you  in return.

Peace in Christ,

Carla

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Blocking Muting Type Type Type

Photo credit: Roseanne Barr and Patrick Bet David Podcast/youtube videos.

This animal....this beast called social media has given us all powers...powers that many of us grip with glee over one another.

I was on X (formerly known as Twitter) this weekend and I playfully asked someone if I disagreed with them would they block me....and their stoic answer was ¨Yes, I'll block you if you badger me¨.

Well, that kinda sums it up eh? We all kinda relish that blocking muting cancelling power don´t we?

Yes, myself included. I am often tempted to block folks who don´t believe what I believe and don´t agree with my personal views. But I am starting to wonder if that is a tad childish on my part. 

Why? Because in the real world, we can´t actually block folks we disagree with. We share the roads with people we don´t agree with.... We share church pews with folks we may not agree with on some issues. We share workplaces and restaurants with many folks who don´t feel the same as we do..

So, I guess my question today to myself is this? How far do I go with trying to control the narratives that come my way? How far do I go to sidestep folks who strongly disagree with some of my most cherished beliefs?

And just to bring it to another level.....if I profess to believe in Jesus, how much love and acceptance do I show towards those I am supposed to be blessing and praying for? Is it possible to block and mute someone on social media and then pray for them in the same heart beat? It is possible to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ if I am trying to build a virtual island where only my own words echo off the walls?

Do I really want to build an island where only I have permission to speak?

Cancelling folks and muting and blocking folks....perhaps we relish it so much because we don´t have enough control over other areas of the public sphere. Where you fall on this issue? Do you let anyone speak whatever they wish on your channels and different social media apps? Or do you clamp down and silence every voice that doesn´t sound like yours? Do share.

Peace,

Carla

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New Season

Hi Friends,

A new day.... another day of choices. We actually had snow on the ground yesterday and folks hauled out their winter coats.

It isn´t that that is all that unusual....but it was still October....yesterday.

It has been predicted that our area in Northern Ontario is going to have a drier and warmer winter than what is ¨normal¨. But we do have a lake nearby and that can skew the results.....

(it´s called lake effect snow).

Do you have certain rituals or household preps you do every year before the cold weather sets in? Do you cover some of your windows and plug up some of the drafts coming in from your doors?

So far, all that I have is a sweater that I knit many months ago....warm and snuggly, but altogether too heavy to wear in any weather other than ¨freezing¨. Oh, yes, I forgot...I also knit a hat and a few vests too. We will see if I will dare to wear those....they have a ¨different¨ look that takes some courage.

Some folks who heat their homes with woodstoves have taken care to load up their wood piles earlier this year, to be sure the wood had time to mature and dry out. Those who rely on natural gas to heat their homes are imploring our federal government to halt or slow down the carbon tax that is scheduled to impact natural gas costs.

With rising interet rates, I see that folks are simply spending and investing more conservatively....counting their coins first before splurging. It hasn´t stopped folks from travelling, but perhaps they are scouring for cheaper air fares and better package deals for accomodation. Folks still drive a lot....our roads and highways are full.

Those who are savers, who simply accumulate cash and sit on it in a savings account, are enjoying these higher interest rates. But folks who use debt to build businesses, buy real estate and other investments are scratching their heads. A technical recession is on the way into the 3rd quarter in Canada. That means a lot of Canadian investments will be ¨ön sale¨ and ripe for the picking.

Are you the type to buy when things go down in price? Do you wait until your dollars fetch more in a bear market? Or do you hunker down and wait until the bull market returns and ride the upswing?

What´s nice about the markets and real estate is that there is always something brewing, no matter what the weather is doing outside. Always a trend to watch, a category that looks interesting and someone having an opinion somewhere in the world aching for someone to listen. 

Colder weather beckons me to good books and warm steamy mugs.What´s on your reading table today?

Peace,

Carla

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