Do you believe that we can learn much about a person’s personality by looking in their clothes closet ? I always advise young couples considering marriage to have a peek in their prospective spouse’s closet. Much can be learned here regarding someone’s tidyiness level, and the value they put on clothing. You may be surprised at how many spousal disagreements arise when couples have differing standards of neatness and tidyness .

My closet contains few items. I consider clothing as an investment and I buy relatively few clothes.

I make sure however, that the clothes are of excellent quality, that they fit well, and that they are made of natural fabrics. This is also an excellent reminder not to gain extra weight. I use wooden hangers so that the clothes retain their shape better. My favourite navy blue blazer is now 18 years old !

If you have a closet, with several changes of clothing in it, please consider yourself very fortunate and blessed. Many people in the world have no closets, and rarely wear any new items of clothing. Let us remember always to thank God for the clothes He provides for us, and let us also pray for the millions of people who work in the production of clothing. Many of them work under very difficult conditions. Let us never take clothing, nor clothes closets for granted.

We observed a crime in the backyard yesterday !

We heard three loud sounds that sounded like gunshots, and we hurried to the back windows.

We saw what was making the loud noises. It was a whale, flapping its gigantic tail hard against the waters of the North Atlantic. It was angry !

There was a tour boat that had come too close to the whale. Government regulations require that all tour boats stay at least 100 meters away from the whales, so as not to harass them. This tour boat was much closer than 100 meters, and it was clearly upsetting the whale. We have a powerful spotting scope set up so that see can observe the whales splashing and spouting, and we can observe when boats are approaching them too closely, or when the boats are actually chasing them.

The giant mammal thumping his tail was expressing his annoyance at being bothered while he was feeding. He thumped his tail continually as a warning, and to communicate to other whales to stay away. We counted 11 loud banging sounds.

Yes, we did report the tour boat’ s violation to the appropriate government enforcement agency. Boats getting too close to whales and purposely bothering them is considered a criminal offense in Canadian waters.

If you listen carefully to the Holy Spirit’s quiet prompting, He will often give you new ideas regarding how you can continue to serve God in ways that you had not previously considered.

The new ministry we are involved in now is “watching the whale watchers”.

Do you smile at yourself when you look in the mirror ? It is the first thing I do in the morning, upon seeing my reflection in the mirror. It is my way of thanking God for being here to greet another day.

I always smile at others here in our friendly community, and most people smile back. However, when I return to Toronto, I avoid eye contact with others in public, as that is the societal norm there.

If we are feeling sad, and we choose to smile anyway, we feel happier. There is much data on the internet to support this.

I was examining my toothpaste tube this morning. It has a warning on it ! It says that it is poisonous if swallowed. I guess I will be shopping for healthier toothpastes at the Healthy Products store in the City from now on.

God loves us, let us rejoice and be glad.

How do you feel when you hear the word ‘ageing’ ?

Does the thought of it scare you ? In our youth-obsessed culture, people are encouraged to battle and deny the fact that they are growing older, but this is not God’s way ! As children of a loving God, we recognize that each day is a gift, another chance to praise Him, love Him, and serve Him.

I do not like the term ‘senior citizen’. I am old, but not senior at anything.

As an old person, there are freedoms ! You discover who you really are, and your only desire is to please God. This frees you to be yourself. I was playing ‘Amazing Grace’on my flute in the backyard today. I hope God enjoyed hearing it.

Above all, old age is a time to learn from the young, for many young people have great wisdom. I quote these words from Stefan, a young blogger : “Have a blast just existing”. It is the secret of living the abundant life that the Lord has promised to all who will trust and obey.

Have you ever found something in your house, and did not recognize immediately what it was ?

I found an ear-shaped object beside my coffee maker this morning. Upon examining it, and smelling it, I discovered that it was half of a barbeque potato chip, evidence that my husband has again been smuggling junk food into the house.

I put the chip in the garbage, and said nothing to my husband. I remembered the words of my sweet and loving father, just before he walked me down the aisle on my wedding day. He told me to be a good cook, and to never nag my husband. Excellent advice, and biblical too, for Proverbs 19:13 describes the misery of living with a contentious ( nagging) wife.

Sometimes we are kinder to strangers than we are to our own family members. There is nothing that is more contagious than mood. If one member of a household is habitually cranky, or quarellsome, whether it is a wife, a husband, child, or other family member, the whole atmosphere of a home can quickly become unpleasant.

Let us ask God for the grace to speak to everyone kindly and graciously, especially the members of our own household.