Just when all hope seems lost God makes things happen that just make you smile..This week Mike went into the Motor Vehicle branch to check and see the status of his license. He was stunned to find out that his license has been re-instated without any further steps..no counseling..no steering wheel breathalyzer.. He is now good to drive. He can’t insure a vehicle or buy one until his fine is paid, but he can drive one.

Mike thinks that his letter to the government telling them about his treatment helped. I am just relieved to know that there is now more than one driver in the house. I am thankful to God that He has worked behind the scenes arranging all the details like only He can. Praise God for answered prayer! Our God listens to our cries!!

https://www.strohhealth.com/attachments/Questions_and_Answers_about_RDP_and_Interlock.pdf

One thing that still sticks in my craw about this program is that if you barely scraping by before you or your loved one gets pulled over for DUI, good luck after. If you even think of Drinking and Driving…don’t do it..not just because it is wrong and dangerous, but because you may never be able to afford to drive again for a very long time.

Here are a few costs incurred due to DUI..

$1000.00 fine for DUI  $500.00 to MVB approx $100.00 or up for towing fees for your vehicle.

Responsible Driver Program fee including GST $985.00

Ignition Interlock Program fee $157.50 including GST

$150.00 for installation of interlock device..$105 per month for monitoring fee

$50 removal fee at the end of the program.

That being said there is no help for those who struggle financially, so you are on your own.

So even if you get back your license, you better be ready to pay through the nose for the next while..

I really wish our government would educate the kids who are getting their licenses how painful this process really is if you are pulled over for a DUI. It is just no worth it..and some company is getting paid very well for your mistake.

We are now living in a different house than last year, praise God! Brianna is doing well in High School, we have another cat, and a different car. I am learning to love budgeting..now that is a miracle!! I have learned to shop smarter to make my dollars go further, and not just buy something because I want it. I have had a job for close to a year now, praise God!

So what about Mike?? He continues to struggle with drinking from time to time, but doesn’t deny it as much anymore. He continues to struggle with his anxiety, and needs to be on medication to keep an even keel. I don’t know if he will ever be able to live without it.  His memory skills are very poor some times and I find it hard to be patient with that. I wish he had been diagnosed earlier in his life, and I wish he had received counseling. I am still praying that God would get hold of his heart and that he would be totally committed to God. I am also praying that the pain from his past would be healed as only Jesus can.

I am pleased that Mike seems to be more aware of his limitations when it comes to stress, and knows there are some things he can’t do anymore. He is also trying to listen when friends give him good advice, and doesn’t always shut people out of his life anymore.

So there are positive changes, and areas where there needs to be further changes. As much as I would like to see things change overnight, I have come to learn over this past year that all I can do is pray and go to God for my wisdom and strength.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers for God’s guidance and wisdom and grace.

Might be stopping by here from time to time to share updates, and finish Aurora’s story this year…

http://shininginthedarkness.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/my-journey-out-of-darkness/

http://shininginthedarkness.wordpress.com/

A Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a lovely and peace filled Christmas, and that this new year will be one of hope, and joy.

We had a quiet Christmas this year. We went to our church Christmas Eve service , and then came home and had frozen pizza and watched a Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim. The next morning we opened our presents, and then went to visit some friends for dinner later in the day. Nothing too spectacular, but nice none the less.

Between Christmas and New Years we got more snow again. So pretty and peaceful looking..unfortunately for me the snow blower broke so Mike and I have been outside a lot lately keeping our driveway and walkways clear. One particular snowfall was very wet and heavy, and by the time I got home in the evening it was awful to shovel. Needless to say my back did not like it.

I thought I was doing okay for a few days, but this week at work I had to empty some really heavy water pails and fill up the water cooler. Ouch!

Yesterday Brianna and I spent the afternoon getting the firewood ready for our big bonfire. We shoveled out around the fire pit, hauled the wood to it. Got the kindling all ready, and scrunched all the newspaper. We were set. Ahh, it would be so easy to light it and then we could roast marshmallows. Mmmhmm..yeah..easy…ha ha ha!!

A slight miscalculation on my part. There was still a bit of snow sticking to the inside of the metal fire pit, and when you burn things the snow turns to water…Oops!! It took almost 45 minutes and many bundles of newspaper to melt all the snow, let it drain out the bottom, and get the fire started for real without the aid of newspaper. Did I mention it was about -12 outside this particular night? Now that might seem like not too bad weather, but you got to understand something about me. I hate cold, and I hate winter.

I would never intentionally venture outside for more than 10 minutes at a time in this weather..My Dad would probably laugh if he heard this story cause he remembers what a disaster it was when I tried to go skiing when I was younger. I hated downhill because I was always freezing and always falling down. Cross-country on the other hand was a good thing because I would work up a sweat and didn’t get cold.  The cold tended to make me a quitter because once I got too cold I couldn’t stand the pain.

Did I also mention that every-time I bent over to tend to the fire I thought I would never get back up again because of the pain in my back?

Okay, so now you know how much I hate getting cold, and how much pain I was in. Last night there were many times I wanted to give up on that fire I had started so many times. It looked as if it would never start. What was the use? I would have…but…

I promised my daughter we were going to have a big bonfire and roast marshmallows to ring in the New Year. I was determined to make some happy memories with her, and try something new that we had never done before.

The hard work paid off, as all of a sudden a little spark ignited on the wood. We could finally warm up and get to the marshmallow roasting.

Okay, I couldn’t share this story without sharing something that occurred to me as I was reflecting on it today.

Sometimes as Christians we get weary because we just don’t see changes  in the lives of other Christians as quickly as we would like, or we don’t see our lives impacting the non-Christians that we know. We live in a society that wants instant gratification and results now. God doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes God is working behind the scenes in people’s lives slowly, and changing them a little at a time. We need to never give up on our friends or family just because we don’t see results. All it takes is the Holy Spirit to ignite a  spark that sets them on fire!

New Living Translation (©2007)
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Around this time of year, people start sharing what they would like for Christmas. It always amazes me when I hear them talking about everything they would like to get, and how they would be so disappointed if they didn’t receive it.

This year I have done some soul searching as to my wants at Christmas. As I wander the little shops down Baker Street peering into the pretty windows, I catch myself thinking about how lovely it would be to have this sparkly bauble or that gorgeous hat.

It’s so tempting  isn’t it to want so many things that we probably don’t need, or can’t afford. I can’t even remember most of the present’s I have been given over the years. What I do remember is the memories..

The older I get the more I realize that things are not what makes the holidays special. It the time we spend with people that give us that warm feeling. More importantly it is our relationship with God that can  make Christmas the most deep and meaningful time of year.

I am sitting in front of the tree right now gazing up at those beautiful lights, and thinking about what my Christmas wish is for this year.

I am wishing not for baubles, clothes, electronic gadgets, or even the finest food. For me this year I have but one wish…for my daughter to come to the realization that God is real, and that He died for her, and that without Him she has nothing. There is nothing the world can offer that compares to the love of Jesus…so as you go about your days leading up to Christmas remember this…God loves you, and made a way for you to be reconciled with Him even though we are all sinners. What more could we ask for??

http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/2010/12/cold-and-snow-and-sadness-at-season.html

Just cut and paste into your browser to link to her post.

Maybe as a child you felt like you were in the Christmas Spirit when you started hearing the Carols being sung, or the decorations going up, or even making cookies with mom.

As you grew older it might have meant spending time with family getting the tree, decorating, or even going to a special service at church. All of these things are experiences that are supposed to make us feel a certain way. You might call it full of joy, or hope, or happiness.

For many people all these activities just don’t seem to cut it. I hear from both Christian and non-christian friends that they are feeling the blues, or depressed, or just can’t seem to get into the holiday spirit.

This same thing has happened to me on many occasions, and for many years I couldn’t get past the feeling that something was wrong with me, or I was just never going to be happy. That is until I discovered what the real Christmas Spirit is all about.

Being happy, full of joy or hope does not depend on our circumstances. Things, activities, people, or experiences do not make feel that way. When I depend on these things to put me into the Christmas Spirit, I am going to fail miserably. I can’t force Holiday Joy. It only happens when a miracle happens in my heart.

Do you remember the cartoon ” The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”? I love the part when all of a sudden a miracle happens in the Grinch’s heart, and it begins to grow until it is almost bursting. That is what happens when we allow Jesus into our lives, and we accept the gift He has given us through His death on the cross. When we fully understand that He came to earth in the form of a little baby, and died for our sins, something happens to our hearts. We now understand what the Grace of God really means. It means we have been given this amazing gift of everlasting life in Heaven, even though we are miserable sinners that don’t deserve it. Wow! I don’t know about you, but when I am reminded of this it really puts things into perspective for me.

I no longer strive to create the perfect Christmas to fill that empty place in my soul. I don’t need those things to make me truly happy or joyful. I have everything I need in my heart, and can rest knowing that the Christmas Spirit ( Jesus Christ) is living in me.

I will leave you with a link to a video clip that says it all as to why I am so thankful for my God, my Savior, my Redeemer! Praying that you will discover the secret of having the Real Christmas Spirit in your heart this season, and always!

http://www.youtube.com/v/aaoGSff-IUY?fs=1&hl=en_US

Here is my husband and my daughter sizing up the prospective tree in the hills behind our house.

The perfect tree was found!

Even the cat got in on the action by checking out the new addition to the deck.

There is something about being all bundled up, and going out into the woods to find the perfect tree that  fills my heart with joy! Of course coming inside and warming up with some hot chocolate makes a perfect way to end this little slice of life.

I know there are people who think trees and many of the traditions of Christmas are really just a pagan celebration, and take away from the real meaning of Christmas. While I don’t hold many of my Christmas traditions as Gospel, I do use them as a reminder of all the wonderful things that Jesus has done for us. To me the tree represents so many things. The white snow on the boughs as we shake it off remind me of the pure righteousness of Christ.

The fresh crisp scent of the evergreen boughs remind me of the fragrant aroma we are to exude as Christians. Stringing the lights reminds me of Jesus coming to be the Light of the World. Hanging up the beautiful ornaments reminds me of how our lives can be beautiful when we “Put on the attributes of Christ” as talked about in Colossians 3:12-17. Putting the angel on top of the tree of course reminds me of the heavenly messengers who came to earth to proclaim Jesus birth!

However you celebrate this Advent season, always remember to take time out to think about what Christmas is really all about. Knowing that Jesus came to earth as a baby, died for our sins to save us, and is coming back one day to reign with us should make us all so thankful for the best gift ever. May your Christmas be filled with Joy and Peace!