We Write.

History.  

It is written so future generations can learn from the past, is it not?

It is written to remember where we came from, right?

Tempted to forget something important, 

I am told: "Write it down!"

A writen law shapes and governs the patterns of society.

Marriage vows, agreements, contracts are written and signed, binding people to those words.

Writen words can change someones life.

A book.

A letter.

A newspaper.

The majority of our book was written while in the deep woods of Texas.

With lessons from published authors and aide of seasoned writers, we wrote.

Memories, emotions, stories - a slightly painful task.

A year of packed bags and scribbled journals, a year of documenting injustices, an entire world of people permanently etched into your heart - unfolded onto paper.

Why?  Because written words can change someones life.

"The more that you read, 

the more things you will know.

The more that you learn, 

the more places you'll go."

- Dr. Seuss

Danae and Enoch live in Tyler, Texas.  We spent some quality time together during our time in Texas.

"If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, 

just go right along and you'll start happening too."

-Dr. Suess

David lendng a hand with the leaves on the roof.

Beautiful nature of Tyler, Texas.

"You're on your own.  And you know what you know.

And you are the one who'll decide where to go."

-Dr. Suess

"Sometimes you never know the value of a moment,

until it becomes a memory."

-Dr. Suess

Janet and I leading worship before class.

Our team - still together - going strong.

Learning from Janice Rogers.

Sarah - writing.

Janet plays alongside worship leader Paul Baloche at Community Christian Fellowship.

The entire school of writing crew.

(Last 6 photos courtesy of YWAM Woodcrest)

"Today you are you, that is truer than true.

There is no one alive who is more youer than you."

-Dr. Seuss

Thoughtful Thursday

Aloha!  From Kona Hawaii

As Canada is laden with snow Hawaii is laden with sunshine.   It is truly an amazing place to be while writing our book.  There is never a lack of inspiration coming from deep Pacific Ocean, the swaying palm trees or extravagant sunrises and sunsets.

The big isand is growing slightly larger each year due to active volcanic activity adding lava into the sea.  The sea itself is teeming with life, some species native only to Hawaii.  The pier (where I swim most mornings) is the number one place to go if you'd like to get nibbled by sharks.  Magic sands beach, not too far away can leave beach goers a surprise as one day there is beautiful white sand, and the next day the sand disappears exposing the volcanic rock underneath.  There are so many treasures this island holds - one of my favourites being the Hawaiian ukulele music and of course - the hula AND surfing (which I haven't had the chance to yet.)

So, my thought for this Thursday:

Making a book is hard work.

It's not exactly as I expected.

But anything worth doing is worth the work.

Mahalo.   Anita.

Texas Photoshoot

T E X A S

P H O T O G E N - X   2 0 1 4

Thank you models:  Kassie, Sarah, Cass and Rachel.

Your Biggest Enemy.

We all have dreams.  But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determinaton, dedication, self-discipline and effort.

Heaving my body off the top bunk at the break of day (or when the alarm jams a tune into my ear canals) to go for a morning run is like trying to fly a kite with no wind.  

It simply won't work.  Should I have determination, I could try running to create the wind, but alas! determination and running are the two problems here.  

So the proverbial kite remains flightless and comfortably tucked away.

The enemy shouts: "You can't"

or whispers, "Take the easy way out."

Wind, with it's powerful current brings both destruction and cooling breezes.  It can uproot trees and it can produce elecricity.  It creates monster waves yet is gentle enough to guide a delicate kite through the air.  The wind shouts, "I'm too scary for you!" or calmly whispers "Feel fresh and renewed". . .

We all have dreams. 

What is telling you "no"?

It's yourself.  

YOUR BIGGEST ENEMY IS YOURSELF.

If there's no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.  I am the one who says it's to early to get up.  I am the one who says my body is too sore to run.  I say junkfood tastes better.  I say my dream is too big.  My obstacles are too hard.

Surely as skipping out on workouts won't help you win a race and eating junkfood will make you fat, the kite who succumbs to the fear of the wind will never leave the ground.

Should you choose to be determined, dedicated and self-disciplined, anything is possible.  The force of the wind or the greatness of a dream cannot be stopped when you've made up your mind.  We can do far more than we're capable of if we just try.

If you don't silence the enemy within, you will never fly.

Photo courtesy of Google.ca

#selfdisciplineandselfcontrol

#halfmarathontraining

Being An Elf

There they were.
Hordes of children.
They excitedly bounced around in anticipation.

Santa Claus was coming to town.

I watched the bulging line up grow steadily longer, laden with snot-nosed children being held back by parents whose look said, "I've had enough of this shopping mall" and thought to myself 'how did this become what Christmas is all about?'

Coming from track and seeing extreme poverty where children are in need of basic essentials to watching children line up to show Santa their lists or torn out pieces from the Sears catelogue and telling him of their need to have an Ipad, a PSP or lego mania while complaining that their candy cane broke.
Parents spend a lot of money for one photo.  That money could feed a child in an orphange for a week had it been elsewhere.

It was a struggle for me to find the balance in all of this and to not become furious at the wealth of our nation.  How has the birth of Jesus morphed into this display of consumerism and selfishness centred around this fictional character?  Every comercial I heard on the radio was geared around buying this or that for someone at Christmas.  It made me sick to think about the people I met this past year who will get nothing for Christmas.  We contentedly stuff our faces with endless amounts of food and then join a gym to work it off, but there are people around the world who will be lucky to have a meal on Christmas day.

I don't mean to write this blog to critisize and condemn my fellow Canadians.  I am writing this because after having my eyes opened to different parts of the world, I had feelings arise within me that I had never experienced any other Christmas and I wonder if anybody has ever felt the same.  We take the best story in all of history and turn it into some cheap counterfeit in order to make money while other nations are starving to know the true story of Christmas that can literally change their world.

It made me sad.  Just thought I'd let you know that for me - being an elf wasn't all it was cracked out to be.