NANA SAYS EASTER IS A TIME TO CELEBRATE CHRISTIANITY

Even irregular church goers can use the Easter season to talk about the Christian faith and what it means. Children can learn it is more than Easter bunnies and chocolates. The story of Christ and his teachings can be taught. Having story books for all ages and even some church attendance would be a good start. Grace at dinners is the tradition in our home. Practising love, acceptance and tolerance are year long virtues to have. Do onto others as you would have them do onto you! Basic but stands the test of time. Mostly as an adult role model positive Christian qualities every day!

CHANGE BEGINS WITH ONE STEP

Thinking of the changes coming in our lives can be overwhelming. Spring brings spring cleaning. I love to see someone cleaned the whole house. Nice but not feasible in my world. To vacuum my whole house top to bottom is 4 hours straight. So how would I clean it all with closets and drawers and stuff to sort. Starting with an area and methodically going through the house. Actually started a year ago with sorting and giving away and boxing what would need to be moved. One day! So wanting change in our lives begins with a plan.

1.What needs to be changed? More exercise! Lose some weight? Read more books? Take in more social activities?

2. Then comes the why! Why do you want to change?

3. How are you going to accomplish it? Alone. Help. Therapy.

4. When are you going to start? Right now is a good plan.

5. Where are you going to get the change? Home. Gym. Work-new job!

Often the need for change comes with a feeling inside of dissatisfaction. Seeing others doing more and being tired of being a good sport. Wanting something more. Or sometimes just wanting less. Less stress, less work, just less!

A journey does start with one step. The first step in getting out of bed. Staring the day. Change starts with that first step.

APRIL COMES IN WITH LOTS OF EXCITEMENT AND FUN

Birthday celebrations are always good. So beginning a month with one along with some warmer weather, this part of Canada is good. Did you watch some of the Junos last night? Celebrating our talent is fun too. Only saw the last acts due to a social event but it seemed Ottawa was a great venue for it. The last song- the Summer of 69 sure brought back memories. 1969- finishing High School, preparing for university, feeling like life was good! April is the first real month of Spring. The trees are budding for the May bloom. Spring bulbs popping up their little heads in the garden. Yes the birds in the early morning singing and embracing the weather. So will there be a song about the Spring of 2017, we'll see!

NANA SAYS HANDMADE BLANKETS ARE BEST

In every family there are crafters. People who like to make things for their loved ones. My mother and mother-in-law were two from the previous generation. I am one for my immediate family. My sister-in-law Edna creates all the time and sells Christmas stockings. All my grandchildren were given at least three baby blankets by me when born. So recently when my little Allie girl told her Mom her blanket was too small but her favourite the race was on. Knitting as fast as I could, a bigger girl blanket was finished.

As requested, pink and purple with some white bands and the blanket was done. Always creating and making craft items to have a handy stash, I find when my hands are busy for a specific person the time spent has some love attached. There are handmade blankets everywhere in my house. To see my grandchildren wrapped up in one on a visit or sleepover melts my heart. Now they are realizing Nana made this. So any grandparents out there remember your loving hands can create loving projects for your family.
#Nana#blankets#handmade#love

#25 BARB'S REFLECTIVE 150- PARKS CANADA DISCOVERY PASS

Parks Canada has provided any Canadian wanting a free pass the opportunity to visit all their sites free. As part of the 150 celebration, it is a wonderful gesture to have Canadians visiting as many parks or venues as possible.
Parks Canada

It will make a nice souvenir in the 150 scrapebook for anyone deciding to create such a book.
#150#ParksCanada#DiscoveryPass

CHANGE-EMBRACE IT OR RESIST IT!

Change is part of our lives. One season ends and another begins. Children grow and change. We age! Work brings a new boss who wants to bring change to the organization. New ways of doing things that look like old ways of doing things but with a new twist. Young people accuse older folks of not wanting to embrace new things. The longer one lives the more changes are embraced. I think about my first jobs. Hand written reports were typed by the secretary. The secretary photocopied and well did secretarial duties. Today with the computer, although a professional, all my secretarial duties are performed by me. Don't ask anyone to perform that duty! The good news is my Grade 10 typing course that allows for quick typing. Sorry today it is called keyboarding! Same skill, different name. So has it changed? I have a cell phone or do I have to call it a smart phone. Not so smart when the battery dies and needs to be charged! Can take pictures! However, the good digital/SLR cameras take better ones. Besides the old adage of not putting all your eggs in one basket prevails. Some on the phone, many uploaded to the computer and yes real prints that can be scrapebooked. Framing one sometimes that can be displayed.Those stories of someone losing their child's 5 years of pictures because there were on the cellphone or shared to the cloud or some phantom computer space. So embracing change but maintaining whatever areas of one's life liked. I blog so embraced a modern endeavor that is fun. However, I do not share my whole life to the world. Privacy is a good thing to maintain in many circumstances. Maintaining the privacy of others too in the family and friendship circle! Change is hard. Taking time, if one has the privilege to embrace it slowly. A crisis often means a change happens without time. Emotionally may be tough! So change can be good but it also can be life threatening, life changing and sometimes just tolerated! So what changes are occurring in your life? How are you coping? What do you use to roll with change? Do you embrace it? Do you resist it? Do you hate it? Thoughts??

THE SIGNS OF SPRING

Walking to work I hear the songbirds chirping. Nice to be able to identify some of the birds. It is a happy early morning sound. Spring bulbs are popping up in the garden between the leaves and brown dirt. More people are out walking and enjoying the changing weather. Checking my stash of yard waste bags as it is time to begin some garden cleanup. Yes there is another storm or two brewing somewhere. May have some freezing rain today so the boots go back on my feet. But Spring is here and Easter just around the corner!