LOOKING FOR GOOD FRUIT

 We are having a good ole fashioned winter in Ontario this year. 

I've shovelled and shovelled until the snowbanks at the end of the driveway are higher than me.

I had to make a path off the deck and into the back yard for Lulu!

And yes I admit, it's pretty, but I've had enough! The unending onslaught of snow and frigid cold is wearing me down. 

Much like the news - the unending onslaught of anger, violence, chaos, confusion. It's wearing me down. I've had enough of the sneering, condescending broadcasts that pick apart to make their righteous point, stamping their feet and yelling I'm Right and You're Wrong. 

So, here's my plan: as far as winter goes, like Tom Petty, I won't back down. Already, the days are getting longer, the sun a wee bit warmer. Eventually, winter will lose its' grip. The whole of Ontario knows it. 

Meanwhile I do things that bring good results. 

I pulled out the leftover bacon fat in the fridge and rolled it in some bird seed. Then I hung it up in the tree for the sparrows, juncos and cardinals to enjoy.  

As for the news, I try to find a broadcast that just gives the facts, without all the hyperbole. 

And I look for the good fruit: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control, patience. Because a good tree (character) produces good fruit. And it goes without saying a bad tree (character) produces the opposite: hate, anger, chaos, violence, impatience, self-centeredness - you get the picture. 

Right now, the season seems long, cold and unending. But it will. And in the meantime, I will practice things that produce good character, like feeding birds in the dead of winter. 

Even a small act of kindness can make difference.

 

WHEN I WANDER OUT THE WINDOW

 Happy New Year - welcome to 2026! I've passed through a lot of 365-day cycles since landing on earth in the 1960s and seen a lot of changes. 

Especially out the window. What window? Usually the one I'm staring out, my internal thoughts wandering and coalescing into plans and conclusions. 

Take this window for example:

This is the one I stare out of while I have morning coffee. It almost always involves a winter scene because from spring to fall coffee is in the garden. But winter finds me in the big comfy chair with the fireplace on and Lulu curled up. I'll wander around between prayer, plans for the day and throw in a few hopes and dreams. 

Now this window is at work in the kitchen. Not a great vista, just overlooking one of the parking lots around the mall.  

But this window is a mental health break for me. The office is one big maze of "pods" and windows can only be found at the front door, in certain big wig offices and in the kitchen. 

I've wandered out this window for over 25 years: 

I've let off some steam and stress from work

Grieved here after saying goodbye to coworkers and loved ones who have moved on or died.

Met people who are woven into the fabric of my life 

Waited impatiently for the clock to hit closing time before a big vacation. 

Planned and mentally ticked off a hundred things that needed to be done for weddings or holidays or just what to make for dinner or accomplish on the weekend.

Considered and decided to retire. Considered and decided to return and continue to work casually! 

All the while this window was like that movie The Time Machine as I watch the seasons and the style of cars change. 

Lived through the COVID years when the empty office had 6 feet distance signs on the floor and red tape like some murder scene. 

I watched a solar eclipse from that window and a Derecho - one wild thunderstorm that left the whole city in shambles with broken trees and downed hydro lines everywhere. 

Yup....a lot of history with this window! 

So the year begins with another winter scene out the window(s) I wander to. I'll sip my coffee at home or watch the seasons change at the office. I'm praying a year of favour is ahead for you and for me. And who knows - if I stick around long enough, maybe I'll  see flying cars as I wander out the window!