That is probably why they only sell them here in Canada (and other nothern places). Colder hands.
I too was very confused. The picture in no way matched what I was imagining (although I was having a hard time imagining a bible verse on a box of Smarties). But I now understand and am saddened that our neighbours to the south are deprived of such goodness in the form of candy-coated-chocolate. (And, of course, the catchy accompanying ad campaigns - Tell me honestly, when you eat your Smarties, do you eat the red ones last?)
The only thing between our Church and the neighbouring place of worship (non-Christian) is a strip of grass. One Christmas, a young women had her parents visiting and invited them to attend church with her. The family found a seat in the back and got comfortable, but it wasn't long before they realized that something was not as expected... Sheepishly, the young women realized her mistake and they discreetly snuck out and across the two parking lots to join our service. The mother thought this hilarious, and the daughter was forced to confess she wasn't the regular attender she had led her mother to believe she was!
Once, a long time ago, after yet another move, my parents were visiting a new church. Apparently, my oldest sister (who was pre-school age at the time), had felt the sermon had gone on long enough so she stood up on the pew and at the top of her young lungs, declared 'AMEN'. My poor mother was mortified and my sister (more than 3 decades later), has yet to live it down.
Every church I have ever belonged to has had an organ (and almost always had an organist). We firmly hold with the belief that Old Hymns reach heaven best when played on an organ (in contrast, 'newer' worship songs played on an organ probably send the choirs of angels off in a gale of laughter).
In college, our organist was in failing health and growing increasingly cantankerous and so when a friend of mine showed musical aptitude and a familiarity with a variety of keyboard instruments, she was promptly drafted into the role of organ-apprentice. She was really very good at it and it wasn't long until she graduated to The Organist. To this day she continues to play the organ and periodically has that same bewildered expression on her face that screams "Did I agree to this?!"
Before Justin Bieber moved to the states and became JUSTIN BIEBER, he did an interview with his mom on 100 Huntley Street's Full Circle - a weekly Canadian Christian talk show. At the time I had no idea who this kid was and it took me awhile to make the connection between the cute kid from Ontario in that interview and phenom of the floppy hair and screaming hoards of preteen girls. Once I did make that connection, and everytime I come across something Bieber-ish since, I remember that interview, and am hopeful.
I have often come up with similar scenarios. Not so much because I was concerned about the pews being sucked into a spewing pool of lava (although that’s something to think about), but because I stayed up too late Saturday night playing Prince of Persia or some such thing, and suddenly walls aren’t just walls. They become pathways of opportunity. It’s like our church, with all its ledges and pillars and posts was custom made for ninja-like movement. I have it all mapped out and believe it is entirely possible to make it to the altar rail for communion and back without once setting foot on the floor…
We have skylights where the ceiling of our sanctuary meets in a peak and just below them are incessantly whirring fans. At about mid-way through the teaching (at least for right now, this does change with the seasons) the light shines down on the pews on the south-west side of the church and I become mesmerized by the blinding, flickering light caused by the whirling fans. I tend to lose the train of the message at this point as I wonder if the flickering is about to cause a seizure or two in the congregation. My attention is torn between the alternating beams of light and scanning the congregation for signs of distress. I inch to the edge of my pew, ready for action and, similar to the pre-flight exercise of finding the closest exits, I identify where the doctors in the congregation are located so I can get their attention quickly, should the need arise. My keen attention to my fellow parishioners and my recognition of the hazard brought on by the combination of old fans, the prairie sun and the skylights have not yet been put to the test. But I’ll be ready.
Easy vs. spirited at an early age is no predictor of how the child will turn out. My now very calm and level-headed oldest sister was a little terror as a child - climbing to the top of the fridge almost as soon as she could walk, literally bouncing off the walls she had just made 'prettier', helping fellow customers 'shop' by filling their carts with unwanted items (one older gentleman in particular was extremely embarrassed to discover the feminine undergarments in his cart at the checkout!), scamming neighbourhood kids out of their allowance for a ride on her ‘special’ sled, shocking classmates with the electric fence while on field trips and driving our dad back to work in order to recover when he was home sick with pneumonia. It really was a wonder that our parents had any more kids after her. Luckily for them, the second child (not me) truly was an angel – but she was also the one that caused the most parental angst when she was a teenager…
It most certainly does snow here! I had to brush about 2 inches of snow off my car before leaving for work this morning. It was the first notable snow fall of the season... and it is just beginning.
![[Avatar]](/images/avatar26.png){kind=avatar}
rachebec 
Creation