Post Four - Favorite book

Again, another tough one for me. I like a variety of books and genre's, though I lean more towards the scifi fantasy books. I can tell you my favorite author - Sheri S. Tepper, close runner up is Patrica A. McKillip.

If I base my favorite book on which I've read more than once - it would be Sheri S. Tepper's "The Gate to Women's Country". I have probably read it at least 3 or 4 times and would willingly read it again if I ever run out of books to read. Which will be awhile as I think I still have about 20 unread books on my bookshelf. I would say that the majority of Tepper's book's I would read again and still get the same enjoyment out of them when I first read them. They are one of the few books that I purchase and keep.

Day Three - Favorite TV Show

I love sci fi shows - Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG1, Firefly, all the Star Trek series, etc. I didn't really think I was into cop shows but as I thought about the tv shows I like - a lot of cop shows were on the list - CSI NY, Castle, Life, Criminal Minds, Bones, Dexter, Boom Town, Numbers.

I like reality shows as well - Say Yes to the Dress, Survivors, any home decorating show, Holmes on Holmes but I wouldnt' say any of them are my favorites.

I also like shows that are not quite reality based like Vampire Diaries, Buffy and Angel, The 4400, Lost Room, and The Pretender.

Again I'm down to 2 shows that I would maybe classify as my favorites - both have wicked humor and interesting characters which is what draws me to a show. I would and do watch these shows repeatedly, I unfortunately do not have Season 2 of Life :-( and it seems both my favorite shows didn't last long - Firefly was one seas and Life was only 2.

Favorite Movie:

Hmmm... I was asked this question about 4-5 years ago and I immediately answered Pitch Black and March of the Penquin. I know -polar opposites but that's me.

Question is - are they still my favorites? If I based my choice on how often I've watched them, then I would have to say Pitch Black and Matchmaker - I have watched those two the most - again kinda opposite types. I really like Sci Fi movies, the latest Star Trek and Serenity I really enjoyed - I have watched those two several times as well.

Period movies like Emma, Pride and Prejudice and the last one I watched North and South - I really enjoy to.

To be honest though - I don't have a favorite. So I will say my favorite is the movie that I watched with friends and my daughter and made us laugh hysterically - it is a wonderful memory... "Bride and Prejudice"

30 Day Post Challenge

I have decided to do a 30 Post Challenge – several people I know are doing a 30 Day Challenge or a 30 Day Photo Challenge but I know that I will not be posting every day so I’m calling mine the 30 Post Challenge instead.

Favorite Song

I had to think a lot about this one.

Lately, I’ve really enjoyed Lady Antebllum (they are on my Ipod) and in particular Hello World – love that song. I have to confess I also like some Clay Aiken – Broken Wings and my Christmas favorite Mary Did You Know. Another favorite is by a group called Destino “Keep the Dream Alive”. I also love the song Amazing Love – I have gotten quite emotional over that one and a song by Newsong always gets me as it is the song that ran through my head as I sat next to my mother waiting for her pass from this world into God’s arms “It’s Not Far”. I actually love all the songs on that CD “More Life”.

I think though, my favorite is a song by the Chenille Sisters that I heard many years ago called “I am a Can of Tuna”. I tried to find the lyrics to it or a link so I could share this funny song with others but no luck. It’s about the life of a can of tuna – unfortunately he ends up in the garbage – very sad… in a funny way. So I guess I will finally have to purchase the CD off my Amazon Wish List. I love all the songs on that CD (when I first heard the music it was a cassette tape a friend had given me – tells you how long ago that was!) - some of the songs include Big Hair, Is It True, Albert (about Albert Einstein), Chocolate, Humming to Myself…

When I find the lyrics, I will post them.

FAMILY

Tomorrow we celebrate Family Day!

Family Day was first held in Canada in the province of Alberta in 1990. It is supposed to reflect the values of family and home that were important to the pioneers who founded Alberta, and give workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families. Family Day was introduced in Saskatchewan in 2007 and in Ontario in 2008. One of the reasons for introducing Family Day was that there was a long period when there were no holidays from New Year's Day until Good Friday

I started to think though - what does the word Family mean?

First thought is my immediate family - my parents, my siblings. Family refers to my husband and my children.

One of the definitions in the dictionary for family is “Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another.”

I think we would agree then that the person who is sitting next to you in this room and shares communion with you according to that definition is Family– we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

I think we would even agree that the people who come to your small group and pray for you and encourage you is your Family.

I often refer to these groups as my “church family”.

But lets go even further.

Another definition of family is: a group of persons with common ancestry, deriving from a common stock” We believe that everyone was created by God, we are his “children” and we are all his children because we have the common ancestry. Doesn’t that make us, at least in some sense, ‘family’?

And when you think of things that way: Family could be the nurse that holds your hand to comfort you when you are scared and afraid. It could be your coworker that you work side by side with or the store clerk who goes out of their way to help you find that perfect gift. What about the stranger who opens the door for you at the mall or the lady that helps you up after you have slipped in the snow? What about your 300 “Friends” on Facebook? Aren’t they all family too? What about the person that goes to the Friendship Inn or The Bridge for a meal and a warm place to stay, the homeless man you pass everyday on the way to work, the guy that asks you for money with alcohol on his breath, the crabby bus driver, the rude and inpatient waitress, your next door neighbor?

If we are all God’s children shouldn’t we treat each person we meet as if they were our family and if we did, would it change how we react to them, think of them, how we talk to them, our level of compassion, mercy, forgiveness we have for them, would it make us stop and wonder what their story is? Would it change how we pray for them and how we serve them?

And in doing so how would it change you?

So I challenge everyone to really go out and celebrate Family Day: Think of each person you meet as family and see what happens.