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Hunter of Peace, Mary T.S. Schaffer's Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies by Mary Schaffer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This true account of Canadian woman adventurer, Mary Schaffer, was a loving tribute to our country's natural beauty. She, her female companion and their guides travelled over peaks on horseback in the turn of the 20th century searching for the Indian legend, the Maligne Lake. Her writing is rugged and beautiful as is the land she traversed. She writes humorously as well, as she recounts the pack horses that became their friends.
This version also contains her 1911 Expedition to Maligne Lake which she took to survey the lake along with her sister and young nephew.
I bought this book while on the shores of Maligne lake. it is an awe inspiring place and reading her account, I imagined the pristine majesty that met them before tourists and bookstores came.

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I remember clay

I used to the rub the cloth of my pajamas to help me fall asleep.

I used to rub the indentations of old chicken pox scars until they bled.

He ridiculed my attempt so I left the odd, yellow, innocent replica of a buffalo skull or so I thought.

He Obeyed...

Joyous day in the church today. A young man became a Christian today. He is the son of a couple that are very faithful in the church. When he was at home, he came grudgingly with them.

He eventually moved out on his own and stopped attending. A couple of months ago, he started attending of his own volition. He showed up at services even when his parents were away on holidays.

After a strong Biblical lesson this evening on the meaning, necessity, nature and result of repentance, he came to the front to show that that after hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, he believed it, for himself. There was no doubt that he understood repentance after sitting through the lesson. He made a public confession that he believed that Jesus is the Son of God then he was baptized for the remission of sins.

As he stood in the waters, waiting for the moment, his mother tearfully moved closer to capture the event on film.

Stacked and then Some

I thought I could resist and stick with the idea of only buying books when I want to read them, but I fell victim to another book sale.

1. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I was reminded about this book when someone said she had top billing (hah,) in the play.
2. The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton which is a popular money managing book even after 22 years. I borrowed it from the library a few months ago but someone else put it on hold so I couldn't renew it. I only read the first few chapters but it had some good ideas and presented it in a story form.
3. Leo Tolstoy: His Life and Work by Paul Birukoff, who was a friend of Tolstoy. The sale only had Volume one. Volume two is when it gets really interesting though, as it talks about his religious views, in which I know we are at variance, because at the end of his life he did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
4. Then, drum roll or tuba blast, a book that could be revolutionize my book reading experience called The Book Group: A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group edited by Ellen Slezak and foreword by Margaret Atwood. Could this be done on-line ?

What were the last books you purchased??

Just Window Shopping

Fun courtesy of Polyvore

An Artist's Way?

Ever since I started back on medication for being bipolar, I have not felt creative but maybe it is just an excuse.

It certainly does help when you are posting everyday and constantly aware of that which makes you smile and might interest or amuse others.

Lately, I have been reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron which is a workbook on how to be unblocked creatively. In it she tells you to write everyday but privately which I have been doing pretty faithfully. Another activity is to have an artist's date every week on your own, one in which you go out and do whatever you want for about 2 hours.

Yesterday, my Husband and I went out for supper and afterwards decided to go and browse through a bookstore. I was drawn to the many magazines they have and I came upon Artful Blogging. It certainly is a beautiful magazine and as I read of one woman that had taken the Artist's Way workshop, I thought of how much fun I had while blogging.

Could I still have it in me?

Courage To Conquer

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the 77th Annual Convention for Toastmaster’s International. In being there, I partook in the vision of the originator of Toastmasters, Ralph C. Smedley. In 1924, he was the Director of Education for the Young Men’s Christian Association, the YMCA. He saw that the young men at Santa Ana, California needed training in public speaking.

The vision that Mr. Smedley had for those men 84 years ago in Santa Ana is now being realized by almost 235,000 members, men and women, from across the world. The vision as written today is, “Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. Through our member clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change.”

The winner for this year’s World Championship was La Shunda Rundles. She gave a stirring and sassy account of her battle with Lupus with the help of her Mother’s firmness who taught her to speak through her fears.

Katherine Morrison, my favorite International Speech Contestant,spoke of overcoming the bullying that she encountered in school. Through the belief and encouragement of a teacher,she found she had the choice of what to believe about herself. She overcame her self doubts to earn a PhD in Public Health from the University of South Carolina. She placed 3rd out of the 10 contestants. Her stage presence exuded strength especially when she strutted off the stage with her doctoral hood draped over her shoulders.

Pamela Wallin, Canadian journalist, former Consul General in New York city, an Officer of the Order of Canada, received the Golden Gavel Award this year. This is given to non-Toastmasters who have achieved excellence in communication. She spoke eloquently of the impact of others on her life beginning with growing up in a small town in Saskatchewan, Canada which taught her the valuable lessons of community and civility.

I learned that people are not only conquering their fear of public speaking but other fears as well. The president of Toastmaster’s, Jana Barnhill, gave an inspiring speech of her victory over her fear of heights. She was in a small plane when it was caught into a storm at night. It tossed them about for 2 hours before they crash landed. The finale of her speech was a video of her skydiving. The theme she chose for Toastmasters in the coming year is “The Courage to Conquer”.

Another woman next to me at the dinner table told me of her own battle with the fear of heights. Through will and determination, she is attempting to become a 46er. These are people that climb the 46 Adirondack Mountains in the New York state. She has climbed three of them so far.

“Didn’t you panic?” I asked her. “Oh, yes. They had to drag and push me across this last precipice. I only had 100 feet to go to get to the summit. Then when we got there I refused to go back down.” I knew she had to get down somehow,..she told me that there happened to be another route down that particular mountain, a very steep road. They all had pretty achy feet after that but she did it with the help of her friends.

I volunteered to assist people off the stage for the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is where distinguished Toastmasters and Districts are recognized; it is like the Academy Awards for Toastmasters. I watched as a blind woman, then a woman with leg braces walked across the stage. No doubt there were countless others whose handicaps were not obvious to me. Okay, the blind are still blind and the lame are still lame but now they have confidence. The look on their faces told me that they achieved their dream. They have changed.

What about me? I gave this speech after less than a week’s preparation. It usually takes me four because. I have been too afraid to make a mistake or fall from the mountain. I thank God for Toastmasters because with their help and with His help, I am beginning to believe in the vision too. I see a competent, confident and courageous person climbing a summit today.

I want to add to this, a thank you to my blogpals for their interest in my life. You have helped me to believe in myself.

Thank you.