The Only Constant...

...is change.

You may have noticed that my blog title is different. This is due to the fact that I'm developing a website elsewhere, and decided it was time to change things up a bit. My original blog title, "No Idle Hands", was taken from the proverb ("Idle hands are the Devil's workshop") and from a book of that title by Anne Macdonald, which I have in my home library. My new title? Well, it was my nickname years ago, when I used to knit on the bus as I commuted from the suburbs to downtown Calgary for work. Though we saw each other almost daily, most of us never exchanged names; rather, as is common in our culture -- whether it be out of reserve, shyness or fear -- we labelled each other by our visible characteristics. In my case, it was my very public act of knitting, which I never saw as unusual, but which, apparently, still is. My 'signature' on the Knitters' Review Forums (really, I believe that the plural of 'forum' is fora, but I digress!) is "TLWKOTB", which is an abbreviated form of my 'new' blog title. I've used it there for years, so it seemed natural to select the full phrase as my updated blog title.

Other changes...

An old friend of my family died February 8th in Calgary, so I travelled there for his memorial service yesterday. D and his family moved to Calgary the year after H and I did, but we didn't come to know him till over a decade later, when he'd retired, and I began to go to the local Anglican parsish church. He and his wife held regular "Newcomers Evenings" at their home where, over coffee, tea and goodies, new parishioners would be welcomed and given some guidance as to the goings-on at their new church home. His wife also taught in the Sunday school. He also gave instruction to baptismal candidates and/or their sponsors and served for many years as the co-ordinator of the lay readers and administrants for communion services.

D and his wife loved people; that's how they lived out their faith. D began to drive people to doctor's appointments, and to visit at home those who couldn't get out easily. Over time, my H became one of these folks. He and D most enjoyed going out to Tim Horton's for coffee and a snack. D's favourite treat was a chocolate-glazed, cream-filled confection that his wife didn't want him to have very often. He joked that he told her that he and my H had a doctor's appointment -- at the "office" of one "Dr. Horton"! Of course, neither she nor I were fooled for a minute! :-)

The church was quite full with those D's life had touched -- all of whom both miss him and remember him with affection and joy. "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23)