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Just a Bit Different.com

"I'm proud that everything I have I earned all on my own."
Building Together Again
Occupy a Better Future
Don't forget about the price tag
We are all connected
Nickel and diming our lives
Hearing and saying "I appreciate you."
The purpose of technology is community
Celebrate small moments
Thankful for people
The strength around us
The leaf is proud:
a tribute to helping each other


Cleaning the workbench:
Children become adults


No power tonight:
Quieting a busy life




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"The things we want are really the times we share."

"If I had only one thing I would take a smile over an iPad."

~ Rob Hueniken

Posts tagged as:

People

Thumbnail image for Things don’t even out on their own

Things don’t even out on their own

September 17, 2009

During times of change or struggle you can often hear someone say that “things will even out”. It is a conflicted catch phrase in that it sounds optimistic but doesn’t assign any responsibility. It is usually uttered when something bad is happening now, or we suspect that things will be less than perfect later on. Often the people who say “things will even out” are either not the ones being directly affected by the situation, they have struggled and lost in a similar situation in the past, or they have yet to experience a positive team experience. Working together on [...]

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Thumbnail image for The rabbit knows he’s delicious

The rabbit knows he’s delicious

September 16, 2009

We all have our weaknesses, and most of us know what they are.  We also have our strengths, and those are what we need to focus on sharing. Sitting in the backyard with my friend we saw a rabbit. It was doing what rabbits spend a lot of time doing — sitting very still and sniffing the air. “Do you think the rabbit knows it’s cute?” asked my friend.  “No,” I replied, “but the rabbit knows he’s delicious.” From the moment a rabbit is born he is told that he would be a very tasty meal. He won’t become less [...]

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Thumbnail image for Smells like home spirit

Smells like home spirit

September 14, 2009

There is no place like home, and no smell as inviting and soothing as a home-cooked meal. My great fortune is having a Mom who shows love through her cooking, and she loves us a lot! This past weekend my wonderfully extended family made the drive to visit my Mom and Dad — an experience that I always look forward to. Sure, there might be a question or two I’d rather not think about, or a medical status that I wish were different, but smoothing it all into a loving and joyful haze is the smell of my Mom’s cooking. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Someone that someone cares about

Someone that someone cares about

September 12, 2009

As people discovered with the Six Degrees of Separation, we are all connected in surprisingly few steps. While walking in the mall, driving down the road, or having lunch, we are near to people that someone close to us knows and cares about. It is an illusion that our days are filled with true strangers — an illusion that continues because we spend most of our time “getting things done” rather than getting to know our community. A photography project called Being Toronto uses a portable photography studio to take free portraits of the people making up the city. In [...]

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Thumbnail image for We are all more

We are all more

September 11, 2009

We are all multi-faceted and unique. You and I are complex people, living in a busy world that often misses the simple joys of life. As you walk down the street, know that inside each person you see is more than what they are showing. We can’t have time to know everyone, but we can know that everyone has a story, and that each hopes that tomorrow will be good. A photography project called Being Toronto (www.beingtoronto.com) has John Beebe and Michelle Gibson taking their cameras to the urban streets, to capture some of life and community. John and Michelle [...]

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Thumbnail image for Meshing our gears and working together

Meshing our gears and working together

September 10, 2009

As the stage designer for an 1100 seat church I get to share in a lot of large-scale creative fun. It is great to be able to sweep my hand across our stage and say, “I see a big swoop of color there!” Of course that is followed by me getting the ladder out and working on the swoop, but it is still fun designing a stage! Our church, Forest City Community Church, is one of the new upbeat and encouraging churches, and it features a fantastic rock band, drama team and lighting crew.  It is a place where creative [...]

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Thumbnail image for Poem about children growing up and leaving home

Poem about children growing up and leaving home

September 9, 2009

Anyone who has teenagers knows the sadness of their leaving to start their own home. For parents with children the advice is clear: play with your kids; spend time doing things together — today! This is a poem I wrote for my son, whom I love dearly. Cleaning the Workshop The time has come to clean the room. To move big pieces and use the broom. And lift the layers time has spread Which spin back memories through my head. Against the wall a wooden box Raised up on legs with screws is locked. And on the front my son’s [...]

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Thumbnail image for Notice and celebrate small moments too

Notice and celebrate small moments too

September 8, 2009

Each day brings us many small moments of success and contribution, both for us and the people around us. When we pay closer attention to people around us we get to share in more of life's goodness. A great model for this in my life is my Mom, who is not just a wonderful cook, but someone who notices small victories. Big events like birthdays and anniversaries are always remembered, but she also pays close attention when talking with others, and shares the steps we take in life. When someone is listening you feel like your words are finding a [...]

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Thumbnail image for Being the gears instead of giving them

Being the gears instead of giving them

September 7, 2009

We all know what it is like to be part of our society: lots of things on the go, and ever-more things to buy. Threaded through most of the things we do are the people in our lives — our family, friends, work mates, service people and those driving by us. As a former computer programmer I know how busy life can be — full of details and endless tasks. I actually lost a few years of my life to work, before I had this simple but important revelation: People are more important than things and tasks. While I still [...]

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Trees only get one channel

September 6, 2009

When we get out into nature one thing becomes clear: nature is a fantastic experience, in all its variations. Nature is reality TV in its purest form. A friend and I went walking yesterday in a hill-top park that holds our city’s water supply, suitably called Reservoir Park. It is an inspiring combination of urban function and natural environment. The sun was strong and the late-summer leaves were deep green and working hard.  There was lichen on the tree trunks — the bumpy, mottled blue-green combination of algae and fungus — working hard in its own slow way to pull [...]

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