Monthly Archives: September 2003

Autumn Morning

The sun edges its way over the pines, green still,

Over the river,

Where mists hover like ghosts.

And the grass

Strewn with day old leaves,

Glistens with new frost.

In the space of a week the colors have gone

From green to the

Gold and red of shortened days.

Leaves cling

Defying the northern wind

That will strip them to earth.

Branches like old hags fingers reach skyward, 

Stark and grey.

Stripped of their colored robes

Like Joseph.

Praying for a soft snow

To blanket their naked limbs.

I very much enjoy playing for the worship at church but since I am not that great a recorder player, I need the practice.  We didn’t have time to practice earlier in the week due to the congregational meeting on our practice night.  So going early to church was not an option for me.  I felt like I needed all the practice I could get.  It is different practicing by myself and practicing with the band.

Thanks Randall for the teaching about hope.  I was reminded while you spoke of the passage from the Psalms – actually it is repeated several times I think – essentialy asking “where else is there to turn?”.  I especially like the words from Psalm 39 verse 7:
    “And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
     My only hope is in you.”
For me this hope helps me keep things in perspective – trying to place a higher value on the things that will essentially last forever and other stuff that is only good for the here and now.

The afternoon was jam packed full of things to do, starting with a baby shower for Annette and Kieran at Annette’s auntie’s house.  

I was only there for a short while when off I went to join the group of women with whom I am beginning to look at the book by Phillip Yancy, The Jesus I Never Knew.  This was great.  I think we will have a good time studying the book and sharing other parts of our lives too.  And we met today at the best coffee house in Prince Albert – Shananagins – so we had good coffee and tea too.

Then out to Par Place.  This is a unique gathering place.  Nestled in a bit of the Nesbit Forest, there is a meeting place with a fireplace (and for today a hot tub) besides volleyball and trampoline equipment.  This was Sara’s soccer team wind-up.  Lots of good food, good beer if you like that stuff(Diet Coke is my drink of choice next to good strong coffee)  and lots of pop, ice cream and cake.  There was so much food left at the end that you might think it had been blessed and multiplied!

The usual year end gifts were handed out to the coaches and manager.  The nicest thing was when each of the girls on the team came in carrying a single red rose and presented them one by one to the manager.  She really merited them.  It was great to have another mother take so much of her time to work with our girls.  When I am so busy myself it makes me very thankful for other women who give of their time so willingly to help my daughter achieve her best.

Then each of the girls was given a silver medal by the representative from the SSA who had come up for the evening.  To top it off, the girls received copies of all the pictures taken of them during the year besides a great team photo.

By the end of the evening the girls were having a wild time.  The music was loud and one of the girls, normally pretty shy, began to dance and then the girls started doing some karaoke.  They got less and less shy till we parents had to drag them away from their great time and take them home.  A great wind-up to a memorable season!   

It sure is easy to get a teenaged child angry.  Just say “no” to something they want to do and there she blows.  The thing is that sometimes there is nothing else to do.  No other options – that are reasonable.  But it leaves me worn out and just about as grumpy as she is. 

The week has consisted of  a school dance on Thursday, the first late night; an overnight soccer trip for the high school team, second late night; then she hardly gets home from the trip and she wants to go out.  And I know that going out does not mean going to her friends house so they can get to sleep early! 

She is partly mad because her birthday is this week and so she figures that this should have been her weekend to celebrate.  I thought that she had arranged a party for the coming weekend but it turns out she has another soccer tournament trip then too. 

She says most of her friends don’t want to come over because they would rather go to their other parties where they can do stuff.  What kind of stuff?  Well lets just say that not the stuff I think these kids should be doing!  So I guess we just live in dullsville – and we aren’t planning on moving. 

I think she could choose friends that would at least be loyal enough to her to want to come to her birthday party.  But my opinion is definately not wanted right now.

This is the part of being a parent that really sucks!

Gavenagain has a quote from Karen Bennit that addresses some of the feelings another person at Gate Crashers and myself were having about responsibilities for children.  Sometimes what we see needing to be done and what we feel adequate to do don’t seem to be within our scope of capability.  God help us!  There is so much we see needing to be done but it is frightening when we start to look and realize what we are or could be getting ourselves into.  Do we ever need courage and guidance!

The comments section of this entry have some great quotes as well.