Monthly Archives: January 2005

I made it through the day.  Cold medication has got to be some of the most useful medication invented.  It does kind of dry up the head though.  Anyway, I was able to breath enough to play this morning.  I know I could have stayed home in bed but there is something I crave about participating in the communion service that I did not want to miss this morning. 

And I knew that I could spend all afternoon in bed – a luxury I won’t have the rest of the week. 

So all afternoon I snuggled up under the duvet with a book which I managed to read a small bit of before I dozed off. 

Tonight the group of women I get together with met for the first time since before Christmas.  We are part way through our reading of The Ragamuffin Gospel.  Tonight we were only four of our usual six so instead of reading we just sat and talked.  One of the things we discussed is what the new direction of the women’s group in our church might involve.  None of us are involved in the group right now.  There are a lot of reasons for the lack of participation; lack of time, different interests, seeing a need for involvement with each other that doesn’t involve some sort of fundraising activity.  We just don’t need another church activity if it doesn’t meet our spiritual needs.  Then we spent a great deal of time sharing our prayer needs.  It sure is nice having a group of other women that can be counted on to pray.  And we trust each other enough to share our real needs and not to worry about how we are coming across.  We know each other well enough to know that we have good reasons to be totally dependant on God’s grace.  That sort of freedom with each other is so good.

We’ll get back to the book next week.

Meanwhile some of us are going to go to that women’s meeting and see what is up.  Maybe change will happen. 

and it is one of the worst I have had in a long time.  Leo informs me it is probably some parainfluenza virus.  I will go to bed and nurse it.  I can actually breath OK through my nose but it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest when I breath deeply.  And everything aches.  I probably have a fever. 

I drove to Saskatoon today to watch Sara play soccer.  They ended up second in their pool so have a final game tomorrow. 

And I went over to McNally – Robinson to browse and try to pick up a certain book I need to read before I read the one I got for Christmas.  And I was going to pick up a Classic FM for Randall.  Some turkeys ripped off the CD’s out of the two copies that were left.  Stealing Christmas CD’s! 

So, I find out the store takes the CD’s out of the magazine.  So I was just jumping to conclusions and should have asked.

Tonight it seems that I have nothing to do.  Nothing except the unending things that go with having a home – laundry, some cleaning, loading the dishwasher… 

No meetings.  In fact I just lent my vehicle to Christian who is off to play for a little Tsunami relief benefit.  His seems to have sprung a leak from the power steering hose and it is a little too cold to crawl under the car and find out what went wrong. And I think it is safer if he drives mine tonight. 

It actually feels a bit weird as if I am missing some meeting that I should be at. 

It was great tonight to sit around and talk and laugh with friends.  Some weeks there is just a lot of difficult stuff making up life.  Funerals.  Cold – crazy cold weather.  Colds and flu.  Money being tight.  Laughter and good friends make it all easier to take. 

And you know what?  The same problems are there.  But something happens while you sit around laughing.  Old funny stories and experiences come out from the depths of our memories.  Cold weather that kills cars and makes men wear “men’s tights” and women wear long underwear loses it’s edge – at least till we all have to leave the warmth of the restaurant and go to our cars. 

In fact, I think laughter is probably as essential part of winter survival gear.  That and a decaf moka.

Today was full of many events; unrelated except that I was somehow involved in all of them.

Sunday, of course means worship practice, then service, then coffee.  The kids usually try to talk us into going out to eat somewhere.  They tried again today but we, holding the purse, outvoted them.  You would think I couldn’t cook or something.  Maybe they are right but I thought that salmon baked in a lemon dill sauce with scalloped potatoes and rice for the potato haters was adequate.

Patrick has returned to Saskatoon – went down on the bus today.  He is looking forward to getting back to classes after almost four months in the Congo visiting his parents.  We sat around after lunch before he left discussing ways to get a better understanding of what one is reading in the Bible.  I will miss these discussions with him. 

Then went up to the hospital again.  Dad was fairly confused this afternoon.  Much of what he said made little sense.  It is funny how the sentences are fine.  He is not talking gibberish.  Just whatever story he is telling is like a phrase pulled from a book that none of the rest of us are reading.  And he throws it out into the conversation for no rhyme or reason.  Another friend is in the hospital again so I dropped by to see her too.  And I have a little patient – a newborn waiting for a feeding plate for a cleft lip and palate – we are all waiting for a lab to open somewhere tomorrow.

This weekend I also wrapped up a writing assignment.  I feel like it is done anyway.  And it is good to be done on time – honestly I am one of the world’s worst procrastinators.

Tomorrow life after the vacation begins in earnest.  A full week of work.  Wonder if I will survive?

Go ahead and make your resolutions.  I usually have no success keeping them so have given up on New Years resolutions.  I will just try to tackle each day as it comes as best I can.  Less guilt that way.  And probably the same success rate.