Monthly Archives: September 2005

Yesterday, well I guess the whole weekend, was spent connecting with people and with working on the basement renovations.  It was hard work physically so I was really wiped out from all of the physical work by last night.  And this week promises to have a lot of work to come – cleaning, finishing up on painting and sealing tile, etc.  Then the moving.  Just from the loft to the basement but that means lots of stairs.  It will be good to finish things up, and we have to.  The baby is due in a bit over one month and there is lots to do.  Time always goes faster than we think.

The time spent this weekend connecting with friends was good.  I value this time spent sharing where I am at on my spiritual journey and encouraging others in theirs.  So I guess maybe the hard physical work and the restful spiritual work should have balanced each other off.  Probably means more about my poor physical condition but by last night I was so tired that I think my brain kind of shut down.  I went to bed early and had a much needed sleep.

Yesterday afternoon some of us spent some time praying for a friend who is in the process of chemotherapy.  We prayed for her months ago before she started these treatments.  She is looking so much better both physically and her face reflected the hope and even happiness that she has now.  It was good to pray with her again. 

Praying for healing is a relatively new experience for me.  Up until a few years ago, I think I would simply have prayed something to the effect of “God heal her if this is your will.”  This was different.  I guess I have learned a few things about prayer – things I am glad for.  Yesterday I mostly felt inadequate to know how to pray.  I could imagine where the tumor was, sort of, knowing the anatomy at least well enough to do that.  So that was kind of in my mind as I prayed for her.  And then I could picture her just sort of running up and sitting on God’s lap, being secure in his care.  Afterwards we went for tea.  One of the things that struck me as we talked afterwards was that she said that she felt so relaxed after being prayed for.  There is so much more I need to learn about this kind of prayer.

Then afterwards I went up to the hospital to take impressions for a new baby with a cleft lip and palate.  Such a tiny little thing – a girl – clefts are less common than in boys.  So today that is added to my list of things to do in the evening.  I’ll go up after work and put it in and show the mother how to use it.

I dutifully stayed away from home most of the day.  Spent the day having coffee talking with a couple friends and doing my grocery shopping.  I was allowed back home at about 4:30.

The kids had been working all day on the bathroom.  And of course it has taken them a  lot longer than planned.  But we are going to have a beautiful bathroom down there.  I hope little sister realizes what a gift she is getting from her big brother and sister-in-law.  What they have done is place slate tile around the tub instead of a plastic tub surround.  A big job but we have had this slate around for about a year thinking that we would use it on the entry way.  So they were able to use something we already had on hand and make a bathroom that is nothing short of elegant. 

I have such handy kids.  They must get it from my side of the family 🙂

Tonight Grace discovered what interior hiccups feel like.  It isn’t the first time she’s felt them but it is the first time she asked me if I knew what was happening.  We were standing in the kitchen clearing away the supper dishes. 

“Mom,” she said, “What do you suppose is wrong?  Can you feel this?”

There was no doubt on my part.  She was much relieved.  She was a bit scared.  And scared is more of how she is feeling as the time for the birth gets closer.   

It is so exciting to see God working.  It makes worshipping together watching God bring things together an amazing experience.

This morning we heard from three people.  Greg just back from a missions trip to Guatemala – sharing his faith in concrete ways (note the pun – they were building a house).  Logan who got changes to talk about his faith out on the oil rigs.  Johanna who heard God in a different way as he provided enough funds to begin her year at CBC. 

And then we set out into a week of prayer for the hurricane wrecked areas of the US.  It will be interesting to see where God takes us with that.  There will be lots of opportunities to hear God as to how to respond to needs there. 

And for me – a treat.  There was a guy in the back new to our group.  He comes from the Sudan via Winnipeg.  He enrolled four days ago in the Dental Therapy school.  He is there because he listened to God giving him direction for his life.  We’ve had several of these students go through our church – here while they are students, then off to serve God in farther places – Nepal, Northern BC and now who knows where.  For me it is exciting since we have a common love for dentistry and a common sense of God’s calling to do this. 

Now off I go to Saskatoon.  I will see my kids and tonight see some blogging friends at the launch party for Resonate – The Journal.  7:00pm O’Sheas Irish Pub  See you there.

Tonight I came home and my first job was to assist with some chemistry homework.  As we looked at why glycine was an amino acid we heard an expletive – loud enough to hear from the basement.  Started with F it did!  Then there was relative silence so, hoping no one was too seriously injured, I went down to check out the progress on the basement bathroom.  Michelle had run headlong into a 2×4.  But the bathroom has come a long way.

The kids left.  They are staying with Michelle’s mom at the farm.  I loaded and turned on the dishwasher.  All was going well till a horrible banging began as if someone was bashing the contents of the dishwasher against the wall.  I opened the door of the dishwasher expecting it to shut itself off.  The water kept running – pouring into the dishwasher.  The banging continued.  So off went the water under the sink.  But I could not find a shut off valve to the dishwasher.  So I ran down and checked where the noise in the floor beneath me was actually coming from.  I ended up shutting off the water to the whole house.  It stopped the noise but from the small copper pipe in the ceiling of the bathroom came a steady but sure stream of water – down into the wall somewhere.  Not good, I said to myself.  The water will just have to stay off till we get a plumber tomorrow.  I do not want a flood in the night.  I cycled the dishwasher till the water drained but I think something may be wrong with the dishwasher and the violent vibrations have loosened a fitting somewhere.