Things I am thankful for today
– the sun and the golden leaves
– snowgeese; fields full and skies full
– a huge turkey well roasted. Children and grandchildren to eat it with.
– Laughter together.
– Watching a terrible loss for the Roughriders(no, not thankful for the loss) dosing off and on through the game snuggled up against Leo
– Books to read
– A comfortable bed tonight
– Cold medication!
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Here I am, at the end of a very nice Thanksgiving Sunday, one turkey eaten, potatoes, stuffing, corn, salad, pie, etc. We had 13 at our table today – only four more than usual actually. Tomorrow we do it all again in Saskatoon with the 5 others who couldn’t be with us today. Some of us will eat turkey twice. Yum.
It is easy to list off the great things to be thankful for; family, plenty of food, Massa and Yaunde sitting at our table instead of waiting in Cameroon, children who are finishing up studies and beginning to make their way in life. My Aunt still with us, even if her memory and mobility are a bit impaired. She can still get out and join us. There are lots of strong young men around my house happy to help get her up the steps. I love the kids. I would hate to think of life without them even at the times when they are all in my livingroom making a mess. I like it that they all feel free to come home unannounced and raid my fridge. I like it that my home is their home too – well most of the time I like it. Sometimes it gets to be too much but I don’t suppose I would trade them being in my life for anything.
And I am glad that my aunt and I could go through some pictures and sort out some to hang on her wall. There is sometimes not much to give her but the gift of our time and that is a gift we don’t have to worry about cluttering up her small space. So that was my gift to her today – sort of a late birthday gift too since on her birthday I had no time to work on her pictures.
Right now, I am trying to be very careful not to pass on my viral infection that is causing one eye to goop up and my sinuses to fill. The chest part of this bug seems to be on it’s way. Hope it is over the worst by Tuesday when I must go back to work.
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This morning I ate a mandarin orange. When I was little, these were called fondly “Japanese oranges” since they literally came from Japan. Then we only could buy them at Christmas time. A box of these mandarins were a special treat and were meted out one at a time by my mother. There was always one in our Santa stocking.
Now, I begin to buy the early boxes of these mandarins from China early – as early as they begin to be sold in boxes in the stores. But they are no longer the huge treat they once were. One can buy them almost any time of the year – or a similar type of orange. I still love them but I doubt they will create for my children the memories that I still associate with them. Still, I love them.
They feel good to me as I eat them! “Christmas is coming soon,” they say to me. A good reminder of good things to come.
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Listening to the laughter. It sounds good. We had a hard and stressful morning working on kids sedated just enough to get the work done. Lots of crying today.
Now there is laughter.
The poor service guy. What he doesn’t know I guess won’t hurt him. He came to service the office today. He was good looking, he was.
Then he asked about the length of hoses we wanted. He asked about the guy who “usually services the office.”
In the lunch room we now have laughter. He has no idea of the service he did for the office.
And if you are thinking sexual inuendos – you have a mind like a dental assistant!
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In the course I am taking, one of our exercises asked us to paraphrase this verse: Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
I enjoyed this paraphrase exercise. Poetry is often the way I express myself to God. So, I used the two experiences I know the best to form two metaphors that are meaningful to me. And I thought I’d share a bit of what has been keeping me busy these days.
For the first one, my children come to me for things, sometimes desperate phone calls interrupt my work and I must stop and listen. I also know the intense desire to ask my deceased mother questions with that sort of intensity described by the psalmist as thirst to a panting deer.
As my children implore my help
Desperately needing my time or resources
So, God, longing for you to mother me,
I come to you, hurt and needy.
For the second, I know that sometimes intense pain is the only reason a terrified patient will come into my office for help. Likewise, it is the really desperate pains of life that drive us to seek God.
As the pain of an abscessed tooth
Drives a fearful patient to seek help
So God let the painful hurts of my life
Send me into your care.
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