Category Archives: Day to Day

I am getting older.  This has it’s down sides but then I should be used to getting older by now I guess. 

The good thing about the aging process is that Leo decided to ask me what I wanted for my birthday.  And then when I suggested a couple of things that I would love to have, he said “Lets go and get that for you.”  A week early!!!  (Birthday is not till the 14th – That is cheating isn’t it)

So, I am now the proud owner of a Toshiba Pocket PC.  And I am learning how to use it.  I like the calendar and the task reminder.  I really like the Dental drug lexicon.  But the thing I like the most is that I can sit and write in the off moments at work and then download it all to my computer when I get home.  Today I did this with the agenda for a meeting.  And then, as I sit and read and think of comments I would like to make or record about what I am reading, I can just do it right there from my armchair.  And to top it all off there are a couple of games if I get very bored. 

I suspect there is a whole lot this little gadget can do that I don’t even know about yet.

This morning I was surprised to look out the window and see the cars covered with a fresh layer of white, clean snow.  I don’t know that I like the obvious evidence of winter’s lingering presence, but there it is.  More snow.  Not that it is bad, we need the precipitation.  And it makes everything look clean and new.  All the dirt that shows up as the snow starts to melt has been erased for awhile. 

But it is March.  I have fond memories from long ago of a March birthday on the front porch of my grandparents house in this city.  So it can happen – spring can come early.  One has to appreciate hope.

One of the interesting things I heard at the women’s retreat was I. P. talking about her horses being imprinted.  The horses which drew the cutter we rode in were young.  They followed the commands almost flawlessly.  M. had even put a saddle on and ridden one for the first time with no problems.  They had been imprinted – the P’s had caressed them, blown into their faces  – had been intimately close to them since birth – and now the horses knew them and they knew the horses.  Brought up rememberances of the movie “The Horse Whisperer”.

Last night my daughter, who is working on finishing her essay for Philosophy, called.  She spoke about the “ought” word and how it kept bringing to mind a chorus I used to sing when she was just small – “Everybody Ought To Know”.

Everybody ought to know
Everybody ought to know
Everybody ought to know
Who Jesus is.   (repeat)

He’s the Lily of the Valley
He’s the bright and morning star
He’s the fairest of ten thousand
Everybody ought to know.

I guess some of the things we imprint on our kids minds stay there and emerge later at seemingly strange times – with word associations, peoples actions, etc. 

I think (and pray) that I have imprinted enough God things on my kids minds that they will  be able to recognise his voice when he whispers in their ears. 

The women’s retreat pictures have been posted in my Photo Gallery.
Camp Kinesao
is a beautiful facility.

My aunt was reminiscing about the first camp held at this site.  She and my dad and another aunt went the first year the Luther League held a camp here.  A bit more primitive – only tents.  This is where she made her committment to follow Christ so it is special place for her. 

It was at another camp on this same lake that I also decided that I wanted to follow Jesus.  I was only four but I can remember putting up my hand in the service and my dad praying with me after.  I guess I started being a camper early – you get to do that when you are a pastor’s kid.  We spent a good part of most summers at camp when I was a kid.

The weekend was good.  I need some time to work through all the stuff in my head.  The best part of the weekend was the time to talk.  And the deepening of friendships – real friendships. 

I always have trouble going to these events because I take along my preconceived ideas of what I want to happen.  So, I had been praying that I would hear what God had to say to me.  And this time I heard – some things anyway – things that I have been asking about for awhile.  So for me it was a good weekend because I took time to listen. 

And it is good how God sometimes gives suggestions for things that will enrich our experience with him.  I woke up on Friday with the idea in my head that I should set up a corner somewhere in the retreat centre for prayer.  Not being part of the organizing of the weekend, I called the proper person and she agreed that this would be a good thing to do.  So, I packed up some things to create a bit of a sacred space – music and candles and a notebook.  And that ended up being one of the special parts of the weekend.

And there were other highlights too – the safe trip up to the lake on a very snowy and slippery day, the horse and cutter rides arranged by the Pritchards, and the hike with Janet. 

I think I lost about a gallon of water on the hike – all into my clothes.  I think there was one point when Janet thought maybe she had led me out onto the ice to my death.  There was a snowmobile track to follow but it wasn’t hard packed so we would be walking along when all of a sudden one leg would drop down into the deep snow.  A bit exhausting but fairly hilarious.  If Janet had a video camera I am sure she would find a way to show you how gracefully I walked!!  But we made it back and I am still alive and not too stiff.

The pictures and more I will post here maybe tomorrow.  My daughter is home and she and “Dad” are working through her essay which is due this week so I don’t get priority on the computer to get my pictures posted.  And I simply need time to work through some of the stuff I  learned.

I am entering into that time of the year that consists of taking kids to finals in different things.  Provincial soccer goes on the weekend of Mar 12 and is way down in Regina.  I do not enjoy having to travel for four hours to get there but it is one of those parenting things that have to be done.  I do like watching soccer so the whole weekend won’t be that bad.  Just I had planned to do another private day retreat that weekend and now will not be able to.  Oh well, I only have a daughter young enough to take places for so long so will maybe use that weekend to reconnect with some other people I know in Regina like my friends, Shannon and Todd and my cousin’s son, Chad.

April is going to be full of dance competitions.  Grace informed me that she should have her driver’s license by then and I could just let her take the car.  I don’t think so!!!  The kids Easter break there is a competition in North Battleford so she needs to be there Wednesday am early and Thursday pm late.  Not great for a 3 hour drive for a working mom.  I am hoping that her friend’s mom can take them but she also works.  The following weekend the competition is here in town and parents are expected to volunteer so my weekend will be busy again no traveling at least.  And I can share some of the volunteer spots with a friend so we can at least visit.  And then sometime there is a competition in Biggar that she will want to go to.  Grace is dancing a solo, a duet with her friend and then with the large group that she does lessons with.

And last night as we were looking at the upcoming months as an executive board of the church, and as we are entering into the Lenten season, I realized as I looked at my calendar that I have filled up every weekend till May with something.  Time simply passes too quickly.  It is hard to balance my need for quiet and solitude with my children’s need for activity.  But we muddle through somehow and before we know that time has passed and some other landmark time is almost here racing towards us.

Reminds me of the words of Chantal Kreviazuk’s song Time”

Time, where did you go?
Why did you leave me here alone?
Wait, don’t go so fast
I’m missing the moments as they pass
Now I’ve looked in the mirror and the worlds getting clearer
So wait for me this time

And this weekend is set aside in my time for a women’s retreat.  So I won’t be putting anything up here on the blog.  I’ll be out in the wilds of northern Saskatchewan with a bunch of women worshipping God.  Talk to you all Monday and maybe will have some  pictures of wild Saskatchewan women to show.

Today was a good day to finish off some things.  The TV thing is done and out of the way.  I think it went well.  The kids were getting into it by the end.  Sandra, the interviewer, said she would like to get a 30 minute documentary out of it – if her producer agrees.  We’ll see, I guess.  At least it doesn’t sound like we were too boring.  It was different playing for worship with a camera and sound pick up in my face.

I finished the toque I’ve been knitting for David.  I would like to make a matching one for Keiran but to be realistic – it would get done just in time for summer.  So I will start one for a two year old head and he should be able to wear it next winter.

So speaking of next winter – the weather has been nice enough that this spring may actually be on it’s way.  Also being realistic – we still are likely to have some winter surprises left for us yet.

And I think our year end stuff is done at work.  So I will look at it tomorrow and then start all the stuff that comes with getting ready for the taxes!  Oh joy! 

Tonight was a fun evening – jamming with the worship crew.  Women’s retreat this weekend will have the female half out of the picture as far as the worship team goes. But we had fun tonight just playing, at least I did.  I always feel like the slowest one on the scene.  Sometimes it is really hard to hear the piano as it picks up and carries the melody.  It is easy if there is someone leading the singing, since I can follow that and usually catch the timing.  But tonight was good for me – just trying to hear the music and play.  I need this kind of practice to get my ear attuned to the others.  Then I can go home and practice and practice till the notes come together – especially for songs with three or more flats or sharps!

Well, so far, we have made it through the day.  It has actually been fun.  Out of all the time they spent with us, which has been about 6 1/2 hours, plus the two or so hours they will be with us tomorrow, they will make a 6 minute story.  Incredible amount of work.  And they had to be back in Saskatoon for another story tonight by 6:30 – something about kyaking.  Then they drive back up here tomorrow to go with the kids to school and with me to work. 

Our kids were very good about it all.  At first they were not too keen on the whole thing so they kind of got into it slowly at the beginning.  At church this morning, I was wondering if I had been insane agreeing to this because the kids were balking a bit at the whole thing.  Once we got home, the music thing helped a lot – Christian and Patrick and a friend playing and then Grace and her friend dancing, sort of loosened the kids up as they got familiar with the camera crew.  They even filmed Sara doing her homework – that proves it was done I guess! So the interviews with the kids that came at the end were accepted without too much reluctance.  Christian even got some cool music from one of the crew – the camera guy so that made it pretty OK.

So unless they trash the whole thing – it will air sometime between March and May.  And they will send us a cassette of it so we can show home movies to everyone!

Reality TV at it’s best!!  Autographs will be available 🙂

The fact that a TV crew will be in our home tomorrow has been a good incentive to do some housecleaning.  I have also made our dinner for tomorrow – actually have it all planned out and ready to go.  If I was this organized all the time, I would be exhausted. 

I guess it is a bit normal to be a bit nervous about being part of this documentary.  I hope my French comes across better than the French I have heard some politicians use.  I can certainly keep up with the conversation but just as I sometimes will lose my train of thought in English mid-sentance, I am afraid I will do the same in French.   I am a bit afraid of not being able to even find the right word to express myself in French.  On the other hand – I don’t do too badly for it being a second language learned in adulthood.

Mais ça fait longtemps depuis que j’avais une longue conversation en français. 

Well, I guess if we are suck with our French or are too strange a family, they will just cut out our segment and our moment on screen will never occur.

I think it will be one of those “interesting” days. 

Our reasons for choosing adoption are always a bit hard to explain.  Part of those reasons stem from the fact that we were children of the 60’s.  And we are boomers.  When we were growing up we were immersed in concerns for an overpopulated world and decided not to try and contribute to the overpopulation ourselves. There were children out there with no parents and being idealistic decided that if there was a way, this is how we would expand our family. 

So we stopped having children after three.  But then the third one started praying for a little sister and we thought – lets do it.  Lets adopt.

By that time it was becoming more difficult to find a child to adopt in Canada.  It was hard to go through a long adoption process when home assignments were only a year long.  We realized that if we really wanted to adopt, we would have to consider international adoption.  That was fine with us but we decided that it made more sense to adopt a child internationally from a culture we were already familiar with.  So we began to look in the country where we were working – Zaire.

Zaire didn’t have any “orphan” homes.  Children without parents are generally absorbed into the extended family.  But not all children have extended families and they end up gettting short shrift in life.  So we began to look and just six weeks before we had to leave the country we were blessed – finding the first of the children we have adopted.  It was one of the best decisions we have ever made.

This afternoon I came home to find all of my biological kids at home.  That was kind of a treat.  Rachelle was up for the day and had her teeth all polished up.  She had to go back to S’toon to be back at work tomorrow morning though so it was a short trip.  She and Leo and I sat and watched “Whale Rider” together after the other kids took off and before she had to leave.  That is a good movie!

This afternoon, I got to introduce Leo and Rachelle to the Bison –  a really great coffee shop.  Some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.  It was fun chatting with the Swiss couple who operate it.  And then we met a young family there – turned out she was the daughter of an old friend, now married with a young son.  She recognised Leo’s voice so re-introduced herself to us.

Those parts of the day were fun.

The morning in the operating room was rather “triste”.  Just sometimes things a person has to do gets to them.  Most of the time I can compartimentalize myself enough not to get disturbed by the work I have to do.  Today was hard.  Maybe I will write about it tomorrow.