Category Archives: Day to Day

Last night got the news that an old friend had gone Home. He and his wife were, at one time, missionaries in the Congo. They had left the Congo before we arrived but came out for a short working visit during our time there. And he was a medical doctor so we spent a good deal of time together while they were there. They returned to Canada during their retirement and we visited a few times. Always lots of fun – reminiscing about Congo stuff, sharing jokes and stories. He had a very aggressive form of cancer so it has only been a short time since the diagnosis. A very short time. He chose not to do the chemotherapy. Letting go and going on. Now he is Home.

God,
Bring peace and comfort into Vangie’s life right now. Bring her and her children the strength they need to get through the next few days – the numbing days of loss and funeral busyness. Continue to be there with them as the days go on and the loss becomes more real.

May the memory of Vern and his life continue to inspire all of us who knew him.

Amen

Whoopee!!! I am officially on vacation. There are some years when vacations are great but this year I am so needing a vacation! Three whole weeks to recuperate so I can go back to work for another year. Actually it’s not that bad since we go back at the end of August to a 4 day week the first week we are back and then we have a long weekend right away again. I think I’ll survive.

My oldest son just dropped in to use our laundry facilities and shower before he heads somewhere up by Dore Lake to help fight fires. He works for Sands Septic and the pumping capacity is used not only to pump out hog barn lagoons but to draw water from lakes to fight fires. After about a week of this he and his wife head down to Washington D.C. where he will be best man for his best friend’s wedding.

Monday, we all will help my sister and brother-in-law celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. That will be fun. And then I am heading up to one of the lakes nearby to have my own private retreat. Three days to myself. For me that is something I haven’t been able to do for many years. When you have a houseful of children it is hard to get away without taking some of them along. I need to restore my sanity this time. Maybe it shows! Oh my goodness – maybe that is why my husband encouraged me to do this!

Actually we are anticipating the addition of three more children to our home – if their visas come through. If this takes place, I won’t be getting a lot of breaks for the next little while. Two ten year olds and a 14 year old (besides the 17, 15 and 14 yr olds still left at home) should keep me occupied I think. If God pulls this off then it will work out OK but I won’t have much free time. They could be here as soon as September.

 
Psalm 150

1
Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his heavenly dwelling;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2
Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3
Praise him with a blast of the trumpet;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6
Let everything that lives sing praises to the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

Do you know what I wish? I wish I could dance! My feet never learned the freedom of movement that my children’s feet know so well. I was taught that this was something wrong to do and so my feet never were allowed to follow the music’s rythmns. It remains one of those things that I am most timid about. It is funny how some childhood training can be such an influence even into my adult life, suffocating that form of expression. There is nothing I like better – to watch the gracefulness of really good dancers. But no matter how I try, I can’t get my feet to dance.

But I think that one day I’ll be free to dance at last.

Someday, My Feet Will Dance !

Someday, my feet will dance,
Move in time to the music
That I hear,
That I feel,
That He plays.

Someday, my feet will be set free
Where now they’re still,
Fixed to the spot,
Bound invisibly,
Too timid to move.

Someday, my feet will move
To the rhythm makers irresistible beat,
To the uninhibited
Steps and rhythms
Of His dance.

I will dance, someday, in His house!
My feet, my whole self, will dance
Unrestrained,
Full of joy.
Dance for Him!

I am a grandma again. Kieran David Leo Lanoie born this morning 8 lbs 1 oz. I just went to see him. He’s beautiful of course! Mom was still in recovery – a C-section. So I visited a few minutes with Kieran and David his dad. I’m bubbling – now I have to go and get back to work. Pictures will be posted. You can count on that!

Today has been a day of real downers and real uppers. One of the real good things was having friends over and just having a very good time. We don’t do this enough. And it was so nice out. Can’t say the same for inside our house tonight though. Wish it would cool down as fast inside as out.

As for the downer stuff, well it happened. Sometimes I think the evil one likes to get his jabs in at us through the chinks in our armor. And it hurts when he gets through the defenses. And I suspect he knows my most vulnerable spot is my kids. So if he wants me to start worrying he knows how to get to me.

So help me to remember, God, your care for them and trust them into your care. And give me wisdom enough to know what to say and what not to say. Help me to be a firm but loving mom. And throw up your protective barrier around my little erring one.

Now goodnight all. I’m beat.

I just went to post and lost everything. Rats!…

This afternoon I had to buy a “new” fridge for the office. I am never a big spender so found one in the “Penny Pinchers” of our local paper. I went over to one of the worst parts of our illustrious city. The gentleman I bought it from has lived on that street for a number of years. He said he just “lost “his wife on June 1st so we sat and talked a bit while he wrote out the receipt. He said that his neighborhood was actually pretty safe. The news was on and he was pretty upset with the verdict in a well publicized trial. He felt that men should not be asking a “little” girl to go for a ride. Whatever happened in actual fact I imagine that the young woman will always be the most adversely affected. Life is a mess sometimes.

Tonight Leo and I sat and watched a movie. The kids all seem to have their own agenda tonight so we were pretty much free to do what we wanted for a change. Leo went to the Video store a few weeks ago and instead of renting a movie came back with half a dozen tapes. They were such a good deal. I’m not the only one in this house who likes a deal! The movie we watched was Instinct. It had a good story line although the ending was a bit implausible.

Ten Things I liked the Best About the Congo

Maybe its just the warmth of this night but I am reminiscing about some good Congo memories.
1. Walking in the light of a full moon hearing the people in the neighboring village sing and dance as the drums beat.

2. Walking at night under a sky so lit by stars that no full moon was needed to see.

3. The scent of Frangi pangi and coffee blossoms

4. Sitting around the fire talking to good friends, the kids roasting ears of corn.

5. Floating in small warm Lake Kwada while on vacation

6. The variety of friends – Congolese, Belgian, Portuguese, Dutch, American and British. Merchants and missionaries, priests, sisters and co -workers

7. New Years at Bobadi. Playing Monopoly with Pere Marcel translating the chance cards from Dutch for us

8. Riding my motorbike with the warm wind on my face, little arms encircling me as we ride.

9. Bananas – just at the peak of ripeness – a whole stalk hanging there. Pick and eat.

10. Incredible hospitality, incredible generosity

Steve McMillan up in Yellowknife,NWT is blogging. Link to Ponder this and have a read.

Do you know that it has only taken 33 years for us to go from this to this! See we are still smiling! All in all it has been a good 33 years.

Today we had a call from Jacques in the Congo. We are in the process of applying for visa’a for the younger siblings of Patrick and Christain to come and attend school here. They are in a situation that is not altogether safe, especially considering a lot of sexual/moral risks for young girls growing up there. Jacques has some serious concerns for his son and daughters.

Anyways, the papers we sent from here have arrived and Jacques sets out now for Abijan in the Ivory Coast with the children. That is a long trip with three kids and the end results are not a sure thing. It will be stressful for them I am sure. Our prayers are that they will be granted student visas.

I am also going to have to adjust to having three new members of the family if they come. And for that I will need lots of prayer. Leo will work harder to support a few more kids. I will have all the mothering issues that will most surely come up especially with two ten year old girls leaving their mother for a stranger at such a critical time in their emotional lives. Yikes! Pray hard!