Today I worshipped
Amongst rocks
And shiny glass bits
Washed up on shore.
Green and purple
Glass, edges rounded,
Tossed up by pounding waves.
Child’s treasure. Burnished glass
And pebble stones
Worn smooth at lakes edge.
Today I worshipped.
Palm Sunday;
And the stones
Cried out his praises,
While I hunted treasures
With a little boy.
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Filed under Day to Day, Easter, Family, grandchildren, Poetry and Stuff, Travels, Uncategorized
Yesterday I made a trip to Saskatoon for the White Coat Ceremony for the 2nd year students at the College of Dentistry. This is basically a time before they begin treating live patients when they vow to practice their new profession ethically. This year the first class of the college was invited to cloak the students since this is our 40th anniversary since graduating.
As I pointed out to the other 6 of my classmates who were there, we left behind our own legacy, notably the “Boot Play” trophy which is still passed on to the student who makes the biggest gaff of the year. Like we did – to the student who left us to join the Med students. We had other disasters we celebrated later with much laughter – the gold crown getting its final polish that was sucked up into the vacuum system and the long hair that got entangled in the old belt driven slow speed handpiece. Those were the days!
Our class were the pioneers, making do in temporary quarters, learning to improvise when we lacked some tool. Good training. As Jim said we were a “first class” first class. Yesterday seven of us were there for the ceremony but all ten of us are living and the seven of us that were there still are practicing to some degree.
I spent the rest of the day applying for a new passport, had supper with Sara and saw her new lodging – way out on the south end of Saskatoon – a place that did not exist the last time I drove south of town. Then decided to spend the evening with Dave, Annette and kids; watched a movie and slept over.
Which is why I was up and driving home when the sun came up. I took advantage of a day with no fixed agenda to drive off the beaten track and snap the red sky as the sun came over the fields and forest.
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Filed under Day to Day, Dental, Family, Photos, Travels
I was only in the dental office one day this week, only spent one real day at the church plus a few hours here and there. The rest of the week I have been getting ready. I have been able to clean a bit in my office at home – much needed. Wrapped all the presents. Usually I’m doing that last minute while yelling at everyone to stay out of the bedroom. Since no one else was homeI got to do my wrapping this year on the dining room table. Way better than the bedroom floor.
Tomorrow the kids come home – except for Rachelle, Asen and Ronin (sigh). They will be home in a couple of weeks though.
We should be 22 around the table(s) tomorrow night. Then we all will head over to the church for the candlelight Christmas Eve service. Back home after for our gift opening. We will be up very late I suspect. Sunday morning we will (Leo and I at least) get up for a casual breakfast/Sunday/Christmas Day service. It will be good to worship our Saviour with the other brave souls who venture out.
Then I will crash and just chill out the rest of the day. If I get my way.
It would have been nice to have some snow for Christmas but they are predicting +2 or so and I suspect not much snow will remain. Shouldn’t complain – better than –40.
get older when I am sure his mother has hardly doubled her age? It seems strange to think that he is 38 already. That age even sounds a bit on the old side to me.
But there he is. Thirty eight already. Having to watch his blood pressure no less! With one super smart and strong willed 3 year old child catching on too quickly to how to manipulate words and the next baby only about three months from being born.
He has almost grown up.
Filed under Day to Day, Family
Massa arrived quite early this morning to help me catch my fish. I came home from a trip up to the high school giving Nan an extra chance to drive to find Massa already at work draining water from the pond. (Nan is trying hard to improve his driving skills so that he will pass on his next attempt at the drivers test.)
On the weekend, I purchased a used fish aquarium – 55 gallons, 48 inches long with a stand to put it on. Not a bad price except after we got it home we found that the light had broken. Purchasing a new light made it a little less of a fantastic deal. I would have talked them down a few more dollars if I had known. Oh well. What’s done is done.
Any way, the fish spent the day in a large pail. Nan helped me fill the tank when he came home from school and then we went driving again – this time to the pet store for the light and to get some more water conditioner. Fresh water was added to the pail so the fish could begin to adjust to new conditions but they were still in the pail.
After supper, Zaka asked every few minutes if we could put the fish in the aquarium yet. Finally I figured enough time had passed and that the moment of transfer had come. We netted the three fish that we had in the pail and off they went in a plastic bag to their new home. But I knew we had put four fish in that pail. Zaka and I went back to double check that we still didn’t have one fish in the bottom of the pail. Nope, nowhere to be found until — I began to search around the kitchen. On the floor, under one of the counter stools, there was one drying out fish gasping for air. I scooped him up and into the tank he went. A few minutes went by before he began to swim. Now, just by looking, you wouldn’t know he’d had a brush with death.
I think fish jump. This one surprised me with more vigour than I thought. He’s a survivor. So far. We will hope for the best overnight.
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Filed under Day to Day, Family
It has been a day.
The Veritas Seminar has been well worth our precious Saturday morning time. Gerald Froese led us through the process of assessing where we are as a church – Healthy Missional, Stable, Critical Moment, or At Risk. That was very interesting. Seems the general feeling is that we are somewhere between a Critical state and Stable with a strong desire to move towards healthy and missional.
Now may God give us strength to follow his lead. There seem to be some things we are working at that definitely are getting us out into the community around us.
I, personally have been fighting off some sort of illness. I thought that I had simply picked up a cold and that yesterday it was pretty much over. Then last night and today the aching started. So after getting home from the seminar, I headed straight to bed. Only got up to go for a practice drive with Nan, who drives his driver’s test on Monday. Parallel parked at least six times. If he keeps his wits about him I think he will pass.
Then home, grilled a few smokies for supper and went to bed again.
And then the band showed up. Makeshift Innocence. Playing at one of the local pubs tonight and then at On The Rocks in Edmonton on Sunday night. They will all find some corner to sleep tonight. And the rest of the smokies are history.
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Filed under church, Day to Day, Family, Music
I have not dropped off the planet.
It just feels as if the planet has dropped on me some days. This house of mine has been so busy over the summer that I have scarcely had time to keep track of everyone and who would be here to eat the next meal. so blogging has been on hold.
We had great visitors though. And it was a good summer. Just busy.
There were Rachelle, Asen and Ronin for a few weeks, Father Marcel who as I write is on a plane back to Belgium after almost 3 months(where did that time go so fast?), Nan who has come to live with us, Christian in and out, soon to be back, Grace and Zaka as their house is renovated. And then short visits from Faith and Hugh and their daughter Amie, Steve and baby Aya. Other family members showed up to see them too.
Many, many barbeques have been held in our back yard. Plus an ice cream social for the whole church.
Yep its been busy.
Now the busyness of class starts again. Two weeks in already and as essay due next weekend. Preaching tomorrow. Internship part time, dentistry part time, full time mom and grandma. That’s my life.
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Filed under church, Day to Day, Dental, Family, grandchildren
It really is too bad such good things have to come to an end.
Banff was lovely and Leo does make reservations at the classiest hotels – king sized comfort. Not quite the Fairmont Banff Springs but close enough for our budget. Leo was on educational leave and of course that helps. And keeps him busy so there is small chance of boredom setting in. 
We had a fair amount of rain to deal with but that didn’t stop us from venturing out on a raft trip.
And I went for a hike with my sisters – my younger sisters – and we hiked to the top of Sulphur Mountain. Took 2.5 hours and I just about died! If I did that every day I would either die younger or be in much better shape.
We travelled up to Jasper and through Edmonton on the way home. I think I liked the Maligne River Canyon most for its beauty and for the marvelous force of the water which has carved a canyon for itself.
Now today, I have been back at the computer. Working on an article, reading, starting to gear up for a full week to come.
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