Category Archives: Family

February 22, 2009 · 4:26 pm

Special Prayers

Last night I had supper with Dave and Annette and the kids before returning home.  Kieran said grace. 

He announced that he wanted to say a special prayer, not the usual one.  I’m not sure what the usual one is but this one was certainly not the usual.  Kieran is a pretty special kid with a very creative spirit.  In other words, you never know just what he is thinking up. 

This prayer would be special, he said, because it was going to be about Valentines Day. 

Yep, it was about Valentines Day.  He must have really enjoyed the day.  He went on at length about how good the day was. 

I think the food on the table was just an excuse to give us a piece of his imagination.  But, hey – God has to take responsibility for instilling in us that desire to be loved and our enjoyment of being loved by the people closest to us, our family.  So, I think he made God smile.  The words didn’t come straight out of his “God book” but they sure came from his heart.  And I thanked God for the wonder of grandchildren once again.

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February 19, 2009 · 8:32 pm

I am thinking

I really am.  I am sure there are some thoughts in this brain somewhere.

There is just a lot of other stuff going on around me these days.  Starting to set up plans for vacation.  Hope to take Kieran with us on our cruise up to Alaska.  Arranging that.

Tax stuff which has to be worked on soon.  Starting to gather together my stuff.

Studies.  Hope to hear about  midterm marks.

Tomorrow is free.  It feels as if the day is a gift but it is not without its limits as far as getting things done.  And I have to go by the Bison for coffee.  Laura was asking where I am.  Lots of other little odds and ends to tie up tomorrow too.

What I would like to do is have time to put together some thoughts I have had as I’ve been reading Joan Chittister’s book Wisdom From The Daily.   Daily life for me is full of work; good work and useful work but sometimes hard to see past the humdrum steadiness of it to appreciate it as God’s gift to me and to others through me.  So maybe I will get some time to sketch that out this weekend too.

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February 14, 2009 · 10:22 pm

Enjoying life

The Mid-term is done and I think was good.   Now, of course, I have to wait to hear how I did and all but I feel good and the translations we were asked to do were no way as difficult as the ones in the workbook.

That was the first mid-term I have written in about 36 years.  All week I’ve been just a bit anxious.  Last night as Leo and I returned from a retirement party I confessed to him that I was a bit anxious.  He replied to that understatement with, “You think?  I’ve noticed it for the whole week.”

So, today after the exam, we went out snow shoeing, had a few glasses of wine with friends, had some of her gourmet appetizers that were more like a twelve course meal than appetizers and had a very relaxing time visiting.

Now, we have just finished watching Gran Torino from a friends copy.   Great movie.  We may have to go to confession for watching a copied movie – and I honestly do not know where he got it from or who Leo’s friend is.  But I am so glad we got to watch it.  It left the cinema before my midterm – when I was still in the too anxious to go to a movie stage.

Today was about enjoying life, even enjoying the course I wrote the mid-term for, and enjoying love with the man I’ve spent the past 381/2 years with.

And I did not even eat one piece of chocolate.   Such restraint.

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January 23, 2009 · 10:22 pm

Now, if the weather had been warmer it would have been better, but …

This was one of the best days I have had for a long time.  I had a day off.  There was no school so my work at the School Dental Program  was on hold.

To start with, I slept in.  You may not consider 7:15 am as sleeping in but I do.  Its the best longest sleep in I’ve had in months.  Leo, who has been away a good part of the week woke me up by calling from Saskatoon.  Of course he thought for sure I’d be up.  But I’ll forgive him.  It is good to have him home.

Then, I spent a good part of the day talking with people.  One on one visiting has got to be one of my favorite things to do.  And one was my own spiritual direction appointment and it was so good to go and talk with someone today.  Needless to say, she commented on my obvious excitement as I told her I’d been accepted to seminary.

I came home to make a yummy supper.  Otherwise, I didn’t get as many errands accomplished as I had hoped.

But I did finish Grammer Quiz #4.  One to go before my midterm.  It feels good to have that done for the weekend.

Now, off to bed – with my hubby.  I do love that old guy!

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January 15, 2009 · 9:04 am

Just….

Some days I just wish I could stay at home.  I think I need time to let parts of me (that are always busy and rushing to something coming up next) settle down and let me catch up with myself.

My heart does not always seem to be where my body is required to be for reasons of work or home needs.  It leaves me feeling weirdly disjointed and unsettled.

There are days – like today – when it would be fun to have no demands, when it would be fun to invite Zaka over so we could watch Treehouse or look at a book or go for a walk in the cold and snow.  I’d like to pull him in our improvised sleigh and swing him around and watch his eyes sparkle.  Or play a game of hockey on my kitchen floor or crash cars with him for awhile.

With no unfinished quizzes to be concerned about, no bills to pay, no deadlines for anything, just the day to spend enjoying him.

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December 28, 2008 · 8:54 pm

Feeling a little Queasy?

Sickness has been making the rounds around here. Over Christmas first Annette, then David then Kieran – then Kimia and Zaka. Today Ronin threw up. I’m hoping my headache is not something fluish. Most weird is that Leo has broken out in a bright red rash and has no clue what it is from.

Hoping Ronin is well by tomorrow when we drive down to Saskatoon. He and Rachelle fly away early on Tuesday. It is hard to believe that their three week visit is coming to an end.

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December 28, 2008 · 4:17 am

I need QUIET. Please!

There are times when I realize that I am pretty much the only solitude loving introvert living in a crowd of extroverted party lovers.

Maybe that is why I am up at this crazy early time. It is quiet. No one else is up for sure. This is beautiful.

Children come home and make my life joyful – for awhile. Chaos can unfold around me for awhile and I will survive – if I have some solitude to help me recover.

Trouble with finding solitude in the wee hours is that it necessitates a nap in the afternoon. That can also be a good thing.

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December 24, 2008 · 2:46 pm

It is beginning

To sound like Christmas at my house.  Little voices can be heard.  The family is beginning to arrive.

It smells like turkey.  The ham goes in to the oven shortly.  Tourtiere too. 

I am going for a quick shower and then will lie down for at least ten minutes before stuff begins to happen.

Merry Christmas.

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December 23, 2008 · 10:49 am

All is relatively quiet again

Yesterday morning by this time I had already been called away from my patients about four times to respond to an emergency with Rachelle and my car. She took Ronin in for his surgery at 6 am, had no money to pay for the parking lot so parked on the street. The car would not start, she and Ronin were not exactly dressed for the kind of cold Saskatoon was experiencing, keys were dropped, she had to carry a fussy boy through the snow and cold and tempers were short. It was my care so of course – call mom. There was not much I could actually do except muster the forces as best I could from a distance. And of all the days not to be able to get through to CAA – this was it.

Thank God for internet banking, younger and older brothers and a sister- in-law, and everyone who came to her rescue.

Today is so calm. I am very busy at work – just waiting for a patient to get numb at the first small break I’ve had all morning – but no personal crises have called me away to the phone.

Last day of work till the new year. Boy do I need a break.

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December 20, 2008 · 6:58 pm

All’s quiet

So far tonight it is only Leo and I at home.  After a hectic couple of days with many children and grandchildren around, we are soaking in the peace and quiet and lack of demands put on us. 

Ronin seems to be ready for his surgery on Monday.  Praying he stays healthy  – no colds to cause a cancellation.  And I guess the surgeon is pretty sure that with this surgery, his hand will be fine.  If he decides he wants his fingers to look better later on in life, he will be older and able to make that choice on his own.  One finger a little shorter does not seem to slow him down.

And today, the big event of our year – Patrick’s wedding.

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Well, of course he didn’t just get married on his own.  He has a wonderful wife who is very much in love with him as he is with her.  Amanda looked beautiful today.  The wedding service was small but lovely and the reception very low key and fun.  

There are some pictures up on Flikr – not all that great but they are what they are.  There is some proof that either we are not all great photographers or else that we are a challenging bunch to make look good on film.

Now, I believe they head off to the mountains for some skiing and snowboarding.  Hope they come back intact! 

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