June 26, 2009 · 8:37 am

A day off

This is the first day that I have been home on a weekday for ages.  I was going to say that it is the first day I’ve had with no preset agenda but I had to withdraw that thought.  In a few minutes I am off to a hair appointment and then I have some errands to run.  I must work on the paper for my class today as well.  So, I guess in reality my agenda is already pretty full.

But today I will also plant the last of my flower baskets – a chance for me to be out in the sun working in the dirt, planting some beautiful things. 

I will also go for a ride, hopefully for an hour or so, on the Rotary trail which is close to completion at our end of the city. 

Maybe I will get to spend some time talking over coffee with a friend – we’ll see.

So, I’d better get going.  

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Filed under Day to Day, Gardening, Studying

June 18, 2009 · 6:00 pm

You have no idea how good it feels!

Leo and I are going out to celebrate tonight. I got the results from my Greek course and they are worth celebrating over. Especially since I was pretty sure that I had failed the final.

Maybe it was a miracle!

So, one more class done. Sent off the next to last paper for this summer’s class so am on the home stretch there too.

Yep, I’m going to celebrate tonight.

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June 15, 2009 · 11:32 am

Last week in Chicago

Trying to sum up the last week. I wasn’t just ignoring this space. It is always a bit harder to post from a strange computer especially when there really is no time for writing – other than working on my papers for class.

It is an intense experience completing a full university 3 credit class in one week. Of course there is the pre course work and the post course papers so it does take more than just the one week. The next paper due – by the end of this week – is basically a case study to which we apply principles we learned in our readings and class work. Then a bigger 10 page paper due in a month. No rest for me.

Chicago was cold and wet. It rained almost every day except for Saturday afternoon and Sunday – when it was time to leave. There was no time for seeing any sights but we did spend time with friends every evening. That was good. And no shopping time saved me a bunch of money I’m sure.

The course content was challenging and the class sessions stimulating. As I was telling someone, it felt by the end of each day as if my brain had swollen from all that it had soaked up like a sponge. By Thursday we were a quieter group. I think we all were a bit overloaded. The course however, was excellent. It gave me a new and more profound understanding of caring practices and the theological and philosophical language which helps one to give words to why we need to be caring people.

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June 6, 2009 · 5:30 am

Off to Chicago

I am up early this morning that we leave for Chicago. I rarely seem to sleep in anymore. I probably need a long holiday to let myself totally relax. Sort of need to reset the old biological clock with a long rest and no alarms.

But today we leave for Chicago and a week long course at our denominational seminary, North Park.

The course will be good; right down our alley, so to speak. The Theology of Caring and Health. And since the paper I needed to have completed before the course is done, I am beginning to anticipate this week eagerly.

We also will get to spend time with old friends from the Congo as well as see friends from my spiritual direction course. And then on our way back Rachelle and Ronin will come out to see us for a couple of hours at the airport in Toronto.

So, now I’d better go and do all those last minute packing things and close up the suitcase. You may hear from me in Chicago. I guess that depends on computer availability but I will try.

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June 1, 2009 · 4:23 am

Greener

Thought it was time to go a bit greener around here what with summer seeming to be on its way.

Hope I am not speaking too soon.

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May 31, 2009 · 4:47 pm

Lets see now,

Why was I taking this Greek class again?

I just wrote my final.  It was long.  And hard. 

The Mid-term was only about 3 pages and I had two hours to do it.  The Final was about 8 pages and I only had two hours to do it. 

Needless to say, there were parts that I did not complete.

I really do not know if I passed this exam.  I hope my good marks throughout the year will help me pass but I have no idea.

But its done and now on with the next course.  I have 2 books to read this week and a paper to write.  So I probably won’t blog much till after we get back from Chicago. 

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May 25, 2009 · 9:36 am

A Quote

We cannot prove our love of God except by loving our fellow humans. Jesus Christ loved God precisely by loving his fellow men and women.

– Anthony Wilhelm,
Christ Among Us (1967)

Via Sojourners

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May 23, 2009 · 9:55 pm

Just listening

Here I stand on my loft deck looking over the river on the fading daylight. There are the inevitable background city sounds. Across the river there is traffic on the highway. But here, it is very still. I am listening to the gueese settling on the river for the night and to the songbirds that are still up.

This is a good place to be.

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May 22, 2009 · 10:27 am

On a less stressful note

It is my hubby and best friend’s birthday today.  He joins me now in my old age. 

DSCN1951

Sixty years suits him well I think.  He gets to become a doting grandfather and having lost well over 100 lbs in the last year, he has more energy to invest in life.  In fact, he was off to play golf at 6 am today to begin his birthday celebrations.

Looking forward to the next batch of years we have together.

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Filed under Day to Day, Family, grandchildren, Photos

May 22, 2009 · 9:41 am

Stress

I have one high stress week coming up.  Next Saturday morning I am writing my final exam in Greek. 

I wrote my last quiz this morning.  As I was writing it, I could recognise the way I react to stress.  My mind sort of shuts down.  It simply goes blank.  I have studied and studied and I should know the answers but my brain searches the database and give me one of those “page not found” messages.

So, this morning I was dealing with this reaction of mine, sort of watching it happen and then having to decide that my mind is giving me a false message.  To do this I have to sit and regurgitate some of the facts that I know I know instead of looking at the question being asked.  Once I do that, once I write out one verbal declension, it all sort of falls back into place – mostly anyway. 

But there is much to review and so I doubt that I will post much this  coming week.  Of course, sometimes it is good to get away from the books and see what is going on in the world with my friends.

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