October 7, 2011 · 12:54 pm

Hopes and Dreams

This weekend is full of the meaning of hopes and dreams.  Judy and Kendell will be married at about this time tomorrow.  Love will find its home in their hopes and dreams for a life together.

And my dreams? And hopes? Well I will be trying out the pastor role in new ways as I lead them in the service of marriage.  I think all is ready.  But who really knows?  I want it all to go perfectly – for their sake and mine to I guess.  

But the real test of what we accomplish tomorrow will be how they approach life together from here on.  Praying that God will bless his work tomorrow.

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October 3, 2011 · 10:07 pm

Fishing

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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September 24, 2011 · 9:30 pm

And the Band Plays On

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

September 22, 2011 · 9:36 pm

The plan. What plan?

Some days I think I am losing it.  Not sure what “it” is but I think it is my mind.  For sure it is my sense of organization.

Last week I missed a deadline for a class paper.

Today I discovered that I booked myself out of the office for the next two weeks.  Totally forgot about it.  So I now have two weeks to let my brain catch up with the rest of me.

I really do wonder what that says about my brain.  It’s not like it has to move fast – just wish it would move in an orderly fashion.  A non-administrative out of control spinning brain.  Quite a scary picture.

So I will attempt to stop the spinning, prepare for the marriage ceremony I’ll be  performing in two weeks, catch up on my class work and spend some serious reflection time with God. 

Sounds like a plan. 

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September 12, 2011 · 3:17 pm

Cool days ahead

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Today, being a “day off”, I took some of my class readings outside, sat in the lawn chair and read for awhile.  It looks like a day of mixed cloud and sun but there is a certain nip in the air that forebodes cooler days to come.  The sun is not as hot as it was last week.  Will we see temperatures in the 30’s again this year?  I doubt it.  The leaves are already beginning to turn and I saw a prediction for frost this week.  I like the cooler weather but  it also brings the promise of winter.  Which is long. 

I think I will enjoy these last days when I can sit outside in Capri’s and sandals -  with no mittens on. 

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September 10, 2011 · 7:43 pm

Finally

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

August 6, 2011 · 4:57 pm

The End of Vacation

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.  IMGP0621

We had a fair amount of rain to deal with but that didn’t stop us from venturing out on a raft trip.

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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.

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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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July 23, 2011 · 9:15 pm

Partied Out

The party was a success.  Two boys ate cake and opened presents and were happy.  The weather held out long enough for the kids to run around in the yard for awhile.  Long enough for them to make my mosquito zapper disappear.  I found it this morning hanging by its cord over the waterfall in the pond.  Maybe it is better to leave it on its very short cord than to hang it up with a longer one that could have let it be tipped into the pond. 

The house was quite literally full of people.  Last count I did came to 38. 

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We had enough food, two cakes sufficed and there are even leftovers. 

Part way through the party Christian and the band showed up – on their way up to Elk Ridge so they joined in for a few minutes as well.

Today was incredibly quiet.

R and A left camping with two of the boys.  I finished a late paper and sent it off.  Then after lunch I lay down for a nap.  And I slept.  Right through the come and go anniversary tea for friends.  I felt bad for missing it but I guess I had been partied out and needed the sleep.

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July 18, 2011 · 9:25 am

My time

I have decided that I have a strange character.  I am such an introvert and yet I love people.  That is where my problem arises.  I panic when I am thinking about people coming and filling up all my space and time with their energy.  Their energy seems to mean that I must be willing to be drained by theirs. 

I am rejuvenated by silence and by being alone.  If I don’t have some periods of intense and prolonged solitude, I find myself panicking more quickly, coming to a place where I can’t respond to others in any way that reflects how much I really do like them.   

This summer is a summer for people.  I love it but it seems as if all my free time is full of doing – going – providing.  All things a grandmother should love.  I am anticipating a tiring summer.  I may end up loving it – and probably will.  My home is full of love, food and good times.  But inside I am wishing to run away – to a quiet place where I could just sit, no one else would set my agenda, I could read all night or sleep all night if I wished.  Maybe there will be time for this in … But I can’t forsee when this time will be.  My fall is even filling up.  So I panic.

Who will I become, what will I be?  I will have to learn to snatch bits of time and hoard them for my spirit’s health.  Maybe I will just have to make the seconds of solitude count for more.  Each moment will have to be savoured and the sweetness of it mined for the small drops of energy they provide.  Perhaps I will become a storehouse of moments – moments I choose to hold silently and live into as fully as I can.

I guess I will see what is left at the end of this summer.  I have always found this space a good thing.  Something I do in silence and alone.  There are just fewer moments to come here too.

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July 8, 2011 · 10:09 pm

Over the Past Month

Do you know how procrastination complicates life and makes it rather embarrassing to finally turn in the overdue work?  Coming back to this space feels a bit like that.  Badly neglected.

So, in pictures and a few brief words here is what the past month has held – in part.  Chicago for another class – Pastoral Care and Counselling.  Finishing up my homework this week end.

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Chicago was not all about class – visiting friends kept me IMGP0206 busy in the evenings.

Then a stop in Toronto on the way back.  Saw Niagara for the first time

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and got soaked on the Maid of the Mist.

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Since getting back, since Father Marcel is visiting us from Belgium, there has been non-stop guests at our house – mostly my own kids who have no fear of showing up at mealtime. We also welcomed a young boarder to our home, a young Chinese guy.  There is always room for one more somewhere 🙂

And last weekend I made soup for 160 or so guests at the Soup on Saturday our church hosted.  Here I am dishing up the last pot.  Made three this size.  Good soup too.

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Since it was the Canada Day weekend one of our assistants really got into the act.  Lloyd was a hit! 

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And on Canada Day itself we drove up to Prince Albert National Park for the day.  We had a good time even though it was pretty cold and windy.  Massa was much braver than the little kids who wanted to go in the water till we got right there.

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Things may get back to normal – whatever that is – soon.  May even begin to write here regularly again.  Miracles happen.

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