June 5, 2007 · 7:54 pm

Not Again!

For the past two months I seem to have had a new cold just about every two weeks.  I will get over one – just – and there is another one beginning.

This morning when I woke up I thought I was fine.  
A bit tired maybe, but otherwise no sign of a cold.

Then I got to work and had a scratchy throat; had a coughing fit that I had to leave a patient for and tonight I feel fairy lousy. 

I think I need to go to bed and get some rest.

At least since I had supper at Amy’s tonight – with Leo since he had a free supper as sort of an afterparty for the accreditation the group from the health district did this afternoon  – I do not have to haul a tub of dirty dishes up to our bathroom to wash them.

And my new countertops are ready to be installed.  Now I need the cabinets to install them on.  Always waiting for something it seems.  Everything is being held up by the cabinet doors.  But surely it can’t take too much longer.  Please. 

I am getting tired of this sort of pseudocamping.

I do need some sleep.  Goodnight.

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June 4, 2007 · 9:35 am

Showings by Julian of Norwich

I read the short text of Julian’s Showings as part of my study for the spiritual direction course I am enrolled in.  Now I have returned to this book to read the long text and am enjoying it much more.

There are times when my reading takes me places that I did not anticipate – mental places; spiritual places. Reading the long text of Julian of Norwich has done that to me. I suppose I should expect to encounter God in new ways when I take the time to sit with this kind of a text but I had already read the short text and it did not have the same effect on me. Maybe it is the detail she relates in the long text that took me farther into her own experience with God, allowing me to see some of what she saw. Not that I have visions as she did but through her revelations God also is revealing new things about himself to me. 
 
At one point she relates how God appeared to her and revealed that his suffering for our salvation brings great bliss to him. She said:
For we are his bliss, because he endlessly delights in us; and so with his grace shall we delight in him…
 
And this was shown to me when he said: If you are well satisfied, I am well satisfied; it was as if he had said: This is joy and delight enough for me, and I ask nothing else from you for my labour but that I may satisfy you.
 
And in this he brought to my mind the qualities of a cheerful giver. Always a cheerful giver pays only little attention to the thing which he is giving, but all his desire and all his intention is to please and comfort the one to whom he is giving it. And if the receiver accept the gift gladly and gratefully, then the courteous giver counts as nothing all his expense and labour, because of the joy and the delight that he has because he has pleased and comforted the one whom he loves. P.219-220
 
I think it was the thought of God saying to her (and to me as well) that if she was satisfied with what he had done to win her salvation, then he was satisfied; that our acceptance of his gift brings God great bliss, that I connected with at a deep level. This is a level deeper than my intellectual understanding of what the death of Christ bought for us. In fact I have a hard time understanding all the theology around the doctrine of the atonement. For me this was at the level of experience where I simply became aware of and felt the love of God profoundly.
 
 

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June 2, 2007 · 9:56 pm

Talking to Rachelle

I was talking to Rachelle on the phone tonight.  This hot weather has kind of gotten her down.  It is hard to be pregnant in a house that feels very hot.  It is harder to go to work in a care home where they keep the temperature up to keep the older folk comfortable.  So she goes, works and gets such terrible headaches that she then miss a day of work.  Since she has used up her sick days then it becomes a concern for her income.  
 
Such are the joys of a pregnant woman.  
 
Just remember, only 3 ½  months to go.  
 
Take care of yourself,  Rachelle.

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May 31, 2007 · 10:20 pm

Fun and Names

I checked out Randall’s blog for some deep spiritual inspiration – as usual.

What did I find but a guy making games out of his name.  So I thought, if he can do it so can I!!  I typed in my name and yeah they could spell it backwards to me.  Aenil Eional  A fairly anal sounding name if you ask me.  Which is maybe right if this is the backwards side of me. 

They had no idea what my name meant.  So I am one up on them – of course spelling it like a Swede might change that.  I’ll have to try that spelling and see what it does. 

Another astonishing fact they came up with –  listen to this:  "People with this first name are probably: Male or female… We don’t know yet. We’re working on it!"

Ha ha.  Should I let them in on the secret?

This seems pretty right. "Your ‘Numerology’ number is 7. If it wasn’t bulls**t, it would mean that you are spiritual, eccentric, and a bit of a loner. Introspective and analytical, you think deeply and preferseclusion."  But how did they come up with that when they don’t even know if I am male or female or what my name means?

And I found out that I am pretty unique.  "According to the US Census Bureau°, fewer than 0.001% of US residents have the first name ‘Linea’ and fewer than 0.001% have the surname ‘Lanoie’. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there are 0 ‘Linea Lanoie’s."

Really there is one.  But only one and not in the US.

That was fun.  Thanks Lladnar.

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May 30, 2007 · 2:03 pm

My Kitchen

For the past month, I have been living in the middle of a kitchen/main floor renovation of our house.  It has been a pain – having to eat off paper plates, cook on the barbeque or order in, hauling up the dishes that have to be washed to our bedroom bathroom in a big tub to wash them, hunting for things to cook with and not remembering where I packed them away.  But, it is becoming more clear that the trouble will be worth it.  And after more than ten years in the old kitchen without so much as a coat of paint, it was high time.

I have taken pictures of the process to date and they are in aset at Flikr if you want to see some of the process.

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May 29, 2007 · 9:09 am

It Is True

Yesterday morning, very bright and early, I got up and drove to Saskatoon to visit the Passport office.

I arrived in good time, found a parking spot, plugged the meter for an hour and a half and trundled off in the rain for the government building. 

When I got to the office my papers were checked by an official looking woman at the desk and I was given a number.  The waiting room was almost full.  I was wondering how long it would be ’cause it looked as if I was in for a long wait.

I didn’t even have time to get out the book I’d brought along.  I was called within minutes of sitting down and was out of the office within 15 minutes. 

It really is true, as Randall said, it pays to apply for passports on line.  And they say it should only take 3 weeks to get them doing it that way as well. 

And then since I had already paid a couple dollars for my parking, I went in to the coffee shop that I parked in front of and had lots of time to sit with my book over a good cup of coffee.

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May 27, 2007 · 12:52 am

Sitting here in silence…

I just finished watching Blood Diamond. 

 

That was a little too close to reality for me.

I guess I would still recommend it to anyone who really wants to know what a war zone in Africa is like.  I am still overwhelmed by it.  It is not a good movie to go to sleep on.

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May 25, 2007 · 11:19 pm

God In The Room

This morning my patient came in for an extraction on the recommendation of a specialist in town. She had an extra tooth and it was in the way of her permanent one that was trying to grow into its proper place. 
 
I’ve seen this little girl for several years. Terrified.  We began with sedation, got all her work done and have pretty well maintained her in a cavity free state for the past five years. So, it has been a long time since we had to give her “the needle.” That dreaded needle. Today was not a day that she was looking forward to.
 
Her dad knew that this work had to be done. She really knew this too but didn’t want to know it at all. It looked as if we were going to have to restrain her for the worst part – that needle. There were tears – lots and hands trying to get up there over her mouth.
 
Then Dad said, “Give your fear to Jesus, honey. Let him take care of it.” And he began praying the “Our Father”. Almost immediately, she began to quiet down. Her breathing became regular and quiet. She was calm. She was wonderful.
 
I needed that. 
Sometimes I wonder where God is in my day.  I get busy. Patients have lots to deal with and I muddle through attempting to live out my faith as I care for my patients.  Often I will pray as I work but this was the first time a patient and dad prayed right out like that. 
 
It was kind of cool actually. This was like God right there holding her hand, larger than life, right there in the room. 

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May 23, 2007 · 8:38 am

Tragedy

I received this e-mail this morning.  Please stop for a few moments and pray for the families of these young people and for the church in the Congo. 

Wasolo, Congo DRC 
Members of the Covenant Church in Congo (CEUM) reported from the Wasolo Region that a tragic accident occurred Sunday afternoon (May 20, 2007).  A canoe carrying youth choir members returning from a "Big Sunday" celebration was buffetted by high winds, causing the boat to sink and drowning 18 people.  The accident occurred on the Uele river approximately 15 kilometers east of Wasolo.   Witnesses to the accident and subsequent recovery of the bodies report that 15 of the victims were young choir members, many ranging in age from 10 to 15 years.  3 adults, who typically serve as choir sponsors on events such as this, also perished.  Bodies of the victims were recovered on Monday, May 21.  A leadership team, lead by CEUM Vice President Mawe, from the headquarters of the CEUM in Gemena is reported to be on its way to the Wasolo Region to assist with the aftermath of the accident.  The victims are reported to be from the villages of Kongba Bema, Yu Yu, Ingwa, and Mbalo.  Reports of the accident came via cell phone from Yakoma.  Please pray for the CEUM Wasolo Region, including the Pastor Responsable,  and the families, parishes and villages of the victims. 

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May 21, 2007 · 9:34 am

Befriending – seeing it in action

This has been an amazing weekend for me.  I hope the junior high kids that we drove here had as good a time as I did.  
 
On Saturday, I went shopping with my sister and Sara. We got stuff we needed to get and Sara is happy with her jewels for grad.  They are very pretty.
 
The amazing though really started in the afternoon.  
 
I got to meet the Sudanese family that my sister and brother-in-law have befriended.  What they have is more than just a shallow acquaintance with an immigrant family.  They have become friends. Friends to the point of caring. And I was privileged to see the care in action and even to become by extension part of the care. 
 
So, I met S and her 4 children, even the husband, E who has to be out of the home while he begins to deal with a problem with alcohol.  We happened to drop in on a day when there was a huge amount of busyness associated with cooking for a wedding.  And there were all sorts of kids running around as the adults were busy.
 
I love the kids. They were not shy in the least. I was instantly another auntie, receiving all sorts of hugs.  I checked more than a few kids teeth with the mirrors I’d brought and T had to go and wash them for me several times so I could look at all the kids that wanted me to peer into their mouths too.  
 
Then, yesterday, Hugh drove into Calgary to pick the children up for church.  They do this most every Sunday and this gives the mom some respite time as she deals with being a single mom with no other time for herself.  
 
With the children yesterday, came their “Auntie” V.  V is actually from Winnipeg and traveled out to Calgary to visit the Sudanese community promoting the legal services of the company she works for.  V is Sudanese as well but has lived in Canada for ten years and knows the challenges of adapting to Canadian life.  V is the type of woman that exudes wisdom. There was just something about her.  A woman of deep faith with a contagious sense of stability, she is not afraid to face issues head on.  She had to in order to give her own children a better life.  Out of the difficult experiences of her life own life have grown wisdom and love for others. Embracing all of this, she now shares herself and who she has become in order to assist other Sudanese. I believe she has a message that should be shared with all African immigrant women. 
 
I hope I will get to see her again. This summer Joseph M will be visiting Calgary and I will be passing through the city. I may spend an extra couple of days here on my way home from Chicago in the summer just in order to visit with her and those wonderful children  of S’s again.

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