The Ups, Downs and All Arounds

It is nearly midnight and I need to be sleeping, but my emotions are too jumbled. What a roller coaster the last few days have been: travelling to see my cousin, also my husband’s cousins and sister; getting news along the way that a family member has terminal cancer, experiencing the joy of a family wedding, eating my husband’s sister’s fabulous cooking, limbo and confusion about the second half of our trip tomorrow because of the residual snow and ice from extreme storms in the area we planned to go, (a situation still unresolved), receiving news of an unexpected gift that will cover our travel expenses for this trip, receiving news of the death of a beloved parishioner from one of our former congregations, touring one of the Edmonton fire halls and learning about the amazing equipment and fire fighters the big trucks carry, receiving a text from our son letting us know an unexpected sponsor has paid for his US visa renewal application as well as an icon painting course he is desperate to take, having an awesome visit with my former roommate, getting a call from an old family friend to update me on how badly my father’s health has failed in the past two weeks and how exhausted my mother is, planning with my husband tonight to travel there tomorrow to see them, even if only for a day, watching my husband struggle every day in the last four with a recurrence of old stomach issues that left him unable to participate fully in the happy events of the weekend, realizing the actual holiday portion of the trip has been ruined by the aforementioned extreme snowstorm....all this has happened in less than five days away.

I’m emotionally wrung out.

And oh yes, Happy Rosh Hoshana....the big day ends in four minutes.....hope someone I know blew the shofar and thought of us.

Wedding’d Out!

We spent the last three days reunion-ing and we are exhausted! We had a wonderful dinner and visit with my cousin the first evening, then the next evening and all day yesterday we were involved with a family wedding with my husband’s relatives,. Lots of fun but we are worn out. I slept for six and a half hours last night without waking up even once! That rarely happens! I am still tired, but feel at least somewhat rested. Enthusiastic families of newly married children seem to forget how long the guests have to sit at the reception dinner....and programme....and the usual speeches by the wedding attendants, parents, emcee and thirty-sixth cousins twelve times removed....and the rest of the programme of slide shows, music, games, on and on. While last night’s programme was, typically, too long, it was very cleverly done and enjoyable.

The “old home week” meetings are not over either. My former roommate from the 1970’s is picking me up after church this morning and we are going to spend the afternoon together. After seeing each other at her wedding 11 years ago and not since, it will be interesting to reconnect and catch up on what has been happening. I am looking forward to it.

The extreme weather in Southern Alberta is making its way eastward. Some more mountainous areas received nearly 50cm of snow ⛄️ in one day and there are a couple of areas that may end up with closer to 100cm of snow. The snow is wet, so it is heavy enough to down power lines. The storm is predicted to remain south of Regina, but we will get some of that snow mixed with rain and cold temperatures over the next couple of days. How icy the streets and sidewalks will be is my main concern. Are my walking days in the beautiful outdoors over all ready? Sigh....

Well, time to arise and prepare breakfast, get ready for church and kickstart another day.

Peaceful Family At Last

Our son called tonight. What a treat to hear him sounding so grounded and happy. Oh Lord, long may it last! His visa renewal is underway. I am praying it can go through later this fall before his present visa expires and he has to return to Canada to wait out the final verdict. If it is approved he is preparing new paths to begin pushing his art in the new year. If it isn’t it will turn his life upside down and inside out! He is experienced enough in his walk with God to know things MAY not go the way he is hoping (assuming?...as we all are) they will go.

In the meantime he is missing his family and we are all going to work at scaring up the money to fly him back here sometime around the Christmas season for a visit. If his visa is still up in the air he might be here a rather long time! Hahahahaha 😂!

Please pray for him.....thank you.

FINALLY....A Prayer Group!

Today I attended a prayer group with several other women from my church.  It was a time of wonderful fellowship and an even more wonderful time of prayer for our church, our families and friends and our country.  It felt so good to be praying with other Christian women about the needs in our church and community.  When we all meet together I get a far better insight into just how many deep needs there are in this city and in our church congregation.  It has been nearly ten years since I have been asked to be in a prayer group of women.  The wait was painful and the feeling of joy today was so overwhelming as to be almost unbearable in comparison.  Thank you Lord and thank you friends who allowed me to pray with you today.  So grateful it is a weekly meeting and it is in the afternoon, so I won't have to worry about driving around in the icy darkness of the upcoming winter evenings.  What a blessing in every way.

My dear husband is back on his meds for digestion.  His ulcer is in fully operational mode after being "in remission" for the past nearly 8 months.  Its return to giving symptoms began 3 weeks after he started his new job.  He LOVES the job. What he hadn't been thinking about for some reason is the never ending stream of diocesan meetings, conferences and clergy retreats he will be expected to be attending as well for no extra financial reimbursement.  The first retreat is next week.  He will not be going this time.  He has been allowed to assign an eager and competent parish member to attend the monthly diocesan meetings having to do with amalgating congregations and making other necessary changes to the way our diocese operates.  That is the problem with beginning a ministry position in September after being on a break for over 8 months in a row:  too many things happening at once as summer ends and a new term begins is very difficult for a person's nerves just as the recovery from long term burnout is just starting to settle in, but isn't completely grounded yet.  After the most miserable weekend he has had in nearly a year, my husband got back onto his meds and got feeling well enough to talk some sense into himself about coping properly with the normal stresses...very few actually....of this particular ministry situation.  Now that he is feeling better his mind is becoming rational again.  He ate his lunch AND his dinner today with no serious repercussions to his digestion.  Thank you Lord for getting through to him that he was starting to trust in his own resources and abilities again instead of dumping it all on you to provide and work out the way you want.  Amen.

In a couple of days my husband will give his testimony at a senior's luncheon at my church.  I am delighted that a couple of younger folk are coming to the luncheon simply because they want to hear my husband talk.  How kind are they, right????  

Well, now I am going to go and watch the first show of this season of "This Is Us".  While I am not one of the people who has to watch the programme with a box of tissues at my side, I do enjoy the show, over the top emotional performances and all.  I also want to see the season finale of "The Little Couple".  The children on that show are so hilarious.  I enjoy watching their antics and remembering my son and his friends at the same ages. 

In a couple of days our rather nice autumn weather will come to a grinding halt.  While we are lined up next week for a few "snow showers", southern Alberta is going to be getting actual snowfall with overnight temperatures in the area of -6C.  We will have our first chilly overnight low two nights from now.  

Today my husband harvested the rest of our basil, dill, mint and thyme.  He kept the food dryer busy for several hours getting the herbs quick dried and put into jars.  We tried drying some just by hanging them in tied bundles...oh, I guess last month....but they didn't retain the aroma and taste of the ones we dried more quickly in the food dryer today.  I will leave the last dozen cherry tomatoes on the vine until Thursday morning, then pick them and hope they are mature enough to ripen indoors.  It should go below zero Thursday overnight and I don't want to risk them getting frozen.  A friend from curch brought me some of her large tomatoes....oooh, so red and ripe and tasty.  We fared well for tomatoes this year.

I spent my morning ironing and relaxing.   Last night I slept so well I didn't even wake up when my husband got up at 6:30am and made himself tea so he could get to his early morning prayer group.  I didn't hear a thing, didn't stir at all....that NEVER happens!  BUT it did today and, after several nights in a row of short and badly disrupted sleeps,  I am so grateful it happened today!

Update on Kat:  she got away by herself this past weekend and went to a beautiful lake for a good rest. She slept through the night for the first time in months!  So grateful for that.  Her final chemotherapy treatment should be this week, but her white cell count may be too low...praying so much it will rise sufficiently for her to have the treatment, so she can ring that "FINAL TREATMENT" bell at the hospital and get herself home to heal.  Thanks again so much for your prayers.

As I Sit Here Dreading the Oncoming Winter Weather.....

.....my son is whooping it up on Long Island again for the weekend!  As thrilled as I am for HIM, sometimes life just ain't fair!! hahahaha  I am even envious of the goofy hat because it isn't a wool toque!! 

First Attempt at Tai Chi

So....this morning I attended my first Tai Chi class at the church!  hahahahahahahaha

Fortunately there are no photos or videos of my embarrassing attempts to keep up with the rest of the group. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

It was 45 minutes of red faced giggles as I struggled to sort out my left from my right..well, I did okay with the hand movements, but my feet and legs were a tangled mess of confusion and imbalance. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Fortunately there was another newcomer. She does yoga and struggled with the narrower stance needed for Tai Chi. I know she did better than I did, but at least she also made some glaring errors.  The leader is so calm and so understanding.  This is a perfect group for me: committed but patient. They do not take themselves too seriously, even though they are serious about the class.

There turned out to be a work bee going on in our usual meeting space today inside the church, so we met outside on a brick surfaced parking lot.  It was chilly and overcast, but the breeze was almost non-existent, so we managed not to freeze our hands and faces.  As a result of meeting outside, we drew in a passerby who plans to return to the group next Saturday.  She is a lovely person. Everyone in the group is quite pleasant.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for my next class.  

Surprisingly my ankle reacted more than my hip did to the twists and turns involved.  It became rather swollen and has been a bit achy all day.  Next class I will pay more attention to making concessions for the ankle hardware, so I will be a bit off stance, but in less discomfort.  That is just fine with the leaders.  There are two others in the group who have bone hardware to contend with, so none of the three of us will have a perfect stance.   

After lunch today I baked cookies for a family dinner that is coming up soon.  They taste like sawdust, but I am taking them to the dinner anyway.  I am thinking of ways to infuse some flavour into them.  They are my usual honey cookies, but one of the possible additions to the mix that I never tried before is a bit of ground cinnamon.  I measured very carefully, but unfortunately the cinnamon has completely removed the taste of honey, plus it has not replaced the honey flavour with a sufficiently strong cinnamon one. Sigh....they simply have no flavour at all.  Waaaaaahhhhhh!  Well, I don't have the time, energy or money to toss the whole works and start again, so to the dinner they will go!  I have a couple of ideas of how to rescue them, so will snatch a few of them out of the freezer tomorrow and give my ideas a try.

After dinner this evening I walked over to the grocery store for a couple of items needed to flesh out the meal for our company tomorrow evening.  My husband has made a fantastic Moroccan tajine and so I picked up some cousous to go with it.  Tajine requires couscous and not rice if it is going to taste authentic.  O how I miss visiting the old Moroccan Castle and Sultan's Tent restaurants in Calgary...both of which are now no longer operating if memory serves me.  What a loss! 

I can hardly believe tomorrow is Sunday again all ready.  I am delighted that my husband doesn't have to go to his own church tomorrow and can come with me to mine.  He is looking forward to the class on Ezekiel before the service.  Me too!! 

This coming week I will attend my first prayer meeting with a group of church women who have been meeting together for some years.  They decided that they are becoming too ingrown and need to expand their membership.  I am thrilled to be asked to join them. They are a wonderful group of prayer warriors and I think this group may be one of the main reasons I feel led to remain at my church.  If I am going to be directly dependent upon the Lord for provision, then I need to be participating in more consistent weekly ministry.  His work for his provision.  These women have invited me particularly because they feel I can minister encouragement to the group, so it is good to have a specific focus for why I am there.  They are serious about their prayer time together and that excites me.  It is not a prayer group that has fallen into the trap of doing more coffee drinking and visiting and gossiping than praying. YES!! Good stuff!

A couple of days ago the trees in our neighbourhood finally began to change their leaf colours from green to gold and red. Today, thousands upon thousands of those leaves have fallen off the trees all over the ground and the streets.  Autumn hath arrived with a vengeance!!  Yesterday I went out in a sleeveless top and sandals. Today I attended Tai Chi in a long sleeved jacket and winter cowl necked sweater, with hiking boots on my feet to keep my toesies warm!  Some of the others were wearing light gloves to protect their hands from the cold.  Less than a week ago the day time high was +33C!  Welcome to the prairies!  WOW, what a sudden switch!

 

Cooling Down, Catching Up, the Geese Return

Over the past 48 hours the leaves on the trees around our complex have very suddenly turned to beautiful yellow, gold and red colours.  The temperatures over the past 24 hours, after a couple of foggy days accompanying the weather change after our few days of unseasonal heat, have returned to seasonal averages.  There has been some lovely sunshine today after a rain shower overnight and dark clouds hanging on during the early morning hours.  I didn't go for a long walk this morning, but I did get some banking and grocery shopping chores accomplished while my husband met with his political discussion group. He is the one who had the long walk today.  We are both trying to take advantage of every walking opportunity possible for as long as we can prior to the arrival of what will likely be our now typical ground base of ice when the winter weather begins.  Each walk we take, lovely as it is, leaves us with a touch of sadness over the fact that these walking days aren't going to last many more weeks.

My husband has had an extremely busy week, probably the busiest week he has had since leaving his job last December!!  He has had either one or two consecutive meetings for the last 4 days in a row, arising at about 6:30am each of those days.  He has also had afternoon meetings and/or evening events every day for more than a week.  Restaurant food or meals made by others has accompanied many of these meetings and events.  It has been a crazy week and today the early morning rising, the sheer number of meetings and the departure too much of the week from his usual diet all combined to flatten him by the time he arrived home from the political group.  He looked grey, he had an upset stomach, he was exhausted and feeling absolutely miserable!  Now it is mid afternoon and he is sleeping.  As the schedule for the week continued to pack out with not only the known meetings but also unexpedted additions, I wondered how long it would be before he would crash.  Answer: one full week.  That is great progress. Last December he barely survived his one early morning prayer meeting per week and adding in a second early morning breakfast meeting didn't happen until 3 months later.  Those 2 weekly committments, plus the OT reading evening group that began in the new year, were all he could handle.  Seeing him get through an entire 7 days without much of a break in the action and eating so many things he doesn't react positively to, well, it is nearly miraculous to me that he sustained the schedule for that long before falling all apart.

He has cancelled his committment to attend the Baptist intergenerational youth event this evening so that he can just relax for the rest of today.  He is supposed to be going to the Baptist men's church clean up and breakfast tomorrow morning but is all ready preparing himself to stay home instead.  Now he has gained a better perspective of what he is able to accomplish reasonably in the course of one week and is all ready looking at his schedule for next week, with an eye to refusing some of the last minute requests that may come up.  I am just thrilled to know now what his new boundaries are going to be as his strength continues to return and his health improves even more.  I can hardly believe he has not had to take his stomach medications for the past 3-4 months. Today is the first one he has taken in all that time.  Hallelujah!!

I don't know what is going on with the geese around here the past couple of days.  Even the latest born seemed to have finally gained their flying feathers over the past 3 weeks.  We have had nary a goose on the property here for at least 2 weeks and what a stress relief that has been.  They have been flying over us each morning to wherever they go to feed now for the day, then flying back over us to return to the nesting grounds at the lake late in the evenings.

Yesterday afternoon I noticed the traffic on the street outside was backed up for several blocks in both directions.  I peered out the window and saw a group of approximately 30 geese wandering in single file across the road to the lawns on the property here. They saved their migration until later in the afternoon, the height of the rush hour, to pull this crazy stunt and left about 2 hours later to return to the lake. They didn't come close to our end of the property, thankfully.  Just now, 2 hours earlier than yesterday, they returned....again in single file across the road, stopping traffic for a long time as they tottered about in the middle of the street.  Hopefully they will stay up at the other end of the property.  We have been so certain our goose chasing days were done for this year...perhaps not.  The stress relief of not having to watch for them, chase them off, scoop poop and worry about them being hit by cars has been intense.  We both relaxed for the first time since about May, when the problem of their constant presence began.  

So, what is with this group still walking across the street instead of flying about the place?  Were there even more late eggs and hatchings this year than I realized?  Is this latest group the last of the young teens who still cannot fly sufficiently well to practise their flying techniques by heading off through the clouds to higher quality feeding grounds like the rest of the geese?  Are they going to end up down at our place once again and are we going to have to herd and scoop and drive ourselves crazy keeping track of them like we did all summer?????  Blecch!  Here's hoping this business of ambling across the street on foot from the park to our complex soon comes to an end!!!

One of our diocesan Anglican churches is for sale in Pennant SK, a drive of approximately 30 minutes north of Swift Current.  The price is $7500.  It sits on a lovely piece of land with some mature trees.  It has hardwood floors upstairs and in the basement.  It has two bathrooms.  It has a nearly new metal roof.  It is permissable to turn the church into a personal residence.  Hmmmmm.....

No, my husband and I are not planning to purchase the Anglican church in Pennant.  However...seeing the ad and getting some more information about what is possible on that land has certainly caused us to start thinking more broadly and creatively about what might be possible when our current lease expires.

Could there be some sort of near miracle right here in the city that could put us next spring in a less expensive accommodation situation that is actually BETTER than where we are right now, rather than in the assumed worse sort of building and location?  Hmmmmm.....  When I saw the ad for the Pennant sale something "grabbed" my heart and pulled at it hard!!  A longing hit me with great force.  Longing for what exactly, I am not certain, but I feel that if nothing else, God was trying to make me more attentive to possibilities that he may have for us next spring, possibilities that could inspire hope and joy rather than the assumed dread and despair.

Hmmmmm.....this idea of a more creative solution than simply accepting our financial fate and getting on the waiting list for one or another of the local tiny, ancient and disgusting low cost housing units has grasped our imaginations now.

Hmmmmm......lots of prayer to get going on.  We have about 8 months until our lease expires here. A lot could happen in that time....or nothing could happen and we will indeed find ourselves in one or another of the local tiny, ancient and disgusting low cost housing units here.  Hmmmmm....BUT why assume the worst?  Why not ask God for something a bit less dismal when the time comes if we cannot afford to stay right here where we are in our local LARGE, ancient and disgusting over priced housing unit?  Hmmmmm....why not indeed?  

I have renewed, restored hope about possible upcoming accommodation changes!  Thank you Pennant Anglican church For Sale listing!!!  You have given me grace to hope for God to do something REALLY amazing and different for us in regard to future accommodation.
  

Provision

I have a new friend who is most freaked out by my lifestyle of having to depend on God for daily provision. I explained to her that all God’s people are completely dependent upon his daily provision, it is just that some people have more reason to be aware of it on a daily basis than others. Right now, after being able to count on a consistent monthly wage/budget for the past 13 years, I am once again switching over to having a more obvious need to see and expect and experience God’s provision.

For example: looking at our basic needs yesterday morning for getting through to the end of this month, barring of course any unexpected expenses, I was thinking that another hundred dollars would be what was likely needed. At noon the mailman delivered the monthly utility bills. Due to a billing error from back last winter, an error just discovered, an error in my favour,  my payments for this month turned out to be less than I budgeted for. I bet you can guess by how much! Yup, one hundred dollars. Jehovah Jireh! God my provider, I thank you!

I am grateful my friend knows this happened. I think it will help her to stop worrying about my husband and I over the coming months. Perhaps she will be newly inspired to pray for others with even greater trust in God’s ability to answer in the ways he deems best.

What a blessed  day: glorious weather, a visible move of God, an unexpected and delicious lunch out with Kat at Ginger and Garlic, a visit with my now far less freaked out friend, sunny warm weather, a precious walk in the sun to my annual bone specialist appointment that went very well, plus a delightful return to book club. The book is all ready bringing out a deeper level of both spiritual and personal discussion. I think it will be a good term.

In a few minutes my husband and I are going to be interviewed for my church’s monthly newsletter. Being profiled for the rest of the congregation will be fun! We have learned so many amazing things about others who have been profiled in previous issues.

My husband is going hiking with a parishioner this afternoon. I think I will get a few groceries while he is gone. It is another comfortably warm day for walking today.

Feeling Like a Punctured Balloon Today

That is the way I felt when I woke up at 5am!  I was so tired out last evening I was in bed with the lights out and sound asleep prior to 10:30pm!  There's a first for me...asleep before midnight!  WOW!

The stress has been so intense while awaiting my test results that once that stress came off, I felt like I was sagging in the middle, such was the relief of knowing all is well for the time being.

My husband and I both woke up just after 5am today and we were both bubbling over with too much joy to go back to sleep.  Once I was up and moving the punctured balloon feeling returned, but after a really good walk around the lake with my walking partner mid morning, I felt refreshed and the feelings of exhaustion went completely away.  Now I just feel happy.

My husband was asleep before 9:30pm yesterday, so perhaps we will both attempt the earlier bed times once again today.  Waking up at 5am and feeling so well rested, having that feeling stay with us throughout the day...hmmmm....could this become our new normal?  While I HIGHLY doubt it, the plan is worth trying.  He has to get up early again tomorrow for one prayer meeting starting downtown at 7:15am, followed immediately by another prayer service and men's breakfast in a different location at 9am.  If I can get sufficient sleep tonight, I very well could walk with him as far as prayer meeting #1 and participate as well.  Hmmm....worth CONSIDERING....if not actually doing when the time actually comes...heehee....

Good intentions, but.................

 

 

Happy News!

My husband and I are both dancing for joy this afternoon!  I just returned from a doctor's appointments where I got my cancer test results: short version is that all is well for the time being.  I am delighted to say the very least.  My husband's normal skin colour has returned to his face and all my stress related, imagined aches and pains of the past two days dissipated within 30 seconds of receiving the good news.  Thank you Lord and deep appreciative thanks to those of you who were praying.  Bless you!! 

I figured that such good news deserved some kind of celebratory treat, so I planned to stop in for a slab of brownie at the Naked Bean on the way home from the office, but the way the walk lights worked out, I ended up on the opposite side of the street. No matter, as my next stop was the grocery store and I decided I would purchase a small bag of bite sized brownies there.  Guess what? They were sold out! hahahaha Okay Lord, you were protecting me from my own lack of discipline and protecting me from my own diabetes reactions. hahahaha  Okay, I got the hint and I purchased a 4 pack of 3% lime yogurt instead.  One of the little cartons is nearly a full gram of carb, mostly sugar, so I celebrated with "cheat" yogurt!  YOGURT!  Some treat.....hahahaha.

It is a stereotypical mid summer day today....our last of this year, no doubt.  It is currently +33C, the sun is bright blue with some puffy white clouds scattered here and there, there is a mild prairie breeze blowing so that walking out of doors is bearable.  It is a peach of a day and I am so glad I had the excuse of needing to walk to the clinic and to the grocery store after lunch.  Tomorrow will be slightly cooler, but just as lovely and then the scattered rains and cooler temperatures of autumn come again, likely to stay this time around.

Our son is off to Long Island again this weekend to the home of one of his girlfriend's relatives.  I pray he can go because if this relationship comes to an end, so do his trips to fancy weekend resort homes on the ocean! haha  He is enjoying his week very much with the arrival in the city of two old friends from Vancouver, a former boss and a former roommate.  It is weeks like this one that make him extremely grateful for all the friends he has made on the west coast and how great they are at keeping in touch with him.  We are grateful too as it helps him feel a little less cut off from all that was famliar to him until three years ago when he moved south of the border.

Tomorrow morning my walking buddy is coming over. I am so very happy the weather looks as if it will be conducive to us having a good walk in the trees, enjoying whatever wild life and birds are left in the area.  We always have fun.

The next day I have my annual appointment with the bone specialist, so there will be lots to talk about with him, mostly all very good things indeed!  Book club begins again that evening.  My husband has two mens' meetings over the next couple of days, then on Thursday he is joining one of his new parishioners to go for a day hike to an old buffalo jump north of the city. Saturday he is attending the work bee and men's breakfast at my church to help them with some clean up projects.  Lots to look forward to this week.  

Sunday church was so good. The choir was particularly good this week, clear words and lots of enthusiam in worship.  I sat with a good friend and we visited after the service for a long time.  I had a burger and iced cream sandwich at the annual "welcome back after summer" BBQ and more excellent visits.  It was a sharing time where I needed broad shoulders, so I was happy to be able to provide that for my friends. I am very comfortable in that congregation now. Being surrounded by such acceptance has been a wonderful experience. There is no issue over my husband ministering in another denomination.

The adult Sunday school class for this term got off to a wonderful start.  We are learning about how to read the Book of Ezekiel from well known and amazing teacher, Dr. Kelvin Friebel.  I am all ready looking forward to his next day long seminar at the end of October where he will be talking about biblical Covenant. He has given the church permission to record and post his Sunday morning teaching on their website.

This week he talked about 5 different ways most of us tend to read (more or less exclusively or at least usually) the Old Testament, particularly the words of the prophets.  The first 4 are kind of the not so good ways to read the OT, at least not exclusively.  The 5th is the best way in his opinion and I have to say I agree with him.  Here is a brief note on each way and if you are interested in the full teaching go to the link that is or will soon be on the First Baptist Regina website.

Way #1: We don't read the OT and the prophets at all!  Why?
--too difficult to understand
--we are too lazy 
--the prophets are part of the OT and we are New Testament believers so we think we don't need the OT any more

Way #2: We read it as personal promises
--contemplative and meditative; what is it saying to ME?
--what promises is God giving ME
--pulling verses out of their literal and historical context
eg Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans not to harm but to prosper you."  The word "you" here is plural and refers to his people Israel.  It follows a word to them that they need to repent of their breaking of their covenant with God if they want to see the promise come to Israel, but that none of them hearing this promise will live to see it because it will not come about for another generation (the 70 years mentioned in the larger passage).  The entire passage is addressed to Isreal. In other words it was not written to us/for us, not written specifically for ME.  It isn't that an OT biblical passage cannot be quickened to our spirits to have some sort of immediate application, but reading the OT only in that way results in proof texting and poor theolgy.

Way #3: Reading the OT as a description of End Time events
--we look for it to tell us specific events and time lines in relationship to Christ's return
--chronology focused: where are WE in the sequence of events?
--interestingly only about 25% of the prophesies in the OT have anything to do with future events (foretelling) and of that percentage, 17% refer to events that occurred before theNew Testament times. Only 2% of OT prophesy is related to the Messiah.  The other 75% of OT prophesy is forthtelling prophesy related to the people the prophets are actually addressing at that time.

Way #4: Reading the OT only as past history
--what does the OT tell us in relationship to the 5W's of journalism?
--creating charts of past events and getting bogged down trying to put the history together chronologically when that is not really the point of the texts

Way #5: Reading the OT and the prophets Theologically
--What do the passages and texts tell us about how God worked in the world at that time?
--what are the patterns of his behaviour in relation to his people and the world he created?
--what can we learn from these patterns that give us ideas as to how God continues to work with his people and in the world today?
--what did the passages we read now mean to the people and the prophets of that time period and culture and what do his patterns of behaviour mean to us today?
--reading this way keeps us theology focused, not event and chronology focused
--seeing God's patterns of behaviour gives us hope for our own future as his people.  
eg Ezekiel 37; Genesis 1
--exact events become secondary to the primary prophesy: that God has an unshakeable plan for restoring his people in the future, becoming a message of hope even to those now spiritually dead. Even after judgement there is hope of life everlasting.  There is always hope for those who turn to God. 

So, those are pretty bare bones notes, but you get the idea.  The whole talk is much more detailed and informative, so hope you get the chance to listen to each weekly session.  If you live in Regina, come on down to First Baptist Church on the corner of Lorne and Victoria at 9:30am on Sundays and hear the class teachings for yourself.

Blessings and have a wonderful week faithful friends and family!

Lovely Day For My Husband!

While I mostly viewed the inside of our suite today while resting (and completing the winter clothes ironing, yay!) my husband had a happy 4 hours of paddling with his friend on the "Moose Jaw River".  They had a grand time and the scenery was just beautiful!  SO happy the water was high enough to do that much paddling and they didn't get hung up on any gravel bars in shallow water!  Just what both the guys needed!  Here are a couple of shots of the nice view they had:

In the beautiful Moose Jaw Valleeeeeeee....Yodel Ay Eeee  Oo.....

O Happy Day...Happy Husband!

 

Oooh...I Feel Baaaaaad!

Today is not turning out as planned, due to a serious food reaction I experienced after my dinner last evening!  Instead of going along with my husband to Moose Jaw, where he is canoeing on the Wakamow with a friend for the day, instead of me going along for the drive and spending a happy day snooping about in art galleries and little shops until a BBQ at our friends' place this evening, I am sitting here sweating through my nightgown, itching and wiping my swollen face with cold, damp face cloths.  Bleccch!!

We tried a new curry powder mix in our dinner last night.  My husband makes fantastic curried dishes and last evening's was no exception, but wow...what a reaction.  My blood pressure dropped badly so by 8am I was so dizzy I couldn't stand up with out feeling like I was riding on a carnival Tilt-A-Whirl ride, a terrible rash developed on my upper body and my face became very swollen....a classic food reaction for me, but fortunately one I have not experienced for several years now.

I am trying to decide if it was the nigella seeds or the papaya powder that I most likely reacted to.  None of our other curry mixes contain either of those ingredients.  Due to the family of plants the nigella seeds belong to, I am suspicious that could be the issue.  The bitterness of those seeds hit me occasionally as I was eating and it was most unpleasant, while my husband found them to be a nice foil for the sweeter curry mix herbs and spices.  However, I have had negative reactions to fresh papaya in times past...so...who knows?  All I know is I was a wreck last night.  Today I have a new understanding of my mother's old expression, "I feel like I've been dragged through a knot hole backwards!"  It is actually a more accurate description than I realized. hahahaha

Today the dizziness is easing considerably, but I still need to be careful not to move my head too fast.  The rash is completely gone and over the past hour my face has nearly returned to its normal state of chubbiness. My blood pressure is back up where it belongs.  So happy that a good night's sleep took care of so many of the symptoms.  I DID sleep very well and for that I am grateful!  I will monitor my blood sugar all day to make sure it gets itself back within range, although it didn't jump as high as I thought it might have with such a serious food reaction.

I can tell how miserable the reaction was by the fact that although I am disappointed to miss my day away and seeing our dear friends, I am not as upset as I would be if I was feeling well and had to cancel for other reasons.  I think I might have been able to go along and just spend the entire day reading in the local library, but I would have had to eat a restaurant meal for lunch and then there would be wine and too much salty meat at the BBQ.  Not having the discipline to say NO to either of those last two items and not having anything in the food supplies here at home that would do well being left in the vehicle for the day, I decided wisdom should dictate my staying home to rest and eat definitely friendly, non-allergenic, "safe for a diabetic" foods all day. 

When I am finished with this blog post I may even return to bed for a couple of hours and rest the morning away.  If I feel better this afternoon, I won't be bored as I have the final pile of winter clothes to iron.  Glad to get that job completed early this year.  Usually there is snow on the ground and ice on the streets before I get my fall/winter clothes out of the storage tubs and ready to hang.

Summer will give us its last hurrah starting tomorrow....3 days of summer heat and then the standard autumn temperatures will descend upon us.  I love those cooler temperatures, but admit three more days of summer heat will bring me a wanted feeling of closure to the short summer season. 

Yesterday certainly made up for today!  I ironed all morning and then went for lunch with a good friend I haven't seen in many months.  We went to Breakfast Bistro and ate like two little pigs.  The omelets there are the best anywhere and the small caesar salad and chicken were perfect for me.  I didn't know there was a side salad size for their caesars until yesterday and I am glad I didn't order the full sized one with the added chicken.  No way I could have finished it. When I looked at the price of adding chicken to the salad it seemed rather high, BUT when the chicken arrived it was more than twice as much as I am used to receiving with a salad, cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious!!  My friend's omelet was reasonably priced as well, since it included toast, hash browns, sausage and bacon. (Veggies are also a side option, so that is something I will remember next time I breakfast there and don't want to eat fatty pork.)

I hadn't been home from lunch for long when my husband announced he was going to walk over to U of R and Campion College libraries to return some books and would I like to come.  Yup, of course I would!  It was such a pretty 6km round trip as we wandered through the still mostly green leafed trees, across the bridge over Wascana Lake where we stood and watched the cormorants diving for food and chatting about life.  We stopped at the small food bar in Campion College for a cup of tea, a snack and a rest before ambling home again.  They keep their prices low and the 10 oz. cup of tea plus a large muffin and a small kreplach, with taxes came to a total of $4.43!!!  I think we have a new place to go if we want to go for a walk and a light snack while the weather is still conducive to walking outside!

Then came dinner and my allergy disaster.  I didn't admit to my husband this morning just how lousy I am still feeling, in case he thought he should cancel his trip and stay home.  He needs this day of fun and activity and so does his friend.  Our friend's estranged child of more than 20 years suddenly arrived back in his life last week and while it has been an answer to many years of intense prayers and hopes, it is still very overwhelming and our friend needs this day of pastoral visiting from my husband. 

So, time for a shower and a nap!  I am so glad that my food sensitivties and allergies bother me so rarely in recent decades after a childhood of being immobilized far too often by horrible reactions to so much of what I ingested! Thank you Lord!!!  Please give my husband and his friend a safe and joyous trip on the water today!  Allow my body to continue healing.  Thank you and AMEN! 

Today’s Best, Most Favourite Surprises!

1. A friend ordered in a book for me for our upcoming book club meeting. Just before lunch I emailed her to see if the book had arrived and arrange to pick it up. Surprisingly she did not respond.

However, shortly after lunch the doorbell rang and there she was standing on my back porch, book in hand. She stayed long enough to drink three cups of tea and have a proper visit.

Bless you Annabel! Having friends drop in unexpectedly is a best, most favourite surprise!

2. Ever since leaving Tokyo I have been missing watching sumo wrestling. Tonight my husband announced he has discovered online videos of September’s Japanese sumo tournament!!!!! Guess how we are going to spend tomorrow evening!???!  Bless you NHK broadcasting!

An unexpected chance to watch a sumo tournament is a best, most favourite surprise!

3. Today I found out I get to see two of my three closest Anglican friends over the next four days! Seeing two such good friends from my former church so close together is definitely a best, most favourite surprise!

Best Sayings of the Day!

1. I don’t think I could be completely exhausted. It seems I’ve reserved some energy for complaining.

2. I just bought an exercise bike. It holds all the laundry that doesn’t fit on the treadmill.

3. Lesson for children: if Mommy is mad at Daddy, don’t let her brush your hair!

Favourite Flowers

Growing in a Staten Island garden last June.

A Favourite Animal Photo

I don't know who took this, but what a great shot, eh? hahaha

Exceeding Expectations Today...For Once! Hahaha!!

I have been sitting staring out at the rain for the past couple of days....the dreary, grey, unrelenting, soggy, miserable autumn rain that continued all day today and will not end until sometime tomorrow.  We will get about 5 days free of moisture and then it appears that the whole wet'n'drizzling days long saga will begin all over again.  Blecch!!  It makes walking outside miserable because even with an umbrella and rain coat, it seems I still get my pantlegs soaked and eventually my footwear sogs through to my socks.  So, knowing this, I haven't really gone outside since the rain arrived on Monday afternoon, apart from a quick grocery shopping trip yesterday morning between cloud bursts.

My husband has been bothered about something ever since he met me downtown for a late lunch after church on Sunday. For me it was such a joy filled day, but for him it wasn't so much.  I realized it, but he is best left on his own to explain himself in his own time.  While I was enjoying every moment of the day, he was withdrawn and unhappy.  He was able to pull himself together for what turned from a dessert party to a pastoral visit that evening, but it wasn't until today that he explained to me what had happened before he met up with me on Sunday.  The issue has been worked through and solved and so he felt free to explain it to me.  He is feeling better now and was able to honestly say that my consistent and unrelenting joy that day didn't bother him. hahahaha Bless his heart!  

So I woke up again this morning to another downpour outside and wondered how I would spend my day.  I haven't been good this past couple of weeks as far as planning activities for myself in advance.  As I gazed around me I realized this suite was in desperate need of a good cleaning, so once I got my husband out the door to one of his myriad mens' breakfasts, I got going on the housework.  I assumed I would clean the upstairs today and the downstairs tomorrow, but by pacing myself and taking a couple of long meal breaks, I got every task completed but one: in the morning I will wash the kitchen floor before heading out to do some errands around the city.  What a great feeling to have actually accomplished something today so unexpectedly! Whoo hoo!

I celebrated tonight by watching the next to last episode of this season's Master Chef and eating my favourite late evening snack: a tablespoon of Adams creamy peanut butter and a single serving Nestle No Sugar Added chocolate pudding, stirred up together in a pretty glass fruit nappie.  Yum yum!

Not having to do half the house cleaning tomorrow will allow me to take my time on my away from home errands, relax and truly enjoy my day.  I am taking out a half dozen items of winter clothing from the storage tubs each day and ironing them to hang, so that I don't have to exhaust myself later with a 2 day ironing marathon!  Although this coming Sunday's daytime high temperature could reach +25C, it appears that will be the last day we have that will be above +19C over the next couple of weeks.  The lows will be getting pretty close to freezing at night, once the clouds dissipate after the next 5 day rain marathon.  That is assuming the AccuWeather report is at least somewhat accurate, and I find that particular report tends to be the most accurate one for our region. 

As soon as the rain stops we will harvest the rest of the thyme and basil and dill.  The tomato plant ended up with a fungus that is common to those particular tomatoes, so will remove the remaining fruit from the dying branches and ripen what is left indoors.  The fungus goes into the soil, so everything in the pots will have to go to the garbage bin and the pots sterilized for next spring's planting.  I think either Friday or Saturday morning will be the best time to do that, before the overnight lows get too much lower and after the soggy soil has had a chance to dry out a bit.  The people who own the pots will likely want them back before too long, so just as well to curtail our small time gardening operation for this year. It was a lot of fun. Depending on where we are living next spring, we may be able to grow some more tomatoes and herbs!  This poor old building we are presently abiding in is developing more issues that are too big for us to solve without getting in trouble with the property maintenance folk, so we are thinking we may be forced into moving when our lease next runs out.

I am going for a late lunch with an Anglican friend on Friday.  We have not had a chance to get together in over a year, so I am really looking forward to it.  She is such a nice woman and so actively involved in her church and diocese despite a very busy government position.  It will be great to visit her once again over a nice meal.

This week is flying past it seems...Wednesday all ready!  A week from today I will be having my annual appointment with the osteoporosis specialist.  If I haven't developed any signs of negative reaction to my drug, he will renew the prescription and request approval for this non-formulary drug once again from the provincial medical department.  I am so grateful when I can get that approval because it means the cost is covered by my husband's medical plan from his job.  I couldn't afford it without coverage. Thank you Lord for this medical plan! To be able to get an injection that costs hundreds of dollars every time, well, that is a fantastic blessing for us both.

Hopefully Dad was able to get an appointment with his doctor later this week to get the paper work done for respite care.  Mom was at the end of her rope when I was there visiting last month. She is SO tired and can't cope much longer with the constant needs of Dad's.  Timing out his meds and eye drops all day, on top of her own constant intake of various meds at set times of day...that is 7 days a week, 365 day a year for both of them.  If you have to take medications for chronic conditions, you know what that is like. There are no holidays from taking those meds.  Since Dad sleeps most of every day, Mom feels stuck alone in the suite and cannot make much noise in case she wakes him up, so the stress is unrelenting. She has put herself under the bondage of thinking she cannot leave the suite when he is sleeping in case he wakes up and has to go to the washroom and falls again.  Unfortunately it is a real possibility so no wonder she feels stuck.  Dad feels horrible that he falls down so much and needs her around all the time. I feel so badly for them both and pray this situation WILL be able to change soon for both their sakes.  He should not be living there in his condition.

Our son is having a happy time in the States.  He is gainfully employed for the moment, is enjoying learning ever more recipes to cook in his large kitchen and loves preparing dinners for his girlfriend.  He has learned to make a quick macaroni and cheese dish with onions and peppers and cloves of garlic that sounds amazing.  Next time he comes to visit....yummy!  He is working long hours on the paintings he has to have ready for his next two shows, so that is bolstering his spirits while working on paying off his immigration lawyer for his visa renewal.  He sounds cheerful and ambitious and relaxed these days so we are grateful for that. 

Here's to a break from the rain very soon!

As Things Continue To Go South For Mom and Dad...a Hard Time of Life.....

My parents have never once discussed seriously their plans for the future in regard to upcoming possible moves from the seniors' residence into nursing homes/long term palliative care, at least not with me, so last week I wrote them a long letter with a list of questions for them to consider, not knowing if I would offend them by asking and trying to help them think about where they are at in reality.  I have tried so many times to talk to them about this over the past few years, only to be completely and quickly shut down.

My letter arrrived at the end of the week.  Dad called yesterday to say they had quite a laugh when they read it because he and Mom have been discussing these very issues for the past year.  Really?  I have tried to talk to them over the past year about these things and gotten absolutely nowhere.  However, that is not a surprise.  My parents are very private people who want no suggestions about how to operate their lives and I understand and appreciate that, despite the frustration of never knowing what is REALLY going on in either of their lives, EVER! hahaha

The upshot is that twice before the letter arrived, Dad fell down.  He fell once in the bathroom at 4am and if it hadn't been for an " 'oly 'unch" mom had a few minutes later that woke her up to go looking for him, she could have slept for another couple of hours or more before discovering he was not in bed.  She is too deaf to hear him call out if he falls when she is sleeping.  Fortunately he only had a couple of bruises and no broken bones. A couple of days later he was trying to walk the residence hallways with his walker to get some exercise, lost his balance again due to his bad vision and began to fall. When my father falls down he does not hold onto the walker to hold himself upright.  He completely lets go of it and throws his hands up into the air.  No, I don't know why.  This time he managed to grab the hand railing that runs along the walls and keep himself up off the floor.  The walked tumbled over on its side.  No one was around, so he tried twice to pick the walker up. It is incredibly heavy but somehow he managed to get it upright on his second attempt.  Unfortunately as he lifted it he twisted and managed to slam his face into the wall, bruising it badly.  Sigh.....

When his care worker came to bathe him the following day, she saw the bruises and did her duty to report it to the head of home care for their region.  Yesterday that dear, wonderful and caring woman arrived at my parents' door and had quite a talk with them.  He admitted to her that he cannot stand upright any more safely even with the walker, that he has lost more weight (he weighs a whole 82 pounds now and he weighed 87 pounds when I was there less than a month ago).  She told him quite honestly that he needs to be in long term palliative care, but didn't realize dad and mom equated that terminology with hospice care.  Dad didn't realize she was talking about a permanent nursing home situation and interpreted her comment to mean that she felt he should prepare to go into hospice and be put to death within a week.  Of course he did not share that thought with her, just flat out refused to go and of course she didn't  understand what he was thinking since he didn't tell her.  Sigh......

Anyway, after  a lot of arguing, she finally convinced both my parents to allow Dad to go to a respite facility "for a week" as soon as his doctor signs the papers that she emailed to him that very day. Dad will be seeing the doctor later this week.  She told Mom flat out that she needs to make her own plans for the future of living on her own and at least Mom told her I actually exist and could help her move to a studio suite in the same facility if the time comes.  It was the first time the home care worker had any idea that she is not the only person in the entire world to care about my parents' welfare.  

So, by early in October the way should be cleared (and I am praying for sooner) for Mom to have a break and Dad to be cared for properly by actual medical personnel!  YAY!  The worker was very blunt with Mom about what is happening to HER as this never ending care giving continues month after month. Mom can't do it any more. That was obvious to me when I was there but neither of them wanted to talk to me about their situation, so what on earth was I to do?  Both my parents are beyond stubborn and if they are not going to talk, they are not going to talk.  Period!  When I persist in the discussion, they walk into their bedroom and shut the door.  End of discussion. For all the talking they have done together supposedly, not one decision was ever made and no follow up to get names on lists for facilities was ever done.

Here is the saddest part from my perspective.  My parents didn't understand and still don't understand after our talk yesterday, that once Dad is actually in the respite facility he will be assessed once again.  The recommendation that he not live in their present residence any more is all ready on his records.  If they agree with that assessment, (and how could they not?), Dad will not be allowed to go home.  He will be kept there until a long term palliative care bed becomes available.  When it does he will be moved to it, regardless of where it is.  I have never been able to convince my parents that by not having their names, or at least Dad's name, on a list for a nursing home, they are totally at the mercy of the medical system.  Dad could not only end up as far away in Calgary as he can get from Mom, there is an even greater chance he could be moved to another town or city, simply because that is where there is room for him.    I have seen the deep grief and despair of other older couples to who this has happened in years past.  It is a dreadful, cruel, horrible situation and yet, what else can be done when there are no spaces open in the city of residence?  What a debacle for one and all.  Although there is such a facility on the bottom floor of their very own present facility, they have not ever put their names on the waiting list!!!!  They moved in there because of the progressive care, so they wouldn't have to be separated, into two different buildings, but never put their names on the list! AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!!

So, my prayer of course is that somehow a move out of the city can be avoided for my poor Dad, that Mom will be able to see him if he ends up in longer term care.  Due to the health care privacy laws, since I have not been involved in any of the decisions they have made with the home care people, they are not allowed to give me any information about my parents or what the medical folk are thinking.   I don't know how long either of my parents will last if they have to suffer an enforced separation. That has been my fear for them for several years, but their refusal to consider it or deal with it in advance has been their own choice.  They are adults. Neither of them is particularly incapable mentally, despite Dad starting recently to see some problems with his memory.  There is so little I can do when I am not included in the process, so I cannot feel guilty about any of this, tempting as it is.

Please pray for my parents to experience what is going to be best for them, whether it appears that way at first or not. Thank you SO VERY MUCH! 

The stress for me over the past few months, as I have been trying to argue them into reality from this distance, has been horrendous. There are days I can barely be civil to anyone because I have been so distracted by my parents' situation.  So many wonderful things have been happening in our own lives here, and I happily blog about the events and the fun things going on, but despite my joy about them, underneath there is that never ending stress about my family.

I can't truly imagine what they are going through.  I am not (yet) in that position. I just know it is stressful and horrible for them now and will only get worse if their refusal to acknowledge their own aging results in a sad separation now at the end of their lives when they need each other the most to prevent loneliness.  Sigh......

Aging....horrible, horrible stuff!!

The Day Has Only Improved As It Has Gone On! YES!!

As I walked to church this morning I realized why my hearing and brain were both so scrambled from the amplified music pouring into our place the past couple of days.  Once I got out onto the front sidewalk and began my walk, I realized there were actually three different bands playing in three different locations, all within close enough proximity to our place to be competing for air space. Our street was getting the full brunt of all three bands at the same time: one rock, one rap and one Trinidadian!  What a mix and mishmash of beats and sounds and moods. WOW! No wonder my head has been spinning for the past couple of days!

By the time I was three blocks north of here the blasting beats were fading quickly away.  How lovely to be at last free from them.  I have marked the possible dates for next year's Queen City Marathon event and have all ready been in touch with friends out of town to arrange to spend that weekend with them.  I don't want to go through this brain scramble again next year, plus I don't want to be complaining about other peoples' fun, particularly for this really important annual fitness event.  It is only one weekend of the year, but my brain scramble lasts far longer than that weekend, so time to take direct action to protect myself.

I am THRILLED to report that Kat was able to participate in the Walk for Ovarian Cancer event this morning!!!  She actually walked the entire 2.5km, and on her third day post chemotherapy!  Today is the day all hell breaks loose with her body after a treatment, as a rule, but somehow she made it to and through the entire event.  I am praying she has a chance now to just sleep for a couple of days!  Val wrote the government department of health speech that was presented by the reps there at the walk.  She is an excellent speech writer, so her job is just right for her.  Fantastic!  So happy I am able to write some positive tidbits for a change from their very stressful and painful lives.  YAY!!

Church was most encouraging for me personally.  It began with a wonderful visit with a friend as soon as I arrived, carried on as I watched the choir singing together for the first time this term and realized I am in the right place by not being part of it any more, carried on again during the sermon which directly addressed a particular issue that was bothering me this morning to the point where I almost had to leave the service prior to the sermon being given.  Our guest preacher was Dr. Barbara Mutch who got her start in ministry through the encouragement of a former pastor of our church and she has trained and taught and spoken all over the world since then.  She spoke from Hebrews 11:29-12:3 and her sermon title was "Four Little Words". The four words turned out to be "...and some were sawn asunder."  She talked about how both prosperity and accepting persecution are each signs of faith. She talked about how God is always present, whether or not he intervenes to deliver us, or heal us or provide for us.  While he doesn't always prosper and deliver us, he always sustains us.  She utilized one of my favourite thoughts from Jewish theologian Martin Buber: that the proper translation of God's answer to Moses about who God is, during their conversation around the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, is actually "I am the God who is always with you."  So, he sustains us no matter what else is going on in the world.  He doesn't remove us from this world, he sustains us in the midst of it, sometimes by deliverance from a trial and sometimes by walking with us through the mess.  It was a very good sermon indeed.  Once it appears on the First Baptist Church Regina website you will be able to listen to it yourself.  My husband's service from August is on there as well.  It is a good website with lots of information about the church and its activities.

So, after church I walked downtown to deposit a cheque after long and wonderful visits with several friends after the service.  I was pretty hungry, so picked up a salad for lunch at Famosos...yup, a  half salad and a glass of water with a slice of lemon...El Cheapo has nothing on me, right? hahahaha  Then, since my husband was still "missing in action" at his own church service out in Kennell, I decided to take advantage of the only dry and sunny day in this week's forecast and wandered over to Cornwall Centre to window shop.  There was a great sale on at one of the stores on new stock winter items, so I spent the rest of my sales tax rebate from July and picked up a snazzy new black and maroon top and pants.  It felt good to be shopping and acting like a normal person again after being afraid to spend a penny on anything for myself for so  many months.  The deals were spectacular and having a new outfit is a great way to accept the coming change of season.  

As I was preparing to leave the shopping mall I got a text from my husband. He was just down the street with the intention of getting some lunch at one of his favourite little pubs.  I told him how close I was to him and when I exited the mall, there he was waiting for me with a big grin on his face and a warm hug all ready for me.  I had a drink of soda while he enjoyed the daily special deal on the menu....our weekend date!  It was so lovely looking out at a park and seeing green trees under the blue sky and the bright sun.  The "colour tinge" of the air has changed to autumn. It happened last Thursday.  Summer is over.  AND shockingly, the geese from the park across the street are gone! GONE all ready, just like the whooping cranes from the north.  Even the two remaining families whose teens have only just gotten the last of their flying feathers, seem to have taken off to other areas during the day, although the combined group of 13 is still returning to the park to their nesting grounds for overnight.  I am quite worried about this group. The parents are still with the teens and with the late arrival of the teens' flying feathers, I am wondering if the youngsters will be strong enough to make the journey south for the winter.  Every spring when the geese arrive I hate them, then I find them amusing, then I find them fascinating and now I am worried about their long term welfare...aaargh!

Shortly after we got home, late this afternoon, we received an invitation to go over to some friends' house for plum platz.  We will take a bottle of wine and enjoy the treat.  I will have a slice of seed bread before we go so that I don't overdo the sweet carbs when I am there....SO tempting as she is the most marvellous creator of Mennonite desserts EVER!  

Just after we decided on a time to get together another phone call came in: a very close friend of my husband's has an unexpected day off next weekend, so he has invited us to come to his town for the day.  If the weather is improved after several days of rain this coming week, the two of them are going to go down to the river and do some paddling in my husband's canoe.  I can spend the day with his wife, but if she gets called into work, I can spend the day quite happily bumming around the town. I have other friends there and there are several stores and galleries for me to tour.  Then after the guys get home we will have a BBQ with them.  

Next Sunday will be my husband's last Sunday for this month to be at his parish preaching.  I think he will relax more about returning to work when he realizes and experiences having the last Sunday off this month...actually it is two Sundays in a row as there are five Sundays.  He is still gearing down to the realization that he is not under the same amount of stress and work as he was in his last position...that kind of realization takes some time after having a burn out.  I am proud of how well he is analyzing his own moods and modifying his life to accommodate relax times while he sorts out the details of his ministry again.  It is all good "stuff".  

News just in:  friends in Nova Scotia I have been most worried about after they were hit by Hurrcane Dorian yesterday, just let me know they are safe, their power is all ready back on and the trees that came down around them in the winds all fell away from their place, so no serious damage at all. Thank you Lord and please, please assist those who were not so fortunate! Amen!

So, time to have a rest before heading out for platz!

I am most grateful for this day...it began in a fuzzy headed, ear bending stupor of sounds and confusion, but is ending up  very postively and happily. I am delighted that I experienced both sides of faith this weekend: sustaining and delivering on God's part.  Quite delightful to be secure in the knowledge that he is always there no matter the outcome of each day and situation.