Happy birthday, mom.
Thanks for having me. And loving me. And letting me live in your basement.
You've taught me about family, about faithfulness, about marriage, about filing. (I never did really catch on to the filing bit.) Thanks for showing us all what it means to keep one's vow of 'til death do us part'... you were The Best Wife for dad, especially at the end. We are blessed to call you mom.
From being Realtors together in the early 80's to being partners at Billie's Country throughout the 90's to being house-mates now, you've always been 'my person'. Thanks for being so encouraging, so supportive and so caring.
So many things to look forward to in this next decade: new (penthouse!) digs for you, ten more birthdays, possibly a great-grandchild (?) and maybe, finally, some face wrinkles? The 20's are gonna be awesome.
Love you x 1000.
(May Queens, for example.)
:)
Here's the slideshow we prepared; from birth to 80 in about 5 minutes.
(A whole decade is missing; I couldn't find any pics from the 60's...)
Click the > arrow to start it. Then, I'd recommend making if full screen. The first few images are of my mom's parents and grandparents (both maternal and paternal). And then? A million pics of my mom with big hair in various bathing suits. She was a babe.
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. New year. Everything feels shiny and bright. And to be honest, a little spinny and weird. Haha. Oh these meds should settle in any day now. (This morning, I placed my phone on the microwave, but, like the bowl on the island on Boxing Day I missed by a few inches and dropped it into the butter bowl. WHAT THE HECK. How can my aim be so far off? )
2. Half of my kids are home from Sunpeaks, safely. YAY. Thank you, Jesus.
3. A fun weekend/New Year's with some friends...
Kim came for the weekend; I introduced her to the Vedder Rotary Trail. She's a fan.
And then some friends from work hung out with me on New Year's Eve:
E and A are from France, and they brought dinner. First time having Raclette for me. And it was a thousand times AMAZING. I am a fan.
We had an assortment of french and canadian treats on hand ...
... to sustain us while we played Ticket to Ride (my new favorite game):
And then, when I got up (noon-ish), I made French Toast (to keep the theme alive) and bacon for brunch while we swapped stories of our ancestors. We talked about our grandparents in Romania, in Manchester, in Africa, in Russia. It was all so fascinating and rich. And I loved the journeys our families took, from 4 different corners of the world, that brought the 4 us together at my table in Cultus Lake.
Thanks for reading/keeping in touch throughout 2019.
Wishing you THE VERY BEST ADVENTURES and the most love ever, in 2020.
I had this idea in my mind for how it should look.
And I knew who had experience reading my mind.
So after I had a truck full of cedar boughs, spikey fern leaves, assorted pine branches and 4 strands of battery operated fairy lights, I called Terry.
And yes.
She knew exactly what I wanted. And yes.
She could do it.
In 20 minutes.
Supplying Ter with the raw materials to create something beautiful transported me straight back to Billie's Country days. When, as a 26 year old brand new mom and shop co-owner, I'd meet creative strangers who'd buy supplies from the craft side of the store. I'd ask them what they were making, could they bring their finished 'thing' back so I could see... and if it was good quality, I'd hire them to teach in our classrooms. Eventually I had a team of 16 talented, artistic, friendly, helpful teachers/friends who taught thousands of classes over the years.
I'd bring in new products/supplies from our wholesalers or trade shows and let them have at er. I loved watching them design, paint, assemble, create, teach.
And watching Terry take a truck full of dead branches and create a masterpiece in the middle of our boardroom table just filled me with all the feels. I am so proud of her and grateful that I'm her friend. That I can call her with a 'crafting help' message and I know she's got my back.
It could be argued that this centrepiece was a bit over-the-top considering we were eating pizza on plastic plates.
Pffft.
Go big.
Or go bigger.
With centerpieces and hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Saturday afternoon I went for a walk.
I turned left out of my mom's driveway and walked down into the dip before starting my trek up the hill.
There, at the bottom of the hill, soaking wet, in the middle of the sidewalk, was a year book from Johnston Heights Jr. Sec. It looked suspiciously like mine. So I picked it up.
Yup.
Mine.
Here.
In the middle of the sidewalk, a couple blocks from my mom's house.
I turned around and walked back to the house.
"You won't believe what I just found," I said to mom who was sitting in her chair in her front room.
We tossed around some ideas as to how it could've got there, but really, it was a mystery.
(I had looked at my box of memory things (baby books, year books, wedding album, etc) only 6 days earlier - and thought I'd moved the box from the garage to the basement. HOW had this annual end up out there in the wild?)
I went for a hill walk, thinking of scenarios, but just couldn't figure it out.
When I got back, an hour later, my mom called me back into her front parlour.
"Funny thing..." she started. "A couple days ago, I was driving to the mail box and I remember hearing a thump and thinking that something had fallen off my car. But I didn't stop or look..."
"Ahhhhh. That's it! I put my box of personal things on your trunk. I was going to move it downstairs. But I guess I forgot... "
"Yeah, that's seems right. It was definitely more than just one year book that fell off my car. It felt like a box..."
"Hmmm. That's a slice of my history, gone. Those annuals, the kids' baby books. Photographs taken by photographers. Wedding album. Notes and letters and journals from a past era... I won't get that back. I had pared it all down to the most important keepsakes and put it all in one box. I guess it's all gone. Can't revisit it again..."
"Well," mom said. "it's probably for the best."
~~~~~~~~~~~
On my drive to church, I let a few tears escape but planned to have a good wail later that night at the lake. The sermon was about joy. And the verse he referenced was that annoying one in James "Consider it all joy when trials and tribulations come your way ... blah blah blah... because ... something something character."
Was I having another character-building experience?
Really?
Am I so lacking in it, that I need another go at it?
What?
Is this a 'let it go' lesson?
Is this a 'in-light-of-eternity-your-box-of-memories-doesn't-matter' thing?
Did I not learn that lesson back in 2012 when another slice of my history was stolen when my house was robbed?
Oy vey.
World's slowest learner, here.
I just wanted to shake my fist at someone but there was no point.
After church I met Val for supper and we commiserated about the lost bits of our past. And she shared about her friend who's ex (dad to her kids) had committed suicide last week. And who's dad died of cancer a few days later.
YEAH OK
I need to shut up about my stuff.
We left the restaurant and went to the mall.
Where I bought $100 of Purdy's Chocolates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Sunday evening, I met Karm at Clearbrook MB at 6:15 pm.
We were there for their monthly Hymn Sing evening service. It started at 7, but everyone was there shortly after 6. In anticipation.
There were no seats. No parking spots.
CRAZY.
Can I just say something?
There is something very very Holy about being amongst a couple hundred very old Mennonites who have gathered to worship. They sing, loudly, with all their hearts, in harmony. And it is beautiful. And moving.
Seeing it was December, almost all the songs were Christmas carols. But then, after about half n hour, the choir and congregation sang "Here we are to worship"... and I looked around to the men and women around me, who were singing with conviction. They were worshipping.
And it occurred to me, that these folks, these singers, these men and women, all over 70, and likely in their 80's and 90's, lived through the war. And had stories similar to my Omi and everyone's Omi. They had to flee Russia by retreating with the Nazi's across Europe with NOTHING. Loved ones were executed, relatives were sent to the gulag, and those lucky to escape, ran with nothing.
And here they were. Worshipping God in this country where they raised their families and built their homes in peace.
And I bet a lot of them left a whole lot more behind than one curated keepsake memory box.
OK.
I won't whine about my lost Dear Jane letters.
Perspective is everything.
The final two songs of the evening undid me.
A duet by two men (one had just turned 90, the other was Brian Doerksen's dad, Harry, probably in his 80's)
The director invited anyone who wanted to, to join the choir.
Watching dozens of peoples go forward, eagerly, to sing was heart-warming. And amazing. I didn't grow up around men who sang. Not my dad, my bro, my ex, my kids. So to watch men, enthusiastically participate in singing, was just awesome.
And hearing the men's voices? Was the best thing ever.
So much depth and weight and richness with their strong voices acting as a foundation for the music to dance on top of throughout the building.
So very grateful for my heritage.
So thankful that my grandparents sacrificed their things and risked their lives to come here.
I live a damn fine life because of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. Dinners/evenings with so many friends this past week. (Julie on Wed, the Milestones crew on Thursday, Book Club group on Monday, Heather on Tuesday...) I am lucky/blessed/tired. :) Quality 'together time' is my love language, obvs.
2. Christmas cards. OH. MY. GOODNESS. I got three in the past 24 hours that were filled with so many kind/lovely/tear-inducing words. Gahhhh. My love language is defo words.
3. Was at my sister's, gettin my hair did, and while I'm sitting under a dryer with a hole-y shower cap on, and strands of hair dripping with a thick bleach solution, she brings me this:
On Monday after work, I met Maureen at the A & W in Walnut Grove for supper, then drove over to the Colossus to see Last Christmas.
Two suburban moms on a night out in the burbs, seeing a Hallmark-type romantic seasonal movie. We talked about kids and Christmas. A lovely, safe, predictable evening.
On Tuesday after work, I drove into Vancouver, picked up Kim on Commercial, drove along Hastings and Pender to get to the downtown theatre, passing THOUSANDS of homeless people (which hurts my heart, makes my stomach feel sick and my eyes water) only to find out there were no parking spaces in the mall's underground lot. Not a single spot. So we ended up back on the street, driving around in ever-widening circles looking for a place to park. Ten minutes after our movie started (well, not the movie, but all the ads and trailers) we found a spot in a lot next to an alley. And as I parked, my headlights illuminated a young woman, next to the dumpster, with her back to us, doing something she wasn't proud of. I whispered, "please. please. please. make better choices." She is someone's daughter and I ached with her mom.
Kim was worried about my truck and it's contents in that lot, so I took all my belongings with me into the theatre. We fell into our seats just as Dark Waters was starting.
I love movies like this.
Based on real life/true stories.
Shows that make you think, nudge you, make you feel uncomfortable.
Stories that stick with you long after the day is done.
I left the theatre having an opinion on DuPont, teflon, self-regulating industries, and the power of a single voice.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke once wrote. That shout-out for righteous action is as true today as it was 200 years ago. And it’s also very much at the heart of this grimly earnest film.
As we walked back to my truck, Kim was chanting, 'please let the windows not be smashed. please let the windows not be smashed. please let the windows not be smashed.'
They weren't. But there, in the path of my headlights was a young man. Back to us. Doing something with drugs that made me just so sad.
As is our usual M.O, we ended up at McDonalds for McFlurry's. We went to the one on Main + Terminal. And as I turned into the lot, we both sighed deeply at all the homeless men next to the building, congregating around the doors. In the past, we've bought cheeseburgers and muffins for women near the door, but I didn't notice any females in the crowd. My heavy heart was feeling so very overburdened.
We entered from the rear back door and as we made our way to the front, we passed at least a dozen men, passed out on benches, in booths, on tables, with all their stuff beside them. Two men were sorting through their belongings, spreading everything out on the tables and floor. We were the only two women in the building.
We got our snacks, made our way to an unoccupied area, and talked.
What should our/my response be?
What could I do to make a difference? A difference to all those homeless people on Hastings? The hungry/lost people at McDonalds? The people who damage themselves beside that dumpster in the back alley off Pender? What can I do about corporations like DuPont who manufacture products that make us sick, pollute our planet and kill our wildstock? What can I do about pedophiles who're released from prison, even though everyone in law enforcement knows they are still dangerous? What can I do about people who're lonely, depressed, trafficked, addicted, hurt, unemployed, feeling hopeless, have a received a terrible diagnosis? What can I do?
Oy.
Am I wasting my life?
Am I supposed to DO something?
What?
~~~~~~~~~~
On Wednesday morning I led devos at work. Third time this year. I was determined not to do/say anything deep or personal because we all don't need Jane falling apart again when she's at the front of that room.
:)
I read a Christmas story: https://www.oocities.org/gr8faith_2000/CosmicChristmas.htm
(Gabriel sounded like Jane. God sounded like a deep-throated, Jane, shouting. And Satan sounded like sneery Jane with a wraspy sore throat.) I will never have a future in doing voice-over work.
Then read a prayer:
... and we all survived with our tear ducts in tact.
After work, seeing it wasn't raining (YAY), LangleyKim and I walked the seawall from Olympic Village to Granville Island to see Vancouver's latest art installation: the Spinning Chandelier.
Poor woman.
She was the recipient of much gushing of words and whooshing of thoughts as we walked. :)
We walked the length of the underbelly of Granville Street Bridge, from 4th to the edge of the island.
We asked a few folks where the chandelier was, and no one had a hot clue what we were talking about.
We DID see some festive light attractions, regardless...
And then when we got to the ferry dock, we found the light, w a y over there, on the other side of the water. THE OTHER SIDE.
So we walked back, the way we came, (it took an hour)
... got into my truck, and drove over.
Took a few tries to cross the correct bridge, find the right street and parallel park (again), but eventually we found it.
It's lovely.
And we were lucky to be able to see it spin a couple times.
Unexpectedly fun.
There has been outrage against this hanging light.
"That money could have been spent on the homeless."
"Waste of money. People are starving."
"I could have found more worthwhile things to spend that money on."
I am not outraged.
I am delighted that something quite magical is brightening up a dark under-the-bridge street in Vancouver.
I am glad it is BEAUTIFUL and not fluorescent.
I am encouraged that this is privately funded by a business which will be picking up all the costs.
I will proudly photograph it often.
(As opposed to this jelly bean art thing that I took one picture of:)
I know.
Tuesday night I was aching about the poverty-stricken and on Wednesday night I'm going on about a pretty light.
Maybe it's OK to appreciate/be encouraged by art and beauty while mucking about in the ugly-side of life?
Speaking of beauty, my mom has been decorating:
... and speaking of the ugly side of life: Four separate packages, delivered on three different days have been stolen from her front porch.
:(
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. Cultus Lake Christmas Tree Trunks:
2. Co-workers who love to bake.
This is a Romanian brioche with walnuts and cocoa.
3. Three December birthdays this week. Cake, pizza and more cake.
These are my French girls. They came over tonight to make traditional French Christmas treats. We'll be sharing them with the rest of the office on Wednesday when we (the Creatives and the French teams) host a Christmas Coffee Break.
And these mini chocolate pizzas are called mendiants: little chocolate palets with dried fruits and nuts on top
You wish you worked in my Creative Dept, don't you?
:)
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. Women's friendships. It really is a beautiful thing to see women 'be there' for each other. 2. Babies! My 'first' French girl moved back to France with her hubby and had a lil girl last week:
3. This version of Lil Drummer Boy
4. Words
Make art.
Make time to listen.
Make yourself laugh.
Make peace.
Make a playlist of all the good old school songs.
Make room in your schedule just to try something new.
Make room on your desk for your favorite book.
Make noise about what is lovely and true.
Make a memory.
Make the most of everyday, no matter what comes your way.
A month filled with healing, hoping, walking, eating and reading.
And sleeping.
Holy cow.
I've been making up for a lifetime of 6 hour night-sleeps.
Twelve hours Every. Single. Night.
Starting at, like, 2 am.
TIL 2 PM
Which is NUTS.
I start work again this week; so it's gonna be a mighty gargantuan-sized adjustment getting up before noon.
I suck at adulting.
While I've been waiting for my next appointment in this season of waiting, I've been filling my days with and without people.
(I know I should be ecstatic/grateful/relieved. News that the cancer hadn't spread was an answer to prayer. I know that. I know that in my head; it's my heart that's taking awhile to process it all.I've mostly just felt numb. I'm having a hard time sorting through the emotions. It's like I'm living a bubble-wrapped life right now, protecting myself from possible bad news. While at the same time, feeling guilty that I (seemingly) have had the easiest time imaginable with a cancer diagnosis. People die from this disease; I have two scars on a body part that no one sees. I'm struggling with embarrassment... why did I share my story? Did I make a big deal about something that's NBD? Have I hogged All The Prayers? Are there a million more pressing things that my friends and family could've been praying for these past two months? And what about the other August First Ladies? Do they have as much love and support surrounding them? Are they whizzing through their appointments and procedures like I am - or are they experiencing complications and setbacks? I guess my biggest struggle is dealing with how lucky I've been. And why I should be so blessed. And super grateful that I live in BC where we have the best breast cancer services in all of Canada.
Basically, what I'm saying, is thank you. And this is weird.)
ANYways...
It was Terry's birthday, so we celebrated (on Sept 19) in our usual way. With food and conversation.
(I didn't get the 'wear a black top' memo.)
And after changing dates TWICE with the Bard on the Beach people, we finally got to see The Taming of the Shrew on Sept 20, it's closing weekend...
How many blondes does it take to pay for parking? :)
It was a g r e a t evening; and Christine's first time at Bard.
Which always makes everything better.
New goal. Take people to places they've never been before.
Re-live the wonder and joy through their eyes.
On Saturday, I found a new-to-me neighbourhood trail to walk around.
I'm averaging about 5,000 steps per walk. And come back home drenched in sweat.
Everything is such an effort these days.
(Except eating. That remains a remarkably easy activity.)
Another thing that remains 'easy' is attending church on Saturday evening.
I am loving the fall series on Romans. We're camped out in Romans 12 right now, and from the all the underlines and notes in my Bible, it's not a surprise that I'm enjoying the sermons. Over the course of my life, I've obvs spent some time in this chapter. Everything just seem so very applicable to my life right now. I feel like I'm being equipped for the road ahead.
You should listen too. At home, if the whole church thing is hard for you: Click here.
On Sunday, Heather and I wandered through Fort Langley, catching Pokemon and getting caught in an unexpected downpour. Feels like summer is really truly good and over. Dismal weather for the next 9 months.
Way back in June, at the start of the summer, my goal was to get to level 38 by the end of the summer:
Booyah.
YAY me.
If you have a list of 50 goals for a season, make sure you prioritize them well.
❎Make summer playlist. Might need help. Ask Facebook hive for recommendations. NOT DONE.
✅Have pretty feet all summer. ⬜Pedicure - July ⬜Pedicure - August WELL, they looked ok in July. They were a mess in August. But I had a pedicure (with no polish) just before surgery so that my heels would be soft. So there's that.
✅Go to dentist a million times. ⬜Get tooth #1 capped. ⬜Get tooth #2 capped Both teeth are done. Just paid for them. Such a fun summer activity.
✅Replace/upgrade phone AND GET A SEXY PHONE CASE THIS TIME SO DONE. Went from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone 8, (PHONE WAS FREEEE) got 4 times the data, and 4 times the storage for $5 less per month. The phone matches my laptop. Rose gold on one side, white on the other. All housed in a (boring, but feminine pink) Otterbox case.
❎Download a yoga/stretching app (or find something suitable on Netflix?) Wishing I'd tried harder with this. My body is so stiff and unbendy.
✅Read all of Louise Penny's books - Books 3 - 16 Starting book 15 tonight. Didn't get them ALL done this summer, but I did read 14 books in three months; I'm OK with that.
❎Empty Master Bedroom closet at the lake This will keep. Hoping to get it done this fall.
✅Sort through my bedroom closet in the basement Yay.
✅Take all resulting bags (of cleaning out closets) to Thrift Store (before Fall) Yup.
✅Bring contents of Under-the-Stairs closet upstairs for mom to sort through YESSSSSSsss
✅See Spiderman movie with kids Saw Lion King with the kids and Spiderman with Jenn. Both great movies.
✅Level up in Pokemon Go (Level 38) Nothing like having meaningful goals.
❎Buy new runners Old ones still work fine.
✅Buy new shoes for work Done. I don't want to step foot into the mall again this summer.
✅Attend NT Wright event (July 24) SO good.
❎Temporarily suspend gym membership.Walk 50,000 steps each week of summer. 12 weeks: FAILED miserably with this.
✅Learn a new skill (?) DONE? I know how to age someone. And glam someone. That's a skill, no?
✅Get camera repaired. DONE! $500 later, it's back in my hands. I missed it.
✅Plan, prepare, offer a Basecamp 3 training session at work DONE. Twice.
✅Lead devos once Done.
✅Do not accept/use a single plastic bag when shopping for groceries. Enter stores prepared. I've improved about 50%.
❎Think about trying Whole 30. In August. But don't beat yourself up if this doesn't happen. It sounds awful
❎Tackle the filing at work. Maybe do this in 4 efforts. File for two hours ⬜⬜⬜⬜ Turned out, this wasn't a priority.
✅Read bookclub book: The Eyre Affair
❎Walk in 8 different neighbourhoods. Drop off books in a shared library stand.
✅Take 5 sunny days off work (unused vacation days) Go to a different beach each time. Ended up staying at Cultus on those vacation days.
❎Try kayaking. Or not. Not.
❎Watch the sun set from the lookout/viewpoint on Cypress Mountain
❎Talk to someone smart about trees, specifically about the ones in front of the house at Cultus. This DOES need attention so it'll go onto my yet-to-be created Fall To Do List.
✅Go to Bard on the Beach or Theatre Under the Stars YUP
✅Ride the Roller Coaster at Playland. Did the Ferris Wheel instead.
✅Make some decisions about May 2020 trip with kids We decided to wait til after I know what course of treatment I'll be facing before buying flight tickets.
✅Move furniture into alcove in basement. DONE
✅Celebrate July birthdays DONE.
35. ✅Celebrate August birthdays DONE
36. ✅Read a Brene' Brown book Part way through TWO BB books. Dare to Lead and Braving the Wilderness
37. ❎Try blogging 3 Things I'm Thankful For five times a week? WHOA, major fail.
38. ✅Attend a White Rock FREE CONCERT night. Bring lawnchairs and a friend; watch the sunset, listen to cover bands. DONE
39. ✅See Louise Penny at the end of the summer. DONE
40. ✅Do a few photo shoots in front of grafitti'd/mural-ed walls in Vancouver. JUST DID ONE. Maybe some more this fall?
41. ✅Make appointment to have moles removed from back. DONE
42. ✅Get suspicious lump removed from left boob. (Biopsy results came back last week. Betty's gotta go. Odds are in my favor; 90/10. So I'm only 10% worried.) Turned out to be cancer. Haha. Jokes on me.
43. ❎Go for a ride on that lil boat on the Fraser River in New West. ðŸ˜
44. ❎Is there still an umbrella art installation in Yaletown? I want to go there and take pics. ðŸ˜
45. ✅Be ready and available for an unexpected opportunity.
46. ✅Put away my Christmas decorations. HOW EMBARRASSING. Haha. My display is still up. I hardly even notice it. DONE
47. ❎Buy colourful pillows for my very white room at the lake. A definite Fall To Do
48. ✅Go on a picnic. Thankful to Shelly for making this happen.
49. ❎Listen to a sermon series/Back to the Bible series.
50. ❎Find a new eyebrow threading place.
Final score: 33/50
A passing grade.
Not bad. Considering.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, on Monday, with wet weather looming, Maxine and I wandered through the community gardens at Crescent Beach. On our way, we stopped at 'the best bakery ever' to get bread. I WILL BE BACK.
I do love eating.
Pity I don't crave celery.
Or kale.
My new hobby, turns out, is walking through community gardens. This is the third one I've explored this summer, and it was by far the largest and most impressive. Apparently the plots are $50 per year and renters tend to hang onto their plots for DECADES.
If I were ever to have a garden, it would have tomatoes.
It would probably only have tomatoes.
Back at Maxine's, she and her girls made dinner.
I contributed by setting the table.
Chicken veg soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
When you are thinking about expanding your friendship circle, be sure to include someone who loves to cook. Because evenings spent in their kitchens are warm and rich and delicious. So. Much. Yum.
And. So. Much. Love.
So Much Love...
Thank you, Sue, for the beef and gravy. Thank you Hildegarde for the chocolates.
And thank you Julie, for looking after my head on Tuesday morning.
I desperately needed a cut:
My pony tail is more like a perky spray of water from a whale's spout and less like a limp handful of macrame jute now.
Turns out? Cancer causes grey hair.
(Jule very gently let me know how much it'd changed since my last cut at the end of May.)
I'm well on my way to being old.
My goal is to do it graciously, (shrugs shoulders), whatever that means.
That evening I met Marg and Patty at the White Spot for dinner/movie ...
(Thank you, Marg, for the prezzies.)
Errrhm.
It was a bit slow.
Wait til it comes on Netflix is my advice.
Yes, I know.
I totally know how lucky I am to have a rich life full of friends and family. I know.
And am so very very grateful.
On Wednesday, I visited my boy at his new office space.
He used to work near Olympic Village, so I could pop by his office when I went for a seawall walk. But now he's in Burnaby.
A million times more square footage, including an industrial kitchen, walk-in-freezer rooms and a studio.
#proudmom
To avoid rush hour on the freeway, (230 logging trucks were sharing the highway with me)
I parked my butt at a Starbucks, wrote out some thank you cards, caught a few Pokemon, ate some rockets and finished reading another book. I really, really could get used to being retired/unemployed...
... then I drove out to Cultus, where I've been living for the past five days. Doing more of the same; reading, walking, sleeeeeping, praying, watching Netflix and waiting.
I'll be back at work on Wednesday.
And hoping to hear, soon, what my next steps are re: treatment.
Thanks for journeying along with me. Sorry I've been kinda stupid about this all.
Please pray for Trish's mom; she's waiting for an appointment with the cancer clinic as well. I'm not sure if she's an August First Lady, but her and I are on the exact same time schedule. Really hoping we just have radiation in our future.
Also? Please keep praying for Tessa; she now has a surgery date. Her kidney will be removed on the 21st of October.
Plus? Cam's brother. He was just diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma.
And? Pleeeeze pray for my boy, who's flying to Thailand right now.
Speaking of my boy, the other evening he sent me a link to a podcast, saying there was a nice surprise at the end. The podcast is called MAN (it's a conversation about masculinity) and the surprise was a brief interview with Brendan ; one of my kids' friends from Murrayville days. In general, the podcast made me feel sad for young men. My takeaway was that guys need male friendships as well as mentors. Referenced in the podcast was a documentary that I also listened to. If you love a young man, have a listen. And maybe pray for this generation?
While looking for that documentary on Netflix, I was directed to a different show. MissRepresentation. It's about the struggle young WOMEN are having with self image. Ugggh. Filters and Photoshop are messing with our concept of beauty. Magazine ads and instragram posts are causing women to feel less than. My takeaway? Spend less time looking at faces online and more time looking at the real life faces of people who love you.
(The sound is reallllly quiet. I'd recommend watching this one on Netflix.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three Things I'm Thankful for:
1. Prayers (not related to my health), being answered. Sunday was that day.
2. Legs that like moving. (About 5000 steps a day.) Although I DID 8,000 yesterday. Improvement!
3. Surgical scars that are healing. WHOA. That surgeon did crazy tiny stitches. (Surgical tape JUST fell off last night so I had a good look.)
4. The permission to have baths again. BEST part of staying at the lake; The Bathtub.
5. The sound of rain pelting on this flat roof. #soundofmusic
6. The lake. The river. The mountains.
7. One month to heal. So glad I had September to laze around while my body knit itself back together.
8. Today is Sept 30. Last day of the month. The sun is out, the sky is blue, the winds have finally stopped. I'm blogging from the lawn at the lake, listening to woodpeckers bang away on the metal flashing, getting dive bombed by crazy lady bugs, feeling content, trying not to think about the 1547 emails in my work account, wondering about Clint's week ahead, concerned about this generation's young men and women and figuring out what to do with the information I've just listened to. Just so very thankful for THIS day.
