This and That and Gratitude

We are back from holidays.  We spent a couple of days in Drumheller where we saw more reptiles than I care to count, both living and extinct.  From there we went to Medicine Hat and visited with Justin's family and left our girl behind for some one on one time with Grandma.

We are home.  Sigh.  Life is good.  I am so sure of God's Goodness today even though there's so much around me that is hard.  Work is slow, money is tight.  Our sewer backed up and I had to bleach the floor after Justin snaked it.  I have tonnes of things I should be doing, but right now I am reveling in the gentle mumbling of Mark as he skootches on his bum around the house; in the sound of my big boys inventing all sorts of games outside; in the feel of this wee babe in my womb squirm around; in the thought that my honey will be home soon; in the thought of my full freezer and pantry.  

I am filled with compassion and empathy for families who are missing someone today; for those who have no work; for those who's larders are empty; for those who do not love the life that nestles inside them.  Thank you God.  Please help me remember this on the days where it's hard.

The Service Around Here

Two year old with cloth over arm, pad and pen in hand:

"Whatcha you want eat?  Why you no want eat?"

Small Successes

1.  I canned dill cucumber pickles, peaches, beets, antipasto relish and bruschetta.  I made raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and cherry jams and I froze 26 cups of saskatoons, with which to make syrup later.

2. I cleaned out my cold room.  A project I'd been procrastinating on, but with the hot weather, seemed like there would be no better time to do it.  It is so nice to walk into now!

3.  Took one poorly leash trained 94lb bundle of muscles and enthusiasm to the vet for her shots.

Bonus, we started school and all of this happened around that.  God is so good.

Help! I Need Somebody

I was just reading a great post by Rachel Balducci at Testosterhome, about the necessity of asking for help at certain times in our lives and just how difficult that can be.  I remember at one point someone telling me how selfish it can be not to ask for help.  That we can be interfering in some one's path to Christ.  That they are offering themselves to us as Christ does (in a smaller way, maybe) and we are rejecting them/Him.  Ouch!  This was a wake up call to me, because I'm so willing to offer help, but how often do I graciously accept it.  It seems a weakness to admit the need.  Or maybe it's as though I want to take advantage of someone.  One definite aspect of refusing help is trust.  Am I trusting that these offers are sincere or am I assuming that the person offering truly doesn't mean it?  Am I hoping that these people will see the needy side of me and still like me?  It is good to evaluate this and determine why I say no before I say no.  If Christ is offering me help should I really say no?  And should I not see Christ in each and every person I encounter?

Expecting...Expectant

For the most part I truly enjoy being pregnant.  I love the idea of a new soul growing inside me, developing into the little person God has created them to be.  I love the feeling of little flutters and the feelings of little feet and hands trying to come out of my belly button.  I do not enjoy nausea.  But it's a small price to pay and at least it never develops to something worse as it does for some people.

A Jonah Day

It is a gorgeous spring like day outside.  I can hear the sounds of birds bustling through their day and children building imaginary worlds, peacefully together, I might add.  My house is silent but for the sound of the dishwasher and my typing.  From my window I can see the children, the fluttering leaves from a gentle wind and the glowing reflection of the morning sun on the very green trees.  But I am in a funk.  I can feel a migraine coming on.  I know that I have tonnes of stuff to do in the house, yard and garden, but am totally disinclined to do them.  Which adds guilt.  

And at the very top of this is THE COURSE.  It looms like Snoopy pretending to be a vulture.  I am determined to go back to school.  I want a Theology degree.  But I cannot find a distance ed school in Canada that offers it.  So I have to at least start on my Humanities degree through Athabasca University.  Which is a liberal Canadian post-secondary institute.  So the courses will be flavoured by this philosophy.  And to top it off I (me, myself) signed up for the wrong course.  I hit the wrong button when ordering and am now forced to do a literary prose course, full of angry books, by authors who might be my brothers and sisters in Christ, but are not close friends.  I read/laboured through the introduction of my course last night and upon reflection, probably agreed with all of 2 sentences.  The intro alone is angry.  It is full of hate for organized religion, and "chauvinistic society" that oppresses native peoples.  There is no examination of purity of intention here and certainly no quarter given to Judasim(an attack of the Old Testament) My anxiety is how do I defend my faith but still pass?  How do I not become tainted by this anger and lack of hope?  I think ice cream might help.  Oh and lots of prayer.  St. Thomas Moore, pray for me.

A one and A two...

Little Mark is still a nurser.  He's incredibly efficient.  Recently I have noticed a trend.  I used to nurse him just on one side so that he'd get the hind milk, but now it's as though he can count and there's no way we're done until he's had both sides.  Did I mention he has a temper?