THE CEMENT

I have decided our cement driveway does not need any more nose to nose inspections .  The driveway is fine but my shoulder is a pain.

I am happy to be home and now the family is exhausted taking good care of me/

Carol did a boot camp work out trying to get me to the bathroom.

WHAT A FAMILY

HARVEST HEALING

Harvest time is something we all look forward to when the time has come to reap the fruits of our labour.  Even the harshness of life that makes life difficult can yield a harvest, especially if we use our experiences to help another.

Hopefully the harvest will have given us strength of character, a deeper empathy and compassion for others.

Here I sit at my computer with an  ice bag between my legs and a bag of ice on my hand.  My hand has now broken out in hot, itchy blisters.  Dad comes in (dad had a good day today) and insists we go to the emergency.  I say I'll phone and see if I can get an appointment with Dr. Nolte. 

He was going to be at the clinic at 6.  I started to get ready and Ken phoned from Melbourne to see how we were doing.
It was crowed at the clinic but it took only 40minutes.  Dad ended up missing his soccer game.

Dr. Nolte said it was one of the worse cases he had seen but the root of the problem was making an allergic reaction with the skin cream.  This was causing burning pain and the itch, and blisters..  I will be using ice on it again to-night but very relieved.  Healing should really begin now.

Brian and Traudl are home again and there have been a few problems with drainage tubs but her blood pressure has come right down.  They will go for radiation or keymo

It would be nice if all of us have a harvest Healing.

 Have a safe trip Nancy I am always happy to get home again.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

Time is a funny thing.  Sometimes it fly's by but once in a while is seems to switch gears and is extra slow.  Time actually can seem to slow to a crawl and every time you look at the clock the hands have not moved.

Yesterday dad and I were in complete agreement that is was time for both of us to go back to the doctor.  We both felt we were getting worse and I for one knew it.  What a team!

Dad realizes that when you are in pain you need to take medicine and I got some new pills that hopefully will stop the progression of the yeast infection that I thought was a bladder infection.  Although I think deep down I realized it was some thing more miserable.

The morning went quickly as we filled our prescriptions and did some shopping.  Dad even stopped at the liquor store for some orange drink that he had tasted at Jeff's house.

Carol dropped by for lunch and we got caught up in some of the news.  She even used the word "time" about going to their vegetable garden on the old farm property and had a small picnic there.

She said it was like going back in time.

She is now planning her future opening her own office to do counseling.  How exciting.

Now Haiti wants to stay out all night to wait up for the racoons.  I, for one, do not trust those mischief makers no matter, how cute they look.

Jasmine is now cutting her own hair.  Very modern styling. Thanks Ken for the picture.

I think it is time for change!  

WEALTH

Great health is something all the riches in the world cannot buy and it is the most precious possession!


There is a four legged, long haired creature who loves to bark and to dig.  She has chosen this spot to dig to China.  I have put some flowers there but dad thinks it is stupid.  Of course another hole has appeared over on the grassy side by the little stream.  Some dogs just have to dig.

I am so thankful for the health that I do have and for each new day.

I did not go to church yesterday but I seem to need some extra rest right now. 

Dad sat very hidden in his shade deck eavesdropping on people walking by, reading a book I picked up for him at the library.  The title is "Father's Day" and is about a dad who goes on a road trip with his special-needs son.  It is an emotional and yet humorous story about a father and son connecting and both becoming aware of their humanness.  An insightful story.  I will read it too when he finishes.

I am trying to finish my library book which is due today.

Panteli had a workshop out at Harrison Hot Springs. Certainly a wonderful refreshing place to be. Carol joined him on Thursday;  and then when he went home she went to Chilliwack to look after Morgan while the family where with  Ben at the soccer tournament.

I hope they had a good week-end.

IMPERFECTIONS

Nobody is perfect.
As long as we strive to be better,
Our imperfections are part of our journey.

How many times have I done something wrong and regretted it later?
How many times have I learned from this?  That is the important question.
It is important not to waste your mistakes but learn from them and hopefully become a better person.  I am talking to me of course.

Since Randy and Sandra have gone on this cholesterol lowering diet and they both look so good I thought I would also try to change my eating habits.  Right now I am trying not to eat sugar.  If I have one cookie a day it sure does taste good and I eat it very slowly.

Believe it or not dad has a little more energy and less pain than I do.  He trimmed some trees and went on a big bike ride.  We seemed to be taking turns to worry each other.  First I stopped in to see Gundy and was late getting back.  Then yesterday he stopped by Cathy and Jeff's new house and was late returning. 

By evening we were ready to sit side by side and watch hockey and then Heartbeat.

Afterwards as he started walking to bed he realize his feet were very sore again.  I am glad he is going to the doctor on Monday.

We all have questions about life's imperfection and the suffering we experience.

Christians have the example of Stephen, who was stoned to death and forgave and Jesus, dying on a cruel cross, and forgiving.  It is examples like these that enabled the Amish community to forgive the shooting of their precious children and also have compassion on the parents of the gunman.

These examples enable grace and love to flow out of evil and suffering.

This means trusting God in the good and in the difficult timed!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

THE CHILL

I would not have been surprised to see frozen icicles hanging from the trees as I step out very early in the morning.  It was cold!  I rushed back in to put on a warmer sweater.  Dad and I could hear the wind blowing fiercely during the night and imagining all sorts of things flying around in our yard.  It gave us a chill even though we were already in bed.  We had not listened to the news or we would have been prepared.

I was surprised to see Dad in our bedroom, with several eye glasses on  and  looking through a microscope at a tiny little black speck he had found on his ear.  Just like the one on his face when he first woke up.  Whatever it was it was not a bug as it did not move and he had no bite marks on him and he did not feel itchy.  I decided I would wash all the bed clothes in the morning which I did.  The mystery was solved later as they have come off to headphones he puts on at night.

Dad felt like doing some tasks around the house as his feet felt a little better.

I mostly just chilled out for the day and did not feel much like cooking so I went down and stood in line with all the young kids to buy salad's at McDonald's.  They are not bad and neither of us felt like cooking and especially not cleaning up.

Dad and I watched soccer which we have been doing everyday lately.   Except for a rain storm in Edmonton, which only lasted about 30 minutes, the weather has been good.

BETHEDIFFERENCE!  !  !

CHILDREN

Human beings are a mystery, even those we love,
 how well do we really know them
 even though we love them.

My four children are all very different and yet raised by me a stay-at-home mom.  This is not an easy job and requires many difficult decisions and  many difficult roll.

It is decisions like this that make you who you,  are for better or worse.

Life is an adventure when seen through the eyes of a child.

Ken was one of those kids that could never pass a telephone both without checking to see if there was any money in it.    And sure enough there often was.

Grama Bennett always sent the girls identical dresses in which I thought they looked so cute but maybe they did not.

Rick loved to go around shoeless which he still does today. 

But gradually they all have reached maturity and enjoyed children of their own, knowing that each one will develop in ways beyond the comprehension of the parents. 

Time is one of the most precious things we have as we travel along the road of life.  Dad and I had a strange day because we were both an hour off the real time.  Somewhere during the day an hour skipped by and when we thought it was one it was already two.  The both of us set off to take the milkshake to Jim for whom every day is a long day.

TEA TIME

We have very talented people who make up our signs and put them so people will know the way.  We have a lot of people from the community that come to share a cup of tea.  We also have a lot of old timers that have moved a ways away.

I think it is a lot of work but believe it or not some people thrive on it.

Dad even had second helpings and enjoyed talking to some new visitors.   A friend make a shortcake biscuit for me to have with the strawberries.  She had invited two others who were also GF.

This is the second blog today as I just down loaded the pictures.  Off to the drop in clinic with a potential bladder infection.  Most uncomfortable.

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

A very long night, a long walk to Coyote Creek & long prayers for Traudl and Brian.

Prayers are an expression of the heart flowing from the soul when we want to bless someone we love and care about.  I do not understand how this happens but like a lot of things these days I leave it in God's hands. 

Long wait to hear results that is the hardest part.

Dad and I saw two colorful butterfly's and a hummingbird flying around the flowers as we sat on the front steps.  Happy moments when we took time to discuss happiness sitting on the front steps together with Haiti at our feet.

Pain does drain your energy and enthusiasm for life but all we can do is try hard to get any treatment to improve.

Before we knew it, the time to go pick up Joyce was at hand.  When we got to the Seniors Home we found she had already left but we did not know with whom or where they were going.    What  a relief to see her sitting at the tea table happily chatting away when we arrived.  So many dear familiar faces that gladden the heart.

 

The church hall was alive with chattering people when we arrived.  It is a fun time to catch up on old friends who have moved away but who played an important role in our lives in years long ago.  I felt a little twinge of guilt about not helping but not for long.  I did for many years.

It appears that in this life we long for a life of meaning and purpose and we long to know we are loved and apart of a caring community.  This is why friendships are so important.

Brain phoned and the long day is over and Traudl is sleeping and pain free.  The main concern is her blood pressure which was away up but is coming down.  They hope they will be back hiking in several months but time will tell.

Today I will be back taking Jim a milkshake but we all need to receive more than we deserve.
Thank Goodness!

SIMPLE

Just a simple blog to match my low level of activity.

I am reading a simply delightful book called "As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley.  A story told by an eleven year old girl who solves  mysteries and has a critical eye and devious ways when judging adults.

I did some simple gardening, mostly watering.  I found two sunflower plants that Kim planted that were getting crowded out so I rescued them.

Dad went for a short bike ride and he is going to see the doctor on Monday.  He has to be honest about the amount of pain he is having and how it is effecting his life and also the families.

As for me sometimes not much happens in a writer's day, I have my walks and talks with neighbors and it is a simple life in many ways.

Today I am picking up Joyce from the Senior's Home and taking her to the Strawberry Tea.  Dad is coming too maybe on his bike.

It is harder to sleep when it is hot at least for us.

STRENGTH

As dad and I lose our strength it is important I think to grow stronger within ourselves.  Learning to laugh at ourselves is a good place to start.  Of course for me I gain strength in times of quiet prayer and that renews my faith, well to be honest there are times when it is not that easy.

Of course what we tell our selves influences how our brain re-acts.  I was thinking how tiny our little brain must be compared to that big brain that created us.

I think that for most people there will be times of losses and disappointments, frustrations and even poor health.

Nonetheless it is important to encourage ourselves by encouraging others.  It helps if I can trust God one day at a time.

Today dad took Kim's car in to be fixed and now it is back home ready to be used.

I talked to Traudl and Brian who are apprehensive about the major surgery she will be having.  Traudl has always been a happy soul with a good heart and she has been a blessing to my more serious brother Brian.  Now he is trying to crack jokes to keep her spirits up.

It seems like there comes a time in a marriage when the other person becomes your strength.

YOUNG AND OLD

A perfect cool morning as Haiti and I go around the park. She is becoming so much more obedient, At one end of the park a very elderly frail man is practicing  Tia Chi at one end and at the other end a teen age boy is playing soccer by kicking the ball into the net and running back and forth.  They are both in their own state of mindfulness.
Dad and I did make it to church to a very fun service that was to be a outdoor picnic service.
A lot of fun with our new minister who took us back over the years to 90 years ago when the United Church was formed


Next it wasover to Sandra and Randy's for a swim and a barbecue.

The pool looked so inviting and the yard beautiful with all of Sandra's handiwork.

We talked dad into putting his painful, burning feet into the pool and me, with my wrinkly old body in my new black bathing suit took a slow entrance for a swim.

Randy and Sandra were in the pool when we arrived and look like they were very happy.

I look up and see a line of birds flying by and think how like happiness they are.  They come and they go in their own time and in their own way, like our feelings of happiness or sadness.

There is a poem that says the soul has wings and that faith is the wind that carries it higher.

Happiness can be a thing of the moment.

Sometimes it catches me unawares and I enjoy  it while it lasts.

So yesterday was that sort of a day.  Very happy!

I am having trouble with the pictures so I will just leave it as it is as I am feeling some pain myself which seems worse when you are sitting at a computer, so I will call it done!

AGE

No matter what age we are or what our job is there will be problems.  As children there was the stress of doing well at school and making friends and the ailments of childhood illnesses.
Being sick to your stomach is not fun at any age.

Then there is finding a career that may change as we get older.  Staying at home is called a rewarding task but often it is hard to keep in touch with friends.  As a young mother I would long for adult conversation even though children were a joy to listen to and be with.

Now dad and I are old.  It is frustrating not to be able to do what we use to do.  I hurt my back every time I try to lit something heavy and I find if I am down on the floor getting up is hard.  These things just creep up on you.  I can identify with the older and wiser crowd now.

Haiti and I stopped in to see Gundy on our walk back from the park.  Gundy does not fuss over Haiti and she is happy going in there hoping to find some crumbs on the floor.  Gundy wants to make the effort to visit me and I hope she can do that.  She is fearful especially about not being able to cope and look after herself.  She does well to dress nicely, go shopping and cook nourishing meals.  She is interested in the news which we discuss too. 
she is annoyed at the cheeky squirrels eating all her bird food.

Her daughter lives on acreage and they get water from a well.  She is extremely happy when it rains.  This spring has been very dry so she will have to buy water.

Some people find the years from 50 to 70 very hard as they fight off old age.  Of course when you are fatigued you find you feel old too. Being forgetful can happen at any age but I use to worry about it more but have decided to laugh it off a long with a lot of changes!  Simple awareness of things like breathing, moving and thinking are what keeps us going.

Yesterday both dad and I were in pain.  His feet have gotten more painful and I hurt my back moving a heavy bench.  I should know better.  We have breakfast and lunch outside but do little work.  A day to read and relax and watch girl's soccer.

The good news I read is that the brain shrinks with age. but lengthy jaunts appear to preserve gray matter volume in areas crucial for memory.  -The Academy of Neurology

So don't forget to get out of the right side of the bed.

In this world you will all have some pain and suffering but this does not make the Ancient of Days the cause of our pain because he suffers with us.  God confronts Job with his humanity which means he cannot understand God so do not blame Him or question Him. 

"Only the most abject suffering by God, as seen in Jesus suffering, could assuage man's agony."
-Timothy Keller

Maybe church with a swim after but it will depend on how we are moving!

UNEXPECTED

We were on our way to the beach for an evening drive.  The sun made everything come alive with beauty and I kept wanting to stop and take pictures.  As we slowed down dad discovered this path beside the road.  Being such adventurous people we decided to walk and see where it would lead.  It was a lovely stroll with a bit of warmth  from the sun and a gentle breeze.

Dad was advising me where to take pictures so I said why don't you get the other camera and in down so instead of opening the car he started the engine and all the doors looked surprising him.

By the time he came back I had taken many,  pictures. 

We heard a train in the distance and came across what we think was a bridge over the water for the train. 

We think this may be a good path to take with Haiti especially when it gets too hot to walk to the park.

We do not often do anything unexpected but it felt good when we did.

Today was a busy day in the back yard hosing down the patio and cleaning up the garden.

Nice to have a visit with Sandra sitting outside and just relaxing.

UNOBSERVANT

I was amazed again today how unobservant I can be.

This is a dogwood tree that I never noticed in my many walks around the park.  It has just started to bloom.

I entered the Seniors Home looking for the people I usually have a chat with.  There is a very big sitting area at the front which looks like a living room with chairs and love seats placed around.

I sat down to have a visit and Francis asked me if I had noticed the new furniture.  Wow I started looking around and saw new furniture, walls newly painted and oriental pictures and ornaments.   The more I looked the more I saw and was very surprised.  It looked totally different.  There had been old book shelves with books placed in a very disorganized fashion. 

Jim was not impressed but happy to say his daughter has returned.  He would not say much which is not unusual.    Yes, he had forgotten he asked that I not bring the milkshake so was disappointed when I arrived without it.  I can relate to being forgetful.  I try to make an effort to see the man he used to be and accept that life is very painful for him now.  I try to be cheerful and pleasant.

I observe that I am still learning about my self and the way I relate to others.  Some people are certainly easier to be with while others require my infinite patience.  The important thing to remember is that often I do not realize how important my thoughts, my attitudes and my beliefs may have on some one else that can be as important as any words I say.


Dad took Kim's car in to have it checked as he observed it making some strange noises.  He wants it to be good for Mary and the children.  She will be here before we know it!

CONVERT

A cooler morning. I am training Haiti to come by letting her off the leash for a short run at the park. I started by having a treat in my pocket but now if I pat my pocket she comes. This is the only way she gets to have a run.  Usually in the morning we have the park to ourselves.

Dad put all his energy into his comment on my blog so did not go for a bike ride.  Also there was a piano recital at our church by the young girl who plays for us on Sunday.  She is amazing and is now a candidate for a Doctor of Musical Art Degree.  I went by myself but it takes an effort for either one of us to go out at night now.

So sad when we are taught to fear others with a different culture and religion.  Sadder still is our need to convert them believing we have the Only Truth.

Sad when two drug addicts are converted to becoming terrorists by undercover police giving them praise and money and skill to make bombs.

Looking at the native schools the priests and nuns  were sent by the authority of the church to convert and Christianize what they considered to be ignorant superstitious heathen.

That is the major fault of religion when it uses its power to create fear and gain control.

I realize now how amazing it was for my dad to see the beauty of the Native art in their bead work and in their head attire and their creativity.  Art can speak to us when we have an open mind and new eyes to see through the eyes of another.  My dad learned from books;  not by actually living on a street where there were a lot of Native families and negative behavior was seen.

After dad retired he took up painting but mostly painted old castles and churches and homes from England.

God has promised to walk with us through our pain and suffering and calls us to walk with each other as human beings of worth  through the pain and suffering that others endured.  The truth is painful but when faced change is possible.

I have experience being converted in many ways and times in my life and still am aware of that need every day.

RECONCILIATION

Be sure and read the excellent comments!

This peace and reconciliation report reminds me of my dad.  He left England as a young man after the war with a broken heart having to leave a German girlfriend.  His family did not approve.

He came to Canada with the hopes of being a Mountie but also with a very romantic view of the natives.  He was not accepted as a Mountie because of his eye-sight and it would be many years later that he would put his energies into creating a boy scout group that became centered around native traditions.

It was an older group and they would actually make a tepee and did bead and leather  work.  Everything they did was done by the traditions of the past even drumming and native dancing.  They also camped out and learned to read trails and be friendly with the animals.

I did not really appreciate all he was teaching them as I was a teen-ager at the time.  I would love to go back and talk to him about it all.  I have spent the day in memory lane trying to find a small book of pictures of his group and found lots of other interesting things but they are missing.

My dad did a great job with that group of boys and they all look back with pride and honor.

But sadly we now know how badly the Native children were treated. 

I should have been cleaning the house instead of getting down old boxes and pictures and going through it all.  It really was more fun although not successful.

Your dad had a better day today started by making breakfast and then going for a long bike ride in the forest.  He met another dog and stopped to pet him and Haiti knew right away he smelled funny.

CONFUSED

Some days I feel more confused than others.

Like a confusing weather report that did not match what was outside my window.  the radio saying it was windy and cold until I realized dad had the Toronto station on.

Then the kettle would not work until I realized it needed to be turned on.

Articles in the newspaper.
David Brooks who wrote a popular book on relationships called "The Social Animal" is now getting a divorced which does not seem like a good recommendation for his book.  Writers do not always live by what they tell others to do.

Weddings are easy - Marriage is hard!

Meditation has its dark side and is not an easy answer to be an escape from life even as it it meant to be living in the moment.  "The truth is no one thing works for all.  The spiritual journey is unmasking of oneself, (the ego) being more authentically yourself, and what ever leads us there can be an individual journey whether it is prayer or meditation or counseling.

I have not really been able to meditate very well so now it seems maybe that is a good thing.

The comics do not seem to be all that funny any more so that is confusing.  Certainly our grand children have different ideas about humor.  I like family circus and Dagwood and Blondie!

I have lost several addresses of grand children.  I phone Mary and Michael John instead of asking Sandra again about their address.  I do write things down and I think lists are very important as long as you can find it when you need it; like the list for the store when I am going there.

It wasn't so long ago that family were asking me for addresses like Ken's and Rick's etc.

Yes things change like the geese honking and flying overhead yesterday morning where flying north not south.

I am confused by the evil that is in the world and how does this relate to a God of love and mercy?

C. S. Lewis writes that the defiance of the atheist hurled at a apparent ruthless and idiotic cosmos is really an unconscious homage to something in or behind the cosmos which he recognizes as infinitely valuable and authentic, for if mercy and justice were really just private whims of his own with no objective and impersonal roots he could not go on being indignant.

The fact that he arraigns heaven itself for disregarding them means that at some level of his mind he knows they are enthroned in a higher heaven still.

Justice for me is part of a theistic framework.

"If there were no higher divine law-that define what justice is-there would be no way to tell if any particular human practice or experience was unjust or not,"  Dr. Martin Luther King.

There is a gift of peace that others have found even in a life that suffered abuse.  Hope comes not in the solution but on trusting a Higher Power to change us from within.