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.