13 Hours of Rain

X is for xylophone . Almost every English alphabet book claims this fact (because who wants to illustrate X is for xenophobe !?). As children grow up, they realize that xylophones are not as common as they expected. But "x" starts a word. A rarity for this obscure letter. Why am I am thankful for this? Simple: it's a constant. Very few things in this world remain constant. Geological structures erode. Human relationships evolve. Political frameworks collapse. But X is for xylophone. Our church held a commissioning service for our new pastor and his wife. As part of the service, the speaker illuminated the congregation on an Old Testament passage, 1 Chronicles 29:10-13. Here it is, if you are interested: David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, LORD, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in...

I think I am at risk of being pulled into the church vortex. And it scares me. Because being at church and being involved in church sponsored activities is very comfortable. Filling my life with people who are associated with my church, a place I am extremely grateful for, seems like the normal thing to do. When I moved here, I desired to develop authentic friendships with two groups of people: people inside the church and people outside the church. The first goal is progressing well. But my second goal remains elusive. Three years ago, my former church held a retreat. Our speaker was thought provoking and challenging. He said that we have room in our lives for about 150 people, including family. This number is not arbitrary. Apparently studies done on group dynamics have revealed that a person is only able to keep track of about 150 people in their lives. He also said that a person will probably be close to about 12 people, similar to Christ and his disciples (Try it...

My last post was a long one. I'm sure it deters readers. Thus, no comments. Though some words of affirmation or criticism may come. But this is not a call for sympathy. Just want to be succinct for once. Don't you sometimes wish you could run outside your house and SCREAM at the top of your lungs? I do . :)

One of my favourite units to teach in the old Science 9 curriculum was Soil Science . Okay, Soil Science wasn't technically in the curriculum. But it was an extension of one of the required units. And since I was teaching a group of talented, somewhat gifted, science students, I decided to explore something unique. Keep in mind, I have no formal training in Soil Science . So I learned alongside the kids. We mucked around in the lab examining soil samples under the microscope trying to figure out what kind of soil we were working with. We studied soil maps of our province (and now I realize, I have lived in three different soil zones in the course of my residency in this province). However, my fondest memories of the unit was the exam that I created with much thought and intentionality. I gave the students an excerpt from the  Lord of the Rings to analyse for soil types. Many students were ecstatic when they reached the question. "We get to read Lord of the Rings in Scie...

Disappointment. I struggle with wallowing deep in regret. I believe it is a product of my perfectionist leanings. I set a standard. No one can really attain it. Not even me. Let me illuminate my struggles with an example. My dishwasher. My semi-annoying dishwasher. The tale of my new dishwasher begins simply but through tragic twists and turns ends up to be a mini-tragedy. In numbered-list fashion, I recount the tale. 1. My husband and I walk into a famous furniture store in our previous urban dwelling. Due to lack of time and little baby boy who needed his Mommy to feed him, our transaction is short and to the point. Dishwasher needed. Reputable brand. Quiet. White. Build-in. We receive the specs. We are satisfied. We pay the price. We leave the store. 2. Dishwasher is delivered to our new home. Installer arrives. He calls me with bad news. Dishwasher has a huge "bowling ball" size dent in it. And it is stainless steel. 3. We return the dishwasher. And ask...

It's human nature. At some time, most of us wish we had some other person's life. Or at least aspects of that person's life. My husband and I were watching one of our few favorite television shows, a Canadian entrepreneurial show where small businesses pitch their ideas in front of five wealthy investors. The goal? To capture some of their hard earned cash to make it BIG. The last show we watched really hit us. One of the budding entrepreneurs was a mother of five children in a small urban prairie city. As she presented her idea, she admitted she didn't have any sales for her product (which was socks with snaps so you can keep them together in the laundry). This is usually a HUGE turnoff for the investors. When asked, "Why should I invest in your company?", she told her story. There were no professional photographers in her city. So she put an add in the paper and advertised her services. She wasn't a professional photographer. And she didn't even ow...