13 Hours of Rain

I'm proud to be Canadian! Here are my highlights of Vancouver 2010: Record results - 26 medals, 14 of them gold. Third place finish overall, highest amount of golds earned in any Winter Olympics. Wayne Gretzky's trek to light the external Olympic flame amidst giddy fans. Alexandre Bilodeau going down in Olympic history as the first Canadian to win gold on Canadian soil. It was beautiful to watch his brother, who struggles with cerebral palsy, cheering Alexandre on. Watching Maelle Ricker's infectious smile as she became the first female to win a gold medal at home. What an achievement in snowboard cross after numerous knee surgeries! Figure skater Joannie Rochette winning bronze with courage and determination just days after hearing about the sudden passing of her mother. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's breathtaking dance on ice that captured the first Canadian gold in that event. What a beautiful couple! Kevin Martin finally winning gold in curling after a gruelingly lon...

Well, the following words have been added to my daughter's vocabulary: "Stop it?" she inquiries. "Yes, you need to stop it," I reply. "Listen?" she asks. "Yes, you need to listen," I respond, trying to suppress a giggle. "Naughty?" she offers. "Yes, you have been naughty. What do you need to say?" I ask. "Sorry." Then I pull her out of her "time-out" zone, the play pen (or play yard to be politically correct).

In conversation with family and friends, I have come up with the following definitions that may reflect the experiences of some Christians. Bi-Polar Spiritually Since Christ's principles are difficult to exemplify, the believe feels like giving up. Thus, he or she settles for maintaining a lower set of ideals. Yet, the believers yearns for something deeper. These yearnings can lead to moments of brilliance, where the believer leaps from the doldrums of life and achieves spiritual valor. Christian Service Quagmire As a believer enters the life of the church, he or she is encouraged to engage in Christian discipleship and service. The believer's spirit of volunteerism entangles him or her in numerous church activities. Within a short span of time, the believer is singularly dedicated to the programs of the church and has no time to spend with individuals outside the church. Hegemonic Church Practices In an attempt to revolutionize the practices of Christianity to be more aligned ...

I'm done. No more teaching for a while. Friday was my last day. Yet, it felt strange. Almost anticlimactic . I sat through a professional development session out of obligation; listened to Administration speak about registration procedures for a second semester that I will not be part of; received a "mention" in regards to my maternity leave; made a solo trip out for some Japanese fast-food; and spent the remainder of the afternoon clearing out personal items from my classroom. A few colleagues stopped to say goodbye and good luck. I handed in my keys and walked out the doors neither happy or sad. Just neutral. Whatever. Maybe I'll see you all later. Maybe not. Only God knows. Interestingly enough, out of all the schools that I have taught at, this was the one I was the least attached to. Why? A combination of factors are to blame. The school was quite large and it was hard to make personal connections with staff. My classroom was located in an isolated section of the...

A new year has arrived. An entire decade has past. The last ten years have been filled with many adventures and numerous changes. Teaching overseas. Completing graduate studies. Beginning a new chapter in my career. Falling in love and getting married. Partnering in bringing a new life into this world. I am grateful for God's gracious blessings in my life. As I stand at the beginning of a New Year, I am poised for new changes. Transitioning from full-time teacher to full-time homemaker. Welcoming another life into our little family. Granting myself grace and time to return to my pre -pregnancy form. Anticipating new employment for my husband. Possibly moving locations to support my husband's career. All these thoughts fill me with hope, excitement, and anxiety. Yet, I am desiring more than the natural life changes that I will encounter. I pray for a deeper relationship with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In a way, I have plateaued in my spiritual growth. I understand that su...

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph ) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD : "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever."And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. ~Ezra 3:10-13~ A temple destroyed. Many family and friends lost in war. Jews scattered and carried off in chains. Then, a miracle. A pagan king decrees a return to the homela...

Yesterday I went to school for the last time in 2009. Students were a bit crazy. I had all these fantastic plans on how to make the day memorable for my students. For my homeroom of only 15 kids, I bought donuts and put together little "gifts" that consisted of some stationary, chocolates, and candy. They were semi-grateful, in the beginning anyway. Then I dared to do a math game entitled "Equation Persuasion". What a disaster! I guess I was supposed to plan some big party and provided them with some mindless entertainment in the form of a movie. In the end, it wouldn't have matter. Some kids would have claimed that the party was lame and the movie was stupid . At one point, one student asked, "Where's my card?" I retorted back with, "Where's mine?" No response. When the bell finally rang, a few kids thanked me for the donuts. At least someone appreciated the trouble I went through. Sadly, this seems to be the norm. The students I hav...