Yep, after I was all smug and everything...I managed to acquire a flu bug. Thought I would be good and not get it this time. Haven't had flu for a couple of years. Guess I must have been a bit run down. I'm on the road to recovery now though and will attempt work tomorrow morning....just in time for a root canal in the afternoon.
It's just one jolly time after another, eh?
We put our little lit-up 'pumpkin head with a witch hat' on our balcony tonight for any little goblin that happened to wander by our apartment building. It's different not seeing the little ones all dressed up with their costumes and moms and dads standing close by to catch them when they trip.
Brittney's picture (and several others) will be in the Herald tomorrow. She was one of the 101 Dalmatians at Carlton High School today who was captured by the photographer. I'm sure she was the most lovely of all the Dalmatians there.....:)
So, Happy All Hallows Eve....tomorrow is All Saints Day! I shall be thinking of all those dear saints who have gone on before and who have positively affected my life....Dad, Mom, brother, aunts, uncles, friends...and many of whom I won't meet until I get to where they are!
Now go and brush your teeth....you've been eating much too much candy tonight!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
One more time...
I'm going to try this sleeping thing once more. Perhaps tonight I'll make it past 3:10 AM without waking....and remaining awake....:(
We received our flu shots today too! Now I can face those flu bugs with a bit of confidence.
Nite all.....sleep tight....dont' let the flu bugs bite!!!!
We received our flu shots today too! Now I can face those flu bugs with a bit of confidence.
Nite all.....sleep tight....dont' let the flu bugs bite!!!!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Insomnia...
I suspect it is the fact I'm having to take thyroid pills is the reason behind my insomnia.
I sleep really well....'til 3 AM.
Then it's tossing and turning, fluffing up the pillow, counting sheep until about 15 minutes before the alarm goes off. That really is annoying.
Wonder what this night will bring. As I type, my eyelids are slowly closing. Had better run and have my shower before I fall asleep in this chair.
And it's "Relay for Life" Cookie Day at work tomorrow. We made some pretty fine puffed wheat squares. If you stop by, you can have one for a buck.....good cause and all.
A subtle reminder that it's 60 days 'til Christmas. My name doesn't have any ornaments (above). Hope I wasn't too bad a girl!
Sleep well...I hear ice pellets on my window....:)
I sleep really well....'til 3 AM.
Then it's tossing and turning, fluffing up the pillow, counting sheep until about 15 minutes before the alarm goes off. That really is annoying.
Wonder what this night will bring. As I type, my eyelids are slowly closing. Had better run and have my shower before I fall asleep in this chair.
And it's "Relay for Life" Cookie Day at work tomorrow. We made some pretty fine puffed wheat squares. If you stop by, you can have one for a buck.....good cause and all.
A subtle reminder that it's 60 days 'til Christmas. My name doesn't have any ornaments (above). Hope I wasn't too bad a girl!
Sleep well...I hear ice pellets on my window....:)
Monday, October 24, 2011
Death aftermath...
Experiencing the death of a loved one can be bitter-sweet. We will them to stay with us...and yet...because of their constant suffering we will them to something better than this life affords.
And death can allow us to become one of the ones who knows first-hand of it's sting...it's unbearable pain.
We can't take a pill to make it go away.
We can't run away.
We can't busy ourselves into forgetfulness.
The pain is constant and it strikes harder in moments of sweet memory. We can't make those memories leave us either and most often we don't want to...it's really all there is left.
A bed made for two that now holds one in loneliness...a chair at the table is empty...the laughter, the jokes, the quirky humour, the teasing....gone. We find ourselves left with one tangible thing. We remain alive....and alone. Our hearts keep beating. We swallow some food to nourish our miserable bodies. We attempt to have a sense of being normal again but find that sense is illusive. We need it but we don't really want it...not yet. We don't want to be normal just yet because we think being normal means leaving all those feelings of our loved one behind. In fact, we get to feeling that our lives will never again be the same. And there is truth to that. The person who has died has left a huge gap in the life of the family. There is no one who can fill that void and we don't want anyone even trying.
Crying is exhausting and yet it becomes our way of beginning to heal the pain of loss. As days go by, the feelings of loss wash over us like huge ocean waves...uncontrollable, drowning us in our own tears, smashing us down again and again until we think there is nothing more.
Weeks pass.
We hear someone laugh and we find we are able to not cringe at the thought of such things amidst our sorrow.
The sun peeks in through the window and we notice it's warmth...it's not gray outside after all.
We are able to have a conversation with another without tears pouring down our cheeks.
The pain becomes less and the memories become more vivid. We think of our loved one with a smile on our lips instead of weeping.
Yes, the aftermath of death is painful and it hurts to our very soul but we find eventually that life begins to take us to the next level of being human....we have experienced death and know. We have become one of those who can go on to help someone else in their pain. We learn to sit and listen and hear the stories of the one who has gone. We learn that life will not always be as painful. We learn empathy.
Our faith can bring healing too. There is a "peace that passes all understanding". It is when we allow God to carry our burden of pain and to allow him to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death, that our burden becomes lighter.
Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and brokenhearted and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." To me, that is the best possible remedy for "death aftermath".
May my friends be comforted this night with the peace of Christ and by the fellowship of those who love them in their time of sorrow.
And death can allow us to become one of the ones who knows first-hand of it's sting...it's unbearable pain.
We can't take a pill to make it go away.
We can't run away.
We can't busy ourselves into forgetfulness.
The pain is constant and it strikes harder in moments of sweet memory. We can't make those memories leave us either and most often we don't want to...it's really all there is left.
A bed made for two that now holds one in loneliness...a chair at the table is empty...the laughter, the jokes, the quirky humour, the teasing....gone. We find ourselves left with one tangible thing. We remain alive....and alone. Our hearts keep beating. We swallow some food to nourish our miserable bodies. We attempt to have a sense of being normal again but find that sense is illusive. We need it but we don't really want it...not yet. We don't want to be normal just yet because we think being normal means leaving all those feelings of our loved one behind. In fact, we get to feeling that our lives will never again be the same. And there is truth to that. The person who has died has left a huge gap in the life of the family. There is no one who can fill that void and we don't want anyone even trying.
Crying is exhausting and yet it becomes our way of beginning to heal the pain of loss. As days go by, the feelings of loss wash over us like huge ocean waves...uncontrollable, drowning us in our own tears, smashing us down again and again until we think there is nothing more.
Weeks pass.
We hear someone laugh and we find we are able to not cringe at the thought of such things amidst our sorrow.
The sun peeks in through the window and we notice it's warmth...it's not gray outside after all.
We are able to have a conversation with another without tears pouring down our cheeks.
The pain becomes less and the memories become more vivid. We think of our loved one with a smile on our lips instead of weeping.
Yes, the aftermath of death is painful and it hurts to our very soul but we find eventually that life begins to take us to the next level of being human....we have experienced death and know. We have become one of those who can go on to help someone else in their pain. We learn to sit and listen and hear the stories of the one who has gone. We learn that life will not always be as painful. We learn empathy.
Our faith can bring healing too. There is a "peace that passes all understanding". It is when we allow God to carry our burden of pain and to allow him to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death, that our burden becomes lighter.
Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and brokenhearted and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." To me, that is the best possible remedy for "death aftermath".
May my friends be comforted this night with the peace of Christ and by the fellowship of those who love them in their time of sorrow.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Time for bed...
It's been another full day. Church and a class following. Baking a bit this afternoon. Darning a "family member's" sweater, book club this evening all kept me busy...and it's supposed to be a day of rest! Think I'm not quite into the practice of "Sabbath".
And Elroy has now passed from this life to the next...a sad time for his family...a good time for him. My boss's mother died too this past week. So there will be some heavy hearts at work and there will be time made for these grieving friends.
May God go with you into the night, helping you to sleep well and peacefully.
And Elroy has now passed from this life to the next...a sad time for his family...a good time for him. My boss's mother died too this past week. So there will be some heavy hearts at work and there will be time made for these grieving friends.
May God go with you into the night, helping you to sleep well and peacefully.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The remains of the day...
Say, that's the name of an exceptional movie staring Anthony Hopkins...a must see!!!!
After a good day, I find myself in somewhat of a melancholy mood. The stress of the past week is over and I find myself appreciating the "little" things in life again....good health, my family close to me (most of them!), driving to Elk Ridge for breakfast, seeing the tamaracks in their yellow coats, having coffee with a good friend, animals wandering about, the hues of autumn becoming less and less vivid....and the warm, brilliant sun in a soft blue sky. I appreciate these things so much! God has been merciful to me!
During my day I also took time to remember folks who are suffering and sick and recovering from illnesses. May God in his wisdom have mercy on each of them. Life isn't always a bowl of cherries; sometimes it has a few chunks of rotten peaches and pears thrown into the mix. But we take the good and discard the bad and we still have a pretty good fruit salad!
The sun is beginning it's decent as winter approaches. The shadows are much longer...only 60 days until the shortest day. But the building where I work is constantly displaying those beautiful shadows which I attempted to capture Friday morning as the sun rose.
Then this morning we headed to Elk Ridge for breakfast. A co-worker's sister was being married there today as well. The chairs were all set for their big event.
On our way back we stopped to watch this foxy fellow with his enormous bushy tail.
It was a very good day. I pray you may say the same....
After a good day, I find myself in somewhat of a melancholy mood. The stress of the past week is over and I find myself appreciating the "little" things in life again....good health, my family close to me (most of them!), driving to Elk Ridge for breakfast, seeing the tamaracks in their yellow coats, having coffee with a good friend, animals wandering about, the hues of autumn becoming less and less vivid....and the warm, brilliant sun in a soft blue sky. I appreciate these things so much! God has been merciful to me!
During my day I also took time to remember folks who are suffering and sick and recovering from illnesses. May God in his wisdom have mercy on each of them. Life isn't always a bowl of cherries; sometimes it has a few chunks of rotten peaches and pears thrown into the mix. But we take the good and discard the bad and we still have a pretty good fruit salad!
The sun is beginning it's decent as winter approaches. The shadows are much longer...only 60 days until the shortest day. But the building where I work is constantly displaying those beautiful shadows which I attempted to capture Friday morning as the sun rose.
On our way back we stopped to watch this foxy fellow with his enormous bushy tail.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Missing.....
Ya, I'm already missing those luscious green leaves and grass. They've bit the dust. To think we won't see that shade for yet another six plus months makes me want to put some new pictures on my walls....of greenery and flowers.
I will turn to these pictures and many more like them in the weeks and months to come when the temps dip down to -35C and snow and frost blanket the earth here in Saskatchewan.....'til next spring.....
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