a tribute to my friend, Grace, dying and her husband, Lee, who is still here

a poem:

Here She Comes

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side, and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and there are other voices ready to take up the glad shout,

"Here she comes!"

And that is dying.

- Henry van Dyke (1852– 1933) American author, educator, and clergyman

So where have I been? or W. H. I. B.

The days are becoming cooler....maybe colder already. I have not written since early summer when the days had reached their longest and nights were short. Now we are approaching the shortest day of the year and I am writing report cards again. These are yearly cycles.....

Spring!
Days get longer,
Report cards are complete and handed out,

Summer is upon us
Ah, lovely summer with long days and warm weather,
Book reading - lazy days - family days - lazy days with my main man,....
Long days - family reunions - reuniting with dear cousins - with old friends

Fall is close,
Getting restless for new activities
Days get cooler

New class of students?...what grade am I teaching this year, anyway?!?
New students arriving

Days are still a mixture of summer memories: warmth - family - friends - road trips

New students and a new grade!
No.....half a new grade and half of an old one
Keep old students?
No, most are ready to move on to new teachers, new adventures

New students in my class. Who are they?
Some I know from older siblings who I've taught.
Some I have seen before in the school

A new challenge? Yes!
A new grade, actually a split grade with 4s and 5s. Yes!
Interesting new people? YES!!

Bring it on!!!!

The next week of summer

My brain has been having a wonderful rest and rejuvenation. Of course, I haven't talked to a brain surgeon or a brain specialist but I do feel more relaxed and I'm getting quite a bit of energy back!

Last Monday, we had a house guest, I looked after two very cute grandkids, and two other cute little grandkids stopped in to visit with their parents. It was a wonderful, happy, noisy time of connection! Then two of the grand-ones and myself went to visit Anna (daughter), had a little snack, went for a swim, stopped for a moment in a playground, then headed home. As we turned onto Main St., near our house, I decided we would stop into a bakery for some apricot loaf (yumm!!) We then stopped for gas and went through the car wash with the multi-coloured drops soap that gets sprinkled all over the windows. (wow!)

Then we headed for home. I still had energy but the little kids were very tired! Haa! Ahaah!!

Aaah, summer.

Summer and space

I have requested space for myself this summer. I realized after an intense year of teaching, I need a bit of a brain-space break. I say intense year because I love the job and intense because of the variety of characters that I teach and the fact that they are all such individual and interesting people, and some are just simply intense young people! These are Grade 4 students...9 and 10 year olds.

So I've requested a couple of weeks of just being with myself and resting and doing whatever I feel inclined to do. This includes playing the violin, bike riding, going to the library, reading newspapers and my current book, going for walks, talking with God, visiting my family when I choose and relaxing in the evening with my main man, George.

For me, taking this time is harder than it appears. For one, I have 4 grandchildren whom I love! Sometimes my sense of doing things for others clicks in and I begin to feel obliged to DO. Then I am reminded to lean back and take this time. This is why I have time to write this blog!

I was just reading my current book, "A Circle of Quiet" by Madeleine L'Engle. She wrote about loving becoming 50. "To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and am free to stand on the rock of all the the past has taught me as I look towards the future."

Here's to the future! It's early afternoon and I think I might go out for a bike ride and pick up some milk and mail a letter!!
:D

Life

So what is going on these days? Life. I have just read Laura's blog and Michal's also. They are excellent writers with intriguing ideas and thoughts! So, in contrast to my two intellectual daughters, I am not going to say too much. ......especially because it's Friday evening after a crazy elementary school Sports Day and then a dinner out with my main man (George).

I hope your days are lovely, and, if you are struggling or suffering in any way, you will find a place of tranquility.

Let me know if I can pray for you.

Me.

Report cards

It's report card time again. So I am blogging instead.....no I am just putting in a word or two to create anticipation of the "After Report Card Time"!!!
I had better get to work !!>>.......... . . ,

Dating with the Main Man

Dating you say?

yes

Haven't you been married for 38 years?

Of course!

So what is this about?

Well, partly in honour of the passing of an old friend, Bob Ball, and because we like the idea, we have decided to book a "date night" for most Friday evenings. We (George and I) usually meet up at home after a busy Friday and head out to a local pub, enjoy a pint of something and relax over a nice dinner.

We both look forward to it and it's a great way to connect after a busy week. It's also a lovely way to transition into the weekend.

Try it!