Today I am celebrating:
Letting Go
I love watching Sue Thomas, FBI. It's based on the true story of Sue Thomas, a deaf woman who alongside her hearing dog Levi joined the FBI and was a major part of it's team in Washington. The show features a great cast, and essentially a toned-down CSI, NCIS, whatever law-type show you like. But the part that always gets me (aside from the wonderment of whether or not Sue and Jack will ever actually be allowed to be together) is that Sue is a Christian, and not afraid to show it. Yesterday's episode was about a wedding she was going to where a bunch of her highschool classmates who were her tormentors then would also be attending. Sure enough they broke into rude comments, and Sue felt like she was 17 again. But an amazing thing happened. The next day one of the classmates came back and appologized. After he left Sue ran to be alone. When Lucy found her Sue told her how it all came rushing back, and how God gives you strength, and puts just the right people and things in your path to help you let go.
Part 2. This week Dave finally gave me permission to take down our wedding photos and replace them with others. I didn't want to get rid of them, but we do have two wedding albums, and most people have already seen them. I felt like by showcasing all of them I was trapped in a day, rather then living my marriage. Now that they're down, I feel hugely relieved, as if showcasing our first year of marriage rather than the wedding was a way to move on, to get past the things that weren't perfect about the day, and be able to move forward. It's been a tough year. I won't deny it. But we're stronger for it.
Part 3. Today one of the women I work with in the school told me about a former classmate who had come up to her and appologized for the way he treated her in highschool. Like Sue, at the time words from this man would have given her value, made her something. Now, it's just another chapter in a book she's already put on the shelf.
Part 4. Months ago Dave asked if I could get rid of some of my books. For any book lover/ collector, you know how difficult this can be. But I felt like it was time. There is now a huge fire hazard pile of books on the floor waiting to be given away (or burned in a couple cases), and I feel as if a weight has been lifted from me. I need to keep moving forward, getting ready for what's ahead, and not lingering in the past. I'm putting Algoma, all it's heartaches and troubles behind me, and looking forward to starting a Journalism program in the fall. It's time. Things are coming full circle.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Day Seven
Today I am celebrating:
Eating Outdoors
In the Summer, my family tries to eat outside as frequently as possible. For lunch the kids would usually make a grilled cheese and sit on the clothes line porch with our chocolate milk. Freqiently we'd have to fight off sad eyes from the dog, but there was nothing more pleasant then to sit oudoors and bask in the sunshine on your face. As time progressed and we began to work, I know I would frequently scope out a spot to enjoy my well-deserved lunch break under a tree or snuggled up on the grass. When I'd get home I was often greeted by the smell of dinner cooking, and together we'd lug our plates, utensils and food out onto the picnic table. Everyone seemed willing to help clean up if we ate outside for some reason. And for snack, after working in the garden, popsicles HAD to be eaten outside, sitting on a wagon while the sun crept down below the trees.
Now, we just sit outside because we can. On Sunday a couple of us ventured to Hiawatha, climbed up and sat on the rocks by the waterfalls. We didn't care about the pine needles, ants or what we ate. Everyone brought something, and everything was shared. We were a family. And that's just how meals should be.
Eating Outdoors
In the Summer, my family tries to eat outside as frequently as possible. For lunch the kids would usually make a grilled cheese and sit on the clothes line porch with our chocolate milk. Freqiently we'd have to fight off sad eyes from the dog, but there was nothing more pleasant then to sit oudoors and bask in the sunshine on your face. As time progressed and we began to work, I know I would frequently scope out a spot to enjoy my well-deserved lunch break under a tree or snuggled up on the grass. When I'd get home I was often greeted by the smell of dinner cooking, and together we'd lug our plates, utensils and food out onto the picnic table. Everyone seemed willing to help clean up if we ate outside for some reason. And for snack, after working in the garden, popsicles HAD to be eaten outside, sitting on a wagon while the sun crept down below the trees.
Now, we just sit outside because we can. On Sunday a couple of us ventured to Hiawatha, climbed up and sat on the rocks by the waterfalls. We didn't care about the pine needles, ants or what we ate. Everyone brought something, and everything was shared. We were a family. And that's just how meals should be.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Day Six
Today I am celebrating:
Patience
I work in a school. My kids are in grades five and six, and I help them with English and Math. Not that Math is my strong point at all. Which is why patience is such a big deal today. Although I could probably add trial and error to be thankful for as well. But after a disasterous day yesterday trying to teach them about fractions, my 'supervising' teacher and I talked about some new ideas to make fractions stick, and I tried out my ideas today. It was amazing, I could actually see the kids start to light up when they figured out the answer for themselves. I had them make shapes and figure out what fractions each colour was. By the end there should have been a music track going, watching them work. The best part? Knowing that I was patient enough to teach them. And go over, and over and over again with them. Sometimes I think I had more patience with them than myself!
Patience
I work in a school. My kids are in grades five and six, and I help them with English and Math. Not that Math is my strong point at all. Which is why patience is such a big deal today. Although I could probably add trial and error to be thankful for as well. But after a disasterous day yesterday trying to teach them about fractions, my 'supervising' teacher and I talked about some new ideas to make fractions stick, and I tried out my ideas today. It was amazing, I could actually see the kids start to light up when they figured out the answer for themselves. I had them make shapes and figure out what fractions each colour was. By the end there should have been a music track going, watching them work. The best part? Knowing that I was patient enough to teach them. And go over, and over and over again with them. Sometimes I think I had more patience with them than myself!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Day Five
Today I am celebrating:
Memories
As the bus turned into the driveway and around the turn around, I could help but let my mind wander as my eyes took in the res buildings, walkways and university. I am leaving, but I cannot forget the past four years. I remember my first look, and the thought of this place being my new home. I remember moving in, and freely wandering the school yard, unsure of where things were, where to go, or even really what to do. It's been a long four years. I wonder how many times I have walked these pathways, these hallways, these steps, and how many more times I will before I call another place home. At least for a time. I heard Yo Yo Ma's 'Hard Time Come Again No More' and thought of the summer before I came, and how it was those memories, those songs that got me through the first year, and defined who I was to those around me.+steph-chantal.bmp)
Memories
As the bus turned into the driveway and around the turn around, I could help but let my mind wander as my eyes took in the res buildings, walkways and university. I am leaving, but I cannot forget the past four years. I remember my first look, and the thought of this place being my new home. I remember moving in, and freely wandering the school yard, unsure of where things were, where to go, or even really what to do. It's been a long four years. I wonder how many times I have walked these pathways, these hallways, these steps, and how many more times I will before I call another place home. At least for a time. I heard Yo Yo Ma's 'Hard Time Come Again No More' and thought of the summer before I came, and how it was those memories, those songs that got me through the first year, and defined who I was to those around me.
+steph-chantal.bmp)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day Three and Day Four
Today(s) I am celebrating:
Picnics and Acceptance Emails
One thing that I always long for during winter is the ability to be outside doing nothing. Just sitting, or reading, or eating or something that doesn't require four layers of clothing, and little concern of freezing to what ever you're sitting on. And that is why, come Spring, picnics are in high order. Very high order. I'm pretty sure after lacking sun for so long my body doesn't really know what to make of it. It would explain my tiredness, and how I fell asleep in the shade. I only know this because I woke from a dream, and had to try and figure out where I was.
Picnics remind me of when I was younger, when all we wanted to do was play, be outside and get dirty. And now, in this paranoid, lets-pretend-we're-older-than-we-actually-are-until-we-actually-believe-it, hand sanitizer sits in bathrooms, as if soap isn't enough, and a spot of dirt is something to be ashamed of and must appologize for, even on a child. I miss when I could rub my toes deep into the dirt, or even better yet mud, without worrying about dog pee or goose poop. Somedays just aren't like they used to be.
On another note, I am officially accepted into Canadore's Journalism program. I'm pretty stoaked. When I was in highschool I wrote a column for the local newspaper about the happenings of MSS, my highschool. It lasted for two years. And sometimes I miss it. I haven't thought about it much since then, but as of late God has been bringing it back into my mind. And the more I think about it, the more perfect it really is. I am going to be a writer. I am a writer. I will write to make my living. How wonderful would it be if all dreams came true?
On another note, I am crushed at the way Kevin Sullivan adopted Lucy Maud's work. My life has been a lie up until this point. But Anne the Continuing Story will continue to hold a very, very dear place in my heart, even if it was romanticized.
Picnics and Acceptance Emails
One thing that I always long for during winter is the ability to be outside doing nothing. Just sitting, or reading, or eating or something that doesn't require four layers of clothing, and little concern of freezing to what ever you're sitting on. And that is why, come Spring, picnics are in high order. Very high order. I'm pretty sure after lacking sun for so long my body doesn't really know what to make of it. It would explain my tiredness, and how I fell asleep in the shade. I only know this because I woke from a dream, and had to try and figure out where I was.
Picnics remind me of when I was younger, when all we wanted to do was play, be outside and get dirty. And now, in this paranoid, lets-pretend-we're-older-than-we-actually-are-until-we-actually-believe-it, hand sanitizer sits in bathrooms, as if soap isn't enough, and a spot of dirt is something to be ashamed of and must appologize for, even on a child. I miss when I could rub my toes deep into the dirt, or even better yet mud, without worrying about dog pee or goose poop. Somedays just aren't like they used to be.
On another note, I am officially accepted into Canadore's Journalism program. I'm pretty stoaked. When I was in highschool I wrote a column for the local newspaper about the happenings of MSS, my highschool. It lasted for two years. And sometimes I miss it. I haven't thought about it much since then, but as of late God has been bringing it back into my mind. And the more I think about it, the more perfect it really is. I am going to be a writer. I am a writer. I will write to make my living. How wonderful would it be if all dreams came true?
On another note, I am crushed at the way Kevin Sullivan adopted Lucy Maud's work. My life has been a lie up until this point. But Anne the Continuing Story will continue to hold a very, very dear place in my heart, even if it was romanticized.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Day Two
Today I am celebrating:
Dandilions.
Funny, considering my husband and in-laws work and own a lawn-care buisiness, but they always remind me of spring. I'm pretty sure it started somewhere in my childhood when we would build dandilion chains and adorn ourselves and each other with them at school, church and at play. But forever dandilions will remind me of highschool, and sitting outside at lunch. As soon as my feet hit grass my shoes would be removed, and I would practically dance to the broken frame from the old greenhouse where we would always share our lunch on nice days. Maybe this is why I always know it is Spring when dandilions emerge. Their yellow petals so glad to adorn the grasses, their milky sap ready to stain anything brown, and their yellow heads, when held under a chin, revealing whether or not the reciever is in love or not. Not that I believe that last one actually works. But it is Spring, the dandilions have sprung.
Dandilions.
Funny, considering my husband and in-laws work and own a lawn-care buisiness, but they always remind me of spring. I'm pretty sure it started somewhere in my childhood when we would build dandilion chains and adorn ourselves and each other with them at school, church and at play. But forever dandilions will remind me of highschool, and sitting outside at lunch. As soon as my feet hit grass my shoes would be removed, and I would practically dance to the broken frame from the old greenhouse where we would always share our lunch on nice days. Maybe this is why I always know it is Spring when dandilions emerge. Their yellow petals so glad to adorn the grasses, their milky sap ready to stain anything brown, and their yellow heads, when held under a chin, revealing whether or not the reciever is in love or not. Not that I believe that last one actually works. But it is Spring, the dandilions have sprung.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day One
I think I just need a place to write. A place where what I think matters, if only to me, and hopefully to at least one other person who reads this. I just want to write. And for someone, anyone to see my photos. God makes beauty, I capture it with my camera. Someone should be able to share in its beauty.
But as for today's celebration:
My last exam.
It's been quite a year- the first year of marriage, dealing with inlaws and being away from home (again), trying to finish my fourth year at Algoma, only to find out I have to take FINA and do a final project encompassing both my majors, followed by a switch back to an English degree only a semester later. And then, letters in the mail basically stating that because my marks are just average, and I'm short a year (technically it's really only 3 courses, but you can't graduate with almost years), teacher's college is a no-go for me next year. I fear people won't understand. But I prayed, and I think God's pointing me in His direction and I may finally be listening. After a great lesson in humility.
But for now, I am finished, and I can revel in the knowledge that I am graduating (even if it is with less than I had planned for, but God always likes us to follow His plans, rather than our own, doesn't He. Comforting to know at least one person has a plan for our lives!). I have started my summer reading list, and can't wait to dive into the rest of the things I have planned. And hopefully they line us with His list. I think I learn more about humility everyday, even if I don't actually realize it that day.
But tonight, as my face snuggles my pillow, my dreams shall travel to the wonderment of being done, to the ability to cross one more thing off my list of life goals (of which I managed to almost completely finish two today!), and the perfect enjoyment of selflessly reading until I fall asleep with a book in my lap.
But as for today's celebration:
My last exam.
It's been quite a year- the first year of marriage, dealing with inlaws and being away from home (again), trying to finish my fourth year at Algoma, only to find out I have to take FINA and do a final project encompassing both my majors, followed by a switch back to an English degree only a semester later. And then, letters in the mail basically stating that because my marks are just average, and I'm short a year (technically it's really only 3 courses, but you can't graduate with almost years), teacher's college is a no-go for me next year. I fear people won't understand. But I prayed, and I think God's pointing me in His direction and I may finally be listening. After a great lesson in humility.
But for now, I am finished, and I can revel in the knowledge that I am graduating (even if it is with less than I had planned for, but God always likes us to follow His plans, rather than our own, doesn't He. Comforting to know at least one person has a plan for our lives!). I have started my summer reading list, and can't wait to dive into the rest of the things I have planned. And hopefully they line us with His list. I think I learn more about humility everyday, even if I don't actually realize it that day.
But tonight, as my face snuggles my pillow, my dreams shall travel to the wonderment of being done, to the ability to cross one more thing off my list of life goals (of which I managed to almost completely finish two today!), and the perfect enjoyment of selflessly reading until I fall asleep with a book in my lap.
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