Mondays can be foul, loathsome creatures. The dull beginning of another long, busy work-filled week. It sounds like a screeching alarm clock, a groan - if not given life, at least you know it's there. It sounds like sighs, horns, and fingers tapping on the keys, producing not a word, just an audible expression of boredom. I don't want to start my week this way.
Mondays can be quick, hopeful creatures. The fresh start of what could be another, love filled, spirit inspired, new adventure. Even if it's an adventure with the same old routine, there's a way to make it different. They sound like a happy good morning, they sound like the end of a rainfall. They have the anticipation of a child.
It's the Monday after another beautiful friend-filled weekend. I'm listening to Peter and the Wolf, beginning my week on a high note as I prepare to dive expectantly into my studies. I remember studying Peter and the Wolf with a student teacher in grade two, talking about the characters, and how the music portrays them: quick, light, carefree, daunting, miserable, frantic. I wonder what my sound would be. Which instruments would sing my song. How it would make a listener feel. Would the melody be enchanting? Would it be memorable? Would it be pleasant? Would I care what others thought about it? Would it be an offering to God?
This weekend my song is more of a cheerful dance, freely running, freely resting, freely moving. A perfect end to an eventful, challenging week. Monday was on such a high and happy note - I received a paper back on which I'd been given a nearly perfect mark. Proof miracles exist. Tuesday was pretty good too, with the exception of some pretty heavy reading about the history of Africa. Wednesday evening, when I was supposed to be working on my french presentation for the next day, there was a fire in our building. Not just a false alarm, but a fire. It didn't quite warrent the eleven fire trucks which came, but evacuation was necessary. One of the apartments on the floor above mine no longer has a kitchen. Pray for this family! While we were waiting to get back in, we met some neighbours that I'd talked to before, and enjoyed warm tea with them at Tim Hortons, and having a chance to talk with them - sometimes even in French! Thursday morning I went to the Remembrance day ceremonies downtown. It was a lovely warm day - if you were in the sun. We had a great place to stand, due to being there very early. But after standing for more than two hours, my feet were so cold I could actually not bend them, which made walking back to school rather difficult. I spent the afternoon preparing for my presentation - which went terribly, I was pretty down afterwards. Here's where I must write how thankful I am for Amber, who always cheers me up, and reminds me to put my faith and trust in God's perfect love, and perfect plan.
Sometimes, when I'm with Allison, who came to Ottawa from Sooke for school this year, she'll introduce me to her friends as "home in a person." And that's how I felt when Hannah arrived for a visit from school in Montreal. Home in a hug, voice, laugh, and smile. We did all the things I would normally do on a Friday night, stayed up to late, slept in, woke up and cleaned the house. We spent the afternoon wandering around the Byward Market and Parliament, then came back in the evening to shop and fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, eat some slightly healthier food (Poutine and Beavertails had been our food for the day), and watch a movie. Sunday morning we got up, and in case we weren't awake by the time Sam and Lane picked us up for church (after church was supposed to begin), we definitely were by the time we got there. I love Sam, and love that he's willing to drive me places. But I am sometimes surprised that I survive the car ride. After church we (Sam, Lane, Hannah, Amber and I) had brunch at our place, and then left Amber to study while we went the the third world bazaar. We looked at lots of beautiful, crazy things. Played with a whole bunch of unknown percussion instruments, laughed a lot, and left with a few little treasures. Oh, and if you ever hear of a band called 4th World Bizarre, it's either us, or someone stole our name. As the sun went down, Sam dropped Hannah off at the bus station, and me off at my apartment, where I rushed to make cookies, dinner, and head out to go swimming with some girls from the neighbourhood.
I also learned that apparently, keeping a piece of bread in a jar of brown sugar will keep the sugar soft. I love it when neighbours come to my door.
Today's song is going to be thoughtful, and quiet, as I attempt to spend the next 5 hours doing school work. Hope your week is off to a good start too.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Messy Endings.
What an amazing week I've had. Fall reading week is such a lovely, lovely gift.
The last two days in Nova Scotia were so, so memorable.
Thursday morning we went to an exercise class with Amber's Grandma...who could certainly run circles around me. This was the second class we did with her, the first, Zumba, was kind of an aerobic, latin dance work out. Thursday's dealt more with weights and targetting specific muscles. I couldn't lift my arms above my head until Sunday night!!! Later we went to their cottage in Walton for an afternoon fishing on the beach. I sat on the rocks, holding my rod still and just staring at the water for hours. Watching tiny waves roll across the water and gently flap onto the shore. I watched the fog come in, and inched back as the tide brought the water closer and closer to me. I didn't catch a fish, but I sure fed lots of them! It was a warm day, and it was wonderful to feel the sun on my skin, and to wander around the beach with my jeans rolled up and my socks and shoes abandoned. I even waded into the water, though, for the sake of trying to catch a fish, didn't go past my knees. Oooooh I love water.
As afternoon became evening, we headed back to the cottage to have dinner. We were discussing how full we were, when Amber's grandpa noticed what was happening outside. The fog had completely filled the inlet where we'd been fishing. He thought I'd like a picture, and I did grab my camera and rush outside. But not because of the fog (which, is obviously not an unusual experience for me), but instead because the sun was going down. Beyond some trees, I could see the sky becoming bright pink and purple, and I had to run to the beach. I slipped on my shoes and bolted down the road trying to get to the other side of the trees so that I could experience it all. By the time I reached the beach I couldn't breathe from suddenly running, and from the overwhelming beauty around me. The pictures I took, though lovely, didn't capture it at all.
We left the cottage after Amber, after a reasonably large amount of hints and coaxing, managed to tear me away from the beach. We made it back to Windsor just in time to head to a haunted house put on by a local school. I was a little concerned about this, as I've never liked the idea of scaring myself. Luckily, I managed not to scream, potentially because Amber's Grandma did enough for all of us. We went from the haunted house to carving pumpkins, to watching TV, to going to bed. It was our last night in Nova Scotia, and finally, the clouds had been blown far enough away that I could see the moon and stars. After looking at the sky until I couldn't keep my eyes open another moment, I lay back in the silent, dark room, and slept.
In the morning we had breakfast, and went into town to go to the bank and post office, before going for a short walk in the woods to a waterfall that Amber's Grandma had been telling us about. We walked strait past a gate with a no trespassing sign, and followed the road until we found another sign nailed to a tree. "This is where we turn," she told us. It was beautiful. I don't think I need to say more!
Then we headed off to find some mud. Yes, mud. When the tide goes out, it leaves mud. Lots of red, squelching, gooey, smelly mud. We painted our selves with it, fought with it, and sunk to our knees in it. My camera is still covered in it. And incase that wasn't ridiculous enough, when we got back to the car, and watched Amber's grandfather line it with plastic so we could get in, we headed not home, but to a carwash, where he sprayed us off as we screamed and danced around. Now that's a memory I'll hold forever.
Memories, and full suitcases in tow, after an hour delay we got on the plane back to Ottawa, where we found something entirely unwelcome - SNOW. Actually, it was really just enough to be beautiful as it fell, it wasn't sticking or causing any problems.
Saturday, on the other hand, I was on my way to a friend's party when it began to really snow. And stick. By the time my friends and I arrived at our destination, snow had covered the grass and roads. Winter's a-comin!
(The snow is all gone now, but the morning temperatures are all below zero for the rest of this week/month/year/season.)
The last two days in Nova Scotia were so, so memorable.
Thursday morning we went to an exercise class with Amber's Grandma...who could certainly run circles around me. This was the second class we did with her, the first, Zumba, was kind of an aerobic, latin dance work out. Thursday's dealt more with weights and targetting specific muscles. I couldn't lift my arms above my head until Sunday night!!! Later we went to their cottage in Walton for an afternoon fishing on the beach. I sat on the rocks, holding my rod still and just staring at the water for hours. Watching tiny waves roll across the water and gently flap onto the shore. I watched the fog come in, and inched back as the tide brought the water closer and closer to me. I didn't catch a fish, but I sure fed lots of them! It was a warm day, and it was wonderful to feel the sun on my skin, and to wander around the beach with my jeans rolled up and my socks and shoes abandoned. I even waded into the water, though, for the sake of trying to catch a fish, didn't go past my knees. Oooooh I love water.
As afternoon became evening, we headed back to the cottage to have dinner. We were discussing how full we were, when Amber's grandpa noticed what was happening outside. The fog had completely filled the inlet where we'd been fishing. He thought I'd like a picture, and I did grab my camera and rush outside. But not because of the fog (which, is obviously not an unusual experience for me), but instead because the sun was going down. Beyond some trees, I could see the sky becoming bright pink and purple, and I had to run to the beach. I slipped on my shoes and bolted down the road trying to get to the other side of the trees so that I could experience it all. By the time I reached the beach I couldn't breathe from suddenly running, and from the overwhelming beauty around me. The pictures I took, though lovely, didn't capture it at all.
We left the cottage after Amber, after a reasonably large amount of hints and coaxing, managed to tear me away from the beach. We made it back to Windsor just in time to head to a haunted house put on by a local school. I was a little concerned about this, as I've never liked the idea of scaring myself. Luckily, I managed not to scream, potentially because Amber's Grandma did enough for all of us. We went from the haunted house to carving pumpkins, to watching TV, to going to bed. It was our last night in Nova Scotia, and finally, the clouds had been blown far enough away that I could see the moon and stars. After looking at the sky until I couldn't keep my eyes open another moment, I lay back in the silent, dark room, and slept.
In the morning we had breakfast, and went into town to go to the bank and post office, before going for a short walk in the woods to a waterfall that Amber's Grandma had been telling us about. We walked strait past a gate with a no trespassing sign, and followed the road until we found another sign nailed to a tree. "This is where we turn," she told us. It was beautiful. I don't think I need to say more!
Then we headed off to find some mud. Yes, mud. When the tide goes out, it leaves mud. Lots of red, squelching, gooey, smelly mud. We painted our selves with it, fought with it, and sunk to our knees in it. My camera is still covered in it. And incase that wasn't ridiculous enough, when we got back to the car, and watched Amber's grandfather line it with plastic so we could get in, we headed not home, but to a carwash, where he sprayed us off as we screamed and danced around. Now that's a memory I'll hold forever.
Memories, and full suitcases in tow, after an hour delay we got on the plane back to Ottawa, where we found something entirely unwelcome - SNOW. Actually, it was really just enough to be beautiful as it fell, it wasn't sticking or causing any problems.
Saturday, on the other hand, I was on my way to a friend's party when it began to really snow. And stick. By the time my friends and I arrived at our destination, snow had covered the grass and roads. Winter's a-comin!
(The snow is all gone now, but the morning temperatures are all below zero for the rest of this week/month/year/season.)
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