It’s still -475 (well it really was -32c) and we decided it was a good night to full our bellies with cheese and our hearts with smiles. So fondue and Mr. Bean it was.
I love them all, but I think my favorite episode is the church one. I’ve felt the same way in church many times – and every time I hear that one with the hallelujah I giggle out loud.
It was speech day at our 4H club today. Both kids were nervous and complaining about how they didn’t want to do it all week – but both got up and gave fantastic speeches. They are quite gifted public speakers it seems, and both have moved up to the next level to compete.
The boy, who likes it more than the girl, could actually have a career as a speaker. I was told by a leader today that he reminded them of my dad – charismatic, able to explain his point clearly, and well composed. That’s high praise – my dad was a really skilled speaker and really enjoyed drawing people in. Winning aside, that was huge praise for the boy.
4H has been a huge blessing for our family.
When we got Ella 4.5 years ago she made it quickly known that she was a close but no touching kind of cat. Not to say that she didn’t ever want cuddles, but she’d quickly get overtouched and need some personal space.
She was annoyed she had so share her world with the dog. But when we added more cats I thought she’d lose her mind.
But slowly she got used to her new siblings. She started to relax more, was more cuddly more often, and generally seemed happier.
And now things like this happen
The power of love never ceases to amaze me.
Often those who act like they need love the least actually crave it the most. True for Ella, but also true for the rest of us humans.
I was invited to join a friend at the Flames game tonight. It’s been probably 20 years since I’ve gone and we had absolutely fantastic seats.
I had so much fun. I need to go out (or stay in) and laugh more.
The Flames lost, but it still was really good hockey and really great company
I’ve been making an intentional effort to put more effort into my friendships. It’s a challenge, we are all busy and there are so many priorities that it’s difficult sometimes to remember how important friends are.
I spent some time this morning with a friend doing some work and some visiting. We are working at balancing and grounding ourselves and that is so much easier to do with someone else on the same type of journey.
Then this afternoon I had a laugh out loud text with a dear friend of mine who is also on the same type of peace journey.
We may have lost our minds but we have found our souls.
I’m so grateful for my tribe.
It’s -35C today and the schools were closed for a cold day.
The girl and I were watching a show from the 90s that referenced Y2K and she had no idea what that was.
When I described it to her, and tried to explain to her how freaked out everyone was she laughed and laughed. She couldn’t fathom computers not being able to flip over into the new millennium.
It’s amazing sometimes to think how many changes (digitally and in other ways) our world has seen in the last 20 years.
The boy and I had some alone time in the car doing errands today. He started quizzing me about my favorite sushi restaurants in all the places we lived.
Then he went through his sushi stories – memories of our favorite places and what he enjoyed most about them.
Apparently one of his favorite childhood memories comes from a day I took him out for a surprise sushi lunch.
The small moments.
We have been Patriots fans since our time in Rhode Island which has made the super bowl fun to watch in recent years.
This one, although being kind of a weird game in general, didn’t disappoint.
The boy watched with some friends – something he doesn’t do enough- and the girl and I watched with my cousin and family.
It’s been a good weekend filled with family things. My heart is full.
I was standing at then check out line at Costco this afternoon with my cart filled to the brim. I looked behind me and there was a man with a flat trolley with a toilet on it. I thought to myself that’s either good or bad. He’s either renovating or he’s had some awful explosion in the house.
I thought of offering that he go ahead of me but my cart had 4 huge water bottles and it was kind of difficult to maneuver, I was already running a little late, and I really wasn’t sure I felt like doing an extra kindness.
I got to the till and started unloading my things and I was thinking how selfish that had been of me. Like really, it would have cost me 2 minutes but saved him at least 5 to go ahead of me.
A man who worked there came and grabbed his trolley and said it would be waiting for him on the other side of the till and he could just wait in line without having to deal with the toilet.
And I thought this is my chance to make it up.
I offered he go ahead of me. He thanked me profusely and was saying how he appreciated it, when the store worker stopped everyone and said isn’t it nice to see there are still kind people in the world. That was so nice of you to let him go ahead.
I was kind of embarrassed but I smiled and thanked him. I know I helped that other customer out, but I think I left feeling even better than he did.
My take away lesson from this is that often I ask God for a second chance to get stuff, but I usually forget to ask for a second chance to give.
We had a meeting this morning with a few of the men in our community to gather history and information about our community hall. I was fascinated by their stories, and astounded by how accurate their memories are. I couldn’t remember what I did yesterday, but they could remember what happened in 1942 or 1968 at the hall. It was amazing.
It made me feel really happy to hear how much the hall was used in my parents’ and grandparents’ generations. It really was the hub of the community, and I feel like even with the bright lights of the city to tempt us, there are a lot of us who are feeling the pull for that sort of community gathering again.
I am always grateful for the fact that we live in a really unique community that has granted us a strong and supportive tribe, but moments like today really solidify that for me.
