Fall

Yesterday was late summer, warm, sunny with a glow in the trees. Today is fall - the first day of it according to the sun too. Its damp, grey and now the leaves lay gummy in the gutters. Hmmmm. But I love fall. Soon the sun will come back and we can enjoy the colors, the crispness and the energy it brings.

I'm having my first day off of the school year. Its been super busy with new autistic kids, a schedule that was hard to manage and then to make it even crazier, one of the full time EAs hurt her knee and is off indefinitely. Gulp! But replacements were found for now and things are starting to run. I realize how much I like being with kids even though this job is more administrative in some ways. But like a grandparent, I sort of get the best of it. I visit, get to know the character of the kids, offer support where I can and then leave. There are responsibilities other teachers don't have like supervising the EAs, planning for the special needs kids, dealing with parents on almost a daily basis but I feel that I have been prepared for this job. And I have a heart for the parents with special needs kids. Its a tough road to travel sometimes and the joy I see at what seem like very small gains make all the work worth it. Some people have questioned why a private school should take on children with high needs - isn't the public school better equipped for them? At at some levels - especially in jr/sr high this may be true. But at the elementary level, where else should they be? They are a part of the body of Christ and they are our covenantal responsibility as much if not more than any other child.

Hank spent the weekend in BC with Ryan and Steph. Ollie was so grown up and cute. He recognized Hank when he came off the ferry from a conference in Victoria and they just had great time together. Its hard when your kids live far away but the times together are even sweeter then. I have tickets to go there for Ollie's second birthday so I'm counting the weeks now.

The birds are going crazy in the mountain ask - eating the berries before they migrate so I'm going to go check them out.

Our human frailty

I was very pensive about starting the new school year. I don't know if I believe in premonitions but after a difficult last half of the previous school year with Elliott being sick and my dad dying, I didn't feel ready for the new year. I kept feeling that we weren't finished with worry and unease. Sadly, I was right.

Our dear dear friend, Gerald Folkerts, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor on Wednesday - the first day of school. He is a larger than life person - first of all an artist but also an organizer, a dreamer, a doer, a singer, a writer - a wonderful friend and a committed follower of Jesus. He, his wife, Arlis, and their kids were some of the first people to welcome us here 20 years ago and over the course of these 20 years we have walked many miles together - good and bad but we have grown to truly love them. Brother and Sister in Christ who feel like real family. Hank and Gerald are accountability partners and Arlis is Iowa farm girl who grew up only about 10 miles from me but we never met until Winnipeg. It is a very difficult time and all of us who know Gerald and Arlis ( a huge circle of friends, family and colleagues) are fervently praying for healing. We feel so helpless and realize again our inability to fix our lives and our total dependence on our God.

Goodbye summer, hello school.

Its a cloudy and cool Labour Day. But Hank and I had beautiful weekend at a cabin on Jessica Lake in the Whiteshell. It was warm, sunny and very windy. We took a 6-7 km hike on Saturday and were able to paddle a canoe on Sunday when the wind died down for a few hours. Otherwise we read a lot, ate well and watched the waves on the shore. The Canadian Shield is an amazing geographic feature and the little bit we experienced on the weekend was wonderful. Coming from Iowa where a rock the size of a melon is a thing to note, these massive rocks that people build houses on!!!! boggle my mind. The trees clinging to crevasses and tottering over the blue lakes are almost a cliche of that area but still so beautiful. Check out the Group of Seven - they seem to have captured the aura.

The end of summer is always a bit of a melancholy time. The care free days go so quickly and though part of me really longs for the routines of fall, I also feel a bit anxious about what the school year will bring. This summer was difficult. We knew Dad was failing but death is always hard and his death has reopened some of the wounds of Kevin's. I don't know if that is why the trip to Edmonton was hard too. While visiting there, you always feel the empty spots that Dad, John Wilma and Loren would have filled. It is good to reflect on all of this but perhaps good to move on too.

Now school will start with all the busyness that brings. The excitement of seeing the whole gang again, the challenges of more students with autism, large classes (an item of praise after a fear of low enrollment in the spring) and Hank's role at the Collegiate
until January. But also, the beautiful days of autumn. My favourite season. So here we go. Goodbye summer..........

Grandsons and Libraries

Grandsons are a great thing. We took Elliott ( and Kayla) with us to the downtown library today. Hank sat and played with Elliott, shared a couple of board books and just had fun while Kayla looked for more information on feeding babies and some music scores. I just love being able to take home any book that looks interesting and keep it till I'm finished. I pay fines once in awhile but its so worth it. After that we went for lunch. Elliott is a little guy who LOVES to eat. If anyone is eating, he needs to eat - today it was Papa's garlic toast! The Jory's came for supper too and again we pulled out some books for Elliott.

When Ryan and Steph were here with Oliver in July, we went to the Munroe library on the first day they were here. Ollie and I had fun going through all their board books and he took home six or so to read at Grammas. I think its so great that one of his favourites is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Good books just don't grow old.

I love my little guys. Wish I could see Ollie more often but they are a joy!

and a time to die.

My dad died a little over two weeks ago. Mom called me and my siblings to come home on Sunday, July 6. All of us were just ready to go to church. We all got to church, talked to a few people and then turned around and went to pack to Iowa. We spent Monday sitting with him and my mom, reading the Bible, talking and just waiting. At 5:10 he quit breathing. My mom and Emily were with him. Jay was calling Lydia and Hank and I had taken a walk to see how Sandy's house was coming. It just shows how helpless and ineffective we all are in the face of death. We watched Dad's health fail drastically since Christmas, Mom lovingly cared for him at home through some really hard times with the help of wonderful hospice nurses and we all sat with him off and on all day. But when it came time for God to actually call him home, we weren't ready for it. This year I have read "My times are in your Hands" over and over again. They truly are.

A Time to Live......

Its a beautiful warm summer night and we just had ice cream with the Jory's. All babies are wonderful and cute but Elliott just tugs at our hearts. After so many hospital stays and so much worry, its just so much fun to watch him grow and be so normal. While they were here, my mom called. Dad is "dying by inches" as she says every time I talk to her and I think she is getting weary. My brother-in-law was talking about how she is living out her wedding vows so beautifully and I think it is something we all should remember. In so many relationships we see or hear about, people give up so easily. Marriage is hard and watching my parents now is very poingnant.

In two weeks, Ryan and Steph and Ollie will be here. I can't wait to see Ollie walking and starting to talk. Elliott will be aware of him too so the cousins should have some fun times. I realize more and more how precious family time is. I am going to enjoy my kids and my grandboys a lot when we are together.

Happy Canada Day

Its Canada Day! I've lived in Canada almost 33 years now. I've been a Canadian for 5. I truly love this country and am glad I actually became a citizen. It took me a long time but it was mostly because I hate filling out forms. I didn't have a deep philosophical reason but in the end decided that this is my country. I am an American by birth and I appreciated my childhood there but I became the adult I am in Canada. So here's to CBC Radio (and TV), heath care, the parliamentary system and Tim Horton's!