Wednesday 30 May 2012

Finished Business

Dear Jen,

So in all the excitement of the past days (alright and all the things keeping me busy during the day and awake during the night) I haven't gotten to a very looked-forward-to thing, which is to show you the finished product of my painted chicken coop! Finally after months of waiting May long weekend proved perfect! The forecast was for sun sun and more sun starting Friday and continuing for four days, with daytime temperatures in the 20's and overnight close to 10. The entire week beforehand I had planned to paint the coop on Friday, but Brad's accident having happened that Wednesday it also turned out to be a welcome distraction for us as we waited daily to find out just when daddy would return to us.

Just to remind you of the "before" look, here is a cute picture of the children enjoying some snacks on the coop a couple months ago:




And now here is the finished product!




Just as I'd dreamed: an outrageously bright red and orange base to contrast the vibrant blue of the house, with some fantastic drawings by Evelyn. She's got to paint lots of real-use projects this season: a bird house; bird feeder; bee house; and now this, which in my opinion is the coup de grace. What you see on the front face is, left to right, the farmers, a stripey elephant, a cow (note the udder), a tall dinosaur, and a short dinosaur under a starry full-moon sky. On the side are some chickens, I think, and possibly more dinosaurs.

Anyway, I love it. Makes me much happier than that hideous bare press-board. SO glad we finally got that done! Now to just find time to plant all the rest of my garden! It's getting just a wee bit late methinks...

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Raindrops


Dear Jacqui,

Do I think that it was God's will for Brad to get in an accident?  Absolutely not.

But, do I think he can use it to draw you closer to him?  Yes... yes I do.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, 
to them who are the called according to his purpose.  - Romans 8:28

In the midst of our trials it often feels impossible to know what good can come of this... but we can trust that the One who knows the number of hairs on our head has a good plan for us.

I so very much wish that I was there to carry some of this burden with you...  Let's talk very soon.

Love, Jen

P.S. I've been thinking on this in some of my own recent circumstances, and think it could be something "for you" too:

When you find God is all you have; you will realize he is all you need.

I'm praying that you sense God's presence and peace throughout this trial and have supernatural strength that can only be from him as you press on in the days ahead.  Sending you love!

Monday 21 May 2012

Blessing Hunt

Dear Jen,

Generally, it is rather easy to see the blessings in planned hardships--like your husband leaving you alone with the children three evenings a week to take night classes so that he can finish his degree that much sooner. When those plans are completely trainwrecked, I have still been trying to make a huge effort to see the blessings in that, too.

Seeing them turns out not to be very hard. It's staying focused on them that's the issue. It's hard not to think about how less than a week ago Brad was making promising connections at his federal government summer research position, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and how he was already half way through his four-week "Calculus 1" course, and how this weekend would have been perfect for Brad to take Evelyn on that camping trip she's been asking for ever since we confirmed that winter really was over, and how because of a split-second moment of inattention by a pregnant woman in an SUV none of that exists anymore.

But I'm trying not to think about those things. Because this is what our life is now--and perhaps the things that I'm disappointed about will turn out not to matter, and other unforeseen things will turn out to be incredibly advantageous. It's a challenge especially to see this lengthy bone-repairing surgery recovery as an opportunity, instead of countless lost ones--a waste of time.

But I'm trying. For one thing, instead of having a summer of busy-ness, stress, and absence, Brad's will be the complete opposite. The kids and I will get to see a lot of him. And I will have the opportunity to learn how to do lots of things on my own, like planting a garden, and cleaning a chicken coop, and remembering to water house plants. And Brad will have the opportunity to learn the skill of taking it easy and experiencing what others call "leisure time". And I will have the opportunity to prove (mostly to myself) that I really am capable of selflessly serving someone else (Brad's always beat me to the punch with that one). And Brad will have the opportunity to do a lot of reading--including to the children!

The great blessing of Learning Opportunities is always difficult to stay positive about. But I'm trying. So far I'm usually pretty steady in my mental control. But then again, right now all I can think about is wanting Brad to come home, no matter how hard it'll make our day-to-day. But I've got myself in training for the long weeks ahead. I really believe every pitfall in life is an opportunity to receive hidden blessings. Putting that philosophy into practice will be the challenge...

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Thought you should know

Dear Jen,

So I just made myself some fleece "kleenex"--meaning, I took a left-over strip of fleece I had sitting around and cut it into little nose-blowing-sized rectangles. I'd thought of trying it out probably about a month ago, but lucky me, I got myself a real opportunity to test the idea this week when I got a snotty cold!

I'm just full of luck.

The test was extra effective because I waited until all my actual kleenex was used up, so even though it's some fancy kind of moisturizer-infused tissue, my nose has started getting red and raw.

Those happy-nose commercials are LIES.

So I cut out one square as a tester, put it up to my dripping nose, and blew.

I should say that the experiment consisted of two components: 1. Will the material used irritate my sore nose? 2. Will the material actually remove the snot from my face and keep it safe and sound in the fabric?

Important questions.

SO. I cut out one square as a tester, put it up to my dripping nose, and blew.

And...

It was like blowing my nose into a heaven cloud! OH man. Soooo superior to kleenex. The entire Western culture is living in a prison of ignorance. If only they all knew: fleece is the way to go!

Oh--and also it surprisingly did absorb my nasal excrement quite well. So I cut 20 more.

Love,

Jacqui

Monday 7 May 2012

Life Progress...

Dear Jen,

I recently learned that there is in fact more than one good playground in town. It happens to be one that I'd seen a couple times before, as I drove down the long road that goes past the university buildings and fields and into sparse suburbia. Every time its vibrant colours attracted my eye, and as I zipped past I would try to catch a glimpse of the school to which it surely belonged. I never could find one, so it was on my list of "things to investigate". But then one day I mentioned it and someone said, "Oh yeah, that's the Bible Hill Rec. Park. I take my kids there sometimes. It's pretty good." So I got excited.

The timing of learning about this park was ideal, because the very next week Brad started work and so I needed to take Gavin with me to Evelyn's gymnastics class. I'd taken him once before, and he likes to try to struggle through the open window to clamour into the very fun-looking gym, and then cry in frustration when I won't let him. This park happens to be very close to the gymnastics building, and especially excellent: it was a clear, sunny day. Meant to be!

So I checked out the park:


And it's pretty cool! But that wasn't the best part of my park adventure. The best part was the "other mother" who was also there.

Isn't it kind of crazy and funny how trying to make new friends is a little too pathetically similar to trying to find a husband? It was totally this whole melodramatic scene.

"From across the park, I spotted you instantly. I'd seen you before, at other playgroups, and I'd always wanted to say hello, but the moment never seemed right. Now, alone at the park together, I knew this was my chance, but I didn't know how to begin. Tentatively I stood at a distance, pretending to be playing with my son, but really looking to see if you'd noticed me--trying to seem casual; trying to look cool; trying to appear like an attentive mother who also is laid-back enough to let my toddler brave the play structure on his own; trying to think of a witty line; trying to find an excuse--anything--to come close enough to you to use it. Then, just as I'd given myself up to my fate of loneliness and solitude, providence! My son became jealous of the red-steel jeep that your son was climbing on. Slowly, I sauntered forward, hoping I didn't appear too eager, hoping you didn't just see right through my facade (and yet...hoping you would), and then...you spoke! We connected--chatted about childbirth, about sleep schedules, exchanged names even...and my morning was made."

See? Just change around the details to be a smoky room at a party where you connect with that hot guy you'd been eyeing for weeks and you've got a romance novel.

Anyway, so that was my exciting Thursday. I've decided to even incorporate the park into my playgroup (which has had a grand old people count of ME--unless you include my friend from church with a 6-month-old who drops by occassionally), so now we are really like you! Park rotation! One woman on the FB group who has seemed really eager lives in Bible Hill and appears not to have a vehicle to get her over to my side of town, so perhaps this switch will even land me a single regular playgroup attendee! One can only desperately pray (no it's not that bad for me. I'm just a wee bit concerned for Evelyn because her only friends are the older kids from church who go to school all day long, and the one boy her age moved away a couple weeks ago, which she was quite disappointed about).

One last bit of not-actually-news, but just to keep you muddled and confused, it is looking possible that our living-in-limbo full-time-schooling sentence may be shortened by yet another year. As Brad discusses with professors and students and professionals and employers, he seems to be leaning toward stopping school with the Bachelor's. He's mentioned it to me a few times over the past few weeks, which means it is something that may actually happen. I guess the types of things he can do with a Master's aren't necessarily any more exciting than what he can do with the Bachelor's, and actually may be a wee bit less interesting. So...that would be only two more years! Do you think the job at FVRD will still be available?

Love,

Jacqui