It's Just Too Much - Thursday, July 21

Not in my lifetime, have I seen temperatures like this. Not here. Not in Southern Ontario. I just checked the Weather Network and the humidex is 48 degrees celcius. They said it would get that high today, but I still sit here stupified. My dad called to ask if I thought that God was mad at us. And a sign posted in Markham says, "Satan called. He wants his weather back."  So I ask, what's happening?

Just went out grocery shopping, thinking - I have an air conditioned car. It's an air conditioned store. But the shortness of breath that I don't readily experience testified that being out there is down right perilous. What are the people doing without air conditioning in their homes? I must be kind and invite someone over.

To See the Minutiae

Lately I've been thinking about life. Life itself. Not the grand questions, not the "meaning of life," kinds of musings, but of living things. When I look across a yellow field of, what is it, canola?, I think of the millions of creatures living in that place - field mice, moles and voles, beetles and bees. Buzzing things and flying creatures, all created for purposes beyond my understanding.

 At my friend's house, all nestled at the edge of the forest, is an oasis of sound. Jays and Pileated woodpeckers, crows and the rustling of the trees themselves, breathing in the presence of their creator. There are not many places in everyday life that are conducive to contemplation. There are no reflection breaks penciled in on the lines of my daytimer. But life is there. It's everywhere. Every tiny creature, like the twinkling fireflies in my yard at dusk, shines for a moment, fulfills its purpose and is gone. I want to see, open my eyes and see....life.

Time to Breathe Again

      Oh, how wonderful to just sit and write once more! The last eight weeks have taken me through a whirlwind of essays and articles, assignments and powerpoints, report cards and graduations! There have been tornadoes of papers in my kitchen and twisters of printouts and handouts landing on every flat surface in the living room.  But time has done what it does best when you're busy....it flies! The school year ended in a blaze of tearful grade eight girls and generous gifts of appreciation all round. And in just three weeks, my course of study at Redeemer University will be over.

      Funny how we pressure ourselves into doing and doing, going and going. We were not created to be flying monkeys trying to catch our hats while swinging from tree to tree. In the midst of it all, I've tried to breathe deeply and know that these stresses are causing me to grow. I've conquered some relatively deep fears taking this course. I've felt like an awkward kindergarten child at times. And a forgetful dinosaur too. In a class of young primary teachers, I'm the old one. More experienced perhaps, but definitely not more knowledgeable. I've learned so much from these colleagues. I look forward to implementing new teaching practices. Not just because they're new. But because many of them are truly better. Not just the latest and greatest, but truly better approaches to creating book lovers. And as an Language teacher, that's my goal. So here I am again....writing, thinking out loud. I've sure missed this.