And we are off....

There is a minute in the middle of the day where the new IS are safely in classes, I have prepared enough for the classes I am teaching today and I have responded to all emails...
Breath.....In and out, in and out, in and out.

I sat in a daze in front of our TV last night and realized how things don't ever start slowly in school...it is gun shot start and we are off to the races. I have to be careful or I will wear myself out on the first lap..it's all about pacing. Up and down times, TV and conversation, running and sitting, reading and facebooking, quilting and gardening, cooking and eating out...the rhythm of school life and knowing it is all good in the balance.
Like this house on the top of a ski lift, waiting for the snow to make sense of its place, I have to be careful that what I do isn't what makes sense of who I am.  I can take busyness as a sign that I am significant or that I am doing significant things...neither is the case.
Breath...In and out. Love more, listen intently, laugh often, taste my food, enjoy my coffee, look to lighten anothers load...In and out.

a little bit of that

A little bit more of  random events on our trip northeast.

My husband turned 50, smack in the middle of the time here...could not celebrate better than with Elfrieda and Dad...they had him unwrap 50 gifts...I do love this soul.

Driving back we drove into the Rockies in the evening...caught a glimpse of heaven...and sleeping giants. Next time you drive, find the sleeping faces in the outline of the mountains...it will make you laugh.

When a car drove by and told us a wide load was coming...it wasn't kidding.

The amazing sisters...really remarkable friendship these women have had over their lifetime..it is enviable.

My father and husband...two men who love me dearly...I am so blessed.

A little bit of this...

Some bits of our trip to Saskatoon town and back

The old lady was breaking up again...and that isn't me...that would be our wonderful but cranky Mercedes. Traveled like a dream, until it decided to overheat. Well, that could be me as well :) I'm waiting for Scott to get some coolant in Medicine Hat.

We were watching these Ukrainian dancers and I started to cry. It is a strange, I mean really a strange aspect of unresolved grief. Needless to say, Scott looked at me and said" Menopause"." No" I said..".dancing Ukrainians always make me cry"....(that old overheating lady again)

So the last stretch of our trip home, this old Dame decides to blow a tire....she was nice enough to have it happen overnight while we were in the hotel in Revelstoke.

These days

I was going to write and ponder much more than I have. It is now the end of the summer and I'm not ready at all for school to begin. We just came back from my one week away and it was grand. There is an anxiety that curls around the start of this new school year and I just wish I was more excited. Mijo and Nick have come back from their family in MI...Curtiss family. I may be ready to talk about him in light of their discovery of his family. And they are such a good family. This week I will begin that yearly transition from summer to fall, being busy. It has been not so much these past weeks. Busy is overrated and too often a road to live on rather than an intersection to avoid. We place too much pride in doing too many things and no matter how much we think it's not healthy or good we add 'busy' to our cart. As if the more we do the more important we are. I'm not buying it anymore...selfish ambition has some roots in being busy. Do nothing from selfish ambition... A most important reminder this week before school.

Redundant

It seems I've said the same things on my last two posts..kind of. I apologize for the redundancy....it seems to be on my mind.

It is what it is

It is almost August and I don't think I have started summer vacation.  I am still a bit on edge and I don't really know why except that I have had to come to the school at least 2x a week and we haven't 'escaped' to anything.  Not even a simple day trip away...not anybodies fault but it is what it is. When August roles around, usually tension begin to rise. When I saw the back to school adds on TV, I changed the channel. It really isn't a healthy way to start a new school year but like I said...it is what it is and I have to figure out how I can get ready for the business of the fall without the rest of the summer. 
When we were in Papua, we would escape to this beach as often as we could. An all day away which was exceptional in its beauty and restorative value.  I don't have anything like that here...I need to find something similar.
I have accomplished some of my goals...I finished a quilt and started another. I have read many books. I have begun a running program, I have cleaned and re-organized the home. We are building a woodshed this weekend and the garden we planted is growing and producing. I haven't rested though...or disconnected from the drum beat of school expectations.
I'll figure something out...but a trip to this beach, if possible, would be exactly what I need.

on a side ...strange songs we sing on Sunday.

Before I begin...or even if I do...begin to talk about acedia...I need to have an aside. BTW...acedia is a heavy subject and to delve into how this affects me and when it affects me may require a depth of thinking I am hesitant to begin.

This has been a weird summer in that I still am working at least 2 days a week. Going into the office to do paperwork and to follow up on students and their agents makes me  a bit disgruntled.  Not because I have this job which I enjoy, nor that students are coming which is necessary...it's just mid-July and don't feel like I have had summer yet. Whine, grumble....
I am still training for my 5K..which has been pretty amazing for me in my hatred for running. I am my own trainer..you should hear me on the treadmill.
 "Come on, Heidi, you can run this...it isn't that bad, just 2 more minutes....not even a song."
So for the body part...I am in training.
For the soul part...I am also reading every day. These two work in tandem for me like both wheels of a bike. The other Sunday we were singing the song..."One day in your house is better that thousands elsewhere...

One thing I ask,
And I would seek,
To see Your beauty
To find You in
The place Your glory dwells
(One thing I ask)
One thing I ask
And I would seek,
To see Your beauty
To find You in
The place Your glory dwells

What struck me ...# 1. it is strange that we sing a song about That temple...#2..that His Glory no longer dwells in That temple but in this temple...me!  I am His beauty and His glory...Think on that next time you sing this song. Changes everything doesn't it? It makes me more aware of how I treat this temple, how I feed this place where the Glory of God dwells. I guess church on Sunday is where His Glory dwells because we are all there...It is a strange song to sing anyway...catchy tune though.