Randomness accomplished

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...
At long last i sit before you and begin to say a few things about my life and such as has happened to and around and because of me in the last few weeks... Yes, i have been miserable at updating and my most abject apologies go out to all for that (all two of you that read this thing because it isn't really interesting or current!! Thank you to my loyal fans for sticking with me through hard times and good times.. I love you!!) Isn't that a good pic of us all??
At the moment, i'm listening to the soundtrack to Harry Potter on my computer but i'm sure in a few minutes, that will randomnly change to a classical piece or Switchfoot or Les Miserables or whatever else is lurking in my music files... mostly thanks to my younger siblings whose mission in life it is to introduce me to new music to enhance and broaden my listening horizons. Thanks again girls. What would i do without you?
Now that Mozart is orchestrating his way through my thoughts, I sit back to think about the last few weeks. They sure have been busy ones! I had a little panic attack at the beginning of July when i started to ponder the next month and a half and realized how full and busy all was. But now i'm almost done that long stretch and it wasn't really so bad. I shouldn't stress myself out so much and worry about everything. That's a big problem with me, worrying about things, worrying things to bits, things i don't need to worry bout or fret about. There's a verse about that - to paraphrase - don't worry what you will eat or drink or wear, because your Heavenly Father knows your needs and will supply you with all you need. Well, that doesn't mean a license to ask for whatever i want but it definitely means He knows what we need to live for Him and will provide it in His time!! That's so good to know, that we aren't in control of everything - we'd fill ourselves up with so much chocolate cake and would get sick - we so often, most often, don't have any clue what is good for us, do we?
As i peruse my calender, my agenda wherein my whole life is contained, it seems, i am happy to have been equipped with the strength to do all the things that are listed there. I surely didn't do it in my own strength cause that wouldn't get me anywhere. There are things that i have been challenged by, frustrated with and happy and excited about. So just what are all these things, you may be wondering...
*working - that may not seem any different to anyone - nursing is nursing, but this summer has been a challenging one - Hamilton Health Sciences has been running at overcapacity and this filters down to us on the ward in the form of medical admissions with multiple problems and no doctors to oversee them and a pile of frustrations for us poor nurses in the trenches. With our patients, we know the treatment plan (most of the time) and how to care for them in a routine but throw an NG tube at us or dialysis catheters or all sorts of strange referrals and we are left in a quivering pile of scrubs and alcohol swabs wondering what to do. Well, okay, it's not that bad but sure makes me think how much we get into ruts and routines (isn't it funny how close those words are?) and forget how to do certain skills. Well, i guess it's all to make us practice and learn right?
*in between working, i have beenhanging a few nights with Miriam - definitely not a very physically stressful time (unless you count half-hanging out of bed holding onto the siderail trying not to wake her up as my bladder slowly but surely lets out protests of fullness at three in the morning with no call bell in reach and the nurse on break!!! Hee hee, makes me laugh now when i think about it!!) but sometimes an emotionally draining one, although that too is getting so much better. It is encouraging to see progress with every time i sit with her. She has done so amazingly well and that makes me also realize how much our God can do... I also think about prayer. So many people praying for Miriam and yet God has an ultimate plan and yet He wants us to pray. I suppose that is the thing also that brings glory to Him, isn't it?
*having to care for our little abode all by myself as Carina was gone to PEI. Man, it's stressful to remember to feed the menagerie (including avoiding getting my fingers bitten off by the ferocious carnivorous bird that Joyce owns!!), vacuum the feathers that fly here and there, clean out the fridge of all the spoiled food that i don't get around to eating cause i'm eating most of my meals at Mom and Dad's (thanks guys!) and various other tasks that are involved in caring for a household. Well, she's back home now (yah!) and i have someone to talk to (at least for a day)
*driving up to Grundy - again, not a stressor but definitely a fun thing but driving four hours north after working twelve hours is a little bit not fun. But thankfully again, i had Corinne in the car with me and we chatted the whole way up there and proceeded to pack all of Grundy into a day and a half - canoeing, swimming, jumping, campfires, awesome camp food - thanks Mrs. V., and who could forget the outhouses?? Can't forget them, an essential part of any camping expedition. I had a wonderful time with Lauren, Amanda and Corinne - quote of the weekend "your nose IS cold!!" "your butt IS cold!!" I was so happy to be able to make it up there for even a short time. The sky is so clear and open and fresh and full of stars... and laying in your bed at night, attempting not to fall off your airmattress as you listen to the loons crying their laments out on the lake at midnight - nothing beats it!! Grundy, i love you!!! The top most pic on this post is from Grundy last year - i know, it 's a cheat and i'm not sure either why it ended up at the top of the page, i will have to consult with my technological expert sister to remedy that problem...
*Mom went to Holland and Helen to Romania - chalk up another two trips on the van to Pearson!! I seem to have been there so many times over the last few years - don't get me wrong - I love going to the airport - so fun to watch people and reunions and partings and fashions and hair styles and appearances and fictionalize the lives of those we don't know. Who are these people in their regular lives, why are they here, who are they meeting or leaving? Interesting indeed!! And i suppose, now with all the heightened security measures, that travel will not be so fun anymore - no liquids, no cell phones, no i-pods (not that i'd know how to use one of the those!) What a world we live in! Sad!
Dixie Chicks now... previously, the soundtrack for Sense and Sensibility...
* The great move! The shuffle towards Buffalo! The eastward trek! The journey to St. Kitt's! Yes, we have lost Rach and Mike to the greater metropolis of St. Catherines as they moved to their cute little house. It sure was hard work slugging all those boxes, and painting (aah, Rach, too bad we didn't have any pics of that!!) and cleaning and organizing! What a job! I hope your bed stays in one place on that crazy floor!! It really hit me on the way home after slaving all day in the heat to move all their stuff (they sure had a lot of it!) on the hottest day of the year into spaces not meant to swallow up so much stuff, that they have moved! That may sound very redundent but it's true... they lived at Redeemer for the last year and that still felt like they were close to us and hadn't really moved away, but now they're 45 minutes away (i know, still not long to go but longer!) and I miss them already! Won't see them at church or at Mom and Dad's doing laundry or the like. I sure hope they will still drop in once in a while to let us know they're still alive and good thing we have a great long distance plan. I guess i'll just have to learn how to be a phone talker!
Lord of the Rings....
*Campfire! I was only there from Sunday evening to Wednesday evening - i thought i would be glad to skip out a little early but found myself thinking a lot about the rest of the week and how things went and how were the kids i looked after and how did the beach go and such... I normally spend the whole time stressing about how things will go. I shouldn't do that since the Lord provides what we need at all times and He provided friends, new and old to keep my spirits up and that was great! The kids were fun and in general healthy - a few cut knees, tummy aches, bee stings (that freaked me out since there were two people with severe allergies to bees!), and a possible turtle bite! What in the world do you do with a turtle bite? I was on the verge of calling HealthCanada to make sure that we didn't need any special vaccinations or the like when i was told that it wasn't even certain to be a turtle! Talk about relief! How a turtle bites you when you're swimming is beyond me!
John McDermott
*Vacation in Quebec City - we're leaving tomorrow morning early to have a little French experience. We hopefully are staying in a bed and breakfast in Quebec City for three nights - if my French communication skills are at all up to par. My first phrase when i called to inquire at places was "Es-que ce possible de parle en anglais?" (not spelled right, i know). Most people were good with that. I'm really looking forward to this one! Spending time with Lauren, Mom and Dad. I hope we can see some whales! That's the one big thing i really want to do! So we'll see how Frenchified we are when we return. Oooh la la!
And so, that's been life in the last few weeks... packed full and running over. But that's okay, it's good to keep busy to keep out of trouble, right? I hope to be a little more faithful in updating in the future so the posts are not so long!!! What can i say? That's me, liking to ramble on and on!