A Sunny Saturday

Good afternoon!  I usually get my blogs done on a Sunday morning, but here I am on a Saturday afternoon, inside, even though the skies are a beautiful blue with the sun coaxing my spring flowers to look skyward.  But it is chore day and the laundry is in progress and my day job finished up for the weekend.

As I gently coax my fingers to type on my keyboard, I am a bit dizzy.  My walking hasn’t been very good today either, but I have learned to count my blessings.  My MS has been very patient with me over the last 21 years and only occasionally pokes me to remind me that I need to be careful.  Today seems to be one of those days.  Part of me really wants to retire, to rest and read the dozens of books that have piled up over the years.  The other part of me says ‘You can do it!’  One more year until my Kaitlyn finishes university and then I can retire on my own terms.  I know I can make it. 

I need to spend this year getting my coworkers ready to do what they need to do.  That may sound a bit like I’m the only one who can do my job, but I am the only one, at least for now, that can do it with the heart I put into it.  Not to sound like I’m patting myself on the back, but I try to put a little extra into every interaction I have with the people I work with.  For instance, when I finish this, I have cookies to make to take to our St. Lawrence Gas office in Massena, New York, on Monday, when I meet with them for the IT audit.  I know that when I retire, things won’t be done the way I like to see them done, but I like to set a good example.

Before I sign off for today, I shall pat myself on the back for a second.  I was recently nominated as a Gas Distribution Safety Ambassador.  There were 16 nominations and I was chosen as the Safety Ambassador for the office workers.  I am very proud of the work I have done over the years with respect to safety, including starting a newsletter three years ago, that I recently passed on to someone in the safety department to continue.  I used to do much more, in terms of committees and sub-committees, but I am down to just two monthly meetings that I attend and do the minutes for.  I was finding it too much.  It’s nice to know that I was recognized for the safety work over the years.

So, as I untangle myself from patting myself on the back, I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and week ahead!  It looks like spring is truly here and we can now look forward to seeing the buds on the trees and flowers opening anew.  God Bless!

Happy, Sunny Spring!

The sun is out and one lone crocus raises its little yellow bud to the sun on my front lawn.  Hopefully, more will follow soon.

I am so glad to be over winter.  Not that I am not expecting another blast or two, but I think that we can say that any snow that comes now will not last.  April showers bring May flowers and this week, the temperatures are forecasted to be in the double digits Celsius during the day and not even below freezing at night! Wahoo!

On my often blogged about topic of diet:  after a couple of weeks of feeling lousy eating wheat and promising myself to get back to the wheat belly diet, I am committing to do it this week.  The thing is, that eating wheat does not cause me any pain, which might force me to behave, but it does cause me to feel really crappy.  Add to that the drama that seems to be happening at work and I just want to hide in my house and eat!      

It’s time to straighten out and fly right.  I know that I can’t control what is happening around me, but with a bit more ambition, I can control me.  It would be nice to be in control of something!

On a totally different note, my dear friend Viv turned 89 this week.  I aspire to do half as well as she by that age, should I reach that age.  The stroke has slowed her down a bit, but has not dampened her spirit in the least.  Viv still expects that one week soon she will be able to return to SickKids where she volunteers one day a week.

I’m even looking into theatre tickets for her and me to see a show in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  I’m planning an overnighter and I think we will even check out the traditional afternoon tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel.  This is going to be fun!

So folks, today is a bit of a resting day.  I have a couple of loads of laundry to do, I’m afraid, but I shall be resting most of the time, to prepare myself for what the week ahead at work brings me.

I pray that everyone has a wonderful week and that your bulbs poke out of your garden, brave enough to face our spring, and cheer your day.  God bless!

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Easter Sunday, Christ has risen!  Rejoice! Rejoice!

On this lovely April 5^th, we rejoice and sing hallelujah, for the risen Christ!  We look at the rebirth of the earth here in Canada as we say goodbye to winter and hello to spring and the beautiful colors that represent that rebirth.  My crocuses are not yet showing in the yard, but my faith, like my faith in God, knows that they will come in their own time.

I pray that this lovely Easter Sunday finds everyone well.  It’s hard to believe that we are over three months into 2015, when I can hardly believe that it is 2015.  Time is flying by, but things are still getting done, work continues, and families move ahead doing all of their own things.

We had a nice little Easter dinner yesterday.  My oldest daughter is here for the weekend, which is nice and yesterday her stepsister Victoria and Victoria’s boyfriend Shavoy were here for dinner, so just the five of us, including Cavan and I.  Cavan did a delicious roast of beef on the smoker and I did a chicken in the oven.  Victoria brought a cute little bunny cake and we each had loads of calories to be worked off starting today!

Today, we have a bit of work to do.  Alysse brought some of her clothes to tailor.  She has lost more than 30 pounds and we have some adjusting to do!  I used to do a lot of sewing some years ago, but haven’t done much for a while.  I think I shall be able to take in a few pairs of pants!

So, I wish everyone their own rebirth as we continue into 2015.  Everyone has their own challenges in their life and my prayer is that we can all get through them and move on to the next one.  We will never be without challenges, so we must remember that God never gives us more than we can handle. So, we can do it!