See Ya!

Tomorrow, around 2:30 p.m., I leave Winnipeg for my trip to Southern Ontario. My folks are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary and *everyone* is going to be there. It won't be a terribly relaxing trip but I am looking forward to it nevertheless. There'll be lots of laughing and catching up with old friends and relatives.

I don't expect that I'll be doing much blogging while I'm there-mom tends to hover over me when I'm at the computer and that makes me feel uncomfortable. I will likely have lots to blog about when I get back though so goodbye blogger friends. I'll be posting in about 2 weeks.

The Prairies

Wes had to visit a job site in Brandon on Sunday and I came along for the ride. Although I am an urban girl, there's something that happens to me once I get out of the city and begin ridin' down the highway. I somehow feel freed of some of the responsibilities, anxieties and burdens that come with my life in Winnipeg. Don't get me wrong. I have a great life here and I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. But hitting the highway and just going is a great feeling.

I was reminded of when I first moved to Winnipeg almost 26 years ago. I had moved from S. Ontario-the Niagara Peninsula with its lush vegetation, mountain (it is actaully the Niagara escarpment-we just called it a mountain), orchards, vineyards and hilly and winding roads. The prairies seemed so flat and uninteresting to me. When autumn came, people commented on the beautiful fall colours. Everything looked yellow to me.

Today, I am grateful to say that I love the prairies. Driving to Brandon we saw the bright yellow canola ripening in the fields; the wheat which still looked green but which will soon be maturing to a beautiful warm golden colour; flax, still green but one day blue; the straight rows of potatoes near Carberry.

And the sky. There is nothing like a prairie sky. On Sunday, clouds mostly covered the sky-pure white cumulus; dark, heavy rain clouds-purple, grey, black; bright, clear blue sky and various wispy clouds. It was awesome. The prairie sky is huge. There is nothing to obstruct your view (except for grain silos, grain elevators, barns and farm houses) so that it is visible until it meets the land on the horizon. Driving home we were witness to another gorgeous prairie sunset and if you looked a little to the south, you could see the moon rising as the sun was setting.

I have come to appreciate and love the prairies. They have a beauty all their own. When I go to visit my folks in Beamsville, I enjoy the very different beauty of the Niagara Penninsula but I am always happy to return to my beloved prairies. There's something about the space and the vastness of the prairies that touches my spirit and "grounds" me. I look at this beauty and I see God. In my mind, this kind of beauty could not have occurred without a Creator orchestrating it all.

"So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky". And there was evening, and there was morning-the second day.

And God saw all that he had made and it was very good."

Genesis 1:7,8,31

It's A Miracle!

We have an hp 2210 all-in-one printer which we have owned for about 2 years. When it works, it works beautifully. I can fax, scan, print-even print pretty good looking pictures. The problem with this particuar printer is that IT HASN'T WORKED PROPERLY SINCE WE BOUGHT IT! Sorry for yelling but I can't help it. Every now and then, FOR NO REASON, the printer stops working and makes this annoying clicking sound. The only way to fix it is if I turn it off and on at least 50 TIMES. If I'm lucky, it will start working again and I will once again, enjoy everything this amazing machine has to offer. (Actually, it is usually Wes who does the off/on thing most of the time because he is far more patient than I am. I'm not too proud to give credit where credit is due.)

About 2 weeks ago, I did the off/on thing at least ONE HUNDRED TIMES and it still didn't work so we hauled out the old printer we have upstairs and hooked it up to the computer. We call this printer the "workhorse" because it never dies although it's getting streakier as it ages.

I missed my all-in-one and we can't afford to buy a new one so Wes did a most amazing, unusual thing. He went on to the Hewlett Packard website, asked for advice, and within hours, we received an email back, suggesting that we do some fancy acrobatics with our fingers while plugging in the power chord. We tried it, not expecting anything to happen but much to our amazement, it worked! I still can't believe it! I can once again use my printer/scanner/fax.

We have learned several valuable lesson through all of this.

1. When you enter some websites and ask questions, you may actually get a response from a real person. Thank you Clint!
2. Sometimes it is possible to fix an electronic machine rather than have to throw it away (which seems to be the case more often than not).
3. It's worth sending an inquiry. You may be surprised.
4. The next time something like this happens, I'm going to get help sooner rather than later.

Oh joy! Now, I'm going to check the Kenmore site to find out about my 1 year old washer.

I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing...

It's been a few days and I find myself enjoying the memories of last weekend. I bought a Wailin' Jennys CD entitled "40 Days." They weren't at the Folk Fest but they have been very much a part of it over the years. I've played this CD probably about 6 times already and I just love it. I love their lyrics and harmonies. The first song on the album "One Voice" is so incredibly well written and well done:

This is the sound of one voice

One spirit, one voice

The sound of one who makes a choice

This is the sound of one voice

This is the sound of voices two

The sound of me singing with you

Helping each other to make it through

This is the sound of voices two

This is the sound of voices three

Singing together in harmony

Surrendering to the mystery

This is the sound of voices three

This is the sound of all of us

Singing with love and the will to trust

Leave the rest behind it will turn to dust

This is the sound of all of us

This is the sound of one voice

One people, one voice

A song for every one of us

This is the sound of one voice

This is the sound of one voice.

The song begins with only one person singing..."This is the sound of one voice..." On the second verse, a second voice joins in harmony but the sound is "open." For you music freaks out there, the harmony in the second verse is mostly intervals of 4ths 5ths and 6ths. It sounds beautiful but it feels somewhat incomplete. On the 3rd verse, a third harmony joins and completes the chord. In the last verse, there is perfect harmony but notice the words "This is the sound of one voice." Three different parts, but all working together to create something beautiful.

Oooh. It gives me goosebumps. It is so simple, so clever and so beautiful. This is how we should view the world and our relationships. Many distinct parts but the potential to create something beautiful. I think that's why I love harmony so much. I enjoy all kinds of music but when I hear well sung harmonies such as the ones by the Wailin' Jennys, I am deeply touched.

Other things about the Folk Festival that I enjoyed:

• Standing in line for water. I stood in line for 1/2 hour, in the stifling heat, waiting to fill my water bottle. Yes, I enjoyed it because it helped me think about the millions of people in this world who have to stand in line for hours, in the blazing sun any time they need water. I am so grateful for cold, clean fresh water that is usually available at the turn of a tap.
• The harmonies.
• The sound. The sound technicians did an amazing job.
• The incredible diversity of people.
• Just hangin' out, eating junk food.
• Always hearing music.
• It was too hot for me to dance but watching people dancing especially to the sound of the Irish jigs and reels. They reminded me of fairies, even though they were full grown, adults and children.
• Parents and children enjoying the same music.
• We didn't encounter any obnoxious, rude people. People truly were friendly, cheerful and kind.

Like Heather, I can't wait for next year.

Making A Difference in My Corner of the World

(I began writing this blog the day I heard about the bombings in London but it wasn't quite ready to post. I still think it's worth posting.)

My heart goes out to our brothers and sisters in London who experienced the terror and horror of war in a very personal way yesterday. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be trapped in those carriages while smoke swirled around and darkness closed in. I am reminded of the terrorist attack in New York a few short years ago. While I may not agree with many of the decisions that the British and American politicians have made over the last few years, I cannot condone any kind of violence or act of terrorism.

Ken Livingstone, mayor of London strongly condemned the attacks. "This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful; it is not aimed at presidents or prime ministers; it was aimed at ordinary working class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christians, Hindu and Jew, young and old, indiscriminate attempt at slaughter irrespective of any considerations, of age, of class, of religion, whatever, that isn't an ideology, it isn't even a perverted faith, it's just indiscriminate attempt at mass murder, and we know what the objective is, they seek to divide London.

I must agree with Mr. Livingstone. These thugs are not ideologists, they do not represent anyone or anything that is Muslim. There is nothing "holy" about what they're doing. How can they talk about a "holy war?" To be holy means "to belong to, associate with, or consecrated to God or a divine power." What I know about God is that he is all about love. Killing innocent people on a subway is not an act of love.

I admire the British for the way they're dealing with this. They will not be intimidated by these murderers. Watching the news last night, most of the people interviewed said that they would continue working and living in London and using the subway. It reminds me of the many stories of courage we hear of the bombing of London during WWII.

It is at times like this, when the ugly side of humanity rises up that I wonder what I can do to change the world. I feel so helpless. Sure, I can write my politicians and get some form letter back from them thanking them for my interest. I can join organisations that promote peace and justice. However, I think that Mother Teresa had it right when she said, "Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy."

While I am an imperfect parent and citizen, I can begin spreading joy in my home, my neighbourhood and to the people with whom I come in contact. If I share something of the love of God to people around me, I believe that I can make a difference in the world.

Graduation

Here we are. Wes, Tim and I. Last night was wonderful and Tim's song was beautiful. His class gave him a standing ovation. I am so proud! And yes, he did pass. The diploma is authentic.