November 2006 Archives

My mother and I are attempting to sort through the house - particularly her nooks and crannies (spare bedroom, her dresser, top of the china cabinet, the craft corner in the basement, you get the idea).

When my youngest brother came along, my father built an amazing bed for him with loads of storage built into it. It has a full chest of drawers under it, and if you remove the mattress, there's a secret door for more storage (whole boxes fit in it).

Well, I discovered some of my stuff still in that secret compartment the other day - stuff from high school, college, my year of service, etc. Amongst the 'treasure', I found a letter from the BIC-Geneva. Mark did his year of service there, and I had applied - basically as his replacement. Without knowng what their response was, I assumed I wasn't accepted and headed down to Guadeloupe. For years now, Mark and I told the story that I could have met him then, if only I'd read the letter (of acceptance).

Well, turns out I didn't get accepted at the BIC. At least now I can let go of any guilt about not reading the letter and responding to a possible invitation to serve sooner - so much for our story.

I've found other evidence of me slightly twisting my memories - often making them sadder than they were. It's freeing to find my 'correct' memories, though crushing to know why I'm finding them at all.

Okay, I don't put particular stock in horoscopes, but they're fun to read.

Today, mine was: "When condensed into story form, today's events are downright funny. Get your facts straight so that later, around the dinner table, you can sufficiently distort them." (I guess you're my dinner table)

I groaned when I read that, considering I had decided to apply for Medicaid today. This meant I had to go to a government office today. Groan.

And still I went. I grabbed a book, a banana, dropped my mother off at work and headed over to the "Department of Jobs and Family Services". I expected agony, pain, torture and disappointment. You know, the usual when encountering government bureaucracy.

Nothing. I walked in, turned in the application and walked out. No lines. NONE. Not one! They even copied documents for me so that I didn't have to hand over originals. They assigned me a case worker, and I even have her name and phone number.

I was almost sort of disappointed by the experience - or total lack thereof. Bizzaro-world. (and what a massive, massive relief that it is over!)

Every morning and night now, when I say my prayers, I put my hand on my belly. This way I feel like I'm including my baby - we're praying together. Sometimes, I will start with a children's prayer and then move on to other prayers more focused on me. That's what I did last night.

I was in the middle of my 'infants' prayer and I feel POKE, Poke, poke ... getting softer until it stopped. It was sooooo amazing. I wanted to wake the house up to tell everyone (aren't you glad I didn't? heheheh). I moved on to another prayer and POKE again, then it stopped. Now, today it's like I'm feeling the baby all day long. It's different from the poking of last night, but now that I've felt the baby I can tell what is the baby.

That's how my mother puts it anyway - that she's "having a grandchild" (might as well skip the 'middle(wo)man', no?).

For those of you who have requested photos of my pregnant belly, my Maman has posted photos. I leave it to you decide whether I actually have one yet or not....

I started walking today, being the good pregnant woman that I am. I'm back in the house I grew up in (from age 2 onward), so I thought I'd share with you what it looks like - in autumn - where I am from.

This first photo is my parents' house (re-sided and roofed by my father). Check out the beautiful maple tree that has yet to lose its yellow leaves.

I believe all of my siblings and I were newspaper carriers for the street at one time or another (Rae, were you?). My parents still get the newspaper.

I delivered the papers - from age 8 to 12 - on this side of the street. I must have been a sight to behold, being the little wisp of a girl that I was, with the big brown carrier bag slung around me, hanging almost to my knees.

This side of the street is also in another city, which means we didn't go to school with the kids living across the street from us.

This side - note the recurrent yellow-leaved maple tree - is our side of the street. My brother and I had split the paper route, so he had this side of the street while I did the other. It's the fire hydrant side of the street, so don't park on our side of the street!

As you look down the street, you can see it is lined with (bare) trees. It is lovely to walk down in the spring and summer with all the trees in bloom. I used to zig-zag down it as I delivered newspapers to stay in the shade as much as possible. You can see almost to the end of the street (in the other street shot). There's just one little final bend at the end before the street ends in Lake Erie. I always loved the end of my route, with the houses on the lake. I would finish my final papers and just stand in their yard for a few minutes looking out at the lake - usually trying to see Canada, even though my dad told me it was not possible with the human eye (not that I'm stubborn or anything!).

Finally, for those of you from more tropical climes (say...Brazil?). Here's what I wore out for my walk this morning:

Fortunately for me, it is one of the warmer, sunny November days. It's only getting colder from here. Our thermometer, which is in the sun, says it's all the way up to 50F/10C - and that's warm! :-)

No, I'm not referring to my high school's performance choir.

My father (Dustin) has been nominated as being one of the top 25 in the field of therapy!

Check out his radiant face and the accompanying article in the link below:

Congratulations Papa-bear!

And on my Maman's birthday no less! Happy Birthday, Maman!

The weather forecast for today states: "mostly cloudy skies and seasonable."

I'm a big girl now! I'm back out in the 'real world', and I've just celebrated my first holy day in my parents' community - which we hosted. It was a potluck. Here's some of the folks and the mass amounts of food we enjoyed!

My mother's entry is rather sedate, but we recently learned that she has the genetic marker needed to enter the clinical trial at the National Cancer Institute. Now they will check that her tumor has the same genetic marker and she is also making an appointment to rule out heart disease (indicating she's healthy enough to participate in the trial).

It's advancement and is definitely exciting! (in that roller coaster type of thrilling way)

Just in case you didn't know, as I appear not to have known, I thought I'd enlighten you:

Do NOT ram your finger up your nose in the shower (I'm not talking picking your nose, I'm talking jamming it as if you're preparing yourself for mummification). A bloody nose in the shower is ... awkward.

And then having the bloody nose come back as you're standing at the voting booth, and again in your parent's office, well, you know, it can be a sort of a bummer - especially when you're wearing the only pair of pants that fit you anymore and you bleed on them.

So don't do it. Consider yourself warned.

Tomorrow evening I leave the Baha'i World Centre, and with it Israel.

I had no idea it would be such a beautiful experience. I want you to understand there is no sarcasm in this statement. It may have a little to do with the fact that I'm in the second trimester of my pregnancy now, but that's okay, I'll ride this happy, ethereal, at-peace wave.

My last visits with friends, co-workers, and above all, the sacred places I have had the immense privilege to enjoy endlessly for the past 3 years. All of this, in such a condensed, concentrated form brings me indescribable joy. I thought I would be sad to leave, but how could I be when I am receiving confirmation after confirmation of all this love in the world that surrounds me? Furthermore, I am going home to be with family; family that I miss immensely. I hope that I can bring a little bit of this love with me to them.

On Thursday, we met with the Universal House of Justice. That's right. Me, Mark, and the Universal House of Justice. In its council chambers. (this is like meeting the Pope for some - it is the supreme governing institution of the Baha'i Faith) Now that experience is beyond indescribable - this body thanking us for our services - so I will simply have to leave it at that for you.

And go to my last visit to Bahji, which houses both the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and His Mansion - both of which I get the ineffable pleasure of visiting this afternoon.