Of late

The last while. Oh the last while. My mind has been swimming in the ocean. Have you done that? It's hard work and oh so tiring and you can be carried along in the direction of its desire rather than what yours might be.
I've been working longer hours and that's been a little taxing. And running around crazy like always and so last weekend I took a breather. It was rather strange. Saturday was so dark, even though there were little, yet strong moments of sunshine. I went outside and read on the front steps from a picture-filled story-telling journal Sherry left me. It was grandish. Then I had a nap in the sun for a tiny bit and got up and went in to the house and barely made it 5 steps before I knew I should re-direct to the couch before I crashed. I woke up at 5:30. I was still drained, just more awake, and so I hung out in my room, catching up on a few of my projects. I made myself a very very late supper of chicken strips and onion rings, and listened to a CD while I fell asleep.

Sunday I woke up a little bit rough, but it was so different. I had energy and motivation and got so much done and was joyful, and then I got a trampoline! I also had evening prayer with Andy and Pam and that was great. It was a sharp turning point. While we were waiting for Andy, I asked Pam if she would pray for me and Sherry. It felt like such a strange thing to ask because I didn't really understand why. So Pam started praying and every word was important and Andy came in half way through and looked up 1 Peter 1 and read it to me. And I wasn't sure about the significance at the time. Or what was behind it, even though he prayed to go along with it. I did know that something immediately shifted in my spirit that night.

I was bursting to talk to Sherry. Which was cool in an odd way. She's been really going after me to talk more, and now I had lots I couldn't wait to say, which actually, is how I usually am. I'm always getting excited about things and telling people. But it's not like yay, now I can solve Sherry needing me to talk more, it was, hmm, pure? good? right? Some word like those.
Challengingly I knew I was booked for the first half of the week. Monday I went over to my parents' to hang out with my family. Tuesday I went out to Cochrane. Wednesday I again hung out with my family. We watched Pirates 3. They've been trying for weeks to match schedules to watch a movie together and equally importantly, Melanie was leaving the next day for her big trip and I really wanted to be there and bon voyage her and pray and give her a hug and such things. I'd actually gotten off work early Wednesday due to the weather and so I tried to call Sherry then but alas she was out at a cafe. Instead I finished my week of prayer stuff.

Thursday. Finally. By now I couldn't believe the week. Amidst all the busyness, God had taken whatever he planted on Sunday and it had grown much larger. Andy's passage got into my spirit and yet again God taught me and showed me and shared the love between me and him and then connected it to Sherry. And it felt like the grinch christmas cartoon heart phenomenon, except mine was in no way small to begin with.
I was ridiculously impatient to get the work day over in the afternoon which had to be watched carefully since there was some frustrations going on and so I was prone to ugliness. Driving home was also increasingly impatient and again, please Nolan, calm down. So I got home and showered and snatched the phone much to Pam and Rebekah's amusement since apparently I was looking good, and maybe Sherry would see it through the phone... But no answer.

Supper was pleasant. Then we went out to DQ and began RJ's D&G. Driving home was fun. Then we continued the D&G after RJ with Pam. Pam is great. So is Ang, who had the perfect response. Then we got to pray. Which was super cool. I couldn't wait for each person to pray. Although while praying for the Blocks I ended up feeling a little, hmm, not out of place, but out of time. As if I wasn't connecting right now, but I would (which I did, the next morning on the way to work). After prayer, RJ asked me if I would cut his hair, which I was perfectly happy to do, but he could see the hesitation in my face, and I told him I wanted to try calling Sherry again, even though it was now quarter to eleven in Quebec. RJ and Andy were both great since they both agreed with me that calling anyway was fine. And so I started with her cell so as to avoid waking other people up, kind of, but no, and then the home phone which only gave me a machine again. And I left a brief message which wasn't very good, but I didn't want to talk to the machine. So then I went and well, then I ate several cookies and jumped on the trampoline a while and then came back and cut RJ's hair which was fun. Then I stayed up late with Andy going over french again.

Friday I was tired and ended up 15 min late to work and in my rush, I locked my keys in my car. So stupid, in a funny laughing at myself sort of way. AMA gave me a 300 minute, yes 5 hour estimate, which meant 3:00. Well I guess I'll be fasting today God. Watch over me because being light-headed and weak while working on the roof seems rather perilous. Kyle however insisted on buying me something when he returned after first break so we went to Tim Horton's and I got a chili & bun. AMA got there before second break after all so I got to eat the tasty salad I'd made myself and yummy yogurt and grapefruit. Then I was lying there and made up a little song in my head with the french words stuck in my head from the day before. Then I realized, I need to write this down because it's fun and I'll never remember it otherwise. So I did. When I came home, I needed to shower and clean up right away to get over to Jono's birthday bbq on time, but who was I kidding? I missed Sherry, and tried to call again. Nope, so off to the BBQ I went. It was so much fun. Smiles and jokes and good food and company all night long. Stayed late and then returned to get some sleep before getting up early to help Ian build a fence in the morning.

No materials so we stalled and went out for breakfast and then hung out and chatted. Ian's such a cool guy. I felt really bad for him, because like it always seems to go with construction, things went wrong and there were lots of annoying snags. Tomorrow after church I will go help him finish before coming home for dinner and the would-be final chapter of D&G. He was talking about how it's been really hard for him and Monica (his wife) to connect for the last while. It's always disarming in a way talking with Ian. He always says a lot of things that make a terrible amount of sense but I don't always have permission to pursue. Lots of other good things that I should do, but yeah wisdom comes out of that boy's mouth - God bless it.

Went off to Jeana's baby shower with RJ. Got to have a great ride out with him. The shower was good. It was fun writing a message in the cover of the children's book I got for Rylee. I thought it was bizarre when one of Jeana's friends saw it and made some comment about it being the best thing she'd ever read like that. Most of it was silly but there was some serious stuff at the end which was mostly a prayer. Oh God, draw her to your heart.

Yay. Then it was off to Jenn's for Ang & Kevin's engagement party the second, of a few. More good times. Chats with several people and great food and then RJ drove us home to relax because we were both quite tired out. And then I blogged. And I suppose I didn't include a great many things I was thinking about this week. So I didn't share the ocean after all, but what can I say, it's an ocean, and I'm sure you have your own, and I need to go to sleep.
God bless Kirk as he speaks tomorrow. Take away the confusing distraction of messy assurance/confidence. Instead bless him as his heart, so closely tied to yours, comes eloquently off his tongue and graces us hearers.

YES! Damien just called, well actually first Erin called, and then 3 minutes later he did, but they both wanted to know the same thing, if the girls made it home OK since they took the wrong turn (they were fine). And so I finally got to find out a nice way of asking for Sherry on the phone in French.

Es ce que je peux parle a Sherry s'il vous plait?

I miss her tellement