I thought I'd depart a little from my usual family going-ons and write a little bit about something that's been on my mind lately.
When I entered university, I remember distinctly how I felt on becoming a number. All of a sudden I was given a 9 digit number by which I would be referred for the next four years. I needed it to check my grades, use the library, find my records, log onto the internet. It was the way I was referred to on class lists. I was so disturbed by my new anonymity brought on by technology that I even penned my feelings into a poem titled "In The Age of This World". It was a typical jaded university student's response to social surroundings, but as I reread it today, the truth of it still rings true. The gist of the poem is summed up in these lines:
With all these time-saving devices
I wonder just what is
The disastrous crisis
That keeps us so busy that we can't afford
To do things ourselves
In the age of this world.
***
Fast forward eight years and you come to a book I read not too long ago, called "Better Off". This fantastic account of an MIT grad who lives for a year in an Amish village totally inspired me. His thesis question was: just how much technology do we need to make life easier? How much time are we actually saving by using all these "time-saving devices"? His thought was to strip it all away and just see what he and his new wife could and couldn't do without. The conclusions were astounding. I won't go into detail, but all of you need to read this book. I know I have a completely different outlook on things now.
***
I know there are some fantastic conveniences that have been invented thanks to advancements in technology. You certainly won't find our house completely unplugged. But I now have some food for thought, and some interesting ideas to implement (once I'm able to get up and move around a little more!) Many of my concerns stem from the fact that I'm raising a son. I know that video games have become limb extensions, and that's definitely something I am going to avoid at all costs. (Side note: I heard an interesting quote I'm storing away for when Colin is a teenager: "Show me a guy glued to a video game and I'll show you a guy who's girlfriend I can steal in one week.") So check back in a little bit, and I'll keep you up to date on how we decide to 'flip the switch on technology'.
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Monday, 28 May 2007
A new project
I think I'm finally able to start a new project.
Every six months or so (as my schedule allows!) I like to pick up a new project. In the past, I've learned to knit, crochet, speak Spanish, paint a tile backsplash, and create a mosaic tile table (among others). I can't say I get to consistently use many of the new skills I learn, however there is a certain amount of satisfaction in starting and finishing something new.
I'm really excited for the next project I've decided to do. Our families have such a rich history and fantastic stories, and I want to record some of them. My own grandparents have spoken about writing a book about their work and travels in northern Canada, working among the natives. I can't say my life has necessarily been as adventurous as their's is (yet!), but nonetheless I think our own family record would be exciting to have.
So, for our children, I want to create a few record books. It will require some help from James and also from our parents, but I'm hoping they will be eager to tell their own stories. I'm preparing some lined sheets of paper with headlines about different aspects of our lives, which each individual can fill in with their own stories. At the end, I will create a cover for each book and then have them bound.
This is probably the biggest project I've undertaken, and it will require me to see it through from start to end, without dragging my feet. But it's amazing how much drive you can garner from excitement!
Every six months or so (as my schedule allows!) I like to pick up a new project. In the past, I've learned to knit, crochet, speak Spanish, paint a tile backsplash, and create a mosaic tile table (among others). I can't say I get to consistently use many of the new skills I learn, however there is a certain amount of satisfaction in starting and finishing something new.
I'm really excited for the next project I've decided to do. Our families have such a rich history and fantastic stories, and I want to record some of them. My own grandparents have spoken about writing a book about their work and travels in northern Canada, working among the natives. I can't say my life has necessarily been as adventurous as their's is (yet!), but nonetheless I think our own family record would be exciting to have.
So, for our children, I want to create a few record books. It will require some help from James and also from our parents, but I'm hoping they will be eager to tell their own stories. I'm preparing some lined sheets of paper with headlines about different aspects of our lives, which each individual can fill in with their own stories. At the end, I will create a cover for each book and then have them bound.
This is probably the biggest project I've undertaken, and it will require me to see it through from start to end, without dragging my feet. But it's amazing how much drive you can garner from excitement!
Saturday, 26 May 2007
Not so long ago
Back in February, I was asked to be the Assistant Camp Director at a week-long teen girl's camp run by our church. For those of you who know my love of working with teens, you'll understand just how excited I am. I myself attended the camp for six years and have great memories of those weeks.
Lately my nerves have started to get the better of me. Of late I have been reminiscing with friends about our teen years, and how long ago they seem to be (8 years since I graduated high school!) Now that I'm to be a teen mentor, 8 years seems like the blink of an eye. Can I really have developed enough wisdom and experience to guide others? The closer we get to the camp (early July), the more I realize just what kind of impact I can have on these girls. The pressure to make each decision correctly is mounting. I know that as teens, much of what I say and do might be in one ear and out the other. But this age is so crucial, and you never know when something might touch one of the girls.
I've also been asked to be a motivational speaker. This entails preparing a talk, probably around 30 minutes, to give as a workshop one afternoon. I have felt everything from ecstatic to sheer fear regarding this assignment. I'm no stranger to being in front of an audience - you don't get through 5 years of theatre and 4 years of film being shy. But interpreting a script is vastly different from preparing your own material. Yesterday I saw a clip about a Youth Speaker named Justin Lookadoo, and saw how engaging he is at telling stories and relaying messages. I lay awake most of last night, trying out my own bits, attempting to judge if I could actually pull this off!
I know I will spend much of my life working with teens - I've always known it. I'm not sure how, or in what capacity, but I do know I have a talent for reaching kids at this age. I think all I can do about this camp is regard it as another step in my learning and take a leap of faith that with the proper preparation, the right frame of mind, and a whole lot of humility, I'll be able to deliver exactly what these girls will need.
Lately my nerves have started to get the better of me. Of late I have been reminiscing with friends about our teen years, and how long ago they seem to be (8 years since I graduated high school!) Now that I'm to be a teen mentor, 8 years seems like the blink of an eye. Can I really have developed enough wisdom and experience to guide others? The closer we get to the camp (early July), the more I realize just what kind of impact I can have on these girls. The pressure to make each decision correctly is mounting. I know that as teens, much of what I say and do might be in one ear and out the other. But this age is so crucial, and you never know when something might touch one of the girls.
I've also been asked to be a motivational speaker. This entails preparing a talk, probably around 30 minutes, to give as a workshop one afternoon. I have felt everything from ecstatic to sheer fear regarding this assignment. I'm no stranger to being in front of an audience - you don't get through 5 years of theatre and 4 years of film being shy. But interpreting a script is vastly different from preparing your own material. Yesterday I saw a clip about a Youth Speaker named Justin Lookadoo, and saw how engaging he is at telling stories and relaying messages. I lay awake most of last night, trying out my own bits, attempting to judge if I could actually pull this off!
I know I will spend much of my life working with teens - I've always known it. I'm not sure how, or in what capacity, but I do know I have a talent for reaching kids at this age. I think all I can do about this camp is regard it as another step in my learning and take a leap of faith that with the proper preparation, the right frame of mind, and a whole lot of humility, I'll be able to deliver exactly what these girls will need.
Friday, 25 May 2007
My favourite time of the day
7:45 pm.
That's my favourite time of the day. It seems that it's a moment caught between the rushing of the daytime and the craziness of the night life. I don't know how it is that the hundreds of people in my neighbourhood seem to coordinate it, but there is a brief moment of peace that lingers in the evening air.
I love the sunset around that time. I don't usually look west, however, I look east. I love the warm orange glow of light that is cast on the buildings and roads and trees. There is a quality to the light that settles down on us that makes it feel like an enveloping hug.
Most of all, I love the time I spend with Colin, just him and I, alone in his room as we get ready for bed. He's bathed, had his bottle, teeth brushed and pajamas are on. I follow him as he pads down the hall and into his room. He surveys the books lying around and carefully chooses a few, which he sets beside me on our big blue chair. Then he turns his back to me and waits for me to lift him up onto my lap. We go through each of the books he has chosen, taken turns reading to each other. And when the last one is placed on the floor, he turns himself around and snuggles his head into my neck, bringing his left hand up to his cheek and closing his tender eyes. I sing. I don't know which one of us this moment is really created for - I'm guessing we both benefit as much as the other. Sometimes I go through five, six, seven songs, each with numerous verses. There isn't a set number, or set time. It's our time.
Ever since Colin was born, there has been one lullaby I consistently sing to him. It's a song I learned a long time ago that always stuck with me, called "Angel Lullaby". In my prenatal class, the instructor told us if we always sing the same song to comfort our baby, or to put them to bed, they will associate that melody with safety, and will be quick to calm themselves. I assure you this has been true. This song is Colin and my song. I think when our next baby comes I'll find another special song that I can share with just him or her as well.
"Angel Lullaby"
You came from a world where all is light
To a world half day and a world half night
To guard you by day you have my love
And to guard you by night, your friends above
So sleep, sleep, 'til the darkness ends
Guarded by your angel friends.
There's one stands softly by your bed
And another sits close with a hand on your head
There's one at the window watching for the dawn
And one waits to wake you when the night is gone.
So sleep, sleep, 'til the darkness ends
Guarded by your angel friends.
That's my favourite time of the day. It seems that it's a moment caught between the rushing of the daytime and the craziness of the night life. I don't know how it is that the hundreds of people in my neighbourhood seem to coordinate it, but there is a brief moment of peace that lingers in the evening air.
I love the sunset around that time. I don't usually look west, however, I look east. I love the warm orange glow of light that is cast on the buildings and roads and trees. There is a quality to the light that settles down on us that makes it feel like an enveloping hug.
Most of all, I love the time I spend with Colin, just him and I, alone in his room as we get ready for bed. He's bathed, had his bottle, teeth brushed and pajamas are on. I follow him as he pads down the hall and into his room. He surveys the books lying around and carefully chooses a few, which he sets beside me on our big blue chair. Then he turns his back to me and waits for me to lift him up onto my lap. We go through each of the books he has chosen, taken turns reading to each other. And when the last one is placed on the floor, he turns himself around and snuggles his head into my neck, bringing his left hand up to his cheek and closing his tender eyes. I sing. I don't know which one of us this moment is really created for - I'm guessing we both benefit as much as the other. Sometimes I go through five, six, seven songs, each with numerous verses. There isn't a set number, or set time. It's our time.
Ever since Colin was born, there has been one lullaby I consistently sing to him. It's a song I learned a long time ago that always stuck with me, called "Angel Lullaby". In my prenatal class, the instructor told us if we always sing the same song to comfort our baby, or to put them to bed, they will associate that melody with safety, and will be quick to calm themselves. I assure you this has been true. This song is Colin and my song. I think when our next baby comes I'll find another special song that I can share with just him or her as well.
"Angel Lullaby"
You came from a world where all is light
To a world half day and a world half night
To guard you by day you have my love
And to guard you by night, your friends above
So sleep, sleep, 'til the darkness ends
Guarded by your angel friends.
There's one stands softly by your bed
And another sits close with a hand on your head
There's one at the window watching for the dawn
And one waits to wake you when the night is gone.
So sleep, sleep, 'til the darkness ends
Guarded by your angel friends.
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Some of my daily reminders
"A morning prayer and an early search in the scriptures to know what we should do for the Lord can set the course of a day. We can know which task, of all those we might choose, matters most to God and therefore to us."
- Henry B. Eyring
"I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are and what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be. Create inspiring, noble, and righteous goals that fire your imagination and create excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work consistently towards achieving them."
- Joseph B. Wirthlin
__________________________________________________________________
I know more than ever (now that I am a mother) that life is infinitely easier when someone higher up is guiding me. He can see the big picture and truly knows and wants what is best for me. I wish I could remember this more often. Some days I'm just too stubborn and seem to want to take the hard road!
- Henry B. Eyring
"I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are and what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be. Create inspiring, noble, and righteous goals that fire your imagination and create excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work consistently towards achieving them."
- Joseph B. Wirthlin
__________________________________________________________________
I know more than ever (now that I am a mother) that life is infinitely easier when someone higher up is guiding me. He can see the big picture and truly knows and wants what is best for me. I wish I could remember this more often. Some days I'm just too stubborn and seem to want to take the hard road!
God grant me patience...
Colin: (makes the sign for drink)
Mom: Colin would you like a drink?
Colin: (nods. Mom gets him some juice in a sippy cup.)
Mom: Remember, the juice goes in your mouth.
Colin: (Smiles. Drinks. Pours juice on floor).
Mom: Okay. That means you lose your juice.
Colin: (Screams the entire minute I have put his cup out of reach)
Mom: Okay. Here is your juice. Don't pour it on the floor.
Colin: (Reaches for drink. Dutifully puts it in his mouth. Wanders two steps away, turns, smiles, and pours it on the floor)
Mom: Nope. You don't get your juice.
Colin: (Screams the entire two minutes the cup is out of reach).
Mom: Okay. One more try. The juice goes in your mouth, not on the floor. This time Mommy is going to hold the cup for you. (Struggles to keep his hands from tearing the cup from mine)
Colin: (Drinks nicely. Appears to finish. Takes three steps away, smiles, and spits the juice all over the floor. Is completely sated and doesn't care that I take the drink away again).
Mom: Colin would you like a drink?
Colin: (nods. Mom gets him some juice in a sippy cup.)
Mom: Remember, the juice goes in your mouth.
Colin: (Smiles. Drinks. Pours juice on floor).
Mom: Okay. That means you lose your juice.
Colin: (Screams the entire minute I have put his cup out of reach)
Mom: Okay. Here is your juice. Don't pour it on the floor.
Colin: (Reaches for drink. Dutifully puts it in his mouth. Wanders two steps away, turns, smiles, and pours it on the floor)
Mom: Nope. You don't get your juice.
Colin: (Screams the entire two minutes the cup is out of reach).
Mom: Okay. One more try. The juice goes in your mouth, not on the floor. This time Mommy is going to hold the cup for you. (Struggles to keep his hands from tearing the cup from mine)
Colin: (Drinks nicely. Appears to finish. Takes three steps away, smiles, and spits the juice all over the floor. Is completely sated and doesn't care that I take the drink away again).
More mishaps...
This morning we found Colin standing in his crib, diaper on the floor, and the entire bed soaked through! Somehow it seems he is discovering too many ways to make trouble for us! He seems a little young to be able to be such a monkey!
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