Glad for Distance

The vast majority of my extended family lives far away. I see them once every four or five years, or in between if some of them happen to visit Canada.

There have been moments that I’ve resented this distance – this separation from an entire part of my heritage. I’m a historian. I can’t help it. I value family and family heritage quite highly.

But what I really need to admit is that most of the time I’m very glad that they live in another country. That particular part of my family is the very epitomy of the word “dysfunctional.” I once described certain members of that side of my family to a friend who is never without a joke. After I finished, he kind of stared at me for a second, paused, and wryly said, “There’s just no punchline – they’re their own punchline.” To be honest, I think the constant drama, the constant issues, the emotional and spiritual tension would weigh on me far more heavily than it already does at times if I lived nearby. I feel called to love broken people, and break silences that oppress, but a lot of the time I struggle to extend that compassion to my own family, so mired in silence, so seemingly beyond restoration.

May God grant me a growing heart of mercy and restoration not only for the world, but for those within my own family.

Good Friends

I thought I'd stop in long enough to mention how much I value the people in my life, even the ones I only see once every month or too because of location differences, or schedule differences, or just lack of major effort.

I went to Kari's birthday party last night. I came home feeling bathed in love and restored in spirit. (When was the last time you could say THAT about a birthday party?) It wasn't that anything particular happened, it wasn't that there were stunning moments, it was just that I was with people who I knew were actually interested in my life, and in the conversations we were having. We didn't talk about anything earth-shaking, just the variety of things we hold in common and the things we don't. We even talked for a while about who (up to 5 people living or dead) we'd invite to our ultimate dinner party. Everyone from Bono to someone's mom were mentioned!

I am grateful for these friends, who challenge me to keep pushing for more things in life. I am grateful for hugs - I've discovered a huge affinity in the past year for physical contact, particularly the hug. And these people give them freely. I'm grateful for invitations to other events, for friends who share interests and friends who don't, and thus broaden my own interest.

I came home feeling warm and happy, and this is a rare occurrence for me after a big social gathering.

Thanks, Jesus for good friends.

Red and Blond

This is my new haircut. Not a great picture, you can't see the blond and the red really well, but I thought I'd share it because it made me smile.

Skirt Weather Coming Our Way?

I just glanced at Enviroment Canada's five day forecast for Calgary. There is skirt weather coming our way, possibly by Saturday!

Spacy

I just thought that I'd share with you all that my late night in combination with the cold/stomach bug I've been fighting for a week or two now have caught up with me, and I am having blond moments left right and center. In that spacy, can't quite believe the lapse in intelligence kind of way that I specialize in.