Here I sit, broken hearted...

Every time I sit in my bathroom, my eyes come to focus on a spot on the floor. It usually takes just a moment, and then the image becomes clear once again.

I got the inspiration for this post from visiting a post by Caroline, where she seems to have the same kind of vision as I do.

The lovely and shy Princess Diana in my bathroom tile?

Night Vision

Six days until my first road race. Sunday morning 8:00am I hope to finish in the top 15% of 1500 runners in the Winnipeg Cops for Cancer half marathon.

One thing I appreciate about the Spring is the early appearance of the sun. Running in the dark has never appealed to me, and so now when I get up at 6:00, it's nice to see that the sun has already kicked at the darkness and it has started to bleed daylight.

There is an almost endless kicking sound...or a pounding if you will, when runners run. It's that endless sound what drives us forward, setting us into a numbing trance. It's the trance that allows us to come to the finish without stopping. Kicking at the night, endlessly pounding the ground in an effort to shave some time. A little more of this to shave a little of that. I often wonder why I do it while I am doing it...but when I am done, then I know. I can clearly see the motivation, even if I sometimes have to run in the dark.

I'm So Vain

Cherrypie has tagged me. I must list six random things about myself, and then tag six more people. She has instructed me to first post my six things, then go to six other blogs and let them know they are tagged and to find the details on your blog.

Some people are tagged often and find it to be annoying. As it's my first, this seems like fun...so here it is:

1. This morning I sat ALONE in the 30 person hot tub, after completing my 100 lengths of the 25 metre pool, and I found myself embarrassed to find that my fingers were tapping along to a dance mix version of You're So Vain by Carly Simon. Did I mention that I was in the hottub alone?!
2. I am allergic to nothing... but everything I eat gives me gas. (perhaps that's why I was alone in the hottub)
3. I've been playing the guitar for 31 years.
4. I smoked my first cigarette when I was eight, and there was a group of us who used to roll brown dried corn hair in cigarette paper whenever we couldn't sneak smokes from Brad Friesen's dad. I also smoked for three years in high school and then again for six more years after my first undergraduate degree. I have been smoke free for seven years.
5. I love to cook, although I don't often. One of my favourite things to make is Prairie Blackbean Soup, who's recipe I lifted from the Westin Hotel in Winnipeg while working as a waiter. I will one day send the recipe to Cream so he can post it in his Food Blog.
6. My favourite time of day is the first two hours after I get home from work. The work day is finished, the family is all at home, and I have not yet begun to think about the next day's work. All of this combined with a favourite drink makes for a precious two hours.

Now it's your turn...

Darren

Christy

Carol

Shelley

Christine

And anyone else who cares to be vain.

In my neighbourhood

I’m the sort of person who thinks really highly of himself, and feels that there will be something extrememly important waiting for him in the mail.That’s why I stop here on the way home each day.

Today was no exception. I walked down the short hallway to box 1018.

I opened the box, and lo and behold...I am important after all. A package awaits. With card in hand, I head over to the service desk.

Oooooh...I wonder what it is? It comes all the way from British Columbia. The post lady plays along with an understanding smile. I immediately take it home and place it on the dinner table.

What do I do now? Should I wait until Joyce is in the house? Nah...I can’t wait.Where’s my pocket knife? Oh yeah...it’s in my pocket.

Aha...there it is. Just as promised...six business days later. WONDERFUL.

Andrea Pratt's Apple Branch .

THANKS ANDREA PRATT.You’ve made Brian one Happy Mennonite.

Easter Appendage

My camera and I, we are one in the same.

I always have it with me, to miss these would have been a shame.

My son whom I love, all cloistered in Red,

Played all the day long, "Is it really time for bed?"

Chalk Talk

Going for an Easter day walk, we passed by my favourite driveway in all the town. But who has $20,000.00 to drop on something to drive on?

Happy Green Nephew

Kathy's Fancy Foot

You're Welcome

(The Buhler's beautiful home)

There are many reasons to claim that Fridays are good. This one is especially good in that it is a remembrance of a three day event which is the basis to an ever-evolving faith which I claim to share. I say it is evolving because there seems to be many things which I once held very closely, but now my grip has loosed. I am less certain of many things and have abandoned the incongruent ones, although the essence of my faith is still intact. That's what makes Easter so good. To me it signifies the entire message of Christ. It is a bringing together of souls that were doomed to be apart. Christ's entire life was a song which sang this beautiful chorus. Easter was the finale.

We have been singing a similar song in our life. We are fortunate to have a group of friends who ache to be together... and as often as possible. These are times to forget our woes, and a time to laugh and be loved. A time for some to forget that medication is the thing that stabalizes and sustains us. It's soul time...a time to be connected, deeply known. Bearing the conclusion of these times is done only through the anticipation of the next one.

I wish for all of you that your aches will be satisfied, and that you, too, will be not far from good company when your soul calls out for companionship.

Happy Easter.

if your right hand offends you...

This morning while I was outside on the deck with a coffee in my left hand and my new camera in my right, I became a little confused as I put the camera to my lips to take a sip.

I can see where this is going. The obsession with something new is beginning. The camera has not been more than than three metres from my grasp since I bought it yesterday. As I make my way through the owner's manual, I become more excited at the prospect of more advanced photography. I was happy to capture the above photo last night at a friend's home. It's the colour, I think, that really draws me to it.

I'm a little worried about this evening as, when I go for my run, I'll be approximately ten kilometres away from my new baby. Perhaps I'll take a picture of it, and then immediately print a copy of it to take with me, seeing as now this is so convenient to do.

I know what you did last summer

Last year's garden wasn't that successful, so when I started my seeds indoors this year, I wanted to keep a close eye on them as they grew...just in case something went wrong.

So that's where I've been since my last post...carefully babying my pepper and tomato seeds as they grew and became full of promise.

I could possibly have torn myself away long enough to write something, but I've also been busy renovating several rooms in the house, being begged to and accepting a teaching position teaching German to grades 4 through 8, planning and implementing birthday parties for two of my children, purchasing a new digital camera, and buying some amazing art.

Actually, sitting around and watching seeds grow is much like seizing the moment in every aspect of life. As the seeds sprout, all sorts of beautiful changes occur, resulting in a beautiful product. There is nothing quite as rewarding as seizing each moment of every day and pouring yourself into everything you do...seeing every moment as a gift. Much like my gifts using tools to renovate, my heritage and education to be able to effectively teach, my four amazing children to humble me and bring me great joy, my excitement for electronics, and eyes to clearly see and appreciate Andrea's passion.

I know what I'll do this summer...I'll do the same as what I did last year, except now I'll be able to seize each moment in a 4 megapixeled actuation, as well as in my soul.