Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Week 8 of 52

September 30 - October 6, 2018

I like to read the obituaries. I'm not sure why. I like to learn about lives well lived, the impact they've had on others. I like to know how long people are living and what they're dying from. I absolutely loved the photo included for this lady! It reminded of me of the poem "When I Am Old," by Jenny Joseph. For some reason I thought it referred to a purple hat - in fact the hat is red but the rest of her clothing is purple. Anyhow, good for Virginia for wearing her purple hat and to her family or friends who chose to use it as her obituary photo!


Speaking of inspiring ladies... DD participated in her first Cross Country event. It was a beautiful day and a scenic location. I am proud of her for trying out, practicing, and doing her best. She was 67th in the group of Grade 4 girls, which I think was around the 75%
This week also included a trip to DS2's school open house, where he was excited to bring his math workbook out of his locker to show me his work.

Dinner with friend "J" to celebrate her milestone birthday.





Not pictured:

Piano lessons for DS2, DS3, and DD; a trip to the optician to get glasses ordered for DS1 and DS2; swimming lessons for DS3 and DD; meeting with teacher and principal at one of the kids' schools to discuss their listening habits; Autism Ontario parent support group meeting; phone call with a child's teacher about work habits; playdate on the Friday PA day; visit to chiropractor for all of us.

A visit from Grampa, who tries to come over once a month to hang out with the kids and us. He brought me the rocks he had brought home from a trip to Ghana this year. I had DH break them up so I can leave them on my loved ones' gravesites bit by bit.

A good talk with a couple of children's ministry workers at church about how introverts experience church.

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Week 7 of 52

September 23-29, 2018

Started the week with lunch at friend J's house. When the Bible says "children are a blessing" it means so many things to me. One of the ways my children have been a blessing in my life is through the friends I've made because of them. My friend "J" was expecting a son at the same time I was expecting DS2, they were born a couple of weeks apart. We were able to help each other out by trading childcare and her role in that helped me tremendously as I worked on my Masters degree. I moved a lot growing up so having a friend who has been in my life for more than a decade is a big deal to me!







Attended my first high school parent council meeting on Monday night. The principal gave us a thorough update, which I really appreciated. I like her passion and vision for the school, it gives me great hope.

Coffee with friend "R" on Tuesday morning. This friendship was forged when we realized we both have children with exceptionalities. 


A visit with my mom on Tuesday afternoon -- she's treating her kids to a "Western Mediterranean" (Spain, Italy, France) cruise in October and DH and I are paying his way. She and I are the most detail-oriented of the group and are enjoying planning out the sight-seeing in port.



Tuesday night I attended a session to learn more about the Ontario Autism Program. Learned a few new things, like that when I finally get "the call" I'll have to know whether I want the Direct Funding or Direct Service option. The best thing I learned (not that it's good news, rather that getting this info can be elusive) is that people on the wait list from January 2017 are getting calls now. So another 10 months for us... :-(


Thursday morning DH and I attended a workshop with DS1 at his school. It was to help us help him break down assignments in a practical way.


In the afternoon I went with my friend "C" and gave blood! The last time I had donated was 16 years ago and I was glad to be able to do so again. Let me encourage anyone reading this to please donate blood if you're able to. I felt tired that day and the next but am back to my normal self now.  

"More than half of Canadians will need blood at some point in their lifetime. Cancer patients, transplant recipients, accident victims. For these people and so many more, a timely transfusion of blood can be the lifesaving difference. The need is constant." (blood.ca)


The last stop on Thursday was the open house at my younger kids' school I was proud to see what DS3 had written in his journal entry: He wrote about our summer trip to my mom's cottage at a Christian camp and ended with: "But the best thing was we got to learn about God."

Kids... blessings from God!


"Children are a blessing
and a gift from the Lord."
Psalm 127:3
[Contemporary English Version (CEV)]


Sunday, September 23, 2018

Week 6 of 52

September 16-22, 2018

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.


You know the story about putting the big rocks in the container first? In case you don't, here it is (Dr. Stephen R. Covey, First Things First):

One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all."

What are the big rocks in your life? A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these Big Rocks in first or you’ll never get them in at all.


Having gone through Carrie Lindsey's book last week, I had made my list of priorities and decided to write them down on "big rocks" to remind me. My "big rocks" for the next 12 months or so are Family, Spiritual, Home, Health, and Friends.


Using the "Make Anything Happen" book I also created my vision board. Among my goals is getting to my healthy weight by my birthday next year - doable at 1 pound per week if I watch my eating and add in some exercise. One of my strategies will be to get back into the Trim Healthy Mama recipes as they have worked for me in the past.


This week I enjoyed a coffee with a mom I've been wanting to sit down with. In spite of our cultural and religious differences we have much in common as we navigate parenthood and life with a "large" family - we each have four children.

Mid-week church programs started up for the kids and I oversaw the check-in and check-out process for 100 kids, making sure they were safely matched up to the correct guardian at the end of the night. The evening consists of a large group activity with a Bible lesson, followed by going off to the various electives - my kids chose the Athletics (DD) and Adventure (DS3) electives. 

My Coordinated Service Planner and I had a check-in meeting with the Head of Special Education and the Instructional Program Leader, Special Education at DS1's high school. I was relieved to hear that DS1 is doing well socially and academically. He is participating in group work, mostly staying on task, and turning in most of his work.Another HUGE relief was hearing from the Instructional Program Leader (who is on the Autism Spectrum herself) that DS1 doesn't require the 30+ hours of ABA I thought he did. According to her 2-4 hours a week would be appropriate for him. 

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Week 5 of 52

September 9-15, 2018

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

This week we enjoyed a Laser Tag game as a family. The handles chosen were:
Myself = 4Mom
DH = Dad
DS1 = Mr.Bones
DS2 = Loading...
DD = Psycocat
DS4 = Flatulence

#1 spot went to DS2, #3 to DS1. DS3 and DH made it into the top 10, while DD and I didn't fare as well... we stuck together and accidentally shot each other a few times!

Piano lessons started back up for DS2, DD, and DS3. They sarted with the Music For Little Mozarts books and are now in the Alfred's Basic Piano books. DS1 is following DH's footsteps and will "play" the radio. The 3 younger kids also started back at AWANA, which we find to be a great program for them to learn God's Word while enjoying crafts, physical activity, and building friendships.

DD went for fillings and enjoyed some "sleepy juice" for the procedure. She was feistier than anticipated so only 2 of the fillings got done this time and we'll go back to get more done in November. While she spent the day recovering I worked on decluttering and tidying up her room.

I attended a Union executive meeting and sent out communication to the membership about the annual public library postcard campaign where we hand out postcards to customers reminding them we're behind the great programs and services they enjoy at the library.


My big read this week was
Make Anything Happen: A Creative Guide to Vision Boards, Goal Setting, and Achieving the Life of Your Dreams, by Carrie Lindsey. This beautifully illustrated book spoke to me about creating a vision board, and making all the lists I want to! Books to read, places I want to go, cleaning tasks, holiday plans... go ahead and make your lists! I'll show you snippets of my vision board in next week's blog post. You can find Carrie Lindsey's blog at carrieelle.com and help yourself to her printables and downloads.

On Saturday we enjoyed a family outing to the Ontario Science Centre. We hadn't been there in many years and enjoyed it as much as ever. If we lived closer we'd likely buy a membership again as we made good use of it when we had one.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Week 4 of 52

September 2 - 8, 2018

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.


Back to school week! DS1 started Grade 9, DS2 started Grade 7, DD started Grade 4, and DS3 started Grade 2. I was probably more nervous than they were, especially for the start of high school! DS1 did amazing navigating his very large school of over 1,000 students. DS2 started in the French immersion program and is happy for the extra stimulation.



We're reading through the Bible in our morning devotionals and have just finished Leviticus. Exodus and Leviticus have some challenging content so I borrowed The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible from the public library. It's broken down by each book in the Bible and included an explanation of one or two chapters and their theme. My kids are ages 14, 11, 8, and 7 and they are all able to understand this book. I read it before we read the chapter that morning and it gives us context.

This week included a visit to my mom where I was able to view a portion of the 500 photos she took on her trip to India in July. Having been there with DH in 2003, I was able to exchange some stories with her about our experiences. We also looked through older (ok, much older) pictures from my baby years and she lamented that there was only one newborn picture of me. "Back in the nineteens," as my kids call them, we had to buy film and hope for the best when we paid to develop them into print format.

I read seven (wow!) gardening books this year but the two easiest gardening things that happened were surprise tomatoes that no one planted, and these potatoes that we did plant.

Two of my favourite gardening books this year were (affiliate links):

Beginner's Garden: A Practical Guide to Growing Vegetables & Fruit Without Getting Your Hands Too Dirty
by Alex Mitchell

Extraordinary Ornamental Edibles: 100 Perennials, Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Canadian Gardens
by Mike Lascelle


This week also included an annual physical for DD, a dentist appointment for DS3, and a union Labour-Management meeting.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Week 3 of 52

August 26-September 1, 2018

Sunday afternoon I paid a visit to my grandparents' and my brother-in-laws graves and left some flowers from my garden.


At night I attended my monthly meeting with the union executive plus one non-executive member who form our Labour Management team. We meet monthly to prepare for our upcoming meeting with Management. We discuss issues such as violations of the Collective Agreement, Grievances needing to be filed or escalated, adherence to the Employment Standards Act, Health and Safety, workplace concerns, and more. Through this process we represent our members to Management and ensure that they are able to enjoy the benefits of being members of a union.

DS1 had two ABA video sessions this week. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday he had his final 3 two hour Executive Functioning sessions. Unfortunately the agency has changed their hours and we won't be able to attend during the school year. 

DH and I spent almost 2 hours at DS1's high school meeting with the special education teacher to do our best to give him a strong start at school. That was followed by a 45 walk-through of the school with DS1 so that he can find his way from class to class. The school is being renovated and I don't know how they're going to pull off having it set up for next week! I feel good about high school for him but am also anxious about how the first day and week will go. 

The kids did a bit of swimming at a few of the local pools, however DS3 and DD will be repeating their swimming level for the 3rd (or is it 4th?) time in the Fall.

Friday I visited my work location and attended their staff meeting/potluck. One of my team members is retiring, one is starting maternity leave very soon, one celebrated his 10th anniversary in the library system, and one got temporarily promoted to fill in for the other's maternity leave! I was thankful to be included and to see everyone. I don't miss the work but I do miss my co-workers.

Saturday the whole family (minus the 2 oldest nieces) had an Indian themed get together at my sister's house as my mom had spent a couple of weeks in India this summer, including her 70th birthday! We each contributed something towards the Indian meal, then watched my mom's picture presentation before the kids enjoyed the pool.

Monday, August 27, 2018

Week 2 of 52

August 19-25, 2018

On Monday my oldest learned how to take public transit to school. I feel like this is an important step in growing up and being able to become more independent.

On Tuesday I decluttered my plastic stuff. It had been driving me crazy - the containers were constantly falling out of the cabinet, while their corresponding lids lay in a mess in a drawer. Getting ready for back-to-school meant I had to deal with this situation because I need to access their lunch containers on a daily basis.

As usual, I forgot to get a good "before" photo, but here are most of the containers and their lids before I began the "find the matching lid" game.

After: all the lunch items and water bottles, (and water bottle caps!) are all in one place together. All the containers and their corresponding lids are in the same cupboard. 

Tuesday also included an intake interview for my oldest to see if he will qualify to attend a "PEERS" program. It was an interesting experience for me as I watched behind a one-way mirror. Later that day he went for 2 hours of Executive Functioning training and had an "awesome" session according to his teacher.


I took the kids swimming almost every day to help them get exercise, to build structure during our day, to cool off from the heat... so many benefits. DS2 passed all the YMCA swimming levels a year ahead of schedule so he's too young for the next level. DD and DS3 are doing the same level for the 3rd time, so hopefully all this summer swimming will help them finally pass it!


No "before" photo of this either, but I spent two afternoons this week helping to put my church's Resource Room back in order after our big church camp week. I'm one of those strange people who really enjoys taking a box with many things dumped in it and sorting it all neatly into its place. I also like washing dishes and folding laundry because I love the process of going from dirty and messy to clean and tidy. Here's the "after" photo:


On Thursday I surprised hubby with a date at an Escape Room. It was our first time going to one and I figured it was something we'd enjoy. We were given blindfolds, taken into a dark room, had the scenario explained, and given our first clue. We had chosen DaVinci's office (an 8/10 for difficulty) and were given 60 minutes to gather all the clues and escape. We found the flashlights and it took us about 10 minutes to figure out the first clue! Once we finally figured that out we moved along fairly well. When there were only 4 minutes left and we still had 2 clues to unlock we asked for a hint. We managed to escape the room with 3 minutes remaining!

Friday night and Saturday morning I was spoiled and allowed to stay in bed until I finished reading a whole book. The ultimate luxury!

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Week 1 of 52

August 12-18, 2018
The first week of my sabbatical started off quite strangely. On Saturday morning I was diagnosed with tonsillitis. I had suspected strep so was a little surprised,  but happy to take home the enormous pills I was to take for the next 10 days.

I slept all day Saturday, missing my mother's 70th birthday party, and all of Sunday. Monday I was awake more but had headaches, nausea, and more. I had been told I would be contagious for 48 hours and wouldn't start to feel well until after 72 hours - a very accurate forecast.

I had planned to help at my church's summer camp - a week of full day activities for 160 kids. I handle the administrative bits and any problems that arise, as well as being a trained First Aider. On Tuesday I was finally upright, eating, and free of headaches, and I made it in to camp from Wednesday-Friday.

Among other things this week, I caught up on my union email (I'm the vice-president, representing close to 400 library workers in Canada's 6th largest city) and updated the spreadsheet where I track the time I spend on union activities: 87.5 unpaid hours year-to-date. Friday night I attended a special meeting we had called to update a by-law that the executive feels does a disservice to members. Unfortunately a slight majority of those who showed up to vote felt otherwise and the by-law will stay in place for now.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I dropped my oldest son off for a couple of hours each day of Executive Functioning training (for ADHD and Autism). The next oldest is serving as leader at the summer camp. He is small in stature but mighty in leadership skills. The two youngest are enjoying days filled with spiritual truths, fun music and games, and field trips.

Saturday morning coffee with an awesome friend of almost 12 years. I am blessed beyond measure to have her as one of my two besties. 

Saturday evening oldest son had his second video session of the week with his aunt, who is a clinician who works with people to improve executive functioning and emotional management skills. So that will be 8 hours of training for him this week. If that sounds like a lot, it's not. An "intensive" program would total 25 to 40 hours per week for 1 to 3 years. We don't have the funding for that.

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Sabbatical Year


Just over 4 years ago I enrolled in a program at work that would see me take a year off after 4 years of work. My employer calls it the "Deferred Salary Leave Plan. Other places call it a "four over five" - it's basically a sabbatical year. I was paid 80% of my salary over the four years with 20% being withheld each year and now being paid out to me. Or at least that was the plan... I ended up taking a caregiver leave for most of last year so it won't be quite 80%. But it will be a year. 52 weeks.

When I planned this leave I of course went to Pinterest and started making a list of all the things I wanted to do in my year "off."

My leave started on Saturday, August 11, 2018. I'm going to try to do a weekly update over the next 52 weeks so we can share this year together. I'll be starting my weeks on the Sunday.

Week 1: August 12-18, 2018

Week 2: August 19-25, 2018

Week 3: August 26-September 1, 2018

Week 4: September 2 - 8, 2018

Week 5: September 9-15, 2018

Week 6: September 16-22, 2018

Week 7: September 23-29, 2018

Week 8: September 30 - October 6, 2018

Week 9: October 7-13, 2018

Week 10: October 14-20, 2018

Week 11: October 21-27, 2018

Week 12: October 28 - November 3, 2018

Sunday, May 27, 2018

New Post: When Labels Help

New post up at https://bezrathashemblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/when-labels-help/

If you’re a parent who’s afraid of a label, don’t be like me. The label doesn’t change the wonderful human being you created. But it might open doors to help you understand your child better.

Please message me at me at bezrathasem [dot] blogspot [at] gmail [dot] com for password if you don't have it.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Losses as an MK

Growing up as an MK (missionary kid) losses were woven into the fabric of my life. Loss of home, neighbourhood, friends, family, relationships, sense of identity, country.

In 8 years I lived in 2 countries, 2 provinces, 2 states, how many cities? I attended multiple schools, made and lost friends. Was unable to attend the funerals of my 3 great-grandparents' and my baby brother.

24 years after returning to the land of my birth I still experience these losses.  In the lack of relationships with cousins, aunts, and uncles. In the driving need to research my genealogy and establish roots. In my avoidance of developing friendships.

I am triggered and respond disproportionately when ministry leaders follow a new path God is leading their families on. It's not just that I'm sad that they're leaving. No, I'm devastated at my personal loss. I feel broken and angry at God. Why is he taking away yet another woman who nurtured me, invested in me, loved me?

At my previous church: children's pastor, two small group leaders. My grandmother passed away on March 11 this year (I can't even blog about yet). Now my current children's pastor is moving across the country. I also have to help my oldest transition to a change to his Jr High leader.

I will go from broken and devastated to numb and shut down. It always hurts so much.

Monday, February 19, 2018

What About Medication?

Ever since DS1 was diagnosed with ADHD in Grade 3 someone has asked me why we don't medicate him. His recent ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis, the questions are coming again.

As parents, it falls squarely on our shoulders to do our best by our kids. We are both well-educated and my skills as a Librarian (my degree is a "Master of Information") allow me to research topics very thoroughly and discern the best sources.

Whether a parent has chosen to medicate their child with ADHD or ASD or not is a personal matter for them to decide with their partner or support system. This post is to explain how we arrived at our decision. I am not a medical professional, so please do your own due diligence in making your own decision.

After weighing the pros and cons, we chose not to medicate for ADHD. Our child did not seem to be "suffering" and our family doctor and the pediatric specialist we saw did not push us down the medication road.

With ASD, it actually became even clearer to us that not medicating was the right decision. It turns out that there aren't any drugs that are specifically for the core communication, social, and repetitive behaviour issues of ASD.

There are many articles that address this:

What Drugs Are Used for Treating Autism?, Applied Behavior Analysis, undated [emphasis mine]:
>>This task [detailed and specific regimens that have to be followed] can be more frustrating because there are currently no approved drugs available to treat the core communication, social, and repetitive behavior issues so commonly associated with autism. All prescriptions currently available simply work at the periphery of the real problems or otherwise represent doctors’ attempts to treat those conditions experimentally. Further, the common practice of prescribing a mixed cocktail of different medications for ASD has not been put through clinical trials. Many common drug combinations remain untested.


Understanding more about the types of medications that an ASD patient may be on can be important to both caregivers and therapists since both the capabilities and side effects of the drug may dramatically alter a person’s behaviors. There is also increasing concern, particularly with children on the spectrum, that the effects of psychotropic medications taken during the formative years can permanently stunt brain development.

Almost all of the drugs also have common side effects such as:

  • Diarrhea and other stomach irritation
  • Rashes, hives, and itching
  • Dry mouth
  • Fatigue
  • Weight gain


<<

Medicines for Autism, WebMD, November 20, 2015 [emphasis mine]:
>>Medicines have a limited role in improving symptoms of autism.


There is no standard medicine for the treatment of autism. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an advisory on antidepressant medicines and the risk of suicide. 

But these medicines [haloperidol, risperidone, and thioridazine] can have side effects, including sleepiness, tremors, and weight gain. Their use is usually considered only after behavior management has failed to address the problem behaviors.<<

We are currently using ABA (Applied behaviour analysis) at home and it will be in place at school shortly so it is premature to be looking at medication.


Medicines for Treating Autism’s Core Symptoms, Autism Speaks, undated [emphasis mine]:
>>Medicines for treating autism are most effective when used in conjunction with behavioral therapies. Ideally, medicines are a complement to other treatment strategies. 

Medicines for treating the three core symptoms of autism – communication difficulties, social challenges and repetitive behavior – have long represented a huge area of unmet need. Unfortunately, few drugs on the market today effectively relieve these symptoms and none of the options most often prescribed by practitioners work well for every individual.


In fact, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two drugs for treating irritability associated with the autism (risperidone and aripiprazole), it has yet to approve a medicine for treating autism’s three core characteristics.<<

Autism's Drug Problem, Scientific American, April 24, 2017 [emphasis mine]:
>>Clinicians are particularly concerned about children with the condition because psychiatric medications can have long-lasting effects on their developing brains, and yet are rarely tested in children.

“Psychotropic medications are used pretty extensively in people with autism because there aren’t a lot of treatments available,” says Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California. “Is heavy drug use bad? That’s the question. We don’t know; it hasn’t been studied.”

No existing medication treats the underlying condition.

The core characteristics of autism include repetitive behaviors, difficulty with social interactions and trouble communicating. Therapy can help, but no medication so far can improve these problems. Instead, drugs merely treat some of the peripheral features — ADHD, irritability, anxiety, aggression, self-injury — that make life challenging for people with autism.<<

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

New post "Saying hello"

New post up at https://bezrathashemblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/saying-hello/

Please message me at me at bezrathasem [dot] blogspot [at] gmail [dot] com for password if you don't have it.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Word of the Year

For the past few years I've chosen a word, and a Bible verse it's in, to focus on for the year.

In 2015 I contemplated Titus 2:3-5 (NIV)
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

My 2016 word was Wholesome, with the Bible verse being "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29 NIV 

My 2017 word was Less, with the Bible verse being "He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30 NIV 

Last year I asked my husband and children to also choose words for the year. I posted them on a large bulletin board in our kitchen and throughout the year I'd ask the kids how they thought they were doing on their words (words like "obey" and "listen" were there). Tonight we each talked about the word we had chosen and how we felt we had done with it. 

I began 2017 working full-time as a senior librarian, commuting 1.5 to 2 hours round trip drive most days. My location was chronically understaffed, with people coming into temporary positions and then leaving for better opportunities. A co-worker had a miscarriage, a co-worker retired, I got a new boss. Our union members celebrated a year since our strike last summer, and I continued in my role as vice president for almost 400 members. I volunteered in my kids' SK and Grade 2 classes on my days off, worked every other Saturday, and was conscripted to work one in every six Sundays. On Sundays I didn't work we hosted or were hosted by friends for lunch, and I taught the Grade 1 Sunday School class once a month. Physically I continued to gain weight, another 8 pounds since my physical the previous year. 

I ended 2017 as a stay-at-home-mom, my career on hold for the next two years so I can focus on my family. My commute is a 1 hour round trip walk (15 minutes to school and 15 back, twice a day) Monday-Friday. I'm training my "staff" (kids) to do their jobs well and with a good attitude. I'm not volunteering in any of my kids' classrooms, but I am helping with homework, attending meetings with their teachers, and advocating on their behalf. I remain involved in union activities, continue to teach Sunday School once a month, and of course meals with friends are a keeper! I'm on my way to a healthier me, having reacquainted myself with my treadmill.

2017 turned out to be a year of "less" in a different way than I expected!

This year my word is "grace," and my verse is:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)


I am full of weakness so I am looking forward to seeing God's power and grace in my life in 2018!

What about you? Do you choose a word or theme to focus on for the year? What is your word for 2018?