Warmth

I got outside today for a little while — it was lovely, sunny and warm!  But it was great - no sweater, I wore flip flops and a summer dress.  All signs of warm weather becoming the order of the day more regularly.  I’m loving it.  Yes, I know, Canada isn’t the place for year-round warm weather, but then Trinidad doesn’t have Canada’s other benefits.  I’m happy to report that my pain has dropped back to where it was last week, and my medication level is equally lower.  Finally!  Since it’s the second day like this, I can be reasonably confident that things have regularized!  I hope that my return journey isn’t as traumatic as the one out, because 5 days of recovery just burns up my holidays and I don’t get to enjoy the things we plan.  My boys were doing pretty well today; although the building is doing work on the units opposite me.  They’ve set up a swing stage and will be removing and replacing their balconies over the next few weeks.  The noise, though, scares and annoys Jerry, who’s unsettled enough that he jumped down, knocking the phone to the floor.  Don’s doing well, and has plans to do some stuff over the next few days before I return home.  I have no idea what he’s up to, but it’s fine.

My nephew was diagnosed with coeliac disease a few weeks ago, so the rest of the household has been adapting to removing gluten.  It’s surprising how many foods have hidden gluten; so my sister has become adept at reading labels and identifying possible triggers.  I mean, I was stunned to learn that some brands of frozen vegetables have gluten.  (Processed in a facility that also handles wheat.)  It’s terrifying, especially since he’s only 2 and can’t advocate for himself yet.  My cousin also has a child under 10 with type-1 diabetes, and she’s been working to manage that carefully.  I’m learning that there are all kinds of coping strategies that are used to ensure that the children remain safe and yet don’t feel very different from their contemporaries.  I didn’t fully appreciate, until the experience with my relatives, the challenges of dealing with a child with a chronic condition.  With my young cousin, it’s meant learning to track sugar readings and eating regularly.  I hope the world they grow up in is more caring of their conditions and allows them to remain heathy without having too many hurdles!  

I think by now everyone knows that I have a deep faith which sustains me through all the many challenges I face.  My friends fall all along the spectrum from agnostic to atheist to strong believer in any of several religions.  I don’t judge any of them for their beliefs or lack thereof, and I will participate enthusiastically in almost any religious activity to which I am invited.  (That excludes commitment ceremonies.)  I love sharing in the many rituals, and enjoy learning more about the cultures and practices.  I try not to impose my beliefs on anyone else, but I’m equally not shy about talking about them, nor of sharing my thoughts; if asked, I will stop and refrain from bringing it up with that person.  Over the years, there are people who’ve ridiculed me because, “no intelligent person would admit to believing in god,” or “how can you reconcile a religious belief with suffering/poverty/illness…,” and so on.  I don’t feel a need to defend myself, nor do I challenge others on their credos.  I’ve got those who send me religious texts on a regular basis; most of those I appreciate, except when they are sent by people whose lives don’t align with the sentiments they share.  You know the kind; the ones who send out reminders about forgiveness, but who hold a grudge for decades… nor do I ever respond to the “if your [sic] not ashamed of Jesus, send this to everyone you ever met” chain mails.  I mention this because someone sent me one of those “This lucky prayer to the virgin will end all your money woes” then followed it up with a sales pitch for some “miracle water” that would apparently shower me with large cheques once I drank it (and sent $19.95/month to someone.)  I ignored them, as I always do, and then got more “miracle” prayers and a request that I “turn away from the evil one” and pass along the meme.  🙄. I’m going to assume that this person sent me all these miracle prayers out of a place of love and concern; I question, though, the implication that by not clogging up someone else’s feed (and how would they even know if I sent it on or not?) I’m in league with the evil one?  What a leap of judgemental rubbish!  

I love seeing people happy, and if your expression of happiness involves sharing scriptural quotes or prayers, then I’ll read them with pleasure.  But please remember that I will not be forwarding on any chain messages, nor will I “click on the angel / Jesus / Mary” to see what happens, nor will I be typing “Amen” in response to any alleged miracles.  I don’t consider that God is a magician, nor that He responds to bribes, nor that She checks social media to see how many people shared a photo.  I am thankful for those who pray for me (and for whom I pray) regularly, and I appreciate that gift.  I’m also very pleased with those who are comfortable enough to share with me their religious thoughts — please never feel that you should hold back.

It’s time for us to practice some French now, and my niece is becoming more used to counting.  She misses 2 and 8 but otherwise knows her numbers in French.  We started on parts of the body, and are OK with hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose and mouth… I considered using “head, shoulders, knees and toes” for practice, but we’re working on the vocabulary.  I don’t want to overload her, so we’re going slowly.  This will be a fun, ongoing project for us, I think!  I’ll also call my boys before bed, as it’s part of my nightly schedule, and hopefully I will sleep through the night.  Good night!