Making ends meet...

I know you must be wondering. Has Jeanette disappeared from blog world? Is everything okay?

No, I haven't quite disappeared...not quite! Yes, everything is okay, but it would be my longest post ever if I were to explain why I feel like this rope! So I will give you the bare bones.

New Grace, the quartet Barry and I sing with, traveled to New Jersey in June to provide the special music at our church's annual convention. This required significant practice time prior to going, as we have not really been singing together for the last year, so for quite a while before we left, my stress level was high as I tried to cover work, Coral's normal care, extra practice, working out the details of Coral's supervision and care during our absence, and then actually packing and remembering everything to take with us. Aunt Paula took charge of all Coral's care for the 10 days we were gone, and Andrea arrived from California and was able to help for the last week or so.

The convention went well, and besides that, we were able to see Barry's mother and actually stayed at her house the whole time we were in New Jersey. This was great, as I have not seen her for quite a long time, and it was wonderful to catch up a little bit with extended family and friends. After the convention was over, we (Barry, my brother Gord, and I) drove north from New Jersey to Toronto, Canada, where we spent two days visiting my mother and Carol-Ann and her family (which, as you know, is one of my VERY FAVORITE things to do!)

All in all, the time away was a blessing and refresher for me. But, as with most of my little jaunts away from home, there is a price to pay when I get back, and this time was a doozey. We jumped right into work catch-up, arrangements and funeral services for our friend Warren who passed away just before we left home, and helping with Gord and Paula's departure for a 5-week trip to Liberia.

It seems like each day I get up at the usual time and hope I can get a good start on my work. But then the time gets eaten up by other very important things, and I arrive at the evening with most of my work still to be done. I have been working until 2 or 3 a.m. and getting up again at the usual time each morning with less and less "oomph" for what has to be done.

So I have been a little shadow in blogland, but I hope -- oh, how I hope! -- that things will soon be back to normal! I may never totally catch up, but as soon as I can, I will visit you!
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Catch up time!

It's hard to believe that it is over a month now since I went to visit Carol-Ann and her family and my mother. I was in Canada for the last week of March, and it went by so quickly. I don't know why time has to act like that... skipping along when we are having fun, dragging its feet when we're not! It's high time I gave a little report!

Carol-Ann fixed up my bed in her large office area in the basement. This was perfect, as I took my laptop with me, and so down there I could keep up with my medical transcription whenever I wanted to. We settled into a homey routine, and most days I worked in the mornings. Then Bruce came home from work at noon time and shuttled me over to Mum's where I enjoyed the best lunches with her and her friend, Ruth. Then up to Mum's room where we would talk and laugh and catch up. One day I was so tired, I just curled up in her bed and took a nap. When I woke up, she was a bit disappointed that I had not gotten the full two hours of sleep she had hoped I would get! That's my Mum!

At supper time, Bruce would come and pick the two of us up to go back to their house for supper and the evening. I got to watch some of Kinza's favorite shows, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I just had the best time sharing in their everyday life. I even got to help with homework!!

Here's a picture I took on the day I was leaving. Mum was sitting in the big chair in her room.

My Mum

March 31, 2009
She will be 92 in July.

I showed her this picture on my little camera display, and she exclaimed,
"Oh, there's Daddy's picture in the background!"
And so it is.

Check this out!

Here I sit, hands poised over the keyboard -- and my mind is a blank! I can't seem to find anything to write about these days, and so I haven't been writing. Is this called writer's block? Maybe, but at least my livelihood is not depending on it. If it did, we would be starving! It is so much easier right now to stick on my headphones and type what someone else says rather than to come up with my own words.

So maybe I should do the "picture of the day" thing again for awhile until my mind comes back to me... Yes, I think that might be a really good idea.

Bruce and Carol-Ann in 1986
For today, I am sending you over to Carol-Ann's blog. If you have not been reading her "Be Mine, Valentine" series, you have been missing the Valentine's story of the year!

Click on the link below to get to her blog, and then scroll down on the page until you find "Part 1." She already has 15 installments there, and we are waiting with bated breath for the next one!

Carol-Ann's Blog

SATURDAY'S MUSIC!

I have saved the best for last! Carol-Ann herself!

Ever since she was a teenager, Carol-Ann has been writing wonderful songs. I have always loved to hear them, and so I was delighted to find that she has put a couple of them on the internet. Here is one of them for you to enjoy -- "No Miracle."

Here are two links...

The story behind the song

The song

(No, she does not play her guitar backwards! She told me that she inadvertently recorded this in "mirror image!" Of course, since I know her so well, she just doesn't look right backwards, but you might not have known that if I hadn't spilled the beans ...unless, of course, you noticed that guitar pointing the wrong way!)

SURPRISE!

Okay, this is a first for me! I'm just as surprised as you are that it seems to have turned out okay! Ha ha!

So here's the story...
Carol-Ann has been writing songs since she was a kid, and I have lost track of how many there even are, but some time ago I recorded one of them as part of a CD made by our prison ministry group. If I am remembering correctly, this song -- I Am Tempted Too -- was written way back when we were still living in Liberia, so Carol-Ann must have been a teenager.

The brain wave hit me that maybe -- just maybe -- I could actually put together some pictures of Carol-Ann with the song as background. So I went digging on my computer and, by trial and error, came up with this! Oh, how I love learning how to do new things!

Two things to note --
First, the music doesn't start until you get to the first photo, so don't be worried that the sound is not working.
Second, the song is not meant to be a commentary on the pictures! The words don't match the photos at all!

I hope you enjoy it! And I hope your birthday week has been great, C-A!

Wednesday's Music!

Sometimes a song comes along that makes you cry. I can think of a lot of people who fit into this song very well, so here's a link especially for you!

This group is one of the most musically talented families, The Isaacs. Lily is the mom and was born in Germany to parents who survived the Holocaust. Ben, Sonya, and Becky are her three children, and they sing and play a variety of musical instruments (very, very well, too!). This particular song was written by Sonya and Becky.




Heroes -- by The Isaacs
(The song actually ends at about 4:38 on the timer)





(Left to right: Lily, Ben, Sonya, and Becky)

Tuesday's Music!

I would have to say that this group is my current favorite. Not too long ago, Barry, Coral, Gord, and I drove to a concert in eastern Colorado, and it was worth every bit of the effort we put into getting there. They have the most beautiful harmony, great songs with life-changing lyrics, and a lot of humor, too! They are the only group I have ever heard say, "If you would like some of our music and are not able to pay tonight, pull one of us aside and let us know. You can send the money later when you are able."

The song I really wanted to link to is "I Would," which tells the story of a little boy in a candy store, but I could find only one online link to that, and it is not the best quality. So instead here is one that was recorded here in our Colorado Red Rocks amphitheater. In fact, you won't see us, but we were sitting there on that hillside during this concert! We saw lots of our favorite singers, including this group, The Booth Brothers.


Castles in the Sand -- by The Booth Brothers




(Left to right: Michael Booth, Ronnie Booth, Jim Brady)



PS: This link can in no way convey the beauty and clarity of their sound. Their website has sample mp3s that will show you what I mean!

Monday's Music!

One of my very favorite singers... Lynda Randle...




God on the Mountain -- by Lynda Randle

A week of music!

This week will be different... and here's why...

Today is Carol-Ann's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, C-A!

If you know much about her, you know that she is one musical gal! She sings, plays quite a few different instruments, and has written a lot of songs over the years. When Gord and Carol-Ann and I were growing up, we played our instruments and sang together, and in the years since then, music has been a big part of our lives. It has the power to lift us up, especially when the words are ones that turn our thoughts and our hearts to God.

So this week (every day if I can manage it!), I will post a link to a favorite song. Maybe these will be new to you, but I hope you will love them as much as I do!

Today's song is by the Hoppers, a family group made up of Claude and Connie (mom and dad), Dean and Mike (their sons), and Kim (Dean's wife). Dean sings, and Mike plays the drums. They have been to our city several times, and we have traveled to other places to hear them, too. They know Coral by name (which thrills her, let me tell you!)

Every time I hear this song, tears roll down my face as I long for heaven, the New Jerusalem!


JERUSALEM -- by The Hoppers


(Left to right: Mike, Kim, Dean, Connie, Claude)

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/27/2008

Gord, Jeanette, and Carol-Ann and friends in front of our house
(Picture taken in Liberia in the late 1950s)

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/25/2008

Carol-Ann, Jeanette, and Pat
(The stress triplets!)

Whenever I go to Canada to visit my family, I also get together with Pat, a long-time friend from school. Carol-Ann and Pat have never had a chance to do more than say "hi" to each other, so this year I wanted them to get to know each other better. Carol-Ann joined us at Artisano's, a wonderful coffee shop (they have much more than coffee!) We had such a good time with lots to talk and laugh about. When we started snapping pictures of each other, a very kind lady from another table came over and offered to take a picture of all three of us! So here we are!

Before my trip, all three of us were going through a lot of stress, much of it related to our work situations. So we dubbed ourselves "the stress triplets," and our fun get-together at the coffee shop sure helped to relieve some of that stress. We had a great visit!

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/20/2008

My Mum!
This picture was taken on June 17, just 3 days ago!
In just 13 days, she will have her 91st birthday!

I had such a wonderful visit in Canada with Carol-Ann and her family and my mother. We had serious talks, weepy moments, laugh-till-you-cry times...just the best visit ever!

Thank you so much, Carol-Ann, Bruce, Kinza, and Mum!

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/13/2008

Kinza's dog, Mini

Right now, I am at Carol-Ann's in Canada!! I have been catching up with all that is going on with Kinza, Bruce, and Carol-Ann. Today I spent most of the day with my Mother. We had a great time going over old photos. She told me who was in the pictures, and I wrote it all down so that that knowledge will remain with us. She also told me the most fascinating stories about some of the people in the pictures.

Don't you think Mini is the cutest little dog ever? (Don't you, Nancy?!!) She really is!

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/11/2008

Bob and his plane

This little airplane is the way we made any significant travels in Liberia when I was growing up. We walked or used a motorcycle in our immediate area but to get to the city and other places far from us, we flew in this airplane (or sometimes another one like it). If you zoom in on the picture, you can see that right behind the propeller are the words "Wings of Service for Jesus." That was exactly right. Bob was a missionary pilot and did so many things in service to others. He helped other missionaries get where they needed to go, delivered mail and other supplies, and saved many lives by flying very sick or wounded people to the hospital.

My mother never enjoyed flying, especially in little planes like this one. She always said she felt like she was up on a postage stamp! I think I may have inherited my dislike of flying from her, but nevertheless tomorrow I am flying, not on a little plane like this but on a big one, to go to Canada to see my mother and Carol-Ann and her family for a few days. Which means I am not writing any more now, as I have absolutely a ton of things still to be done.

(Hopefully I will be able to keep up with my "Picture of the Day" while I am gone.)

PICTURE OF THE DAY - 06/03/2008

Jeanette, Gord, and Carol-Ann

Carol-Ann sent this picture to me today, so here we are yet again, so you can see what 25 more years have done! (Please don't look too hard!)

Here we are, middle-aged siblings, not able to believe how quickly our lives have brought us this far! Each of us has had some really tough times, it's true, but we also have so many things to be thankful for, to think back over and laugh about, to still work on improving, to encourage each other with!

(Great pic of you, Gord and Carol-Ann! Who IS that standing by you??)

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/02/2008

Jeanette, Gord, and Carol-Ann
Taken at Gord's wedding, 1980

I am leaving yesterday's pic here a little longer so we can see the changes in 5 years! My brother Gord married Paula, my husband Barry's sister. I was one of Paula's attendants, and Carol-Ann sang during the ceremony. We don't have too many pictures like this because we have been together all too seldom in our adult lives.

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 06/01/2008

Jeanette, Gord, and Carol-Ann

I'm not sure of the date on this (approximately 1975), taken in Liberia.
Carol-Ann and I often dressed like this in a top and lappa, which is a piece of material cut the full width of a bolt of 36-inch fabric, thus it has a finished edge at the hem and waist. It is wrapped around and tucked in or fastened at the waist to form a long skirt.

PICTURE OF THE DAY -- 04/25/2008

Carol-Ann and me -- long ago!

Carol-Ann

I have been sorting through pictures hoping to find the ones I can see in my mind's eye and which I really wanted to put here for you, but no such luck! They are probably slides residing at Carol-Ann's house. Most of the pictures our parents took when we were little were slides. The snapshots that I have left are pretty much ruined by the tropical moisture in Liberia where we grew up, but I do have a few usable ones, so here they are!

This is the earliest picture I could find of Carol-Ann! Here are Gord and me with our new baby sister.


Isn't she the sweetest little thing? I think Carol-Ann is 2 or 3 years old here. (You can see a bit of the damage I mentioned.)


Carol-Ann with Samuel and his mom.


Carol-Ann's kindergarten picture taken when our family came back to Canada for a year.


Carol-Ann and I were absolutely thrilled to be bridesmaids. She was about 9, I think, and I would have been about 12. Isn't she elegant! (Am I chewing on something??!)


Here she is as a teenager...


...with Gord and me...


...and with Bruce!


So here is a tiny snippet of history-in-pictures for Carol-Ann! I just love all the remembering that looking at these brings to me. So much fun, fighting, playing Monopoly, laughing, crying, working, singing... Well, you just had to have been there to really know what I mean! I love you, Carol-Ann!

Family memories!

A while back I posted a few pictures of Gord from years ago, and I love to go back and look at them every now and then. Carol-Ann will be next, but until I have that ready to post, here is one of my favorite pictures of her and Kinza taken about 10 years ago. I love the way Kinza's little hands are clasped, and she looks a little dewy around the eyes, as though her mom has been comforting her after tears!