October Journalling

1.What did you read today? Betrayal by Robin Lee Hatcher. I can always be sure of a good read when I buy any of her books.

2. Third and final shift this week. I know they are only four hours long, but with my commute, I’m gone from home for eight hours. Those are long days when I still have no energy and my leg is bothering me from overworking it. However, I’m happy to be back at work even in that capacity (doing paperwork). I feel like it helps them out somewhat and I can train my brain to concentrate for four hours at one sitting. I got a call from my doctor saying the results of my bloodwork are in, but I won’t hear until the 16^th when I see her again. I fear my iron is still low, in spite of more than a month of treatment. It feels that way, anyway.

3. Lazy day, mostly exhausted from work. All I accomplished was laundry, dinner and a nap. Now I will attempt to write for a few hours. Here goes.

4. Accomplished some writing. I wrote the scene where David and Bathsheba’s baby died. Hard to write through tears.

5. Women of Faith meeting this morning. Twelve women. I spoke on Mephibosheth and also on Jesus as the Bread of Life. In the evening we visited my husband’s brother and his wife.

6. Church today. Our Pastor and his wife are back from their three month sabbatical. We had refreshments after the evening service to welcome them back, but I found the day took a lot out of me. Five hours in the morning and four in the evening.

7. I had three fillings replaced. As Owl City says, “I’ve been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill.” Now off to work. I’m exhausted already.

8. Work was better yesterday. I finished quite a lot of work in my four hours and went home with a sense of accomplishment, even if it’s just paperwork.

9. My mental stamina and concentration is improving, if not my physical stamina.

10. While the new Toronto subways are nice, I can think of three drawbacks. One: if there was a fire, the smoke would quickly fill the one long car because there is no way to compartmentalize it. Two: maybe I watch too much t.v., but if there was a shooter, he could just walk the length of the train and do his worst. Three; if you are being harassed, you can’t just exit the car at the next station and step into the next car to get away from him; since there is just one long car. Just my observations.

11. Went to see Gravity with my usual date. I don’t usually like space movies, but it was more about astronauts than anything sci-fi. It was IMAX 3-D and I found the edges and falling a little distressing. Lots of action, though. They did the usual kill-off-the-person-of-colour-first thing, though.

12. Busy day cleaning, shopping for running shoes for work, and trying to come up with some dessert for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner. Blueberry crumble pie or something new? My daughter is also bringing pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

13. Thanksgiving dinner at my husband’s cousin’s home. Always extra thankful when someone else does the cooking. I’ll probably be hosting Christmas dinner this year.

14. Washing windows today, with family’s help. Not a fan of climbing ladders.

15. We're not called on to be thankful FOR all things, but IN every circumstance.

16. I am getting niggling ideas on how this book can turn into a series of at least three books on David’s Mighty Men.

17. Good writing day yesterday. I wrote a scene where my protagonist kills a giant. I’m not an expert on hand to hand combat, but that can get fixed during revisions, I guess. Went to the doctor today to get blood results and plan how much I’ll work in the next few weeks. My iron is still low and I have mono. At least that explains why I had a sore throat and exhaustion three weeks ago, before I started work. I think the mono is gone, but I can’t understand why my ferritin is still so low even after two months of supplements. Also we don’t have a cause for it. Sigh.

18. Eye appt. today. Also my mom is heading to London for a few days to help out my aunt who is having surgery. She is going by train, to leave her car for us. Isn’t that kind of her?

19. I looked up the side effects of iron deficiency anemia; slowly progressing weakness/tiredness, headache, feeling grumpy, and difficulty thinking/concentrating. Explains the daily headache the last two weeks.

21. What is your most prized possession?

              My library. I would cry if I lost it in a fire.

22. Work is okay when I get there, but I’m trying to do too much before work.

23. Jeopardy is my new addiction.

24. Five day weekend, and I don’t even mind that it includes two doctor’s appointments. Running errands today. Sauna tonight.

25. Climbing Sushi Mountain today for dinner. House is clean for our Crit Group meeting tomorrow.

26. Met with Faithful Writers this morning. We may do this on-line. Two of us are almost done our books, so we’re moving to a different stage of revising, proofreading and editing. We may just help each other out. The other four can’t make it because of their schedules and often don’t have writing to critique, but as long as there’s at least one crit partner, we’re good. We’re both writing the same genre of Biblical, historical fiction, but hers is sub-categoried as YA, or Young Adult.

27. Church today. My husband is teaching the adult class this month. This evening we have new missionaries presenting.

28. Gyne appt. today. So we decided a hysterectomy was the best option for me. I don’t have a date yet, but probably in the next month or two.

29. My youngest had a great day. 90% and 93% on two papers she wrote, and she scored in the 88^th percentile on her LSAT exams. That’s the Law School Admissions Test. That means she is in the top 12% of all those who have written it in Canada and U.S. in the past three years. Pretty amazing.

30. I worked two six-hour shifts this week. It takes a lot out of me. Now I have a four day weekend. I need it. I’ve been talking with occ. Health and I’m getting a little concerned that I’ll run out of sick benefits. In order to refresh the bank, I’d have to work full time hours for three weeks. I know I’m not ready for that, but I wonder how we’ll manage if my income is only EI, which would be half of what I bring home now.

31. It’s Reformation Day! On October 31^st, 1517, an obscure German monk posted 95 points for theological discussion, sparking the Protestant Reformation. He turned the world upside down. Martin Luther nailed it!

September 2013 Journalling

1. Great preaching today, as usual, then our daughter and son in law came to spend the night.

2. The guests we were expecting had to cancel due to sick children, but we had a family from our church over for a bbq instead. Also, today a man from our church died. He was in his early 80’s. He was saved late in life, around 65. He used to come and nod off in church, then God saved him. His wife, who is shy, was so thankful to God for saving her husband, she got up and sang Amazing Grace as a solo in front of the church. He was known as a prayer warrior. Godwin is now rejoicing with his Saviour. This is also the two month mark of when we put Kody down. I still miss my puppy. L

3. Back to school for most. Our youngest starts her last year of university next week. I wrote 2,688 words; some thru tears. I had to kill off a character, which is never easy to do.

4. My husband is going to take a seminary course beginning next week. The prof is Kirk Wellum. He feels it will help him in his teaching and preaching at church. He is auditing it, so he won’t have a twenty page paper to write, which is good since he hasn’t written one in 30 years.

5. I’m thinking I probably shouldn’t drive. My right leg doesn’t move too fast and the action of pulling my knee back to go from gas to brake doesn’t feel too good. I didn’t drive for four months this year due to mental impairment from side effects of meds, now due to leg weakness. I will miss the autonomy but it’s safer for the rest of you out on the road. I’m a little discouraged today. Thanks for coming to my pity party. No loot bags, though. Sorry.

6. The last thing I bought myself was six books at the Christian book store yesterday. That always makes me happy. Then I ordered three more on-line when I got home because they weren’t there. I also took my daughter out for breakfast yesterday. We are going to my mother-in-law’s for dinner tonight. She wants to see us before she goes on vacation to Russia. I think it’s a cruise of some sort.

7. Women of Faith meeting this morning. Pouring rain and only a few showed up. I spoke on Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life in the book of John. http://the-scarlet-thread.com/2013/09/11/christ-as-the-resurrection-and-the-life-in-the-book-of-john/#comments

8. Two guest speakers at church today since our Pastor is on sabbatical for another month. Guests staying overnight tonight. They were asking about my book and it got me excited about it. I really think it has potential.

9. Laundry and writing day. I have pain in my pelvis and right thigh when I put my weight fully on my right leg. I may go to a walk-in clinic and ask for an x-ray. I’ve only had weakness but no pain, so that concerns me. In all this time no doctor has ordered one, or even examined my leg itself, even though I tell them I feel heaviness in the groin area. Frustrating. My MRI is on Saturday, so I’ll be late for the funeral. They seem so sure the problem is in my brain but I think it’s more likely a problem in the bone. Just saying.

10. So instead of just worrying, I went into a walk-in clinic and explained the situation. The Doc ordered an x-ray of my right pelvis and femur. I’m to return tomorrow afternoon for the results.

11. The x-ray was normal. So what is this pain in my leg? This is frustrating. I just want a diagnosis so I can know what I’m dealing with.

12. Preparing for our first in-person meeting of our newly formed critique group, which we’ve named Faithful Writers, since all of us have a connection to Faith Baptist Church, and we have faith. I will serve refreshments and we will critique each other’s work, usually a first chapter. Then I will discuss POV, or point of view. I hope it goes well. We writers are a sensitive lot, and it’s hard to send our babies out into the real world.

13. I don’t know why I waited so long to be critiqued or what I was afraid of, (okay, I know), but it went so well, and was so encouraging and helpful. I want to go right back into it and improve that first chapter based on the suggestions. Also, visitation tonight at the funeral home.

14. I did the MRI this morning. It went well. I must have been nervous about it though, because I woke up at 3:30. I got up and wrote a bit, and did some research. Then we had a long day at the funeral of a man from our church. There’s nothing like the funeral of a Christian! It was Jamaican though, so that means a late start and a long day, but delicious food! The hardest part was when they lowered him into the ground. His wife was so strong, she even scooped up a shovel full of dirt and threw it in.

15. Church as usual, and a presentation by our missionaries to Nigeria, as well as refreshments. Can’t wait for the weekdays so I can rest! What a full weekend. I get the MRI result on Friday.

16. I’m exhausted from this weekend. Plus I was quite irritable yesterday. My poor husband. He says, “How come when you have PMS I get a headache?”

17. How can the days go so quickly when I’m not doing anything? I am so tired; I took a nap today. I sleep so poorly and wake up so sore because I can’t sleep in my usual positions. If I’m tired of my complaining I can only imagine how you feel hearing it.

18. I wanted to go to the Toronto Baptist Seminary Library tonight while my husband was at his course, so I could get some answers to research questions for my book, but they aren’t open Wednesday evenings. Plan B, I guess. I found a few good websites that let you ask questions. Maybe they can help.

19. Another surprise. A woman from our church has been found dead. Wow. With our Pastor still on sabbatical, we have to figure out someone else to take the funeral.

20. My neurologist appointment is today. I want a diagnosis, but not the one I’m worried about.

21. Sometimes no news is good news; other times, no news is just no news. While I’m happy the MRI was normal, I continue to have leg weakness and pain. So the plans from the neurologist are bloodwork, another MRI but lower down on the spine, and nerve conduction tests. They are ordered as non-urgent, so it could be months before I get them. In the meantime, I will talk to my doctor on Monday about returning to work, modified, even if it means sitting and doing paperwork until my stamina returns. My mind is willing, but my body is weak.

22. First day of fall and the leaves are already changing. One day I would really love to live in some hot climate. Just saying.

23. Doctor’s appointment today: New bloodwork ordered. Plan to return to work next Monday thru Wednesday for four hours times two weeks then reassess. I am sick this week with a sore throat and body aches. I’m looking forward to going back even in a limited capacity.

24. I was hoping to be productive, at least getting my bloodwork done and some groceries bought, but it’ll have to wait till tomorrow as today I feel too dizzy and fatigued.  What was it like to be healthy and do the things I wanted to do? They say it’s a sick person who understands what health is.

25. I managed to get a few errands done; my bloodwork, paying the mortgage, and buying food. Now I’m home and haven’t accomplished much else. I am a little concerned because the right side of my face is tingling the way it did before my severe facial pain started in January. It’s making me nervous. I can’t deal with that now. I have a plan in place to go back to work next week. I just have to get over this cold. My husband has his course at Seminary tonight so he won’t be home till after ten. My daughter and I will eat something he’s not a big fan of: chili.

26. I am reading Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith. She’s one of my favourite authors of Biblical historical fiction. I hope my book can be half as good as hers.

27. My husband is going on an overnight men’s retreat, which I call a pajama party to tease him. My daughter is out overnight too. I should be happy about the time to myself, but I have enough of it in the day. I guess I’m needy, but I enjoy their company.

28. Cooking and cleaning for guests tomorrow. It’s our last guest speaker before our Pastor returns from his sabbatical. Those three months went by quickly.

29. Guests today, lots of food, great preaching.

30. I have a dental appt. this morning and then I start back to work, 3-7 Monday thru Thursday for two weeks, doing paperwork. I hope I can manage, dragging around this lump of a leg.