2005-02-13T22:03:00.000-06:00

Greetings,

Today has been no less than eventful. I feel so satisfied at the end of this day and I feel that I owe it to a number of factors.

Firstly, I have love. I am unbelievably lucky and I thank the All Mighty for that blessing. My heart of hearts aches because it is so full. I did not know that it was in me to feel so much love and compassion for a person.

The day dawned beautiful with the sun glittering from the icy tree tops. the air was crisp and decidedly snappy to the lungs. I was energized and felt ready to recieve whatever the day would bestow upon me.

I attended my first Meeting for Worship today in Halifax. I must say that I have never had an experience such as this. I felt so welcomed and incredibly at home. I even gave ministry at one point and felt it very well accepted by the group. The faces that received my presence were welcoming and warm. I am thankful for the experience and I shall return next week.

I went to dinner at John's house with Jeremy and the rest of the extended family. The dinner was nice and it was great to see everyone, although an unfortunate event did occur. Digger (the cat) was hit by a car and John had to bag up his little black body. He will be burried tomorrow. Trudy was really upset but pushed it to the back of her mind to continue to be a good hostess. I feel more compassion towards her now because I was reminded today that each person feels pain in a similar manner. Before going home the truck got stuck on some ice in the driveway and Jeremy and Trudy's son had to come out and stand on the cab while John gunned the engine to try and get some traction on the ice. We were probably sitting there spinning on the ice for a good 15 - 20 minutes. I didn't mind the experience as I was allowed to sit in the warm truck and guard the chocolate cake. The men did all the work! (Ha ha)

We ventured to the First day market today and it was so bright, happy and bustling. I loved it! We ordered deli sandwhiches and drank smoothies. I would really like to visit the Halifax Farmer's Market though, because most of the things there are all hand made and locally grown and produced. It's all independent and the people are just so warm and funny. Plus, there's music. Maybe I'll try to get there sometime in the next couple of weeks.

The family had a Valentine's dinner here without me tonight. It was my own fault that I wasn't there because I stupidly forgot all about it and ended up staying at Johns's. That was all fine and dandy though because Becca went to dinner. Upon returning home I did recieve some very beautiful and unwarrented gifts that I am very grateful for. I had no idea that so many of them would come my way. Several brightly coloured tee shirts are now a new staple to my wardrobe which means that I can do away with some of the useless and cumbersome clothing that I own -- including my horrid attempt at creating clothing a few days ago. Made in Canada? Hope so.

Tomorrow's to-do list consists of the following:

Fill out passport papers
Watch video on Alaska
Write letter to King's and send in final transcripts
Make Jeremy's Valentine's gift
Go though clothing
Call Grandma and thank her
Go to dinner with Jeremy

beauty.

2005-02-11T01:04:00.000-06:00

Greetings,

So, the first post on my new blog. I'm interested to see how this will work out. Hope for the best.

I'm feeling a little off today. I began the day by going to town to pick up some last minute paperwork from school. My final transcripts aren't looking too shabby, although I, again, was disappointed in the english marks. All's said and done now though, so there's no point wasting energy worrying about it now. The next step is to get those puppies off to the university.

While at the school today I saw some people that I most likely won't be seeing again in quite a while, if ever again really. I picked up Becca's things from her locker for her and I also returned Rueben's sweater to him. It felt odd, because he sounded so sad when he said goodbye. I hadn't expected that and I'm not sure about how it made me feel.

I came home after that and decided that it was time to start the long process of simplifying my life. Good God, where to start? I began by tearing down everything from my walls. That was no easy task, seeing as every single photo, painting, doodle or news article I'd collected over the years had been casually stuck to the wall. It's amazing how much larger the room started to look even after that. I also rid the room as completely as I could of cumber. Almost 100% of the things that were unecessary or served no purpose in that room are gone. I will either donate them to charity or throw them out. I feel two things about the room now that it is sparce: A) Nervous, because I'm not used to so much space and so little colour. I need to adjust. B) Relief - it's finally done and over with. It'll also be much easier to deal with when I move.
After the cleaning was nearly over, I started to feel nostalgic and even a little sad. I am really going to miss this place when it's gone. I feel almost stripped of my character now that all those knick knacks are gone. I know that's a ridiculous thought and it's exactly what I am attempting to get away from, but for the moment I allowed myself to feel it.

I then got into a somewhat large argument with my dearest father. He made some comments that really and truly hurt me. I didn't take it as well as I should have and I know that I could have been much, much more mature then I was. At least I've recognized that and I can work on it for next time.

I went to have my passport photo taken today so that I can be off to the beautiful and breath taking landscapes of Alaska soon. The man at the portrait studio was exceptionally personal, casual and sweet. I actually felt bad for not being more friendly.

Tomorrow I promised myself that I would go through my clothing and decide what I do and do not want. That's the next step in my process of simplification. I do not need the amount of clothing that I have - it makes me feel selfish. It's not that I feel I'm spoiled, it's just that I think there are better things on which I can spend my cash, and I really feel that I have way more than I need. The Salvation army better get ready for some major deposits from moi!
I was in a short conversation with someone today about sweatshops. Although I've already studied them and such, it was good to think about it again in a manner that may be applicable to my life. I'm going to start trying to buy clothes that are made in Canada or the United States so that there's less risk of them having been made by a child for 32 cents an hour. I know that there are some sweatshops existing in North America, but the problem is much less than it is in many developing countries with no money who are being exploited for their peoples' desperate need of work.
I aso think that I want to start making some of my own clothes. I am definitely not a seamstress at heart, but I really think that making my own clothes would fill some time and make me feel good. Plus they would be ethical, practicle and what I want. I want to make some essentials, such as:
- a whimple (maybe one that covers the shoulders instead of tying because it's really cold here)
- plain skirts (1) (2)
- some blouses that tie in the back
- a plain dress
+ a few pairs of gardening pants and some wool sweaters and zips and that's my wardrobe! I don't want to have to worry about anything else, and it'll be simple so I won't have to think about it.

I'm going to my first Halifax Friends meeting this Sunday and am very excited. It'll be a little bit of a stretch to have to walk all the way to Halifax while I'm still living in the farm community, but soon I'll be moving and it'll be easier to get there.

Jeremy is here with me and that makes my heart bust at the seams with pure, unfettered joy.

I'm tired. Goodnight.

In friendship,
Megan Grace

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