Christmas

We have just finished the busy Christmas season.  You may say…well it isn’t even Christmas yet and you would be right!

Let’s step back and get caught up.  I started working (temporarily) as the church secretary at the end of September.  That has kept me very busy.  I probably started at the busiest time of the year with Christmas right around the corner.

It was a learning curve of new programs, deadlines and due dates but so far I’m doing it with mostly a smile on my face.

Then came the Christmas banquet.  Pam and I were in charge of the entertainment and there were lots of other administrative duties behind the scenes.  I had been so tired by the time that it was over that I got sick with a cold.  It seemed to linger on as I continued to work.  Unfortunately I also shared it with Ron and Sarah.

Next came our 50 Plus Christmas event with Gary and Denise singing.  It was a nice event but enough to make me have a relapse of the sickness.  I kept going.

Sarah recovered just in time to be a part of our church drama.  She did such a great job.  She is a talented girl.

Last Sunday, was another enjoyable Christmas program held at the little church in Tamworth.  It was nice to just walk behind the house and enjoy a presentation from the Wesleyan church.  We could just sit and enjoy the music.

This week I worked hard to get things done at the church.  Sarah got caught up at school.  Wednesday night we enjoyed another Christmas program by the Cornerstone Christian Academy.  They did an amazing job.

And now…Saturday morning and we are packed and in the car.  We are off to Toronto to begin our Christmas holiday.  Stay tuned…

Busy Week with a Sweet Ending

This week has had my brain and eyes hurting.  I was on my own at the church office and the things that I thought I knew how to do became a mystery.   I stumbled through three long days and with the help of the last secretary, I think I accomplished something.

Today, I left my admin hat at home and put my old lady bonnet on…we were off on fall bus tour with the 50 Plus.  We met at the church and waited for the bus to arrive.  I had checked everyone off my list and still we waited.  Ron called and they were on their way and so..you guessed it…we waited.  Finally, the bus arrived and we slowly climbed in and were on our way.  It’s been a while since I’ve been on a school bus.  

They are not the most comfortable ride.  In fact, the ride was so bumpy that my watch gave me steps.  The bus driver used her GPS to get there.  It was an interesting road….but perhaps we should have read their post from their website.

We arrived and made our way into the beautiful log building.  

We sat down and took up two long tables.  The service was amazing.  Coffee was placed in front of us and then they took our orders.  

A fluffy pancake and a maple sausage was my choice with a side of maple beans….topped with maple syrup.  Very tasty!  Old friends from Napanee, that are now living in Perth, met us there.  

The visiting around the table was good and at the conclusion we all strolled out ready to check out the museums or walk the trails.  I asked the bus driver how much time we had and she said we had to go.  That was not the plan.  We thought it was going to be more of an open end kind of day.  A few quickly checked out the museum and then we climbed back on to the bus.  We took a bit of a different way home to avoid the narrow back road this time.

I think everyone enjoyed their day even though the stop was quicker than we had planned.

Enjoy the sweet moments!

Full Days

I am sitting this morning sipping on my coffee listening to worship music.  Sarah went on the bus this morning and Ron left on the motorcycle for a meeting.  Outside my window the changing colours of the leaves paint a perfect picture. I’m tired this morning but it’s a good tiredness coming from an active week.  Having a slower start to the day is refreshing.  

Monday was a day of training at the church office.  When I finished there I changed my admin hat to my 50 plus one.  The tables were all set up for our Tuesday lunch but they needed the final touches….decorating.  That’s the fun stuff.  The ladies of the church had been sorting the supply cupboards and had found tablecloths that were perfect for my fall theme.  I had brought two bins of decorations from home and was able to be satisfied with the way the room looked.  After almost two hours of placing leaves, pumpkins, baskets and other autumn items around the room, I felt ready for the next day.  Okay, maybe not totally…when I got home I made six dozen cupcakes for our luncheon.

Tuesday, we dropped Sarah off at the school and went straight to the church.  Ron worked on preparing for the sermon while my team of kitchen helpers and I did prepping for the lunch.  Ron spoke and did really well.  I think he still has it…that preacher thing!  It was nice to have 50 plus after our 50 plus meeting!  It was especially nice that our friends from Tweed, Janie and Clare came.

The lunch was really nice…build your own sandwiches, banana punch, warm apple cider and chocolate, carrot or lemon cupcakes for dessert.  

When the meal was over and the kitchen was clean, our day was not done.  Sarah had to stay for a basketball game and so Ron and I put on walking clothes and walked ALL over Napanee….just over 20,000 steps for the day.  

There was a prayer meeting in the evening and we decided to stay so we made ourselves some sandwiches from the leftover lunch items.  I picked a book from the church library, made a tea and waited for 6:45 pm to arrive.  The prayer meeting was good and thankfully when we closed our eyes to pray I didn’t fall asleep.  Just after 8:00, we were on our way home and in bed by 9:00.

I am sitting finishing my coffee, typing away and my relaxing is almost done.  I need to soon get going and be off to the church for another day of training.  I’m thinking an extra coffee will get me through.

Who knew that retirement would take us back into pastoring the 50 plus group and me into an office?  I guess retirement is doing the things you enjoy and volunteering so that you can say not today.

I hope your day is full!