Finding a Voice

It's been awhile, hasn't it? How rude of me to post unsettling news about my dad and not update ASAP. Dad's okay. He feels better than he did before the heart attach. In fact, he feels better than he has for quite a few years. Mom says his color is a lot better. He's going for a second angioplasty on Tuesday--a rather routine procedure as I understand it.

Only 3 more days of college classes, then exams start on Thursday. Convocation is on April 23rd and shortly afterwards Caronport will seem quite empty and peaceful. I love the rhythms of the college year: the energy of several hundred students arriving in September for an 8 month experience, followed by long, peaceful summers in a lovely, green Caronport with jaunts to places like Toronto and Arlington Beach. Sadly, I doubt that I'll make it to Vancouver this summer.

I've got lots of exciting options for places to go and people to see--like a Royal Military Academy grad in Kingston, ON and a formal evening wedding in Washington DC and another wedding in Vancouver--but have been making decisions with my head more than my heart lately (a strange experience for another post maybe) and choosing simplicity and rest rather than complexity and activity. This decision making process certainly brings disappointment, yet there is also relief. I have asked for a writing leave in the summer and have more or less been told yes. At first I thought I'd go away for about 4 weeks, but gradually it has sunk in that I need rest, and rest looks like staying put and settling in rather than packing my car with clothes, food, music, books, computer, paper, pens, maybe bedding and cats, and going off somewhere. That definitely does not sound restful! There are other ways to focus.

Yesterday me and the boys (Glenn, Peter, Ray, Gord, Tony, aka the "Dean Team", plus Brad & Loren) went to Saskatoon for a leadership summit with speakers Patrick Lencioni and Sherron Watkins (Chuck Colson BreakPoint commentary). The Dean Team is the Student Development leadership group I belong to.

In examining 5 dysfunctions of a team and suggesting ways to hold better meetings, Lencioni did helpful groundwork for our team to do some important work together, especially learning to communicate more effectively. I experienced many epiphanies through the day and a lot of joy on the drive home over being part of this team.