27 February 2011

A month of celebrations

Feb 1 began on a high note with my return to Alberta from beautiful British Columbia.

On the second I celebrated my 40th in grand style by staying close to home, spending a couple of hours at school among beloved students and kingdom colleagues, having lunch with my sweet spouse, tea at Tim’s with my gym partner, Wilmien, and a Thai supper with Tammy. (I see both these lovely ladies each Wednesday, and chose to spend my birthday in their company—as I have for the past couple of years.)

Phone calls, e-mail and FB messages, gifts and treats—and even snail mail cards and parcels from afar—were in plentiful supply; suffice it to say: I was spoiled beyond words. My cup runneth over.

The rest of the month flew by most happily: highlights include the turning of 40 of several other friends, one of whom invited me to share an elegant tea and cucumber sandwich affair in celebration of this memorable milestone.

I returned to class after my time away with renewed energy and hope, bountifully blessed by two dear colleagues who each taught a course component for me. (I am especially challenged by the complex technological aspects of Research Strategies; the writing component poses far less of a problem.) School this semester has been unexpectedly satisfying, considering that this is my least favourite course of the four I am privileged to teach. My dozen-plus college students continue to bring me great joy.

Tomorrow is a cyber-silent day, and so I shall pen some letters the old-fashioned way, and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the mailbox around lunch time. I have also begun two personal projects … but more about those in the next post.

Enjoy your last day of February, dear Reader, and thank you for celebrating with me all month.