There is no way I can describe last weekend to do it justice. On Thursday evening, I took a 10-hour red-eye Greyhound bus trip to Grande Prairie. I had never been that far north in Alberta. I was there to visit Teresa and Joe. I had worked with Teresa four summers ago at Pine Lake, and although she was one of my closest friends that summer, I haven't seen her since. Three and a half years is a long time to be away from a close friend. I've been in Alberta for nearly a year, and yet we haven't found time to get together until now. Teresa and Joe got married two years ago, and they just had a baby three weeks ago. This was my last opportunity to see them before I go back to Newfoundland, and I wasn't going to pass it up.
The entire weekend was beautiful. I spent an entire afternoon catching up with Teresa, talking about old memories and remarking how things have changed since then. After three years, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever have the opportunity. I wasn't disappointed. It was also wonderful to meet Joe. We spent the majority of the weekend together, and I think we would become good friends if we lived closer to each other. I'm glad Teresa is married to such a great guy.
I'm told that babies are not beautiful until they're a few months old. I most strongly disagree. I spent some time holding baby Noah this weekend, and looking into his eyes, I could not imagine how God's beauty could be more gloriously displayed. If you don't believe me, I have plenty of photos and video to prove it.
I would like to think that I learned a lot this weekend. I certainly thought a lot this weekend. I'm not used to my peers being married or having children, so it was quite the eye-opener. Teresa was crazy when I worked with her at camp. She still is, but it seems that the responsibilities she has accepted (as well as the very sensible and responsible husband she has married) have tempered her and made her much more conscientious and even refined. I was quite impressed at how well they communicated, organized their time, and ran their household. The idea of being in charge of a family boggles my mind, but it seems a much more realistic idea now that I have observed Teresa and Joe. They have certainly changed the way I think about marriage and family.
One important thing I learned is that people don't automatically become different people when they get married or have children. I don't think people can go into those roles quite prepared. I don't see what would prepare anyone. I was also amazed at how long a baby stays a baby. Apparently, a baby needs to learn to smile. To smile! I thought that was something everyone is born knowing how to do. Babies spend so much of their time being whisked through the air in people's arms and being far from the floor. They're comforted by being completely wrapped up in blankets and they prefer to sleep to the noise of people talking rather than silence or recorded music. They're often swung back and forth and don't get sea sick from it. Imagine entering a world where everyone was that much larger than us, where we were kept in an enclosed pod and people never let our feet touch the ground or allowed us some quiet so we could sleep. We'd suffer from claustrophobia, continual headaches, and a complete inability to keep any food down. I hadn't realized that babies are so different than adults.
It is also interesting to think that my parents got married when they were my age. It changes the way I think about myself and my role in life; not that I think I should be married by now, but that I should be that responsible. It also feels weird that the next time I see Noah, he'll probably be walking and talking. I hope it won't be another three and a half years before I see the three of them again. It was difficult to leave. I had spent so much time with their extended family that I felt like I had become a part of it. It made me look forward to Christmas with my family back home even more.
On the bus home, I had some great conversations with random co-passengers. Much better than cat napping. The first conversation was with a very red-haired cowgirl who spent the weekend visiting her new boyfriend on a ranch and getting a huge tattoo on her back. She was sore, but in a pleasant and reflective mood, which is generally good for conversation. She told me that I have to try rattlesnake, alligator, and shark steaks. Her favorite is alligator. I suggested she try haggis. When she got off at Red Deer, I began talking with a first-year Catholic medical student with an affinity for good literature and Wikipedia. You know we had a lot to talk about. We had both read through The Chronicles of Narnia multiple times and had just finished Gulliver's Travels. We compared big-endians and little-endians to Catholics and Protestants, talking about our roles in society and our positions on Eucharist. Christians are pretty diverse! The central beliefs are the same, but the way we live out our faith and the importance we put on things can be quite different. Catholisism - another item on my long list of things I'd like to learn about.
Since I've written so much about this weekend and haven't touched the other things that have happened since my last post, I'll fire the important parts off in point form in conclusion:
1. I attended TRAIN, a Christian leadership conference. I learned about the horrible state of homelessness in Calgary, heard about the accurate pagan references in Harry Potter, and watched an 'illusionist' make his wife and pets disappear and reappear. Quite impressive.
2. I went 'reverse trick-or-treating' (singing Christmas carols instead of taking candy) on Halloween with the South Meadows youth group and dressed up as Strong Sad. I sent in a photo to the Brothers Chaps and they included it in this year's fan costumes toon! Perhaps I should start a weight-loss program. Or a thumb-loss program.
3. I watched the first Will Ferrell movie I have ever seen that I liked. I would recommend "Stranger Than Fiction" to anyone who has not enjoyed his previous movies... and anyone who likes to shake lamps for no apparant reason.
The entire weekend was beautiful. I spent an entire afternoon catching up with Teresa, talking about old memories and remarking how things have changed since then. After three years, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever have the opportunity. I wasn't disappointed. It was also wonderful to meet Joe. We spent the majority of the weekend together, and I think we would become good friends if we lived closer to each other. I'm glad Teresa is married to such a great guy.
I'm told that babies are not beautiful until they're a few months old. I most strongly disagree. I spent some time holding baby Noah this weekend, and looking into his eyes, I could not imagine how God's beauty could be more gloriously displayed. If you don't believe me, I have plenty of photos and video to prove it.
I would like to think that I learned a lot this weekend. I certainly thought a lot this weekend. I'm not used to my peers being married or having children, so it was quite the eye-opener. Teresa was crazy when I worked with her at camp. She still is, but it seems that the responsibilities she has accepted (as well as the very sensible and responsible husband she has married) have tempered her and made her much more conscientious and even refined. I was quite impressed at how well they communicated, organized their time, and ran their household. The idea of being in charge of a family boggles my mind, but it seems a much more realistic idea now that I have observed Teresa and Joe. They have certainly changed the way I think about marriage and family.
One important thing I learned is that people don't automatically become different people when they get married or have children. I don't think people can go into those roles quite prepared. I don't see what would prepare anyone. I was also amazed at how long a baby stays a baby. Apparently, a baby needs to learn to smile. To smile! I thought that was something everyone is born knowing how to do. Babies spend so much of their time being whisked through the air in people's arms and being far from the floor. They're comforted by being completely wrapped up in blankets and they prefer to sleep to the noise of people talking rather than silence or recorded music. They're often swung back and forth and don't get sea sick from it. Imagine entering a world where everyone was that much larger than us, where we were kept in an enclosed pod and people never let our feet touch the ground or allowed us some quiet so we could sleep. We'd suffer from claustrophobia, continual headaches, and a complete inability to keep any food down. I hadn't realized that babies are so different than adults.
It is also interesting to think that my parents got married when they were my age. It changes the way I think about myself and my role in life; not that I think I should be married by now, but that I should be that responsible. It also feels weird that the next time I see Noah, he'll probably be walking and talking. I hope it won't be another three and a half years before I see the three of them again. It was difficult to leave. I had spent so much time with their extended family that I felt like I had become a part of it. It made me look forward to Christmas with my family back home even more.
On the bus home, I had some great conversations with random co-passengers. Much better than cat napping. The first conversation was with a very red-haired cowgirl who spent the weekend visiting her new boyfriend on a ranch and getting a huge tattoo on her back. She was sore, but in a pleasant and reflective mood, which is generally good for conversation. She told me that I have to try rattlesnake, alligator, and shark steaks. Her favorite is alligator. I suggested she try haggis. When she got off at Red Deer, I began talking with a first-year Catholic medical student with an affinity for good literature and Wikipedia. You know we had a lot to talk about. We had both read through The Chronicles of Narnia multiple times and had just finished Gulliver's Travels. We compared big-endians and little-endians to Catholics and Protestants, talking about our roles in society and our positions on Eucharist. Christians are pretty diverse! The central beliefs are the same, but the way we live out our faith and the importance we put on things can be quite different. Catholisism - another item on my long list of things I'd like to learn about.
Since I've written so much about this weekend and haven't touched the other things that have happened since my last post, I'll fire the important parts off in point form in conclusion:
1. I attended TRAIN, a Christian leadership conference. I learned about the horrible state of homelessness in Calgary, heard about the accurate pagan references in Harry Potter, and watched an 'illusionist' make his wife and pets disappear and reappear. Quite impressive.
2. I went 'reverse trick-or-treating' (singing Christmas carols instead of taking candy) on Halloween with the South Meadows youth group and dressed up as Strong Sad. I sent in a photo to the Brothers Chaps and they included it in this year's fan costumes toon! Perhaps I should start a weight-loss program. Or a thumb-loss program.
3. I watched the first Will Ferrell movie I have ever seen that I liked. I would recommend "Stranger Than Fiction" to anyone who has not enjoyed his previous movies... and anyone who likes to shake lamps for no apparant reason.
