Wheeew, I’m really tired! I got home safe and sound though, and my Christmas was sweet, if simple and short.
More on it when I get a chance to write about it.
I wanted to share a small clip of the music I have running from our CD collection though. Mike and I are great fans of an English musician, Mike Oldfield, and one of his latest albums just really catches my moods so well…
Here’s the short clip, anyways – there’s very little to compare it to.
Tears of an Angel
Oldfield was one of the groundbreaking artists in the sixties who produced his first album around seventeen. He played all the instruments himself, recorded the tracks over onto a tape one after the other, and produced an ethereal effect that captured the minds and ears of many people growing up in that decade. His music is much effected by what he experiences in his personal life, and through his albums in the late 80′s and early 90′s one can actually hear the difficulties he head when his wife left him, and when his record company pushed him to produce more than he could. Afterwards he came a bit to faith, and his album ‘Islands’ has a few songs that really inspire a person to praise.
You can just hear his discoveries in the album… Mike sent it to me in 1996 to share some of his favorite music with me. (Not Mike Oldfield, but Mike Hansen, my husband.)
Here’s a Wikipedia entry on Mike Oldfield, a link to where you can buy the Light+Shade album and Oldfield’s current homepage. *Whew!* There, I think I’ve documented enough. More info on what my weekend has been like when I am on my computer earlier in the day!
Finally, all’s written down in a letter that explains many of my joys and difficulties this past week. 
Dear dad,
That letter was really great to read, especially about the cat and
the front yard lighting up when you open the fish tank. 
It tickles me pink that Cheryl got you an Xbox, and that’s utterly
wonderful. We’ve been been waiting for our visit with almost overwhelming
anticipation, and we are going to be tiptoeing on our
spending in preparation for the trip.
Tommorrow I take the long trip out to odense to see my nurse Heidi in
the Diabetes Clinic. I do not know what awaits me, but I do know what
my blood sugars have looked like the past fourteen days – high and
low swings, with a nerve-damping medicine sending my blood sugar up
in the air after I lay down to sleep. I’d really hoped to show my
nurse that the basal rate she calculated for me works, but in my
logbook I can only see it work when I am not eating or taking any
pills. u____u
I’m a little frustrated, and we had a hard weeked with Lejla and
Brian to celebrate christmas. We loved our saturday with them and
their 9 year old son, and Benjamin was there with us and Ingelise,
having a grand old time playing trivial persuit after dinner. Mike
went home early (before we celebrated christmas day) though, because
he knew what was coming (who!). Brian’s mom came with her live-in
boyfreind, who is a walking ball of stress.
Tommy (this fellow) is a carpenter who loved his job to bits, but a
few years ago he fell from his ladder and injured the side of his
face. He is well-supplied with a pension from his work insurance and
union, but he is clearly unhappy – he spoke constantly about his two
daughters, who he raised up through toddlerhood, but sees no longer.
He loves them dearly, but his words are constantly about how bad his
grandchildren behave and how and why they act like they do. He is
trapped in his thoughts, and it makes one long to see Jesus come with
the key to free him.
Lejla’s dishwasher also stopped working on sunday morning, and
Ingelise and Lejla ended up doing the dishes together. It was a sad
thing, but to tell the truth, it makes my heart warm up. Everybody
ended up talking about how that half hour of washing dishes as a
family brought them all together, every night, and rinsed all their
thoughts clear just by having the freedom to talk and work and talk a
little together.
I think I really miss that right now – being with you and Cheryl,
laughing at silly things like the cat and dog, and working in peace
on a crosstitch or project while the radio plays. Sure, we have had
our mucky days, but you know what? The longing for the good comes
back every day.
Have you two gotten my our package yet? I’ve worked my butt off on
the contents, so I’d better hear something about it! XD
Does the XBox use a usb connector for the controller? If we can get
ahold of a USB-to-Xbox converter, or playstation 2-to-xbox converter,
I can use my one-handed controller to win over you in any
competition.
I SO look forward to playing games in the evenings. Stratego, UNO (we
can bring our deck, and we can put two together), trivial persuit and
backgammon, gin rummy and bridge (I suppose you two can teach us, or
we can just do hearts!)
Nothing quite so lovely as sitting on the floor in front of the fire
and getting competative and having fun. ^^
Can we get on video chat tonight? Just me, I think, around BlaHpm your
time? I’ll be peeking with baited breath at my inbox to see your
reply – same as last time, with Skype and your camera.
Love and hugs,
-Jeanette