I seldom watch awards shows like the Grammys or the Junos and when I do, it’s mostly to see what the women are wearing! Who will look elegant? outrageous? just plain ridiculous?

Though Friday evening’s award ceremony wasn’t that kind of affair, it was the sort of event where women wonder what they ought to wear and many of us probably looked around when we arrived to see if we had made the right choice. I felt very comfortable wearing the jacket that I finished making recently!

Last night we drove to Springbrook, southwest of Red Deer, to attend the 2009 Taylor Award presentation ceremony. The recipient was Richard’s sister, Susan Hall.

The Taylor Award was established in 2001, the International Year of Volunteers, and is presented annually to an outstanding prison volunteer by Corrections Services Canada. The award was named after Dr. Charles Taylor and his wife, Charlotte, of Wolfville, Nova Scotia for their lifetime dedication to faith-based counselling with offenders in both correctional facilities and the community and for Dr. Taylor’s contribution to the development of prison ministry education.

Sue was nominated for the award by the Prairie region, one of five regions across Canada, and was subsequently selected as last year’s winner. She was instrumental in bringing the Christopher Leadership Course to the Bowden Penitentiary in 1991 and over the past 18 years has taught the course to 29 classes of inmates. The 10 week course, taught by dedicated volunteers, focuses on building confidence and communication skills through public speaking. While Sue received many accolades during last evening’s event, the most meaningful were the testimonials given by three inmates who were allowed to attend under supervision. They spoke eloquently of the difference that Sue and the skills that she taught them have made in their lives.

In addition to proudly celebrating a sister’s accomplishments, we enjoyed a couple of unexpected surprises last night. During the initial meet and greet we began chatting with a woman who is a director of the John Howard Restorative Justice program in Truro, Nova Scotia. We happened to mentioned our visit to Mahone Bay last summer. The conversation went something like this:

She:  Oh, you know Mahone Bay!

Richard:  Yes, we were actually visiting friends who live at Indian Point.

She:  Indian Point! What part?

Me:  Right out on the point next to the water.

She:  Oh my goodness! What are their names?

As I began to tell our pen pal story (see my posts of June 19 to July 2, 2009), we quickly learned that her mother is Myrna and Ron’s close neighbour, that she knew we had visited last summer and that she thought she’d actually seen us while she and her family were loading their boat in preparation for their annual excursion to their cottage on one of the islands off the point! Amazing!

Then, a little while later, as we stood in line at the buffet table we were next to a couple of tables of seniors dressed in white shirts and green vests. They were the choir who would entertain a little later in the evening. I noticed one of the lady’s name tags and was surprised to find that I recognized the name! Looking more closely, I realized that she was indeed someone I knew, a lady who had been part of the music ministry team in our church for many years! She and her husband moved to Olds more than ten years ago and I hadn’t seen her for several years. It is indeed a small world!

We got home from Vegreville at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday and left again at 10:00 this morning after spending just 40 hours at home!

During the 24 hours that we were actually awake, we attended a missionary service at the church that brought back great memories of one of the Southeast Asian countries we’ve visited and watched the Bible study and Marriage Course videos that we missed last week.

We had coffee with a dear friend and responded to a few phone messages. We spent quite awhile on the phone with an H&R Block income tax preparer making sure that we’d be able to meet Revenue Canada’s April 30th deadline. We usually file our own income tax returns but since we’re still dealing with foreign income this year it’s a bit complicated and we’re leaving it in the hands of the experts.

I did three loads of laundry and repacked the suitcase, a somewhat difficult task at this time of year when the season seems to change from day to day. Would we need winter, spring or summer wear? I tried to pack a bit of each.

The one day that we were home was also the day the golf course opened. What a stroke of good luck! We toured the newly renovated clubhouse, bought our season’s memberships and played a round. I even managed to have my best first round ever!

We walked to the library and exchanged our books.

This morning we watered the plants, put the garbage out and left for Calgary. No, Melaina hasn’t had the baby yet but she’s reached the point where she could use our help so we’ll continue the wait here. She’s been in serious nesting mode the past couple of days, cleaning house from top to bottom. Surely baby must be coming soon!

Vegreville is probably best known for the world’s largest pysanka or Ukrainian Easter egg which was erected on the outskirts of town in 1975 to commemorate the centennial of the RCMP. The gold, silver and black design of the 9.4 metre high egg reflects the traditional art of the many Ukrainian settlers who made this part of Alberta their home. Richard and I enjoyed a walk over to the egg today. Though a giant egg may seem to be a rather strange monument, it did look quite striking as this afternoon’s wind gently turned it on its pedestal and its 3500+ pieces of polished aluminum shone in the afternoon sun.

A couple of months ago I received an email from my sister offering me an all expenses paid week in Vegreville! I’ve often dreamed of winning an all expenses paid trip; an exotic location, a beach resort perhaps, or maybe even a European tour but I’m absolutely certain that Vegreville wasn’t anywhere on that list of dream destinations! For those who aren’t familiar with this part of the world, Vegreville is a community of approximately 5500 people located about an hour north of our home and an hour east of Edmonton.

What my sister actually had in mind was someone to spend nine days with her three teenage sons while she and her husband visit their daughter, Emily, who’s presently in Bermuda with the MV Logos Hope, the Operation Mobilization missions ship that she serves on. I told Linda that we’d be happy to oblige as long as she had a back up plan in case Melaina decides to have the baby this week. The boys are 15, 16 and 17 years old so they don’t really need babysitting. They’re pretty self sufficient but not quite ready to be left entirely on their own for that length of time.

The boys are homeschooled but we made it clear that we were coming as auntie and uncle, not as teachers. We’ll do our best to see that they devote enough time to their studies but other than that, they’re pretty much on their own this week as far as schooling is concerned. Most of their studies are done online so I don’t think they’ll suffer unduly.

Homeschooling vs public schooling is an issue that my siblings and I have long agreed to disagree on. My brother’s children were also homeschooled until recently and are now attending a small Christian school. It was definitely a bit weird being a public school teacher in a family where no one else of my generation agreed with the concept but our children always made it clear that they felt that our choice was the best one for them and I think their lives today prove that they were right.

Linda and Jeff flew out this morning and when we arrived several hours later all three boys appeared to be working diligently. Linda had prepared supper in advance and all I had to do was warm it up. Beginning tomorrow, I’m on my own as far as cooking is concerned but she’s divvied up most of the other household chores between the boys so it looks like it could be a pretty simple week.

Melaina is still threatening to have the baby anytime so we’re not sure how long we’ll actually be here. She’ll see the obstetrician again tomorrow so maybe we’ll have a better idea after that. In the meantime, we’ll be waiting here instead of at home.

Melaina is 37 weeks today. Though her due date is still 3 weeks away, her pregnancy is technically considered full term. We had a bit of a false alarm again yesterday and thought that we might be heading for Calgary last night but once again, nothing happened and we continue to wait. Judging by the pictures she posted today, I don’t see how the wait can go on much longer. She looks like she’s about to explode! No wonder she’s uncomfortable.

We knew that once we turned the calendar page to April, life was going to become quite unpredictable. Though there are many things penciled in, everything is subject to change depending on when the baby arrives. We do know that we’ll be away from home next week but will we be holding down the fort in Vegreville while my sister and her husband get away to Bermuda or will we be in Calgary getting to know the newest member of the family? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, we enjoyed a wonderful Easter. It began early Sunday morning when we watched via webcam as grandson, Drew, searched for Easter eggs. We loved his happy dance every time he found one! Soon we were off to the church for a celebration that began with a delicious breakfast. After church, we drove to Vegreville to join my sister and brother and their families for the remainder of the day.

The trip to Vegreville was also a trial run. Knowing that Melaina could phone at any time to tell us that it was time to come, we packed everything that we’d need to take to Calgary into the vehicle with us! Calgary is a 4 hour drive from either Sedgewick or Vegreville but if we’d had to come back here first, it would have added an hour to the trip. As it turned out, when the day was over we came home to continue our wait but we now know that we can have everything in the vehicle and be on our way in half an hour or less!

It looks like baby has decided to stay put for awhile longer. Melaina continues to have mild contractions but they’re neither regular nor frequent. After a couple of frustrating days, she’s feeling much more positive today and we all recognize that another week or two in utero would help ensure that baby’s lungs are fully developed and that she doesn’t have any breathing difficulties at birth.

In the meantime, I’m having breathing issues of my own. Thanks to Richard, who is almost over his, I’ve come down with a nasty head cold. At this point, they probably wouldn’t want me anywhere near a hospital so Melaina says she’s told the little one to hold on until Gram is better. Let’s hope she listens!

When our daughter, Melaina, had her first child we were in Japan. Almost a month before her due date, we received a message that labour had begun and she was heading for the hospital. It was a Wednesday morning and I was on my way out the door to a ladies meeting at our church. When I got there and shared the news, the ladies gathered around me and prayed for Melaina and her unborn son. I was so blessed when they also prayed peace over me, a first time grandmother so far from home and family.

That was the beginning of a marathon of latent (unproductive) labour that went on for eleven days! Contractions increased in intensity and regularity then slowed again. Melaina made several frustrating trips to the hospital and each time she was told to go home and wait. Drew finally arrived two weeks before his due date on May 1, 2008.

Almost two years later, here we are again! Baby number 2 is due on April 28. Throughout the pregnancy, Melaina’s doctors have assured her that it was very unlikely that she’d go through another marathon like the last one but it’s beginning to look as if they might be wrong. She started experiencing cramping and occasional contractions a couple of weeks ago. When she saw her obstetrician last Tuesday, she was told that nothing serious was happening yet but early yesterday afternoon she got in touch to let us know that she was having contractions again and that they were becoming more regular.

Should we pack? Was it time to go to Calgary? If we get there in time, I get to be in the delivery room with her this time! I really don’t want to miss that but at the same time, we don’t want to sit around Calgary for two or three weeks nor do I really want to live out of a suitcase here at home while we wait. What to do? Well, I did what I usually do when I’m not sure what to do. I started making lists! A list of things to pack and a list of things to do before we leave. Water the plants, put the garbage out, turn down the heat. Things like that.

By later in the evening, things had settled down again and we all decided to go to bed and hope for a good night’s sleep. Phone anytime, I told her. We can be out of the house inside an hour and in Calgary within five. The phone didn’t ring and this morning we learned that Melaina had had a pretty good night. Contractions were continuing but they were very mild and well spaced.

By mid afternoon, however, things were heating up again. Our son-in-law came home from work a bit earlier than usual anticipating that he might be taking her to the hospital and this time, I started packing. By supper time, contractions were strong and 4 to 5 minutes apart. Surely we’d be on the road soon and baby would arrive tonight! Or maybe not. That was 4 hours ago and nothing much has happened yet. In fact, it seems that contractions are slowing down again.

Melaina has another appointment with her obstetrician tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we wait… and we wait… and perhaps we wait some more. Melaina’s at an awkward point in her pregnancy; late enough that they won’t give her anything to stop labour but early enough that they won’t give her anything to hasten it along. And so we wait. How long we wait, nobody knows.

One of my plans for retirement was to start sewing again and I’ve finally done it! I wondered if choosing a fully lined, fitted jacket for my first project in a very long time was a wise idea but so far, it’s going amazingly well. Sitting at the sewing machine has also brought back many memories. In fact, for many years, sewing was part of the story of my life.

My mother taught me to sew on her old Singer machine when I was still in elementary school. I took one semester of sewing in eighth grade and remember how disgusted I was to learn that our first project would be an apron. I had just finished a skirt complete with zipper and waistband! I would rather have taken drafting but that wasn’t allowed. Home ec was mandatory for girls and only boys took shop courses. Our second project was a short-sleeved cotton blouse. I wore mine a few times but never to school. After all, every girl in the school had one just like it! The only choice we had was colour.

Floor length dresses were in vogue for dances and other formal occasions in those days. I remember making the dress that I wore to my very first formal dance. My best friend, Janis, and I were allowed to miss half a day of school to go shopping for patterns and fabric with her mom! Never before or after did my parents permit me to miss school without being sick! I wish I had a picture of that dress. The style was simple with bows at the shoulders and it was pale yellow. My mother and I went shopping for just the right shoes and purse to go with it and I wore a pair of her long white gloves. I suspect that they’re the same pair that I found in her storage locker when I helped her clean it out a couple of years ago.

In the past, sewing was a matter of economics. Homemade clothes were cheaper than store-bought. During my college years, when we got home from university each summer, my sister, a couple of friends and I would shop for patterns and fabric then gather around my sewing machine and my mother’s to make our summer wardrobe as well as new clothes for the coming school year. Patterns sold for $1 in those days!

After graduating from university and meeting my husband to be on the first day of my new career as a school teacher, I made my wedding dress and headpiece. Then, just a few years later, came the children. I did lots of sewing for the first two but by the time the third and fourth (who are less than a year apart in age) came along there just didn’t seem to be much time for sewing anymore! When the children were all in school, I went back to teaching part-time and there still wasn’t a lot of extra time available. By then, my well used sewing machine was also wearing out. It still handled the occasional mending job but couldn’t be depended on for finer work.

Eventually it died completely and though it had been awhile since I’d done much sewing, I really couldn’t imagine life without a sewing machine. I picked out the one I wanted and Richard bought it for me for Christmas. That was a few years ago now but in recent years it’s only been used for making drama costumes. I’m happy to say that that’s coming to an end. Now that I’ve settled into retirement, I have lots of time on my hands and grandchildren to sew for!

When the kids grew up and left home, they left space for a sewing room. In the past, I had to haul the machine and all the sewing paraphernalia out to the kitchen table to work on and, of course, it had to be put away between uses. Now, one of the extra bedrooms has become a computer/sewing room complete with a table for laying out and cutting fabric and a cabinet for the sewing machine. I can leave a project out and work on it for a few minutes or a few hours whenever I want to.

By the way, Janis is still sewing too and you should see the things she makes!  She’s by far the more creative of the two of us. You can check out some of her projects on her blog.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, is one of the most compelling books I’ve ever read and should, in my opinion, be compulsory reading for every citizen of the developed world.

It was Chinese dictator Mao Zedong who coined the phrase “women hold up half the sky” but in many parts of the world today women and girls face unspeakable violence, exploitation and oppression. Half the Sky focuses on three major areas of abuse: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; and maternal mortality. Though disturbing, the book is difficult to put down. Kristof and WuDunn share moving stories of women who have risen above despair to find healing and hope.

If you haven’t read Half the Sky yet, I urge you to do so but I also caution you. This is a book that will change you. Kristof and WuDunn are upfront and clear; they hope to recruit their readers to get involved, to become a part of a movement to emancipate and empower women by helping provide the economic resources that can help transform brothel slaves into businesswomen. All too often, money in the hands of men goes to alcohol and prostitution but in the hands of women, it nurtures children, feeds families and promotes education. Half the Sky not only inspires the reader to get involved, it gives many suggestions how.

After reading the book, Richard and I were moved to do something. We were already sponsoring a teenage girl in Haiti, helping provide her with education, health care and a hot meal each day, but we felt inspired to do more. I explored the websites listed in the back of Half the Sky, bookmarked a few and pondered for awhile. Today, I read some startling statistics in our latest newsletter from Samaritan’s Purse, the non-denominational Christian international relief agency that is best known for its Christmas Shoebox program. “70 percent of the world’s poorest people are female, and while women work 2/3 of all the world’s labor hours, they receive just 10 percent of the world’s income.” Once again, I was compelled to do something and so it is that I am now a micro-financier.

Kiva (www.kiva.org), the world’s first online micro-lending platform, is a non-profit organization that allows a person to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur across the globe. Since it was incorporated in November 2005,  683,479 Kiva users have funded loans totaling $124,742,985 USD. Those stats rose slightly today when I registered and helped fund my first loans. My portfolio includes a Cambodian villager who is borrowing money to purchase two cows to begin a breeding program and a Bolivian woman who plans to buy a bigger stove to use in preparing the meals that she sells at her food stall. Though Kiva provides loans to both men and women, I specifically chose women who are helping support their families and educate their children. When their loans are repaid, I will lend the money again and again…

One of the truths that has impacted me most from my second Beth Moore Bible study which I began recently is the fact that we are blessed to bless. Whatever it is that we have been blessed with, we should be using to bless others. There is no doubt that I am amongst the most blessed women in the world. After reading Half the Sky, how could I not reach out and bless a few of my less fortunate sisters from the abundance which I have been given?