Focused Effectiveness

I want to start this week’s update with a letter Abbie wrote a few weeks back about her family. Here’s how it goes:

My Family:

I have a mum and dad and sisters and me. My mum likes to make food and it is yummy. My dad likes to make me laugh. My sisters like to play with me. My family likes to spend time with each other.

Abbie May brings a smile to our faces and warmth into our hearts. Randomly, and unexpectedly, Abbie will often call to Kylie or I. When we respond she simply says, “I love you”, and carries on with whatever she was doing. She is a joy. This week we got a terrific surprise too. Abbie came home with a list of very big words and proceeded to read them to us. They were the Grade 5 list of words. Abbie is in kindergarten, not even Grade 1. I know I sound like a boastful dad, but we were stunned. She is excelling at school, and despite her high-pitched whining (which she does quite a lot of), she is a wonderful daughter.

The week began for me with ongoing struggles with the cold that seemingly reached out and grabbed me during Winter’s last gasp. Lethargy and weight loss combined to keep me feeling pretty low all week. But I feel like I’m finally back on top and ready to get back into things in top gear again.

I had an excellent week of focused study time for the first time in ages. I wrote a first draft of an article I’m working on; about 4 300 words which was pretty good for a one week effort. The first 3000 words represent my best thinking and I’m so pleased with it. The last 1300 words were a shemozzle (I’m sure I spelt that poorly). But by the time I got to the end I was over it and needed to send it to my supervisors just so I can get some fresh thinking going into it for the second draft. I’m really looking forward to tidying it up and feel like it will be successfully reviewed when I finally get to submit it. I am also making progress on having my ethics application approved, and should be able to start running some research very soon.

I had a pretty serious heart to heart conversation with the administrators at the swimming complex where the girls have their lessons and training. I have been quite disappointed with their progress of all the children and made it clearly known. We got some pretty good attention this week after my conversation with them. And it looks as though there’ll be some fairly significant changes too. Hopefully that means that in the coming months there will be some positive progress.

Our poor little Chanel Lauren is still having an awful time at school. It seems that her former “best friend” is taking enormous delight in dragging Chanel’s feelings through the mud, and the thrill of the kill is even more tantalising because of Chanel’s tender heart. I would love to march down to the school and give that little girl a good talking to, but instead I have to be patient and coach Chanel in how best to work through things. Unfortunately Chanel is not a good student when Kylie and I tell her one thing and her confused and forgiving heart wants to do something else. So Chanel continually attempts to repair a lost relationship, and experiences ongoing pain as her former friend tramples on her feelings. We are glad that this is the final week of school before the holidays. Chanel can enjoy a couple of weeks of respite, and hopefully return to school for her final term with a new resolve, and a new set of friends.

At the end of a wonderful week we decided that we really needed to spend some great family time together. Saturday morning was like a summer’s day. It was HOT. We packed the bikes onto the back of the car and drove to North Wollongong. The bikes never got off the back of the car though. As soon as the kids saw the sand and waves they forgot all about bike riding! We spent a couple of wonderful hours playing on the beach. The water is still like ice, but that didn’t stop any of the kids from getting drenched several times over. We finally returned to the car, exhausted, but entirely satisfied. It was a great morning. That afternoon we had a bbq at a friend’s house. Steak, salad, ginger beer! It was great fun.

After the kids were asleep – and it didn’t take long – Kylie spent some time with her semi-estranged friend. I waited up… and waited… and waited… needless to say, they worked things out reasonably well. Kylie didn’t get home until after midnight. That is SO past my bedtime!

Today was church. Owing to our poor preparations for the Sabbath, we were a little sluggish during the service. I’d like to say that it was uplifting and edifying. Instead, it was a challenge to get through. An absent organist made the singing extra sleepy too! Somehow we kept our eyes open though, and made it through to the end of the meeting block. I was about to take the children home (Kylie had a meeting) when Kylie suggested that the kids stay in one of the classrooms and I baby sit. In so doing I could help out some other folks who needed their kids watched. I agreed. Oops. At one point I was watching 18 children, ON MY OWN! Fortunately a couple of other men came and helped out. We fed 18 children lasagne for lunch. After an hour I was certain that Kylie was going to be finishing things up. Wrong! The meeting went for two-and-a-half hours! Oh boy. It was a relief to come home.

It’s a funny thing, as I reflect on the week’s experiences each week, and consider the highlights and things that have made the week a blessing to me, I can’t help but feel great. Right now I’m super tired, Kylie is asleep in one of the girls’ beds (probably Ella’s), all four of the girls are snoring soundly, and the new week is about to begin. And all I can do is smile and feel grateful that our lives are so blessed. And I can’t wait for the new week to fire up! But first, I need to attack Kylie’s leftover homemade oven-baked cheesecake that’s sitting needlessly in the fridge!