i am back in the saddle again.

in my hong kong saddle.

saddled with kids, obligations, and compensations for a week;s absence.

geographically, i felt right at home in texas. it was just like edmonton. quite windy and cold. it was heartwarming to be in attendance for the shower…..after the trials, sorrows, uncertainty and stress of infertility, friends karen and steve have adopted little miss marissa from guatemala. the bounty at the shower was incredible, but karen’s joy wasn’t at the piles of stuff, it was more that the piles of clothes, books, and toys represented joy from people around the world who love her and are so glad she is about to experience motherhood, and that motherhood has arrived.

at last

my lonely days are over

and life is like a song

and i got to meet carrie, who left her 2.5 yo b/g twins and hustled over to texas from minnesota. carrie is such a nuturing girl, she would sit in bed with charmaine and i each night and we would giggle, and then she would admonish us to get some sleep, and then tuck us in. charmaine and i would compromise by looking at the clock and agreeing we would only talk for 20 more minutes and then we would pray and then we would sleep. charmaine is so definite and so certain, and everyone loves her for it because her heart is so large and her generosity so immense. mac is her son, he is 17 months and absolutely lovely. so well brought up, signing more, please and all done. love him.

and it all seems a distant dream now that i am back in hong kong. this morning magnificent and i made the most of jet lag by snuggling and talking and planning…it necessary and good to catch up.

and as the hours stretched and pulled themselves towards dawn, i heard noises from the nursery and knew the day was really beginning. sela was first, singing in her cot at 7.05am. as quietly as i could i slipped in to the nursery and returned the sleepy massive grin she gave me when i lifted her up. but alas, the shadow knows, and carys and jasper (weren’t they supposed to be asleep?) poked up their little eyebrows and voices.

so the triumverate and charles and i cuddled in the bed, sang Jesus loves me, and the good morning song, and jasper didn’t evaporate even though we never got around to singing perennial favourite baa baa black sheep. (which he never sings but loves to hear…go figure???)

and then they were eating weetabix and warm milk and applesauce and i laced up, put on two jumpers and headed out for a run. just like i try to do three times a week. except, what’s this? ah yes, today i had my ipod. which made my breathing all knackered as sometimes i got too excited and messed up. but who cares.

90 per cent of me loves running in the rain. even if i am in a hate exercising mode, when i see people running in the rain i wish it were me. i just hate the slippy aspect of it. but i love the cold plunk of raindrops hitting my face combatting the wet streams of sweat sliding down from my forehead. i love the drops moistening my face, feeling my sleeves getting heavier, wondering when i hit little puddles and the droplets slap against my ankles why i was avoiding the puddles in the first place, and deciding "oh sod it, there’s no use avoiding the puddles all the time, my feet are going to get wet, so let’s just get them wet and get it over with." and then running through a puddle and feeling the coldness quickly seep through my shoes and quickly become warm.

when i look at people running in the rain i think, "my what a dedicated athlete". i hope no one out there is thinking that about me, because i am not. i run because i like it, i like feeling like i have accomplished something so early in the day, i like the way it makes my body feel, i like that it sets an example for my children that regular exercise is good, that later in the day i can look at my arms and remember how they looked swinging beside me some hours earlier. but there are weeks that i do not run. at all. or i will be halfway through a jog and then stop and walk, because i feel like being quiet and looking instead of racing past all the beauty. i like racing, but i also like the walking too.

i’m back in hong kong. racing and walking. welcome back to my life.