Difficult week

It was a hard week at work. We're trying to finish a big project and it seemed like I was spinning my wheels every day, not contributing very much. Fortunately my co-workers encouraged me to see that we made some progress.

I had some very important conversations this week--with my wife, my counselor, and my friends. I'm glad we connected in a very personal and meaningful way. Relationships are a priority for me.

Tomorrow we will visit my mom, along with my brother and sister and some of our kids. She's been living alone now for 5 months, so I'm sure she will enjoy the company.

Thankful

As you may know if you've read yesterday's post, today is my birthday. It seems like a good opportunity to tell you why I'm thankful. Here's my list:

1) God loves me and forgives me.
2) I have a faithful and loving wife, Wanda.
3) We have 2 adult children who are working and learning.
4) I have friends who care about me. The biggest surprise is that I now have friends in other countries--Poland, Russia, China.
5) I have a job that allows me to pursue my dreams.

Well, that's a good start. What are you thankful for?

Birthday weekend

Yesterday was Wanda's birthday. We went to a free concert by Liverpool, a band that plays Beatles songs. Tomorrow is my birthday. We have tickets for a play called, "Are We There Yet?" It should be very funny.

But that's not all. Monday is our anniversary. We've been married for 35 years. I'm taking the day off, but we haven't decided yet what we want to do.

Weekend update

I just got home from work and had dinner so I thought I'd write about my weekend. Wanda and I had a quiet time at home together. We did our usual Saturday chores and I spent some time on my computer, deleting old emails and talking with friends. I had a great conversation with my friend in Russia. We talk often on Skype. Then I had an IM chat with someone in Poland who isn't on-line very much. I was glad to make the connection again.

On Saturday night after church we watched a very strange movie, Passengers. We didn't understand it until the very end. We like to watch movies together but we haven't seen very many good ones lately.

Baseball bats in Poland

Yesterday I read in the New Poland Express about the recent violence in Warsaw. It was a terrible confrontation between the police and an angry mob. I was sorry to hear about this, but one part of the story seemed a little funny to me. The article said that people attacked the police with baseball bats. I had to ask, where did they get them? Baseball is very common in the US, but I don't see baseball bats in the stores when I visit Poland. Maybe I missed something?

Cool Time in July

We just had a beautiful weekend in the midwest--temperatures in the 70's, low humidity. Many people spent the time outside, working and playing. I spent the weekend inside, fighting off an infection. I feel much better today after 3 days of taking the antibiotics the doctor prescribed.

Last Friday was very unusual for me. For one thing, I was at work for 12 1/2 hours (instead of the normal 8)! That never happens, but we're working on a huge project and we're behind schedule. The project manager decided to gather several of us in one room so we could communicate immediately and without distraction--a great idea.

Independence Day

Today we celebrate Independence Day in the US. We declared our independence from England in 1776. This year the day falls on a Saturday, so I had a day off work yesterday. I'm enjoying the time. Yesterday I had 3 conversations with Polish friends, thanks to Skype.