Carla and Bert?

Carla is our intern minister. She's a United Church of Canada minister in training. Carla is 32. Married to Bert. Carla is a student of divinity (she's studying for a Masters degree) at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. She and Bert have been my house guests since last Friday. Here's how it came to be:

They arrived last Friday evening from their home on a farm near Ottawa to discover the house they had agreed to rent here in Mimico is undergoing renovations. There is no functional kitchen. And there is no electricity. I helped Bert unpack the moving van on Friday night. It wasn't fun, as I was still exhausted from my day at the exhibition with Scout and the girls. When the truck was nearly empty, we sat on the porch and gulped cold water from the plastic bottles Rev. Linda had fetched from the church.

"You can't stay here, Bert," I said as we wiped the sweat from our faces. It was hot and muggy that evening. "You must be tired after your long drive. Why don't you guys spend the weekend at my place?"

Linda spoke up then.

"Come home with me tonight. We have a spare bedroom you can use."

That was perfect. Meagan and I were leaving Saturday morning to go camping.

"Yeah, Bert. My daughter and I will be away all weekend. Please use my home."

And they did.

They spent Friday night at Linda's house and then stayed here. I arrived home from camping on Sunday evening to find Bert and Carla watching tv and relaxing in my living room. They left this afternoon after spending four days with me.

It was good, Ms J. Real good. They are delightful guests. Very thoughtful. Very considerate. Very helpful. We went to see a movie on Monday night. March of the Penguins. G.A. and Hanna came too. We all enjoyed it. Penguins are adorable, especially the babies. See it. It's really good!

Bert and I barbecued sausages here one night. And steak the next. We lingered at the dinner table and shared conversation and wine. They're really nice people. It was pleasant and comforting to come home to someone. Don't get me wrong, Ms J. I do like living alone, but still sometimes, I get lonely. It was good to hear laughter around the table. They left this morning and I miss them.

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I've made a successful return to work. Today marked the first full day at work since Feb. 7. I arrived at 4:15 this morning. I was half an hour early, but I wanted to allow myself extra time to walk out to the train. My foot/leg is still a bit sore and weak. It takes me a bit longer to get where I'm going.

A much diminished Hurricane Katrina staggered into Mimico last night and brought some gusty winds and rain. She pushed my umbrella and me along a lot faster than I might have liked. I was wet and tired when I arrived at the locomotive. It was a bit of a challenge to climb the ladder up into the cab. But I did it, Ms Journal. I did it. I can do my job. My leg will get stronger each day. It felt good to be back on the job. And everyone seemed happy to see me again.

And so Life has finally returned to normal. I'm back at work. After seven months off, rejection from both Dan and Meagan, fights with Kelly, reconciliation with Meagan, and all the highs and lows Life has dealt me, I'm alright.

I'm alright, Ms J. I'm back. My Life is good. I love my kids. I love my friends. And I love my Life.

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