5 years 2 months 15 days

Day 1902. Yesterday was Friday. Randy took the kids to kindergarten, and I lay back down, but I had to already get up at 9:30, and even got up earlier, as I had a student at 10 am. After I was done teaching at 11 am, I went to the kitchen to make lunch so that Randy could eat before he had to leave the house before 12:30. It just about worked out. I then left the house at 12:45 to go pick up Sammy from kindergarten. He was very happy to see me, and we let two old subway trains go, as he wanted to ride on a new subway.

As for Randy, he picked up Tammy and Emmy from kindergarten and then took them to their tennis class that starts at 2 pm and lasts for an hour. Then they got on the train home, but after a few stops they had to get off because there had been an accident, so they took the tram home from there.

Sammy and I had a great time together at home. We had fun, and I let Sammy watch some videos of the kids, when they were little. We called Daddy once, and I got to talk to my brother in light of my operation on Monday.

I had my next student at 4 pm, but it's one that's always late. He came at 4:15 pm, before Randy was home, but it worked out, as Sammy was already on his way to the door. Randy and the kids arrived five minutes later, and Randy took them all downstairs. I then taught until 6 pm, then made their dinner, which started our evening routine.

After I had put them to bed, I had one more student at 8:30 pm. That was my last student before the hospital. I was glad, when I was done, but continued doing office work right after eating, as I wanted to get it all done.

Saturday is the busiest day of the week for us, at least when we go to church. We left the house at 10 am and took the subway downtown, then walked to the music school. Their class started at 10:30 am. But first I paid the fees for their spring semester and bought tickets for the Christmas party.

It had been three weeks since the last class, which is way too long, but there had been holidays. The teacher started with the greeting song. Last year's teacher always included Sammy, but not this teacher. We don't like this teacher very much. The kids practice piano so hard at home, but they don't get to then play and show off what they've done. They just get a stamp in their assignment books.

The kids then turned their pianos on and did a finger exercise, but it was different than the way they've done it at home. Then they went to the front, and the teacher reviewed "steps" and "skips", but left out "repeat", then introduced "jumps". It seems like he doesn't keep track of what he's actually doing in his lessons. The kids had to identify what he was putting on the board, and then also when he played them on the xylophone.

The kids sat back down at the piano, and he wanted them to repeat the sequence on their pianos that he was playing. An impossible task for 5-year-olds! But I helped them out.

He then did one song with them that they had practiced, and then introduced a new song. Then they went back up front, and he did an old singing song with them instead of the one they've been practicing these past three weeks. And then it was finally story time - their favorite part. After that, they got their stickers and stamps in their assignment books, and he did the good-bye song. Sammy had left the room with Daddy much earlier, but it's Daddy who'll have to practice with them these next few days while I'm in the hospital.

We left the music school and walked to the tram stop. We took the tram, and then the subway, and got off by the swimming pool. But first we went to the McDonald's there for lunch. We had a good time there, then crossed the square to the swimming pool. We paid, then walked around the building to the wheelchair entrance. We got changed and went inside to the pool. We were early, as usual, and sat down to wait for the swim class to start at 1:30 pm.

We don't like this teacher as much as last year's, and we don't like this pool as much easy. The water is extremely cold, and it's so deep that it's much harder for me to help the kids because I can't touch the ground either.

When it was time, we went into the water, and the teacher did the greeting song, and she did it with Tammy, while we had the other two kids. Then the kids got a swim noodle and had to do the frog leg movements while swimming to pick up a ball and then swimming to take it to a bowl. She also reviewed the frog leg movements with them. Then she had them swim on their backs with the frog leg movements, but it was a little hard for them. Randy had already left the pool with Sammy to go to the baby pool with hot water.

The class was over in no time at all, but just in time, as Emmy had also started shivering because of the cold water, even with his neoprene suit on. She did the good-bye song, then I told them we'd go to the hot water pool briefly before leaving. However, when we put our toes in, it was just as cold as the other pool. That explained why there were no people in it. What had happened? Then I saw that Randy and Sammy were sitting on the bench watching, so we all went to the changing room to get dressed.

After we were done, we left and walked to the subway to go home. On the way we passed a chestnut stand and got some for the first time this winter. It took a while to take the two subways home. I was extremely tired and couldn't keep my eyes open any more. We got home at 3:15 pm, which meant we had less than an hour before having to leave again. I was so tired that I headed straight for bed and set a 30 minute timer. That's all the time I had to sleep.

It was Sammy crying that woke me up just before the timer went off. I got up, made bread with salami for the kids to take with us, then we got them dressed and left the house again at 4:10 pm.

We walked to the S-train and took the 4:20 train. After we got off, we rode the subway for three stops, then walked through the mall to church. Honestly, I had not planned to go to church today, but then I was told that they had a healing meeting with someone I appreciate greatly, so I decided I needed to go, tired or not. We got there before the service started at 5 pm and got our usual seats. Then the time of worship started.

Tammy was dancing with me and having fun, and she raised her hands in worship when I did. Sammy had fun too, and the three of us danced together for some time. I was surprised, when the lady doing the kids' program today already said at 5:15 pm that it was time to go. Usually they stay until 6 pm in the service before they leave.

Randy left with the kids, while I stayed in the service. But Sammy didn't actually stay in the kids' program. Randy took him to the baby room to play and then walked around with him everywhere. As for me, I enjoyed the time of worship and was glad I could close my eyes. Then they had announcements and things like that before the visiting preacher came to speak. I enjoyed every word he said even though I struggled with keeping my eyes open. After he was done preaching, he did an altar call for salvation, and then one for healing.

Randy and Sammy had already sat down next to me long before he was done preaching. There were first-time visitors sitting next to me, but they were from the church in Klagenfurt where I've preached a good number of times, so they knew me. Sammy immediately started talking to them and connecting with them, and he sat on their laps.

When the call for healing came, I went to the front so that the visiting preacher could pray for me. He has a reputation for seeing lots of healings in the ministry. I waited patiently, then it was my turn. He remembered me. I told him the situation, including what's going on in Mali, and he prayed for me. God touched me powerfully, most when he prophesied about the future and the multiplication that was coming.

I left and was ready to go home, as I was so very tired. But someone had said to Randy that he should have the preacher pray for Sammy. And so we turned around and wheeled Sammy to the line to be prayed for. We had to wait a while, then he prayed for Sammy. When he was done, Tammy and Emmy came as well, so he got to meet all three. And Randy got prayer for his foot as well.

Before we left, we talked more to the couple sitting next to us, then we finally got going. It was late, and we were all tired. We walked through the mall and to the subway. The only elevator to the platform was broken, and so Randy had to take the wheelchair down the stairs, one step at the time. We rode the subway for three stops, then went to the train platform and only had to wait for 3 minutes until the train arrived. Perfect! By 8:15 pm we were back home.

We immediately got them ready for bed and put them to bed, and they fell asleep quickly. I got myself something to eat, then started working on today's pictures. I wanted to get done quickly, as we have to leave for the hospital early tomorrow morning. Randy went to bed early, but I still have to take care of the kitchen. It's only just after 11 pm now.