Tag Archive | ELCIC

Potential… Lost… Found and Tapped

***Woo busy few weeks… Grandma Visit, Easter… I promise to get back into the swing***

Potential. What does it mean to “have potential”? To “tap into potential”? To “waste potential”?

Through out my life I have often wondered what my own potential truly was. Have I actually found a path that uses my potential the best way? Is the potential gone after I chose my path?

Potential as a word has a few definitions:

  1. having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future.
  2. latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.
  3. the quantity determining the energy of mass in a gravitational field or of charge in an electric field.

Well… we can ignore the last one (I am not a whiz with physics). For my use here I am focusing on the first two. In high school there is a lot of discussion about your potential – your capacity to become something in the future. What direction is your life going to take as you reach adulthood? Now, I was told I could become pretty much anything I wanted… which was sweet. Though, thankfully, my Dad did suggest not a doctor (I am queasy about blood), maybe not something that requires strong knowledge in the sciences (yah… not something I excelled at) and possibly NOT maths (yah I have a hate hate relationship with higher level math… if it doesn’t hurt me, I won’t curse it out… much).

So… I went from high school to college and a direction in the fine arts. I found I had a lot of “potential” with courses that required a bending of thought and discussion… philosophy and religion. I found a direction – I PLANNED to become a minister in the Lutheran church (specifically the ELCIC – Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada). Potential tapped… right?

Ok, some come along with me here – I think EVERYONE reading this blog has realized something – Lisa is NOT a minister… or a philosopher… or a religious scholar… or (and this is grasping) a university professor in any of these disciplines. Nope, 100% wife and mother. So answer me this…

Did I waste my potential?

Who I was in high school with her interests and dreams and graduating marks, who I was in college with my wide eyed enthusiasm and excelling marks… did these “Lisas” get wasted? Or has it gone into hibernation waiting to be tapped?

Where 20 yr old Lisa was sure she would be a minister… 37 yr old Lisa is sure she is a good mother, a strong teacher, a rather fantastic crocheter (if I do say so myself). She has tapped into a NEW potential, something that was not held up as a solid opportunity way back in high school (because really, motherhood at 17/18 years old… nope not for me). I don’t believe I wasted it, I tapped into my potential for those 3+ years. I learned, I grew, I argued, I laughed and cried. BUT, in the end, I found NEW potential.

I found those latent (existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden; concealed) qualities that were not tapped by my college education with our decision to start a family. Do I regret it? Nope! Amazingly enough, I filled my yearning for working in the church with committee work and promptly learned – I suck at politics. And, as much as I love the church, in any organization there are politics.

On top of that… and this should be no surprise for people who know me, I am shy!

No, I don’t think I wasted my potential. Would someone from the outside looking in come to a different conclusion… possibly. But here is a new question for you – does that matter? Often you will hear people talking about someone’s wasted potential. How they SHOULD have done this or that instead of the career they chose based on their own knowledge of that person at particular times of the person’s life.

She should have gone with that career in writing, after all in college she wrote such amazing papers. He should have gone into medicine, look at his amazing marks in science. They would have made an amazing singing group – after all they did all that singing in small bars during college.

The saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side”, comes to mind. Looking at his or her life as a youth, as a college student it may look as if they SHOULD have gone this way or that, but can we ever truly be in another person’s head? This is something that Ken has to deal with often. Depression, plus high intelligence and add in a strong personality and you have someone with lots of potential.

That potential is there with options. Some are absolutely obvious, some deep inside and kept secret. Using Ken as an example (cuz… Depression = Ken = my examples) he was an athlete up through to college and rather successful (this was known), he was and is very good with computers, but deep inside that muddled head of his is an artist, a bit of a scientist, maybe even a comedian.

So… let’s review what he did with his potential. Sports ended before we got married (choice and illness). Computers continued through to today. Art is something that he toys with and need to come back to again (again choice) and scientist has gone by the way-side.

So has he lost potential? Wasted it? Well, we came to realize now that sports/athletics were actually negatively impacting Ken’s mental health. Competition on that level and the stress to his body was not helping his inner dialogue. Of course, on the outside he broke records, played hard and won. BUT while everyone watched that potential being tapped a whole new potential was brewing underneath – the potential to lead to self harm, depression and possibly death.

Direction changed to computers, which has morphed now into the much healthier (due to having to be accountable daily to many and face to face communication) project manager. Project manager may not seem like the height of tapping potential but I am sitting here watching him grow and excel.

So, while some may say he had so much potential, I see it as he has so much adapting potential. KEN has adapted to a whole new lifestyle post depression, he has adapted to our family as it has grown, found a career that makes him the best he can be and stretches his limits. No, he is not an athlete, or a scientist or currently an artist BUT he is Ken. Amazing, ambitious, unique Ken.

So we have each tapped some potential and are always looking to find more. That is the other thing. So I am a mother, but I found a new potential in crochet, and I am not half bad at the recorder, maybe the piano will be some untapped potential I never even knew I had! That cannot be wasted if I never knew it existed, right?

Together Ken and I have the potential to be amazing, I kinda think we already are… just a bit! After all, humans are creatures of change even as we fight to stay the same. So, doesn’t it mean that our potential is ever changing, ever growing and morphing into something new? Now, I doubt I will ever have the potential to be a fighter pilot (ACK heights) or a sumo wrestler, but who knows, maybe… years down the line… you will come to read about Lisa the biblical scholar and Ken the divine artist?

After all, depression or no, personal limitations or not, our potential is there! And we ALL have the potential for greatness on some scale or another. So be that great person – after all… I already know you ARE!!!!IMG_20160624_221658

 

 

As We Glance Back At April…

I am firmly remind that as the months pass so the kids grow. Where did baby Echo go? And when did Trinity all of a sudden mature? Don’t even get me started in regards to the boys… seriously SLOW DOWN WORLD!IMAG2020

Anyway… April… Easter you can check out HERE with a brief foray into the images and simple day we had. Traditions upheld of course.11036455_10153227775186151_8335145073260745691_n

Hello Cookie meet your predecessor Fat Sheep and live in fear of the love of Echo!

Hello Cookie meet your predecessor Fat Sheep and live in fear of the love of Echo!

IMAG1996Trinity’s birthday is ALSO in April… You can read more about her special moments HERE.IMG_20150426_130346

Of course we must draw attention to the slick hair cut Mr. Emanuel sported over April as well! His curls… all gone. Not sure if I should be sad or impressed at how mature he looks?IMAG2047

Miss Echo spent some of her April educating her Baba on all the current card shark techniques…102_0364

And spent plenty of time introducing Hugo Bear Dog (otherwise known as Bear Dog) to her teddies, her night time routine and her life in general.102_0365

IMAG2356We had nature walks in the lovely spring weather…102_0368

And made sure to make use of not only our playset in the backyard, but the sport equipment set Gammie gifted the kids. Once spring is here and light sweater weather is on… we just have to grab those moments and get outside!IMG_2595

102_0384102_0389We had a bit of a religious/faith landmark reached for the 3 boys as well… at this Lutheran church which is ELCIA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of American) instead of ELCIC (in Canada) they do first communion at an earlier age with a one night special class for the kids and parents. We got to make the bread for communion and learn about about the Jewish roots of the service. We then came to the Ash Wednesday service for Communion. It was an interesting class and I think the boys got something out of it. Still very different for me as all this was part of Confirmation growing up! I am still muddling through how I feel about these little and big changes in our faith system being in the States instead of Canada. IMAG2010

IMAG2011IMAG2016IMAG2022We have continued out swimming lessons with great results. IMAG2030

IMAG2157We have been having tea time as often as possible… tea, snacks and good books read together. anything increase our interest in reading right? IMAG1999

Made kites and actually did a whole study on different kinds of kites and things as well as covered a few scout requirements in the making! HEREIMAG2169

April was my stash busting month… everything I made was made out of yarn I had on hand! Here are a few finished pieces!102_0392

11051976_10153244669386151_5895782090101706207_nWe even snuck out and took just the boys out for Taco Bell! I think we did rather good with our April…

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And now for the rest of our spring fun… scout activites, backyard fun… a wee bit of green and some dress up. Spring is sprung! IMAG2060

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Checking out the dishwasher with Baba

Checking out the dishwasher with Baba

Batgirl in disguise... Mustache style.. thanks Alex!

Batgirl in disguise… Mustache style.. thanks Alex!

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We even wore them out a few times!

We even wore them out a few times!

Working the Weekend

February 23-24

The weekend has come and while we did not manage to line up any company we did keep busy! In preparation for both Dr. Seuss’ birthday (2nd) and St. Patrick’s Day I had a rather hefty stack of library books to pick up and a letter to post (both are in the same little area). From there we headed out to our favourite JoAnn’s that is in the same parking lot as Dollar Tree.

At the Dollar Tree we let the kids buy whatever they wanted… we came home with two packages of marbles (round), a bunny (teddy), a raised colouring set (princess) and a fishing pole (toy). Add to that a hat (Easter) and some St. Patrick’s Day themed foam shapes and we really did do rather well for a much smaller selection than we are used to. Though I should have bought a second hat. Echo is now sure it is hers as is Trinity.

Pretty in pink

I took a rather decadent day of it and had a lengthy NAP! This head cold has me firmly in its grasps still with a runny nose and congested brain BUT I figure the end MUST be in sight. It was a nice lazy afternoon with the kids busy with their new purchases and plenty of time to read and rest. Just what we ALL needed I think.

Sunday was another at home day for the most part. I am looking forward to the upcoming months. Ken and I decided to not push the hunt for a new church for our family until after he was settled and working as the weekends were his time to apply for the last of the jobs he found during the week, code and of course run the errands that had to wait during all the hunting. I don’t think it will be too hard to find a Lutheran church around here, but we want to find one that is a sister church to the ELCIC we are members of and one that has a strong Sunday School element. Location is also an issue as as of yet I am not sure where we are moving to later in the year and driving massive distances to get to church is never a good idea.

Ken, Zander and Emanuel stepped up and did a major grocery shop. They got about 3/4 done before the boys pooped out but it was a great effort. Almost all of our Dr. Seuss menu is now in the house and at a great price and we are ready to face a house without Ken there.

Successful shop

So of course with a Sunday at home we had to have some gaming time too!

Relatively fight free

It is nice to have a weekend at home just the 7 of us! But it certainly does NOT make for an overly interesting blog post! Oh well, next is Dr. Seuss and the beginning of our platypus assembly. 

Our own little Holly Hobbie.