Yesterday after work I had a blissfully relaxing experience: a massage (at the Professional Institute of Massage Therapy) while listening to Sarah McLachlan. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

"Man seeks to escape himself in myth, and does so by any means at his disposal. Drugs, alcohol, or lies. Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises himself. Lies and innaccuracy give him a few moments of comfort, the trifling feeling of escape experienced at a masked ball. He distances himself from that which he feels and sees. He invents. He transfigures. He creates. He fancies himself an artist." - Jean Cocteau

"All happiness depends on courage and work. I have had many periods of wretchedness, but with energy and above all with illusions, I pulled through them all." - Balzac

Warm weather. Blossoming trees. Darkness coming later each night. It's wonderful!

Speaking at a "round table" discussion about spirituality (from the perspective of various faith traditions) during the Dalai Lama's visit to Vancouver, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "God isn't a Christian. God allows us to misunderstand Her." He then mentioned how some Christian churches had supported apartheid in South Africa and how some Christians now preach hatred against gays and lesbians in the name of a loving God.

On Friday and Saturday I attended the annual conference of SCENES (Saskatchewan Council for Educators of Non-English Speakers), the provincial organization for ESL teachers. I had many reminders that I'm well liked and well respected among my peers. I even overheard someone say, "I met Don Campbell!" (after she'd asked a friend to introduce her to the person who is the host and a featured ESL teacher in a video that students in the U. of S.'s distance education Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language [CERTESL] program use).

"Writing is a way of belonging and making a home for yourself... The creative act provides for each one of us to make a home for yourself by whatever you do that's creative." - Isabel Huggan