Bert and I donate to UNICEF on a monthly basis - not just at Halloween although those little orange boxes the kids bring around are great for getting rid of the pennies in our change drawer (yes we do have an entire drawer dedicated to lose change).

But I digress from my story which is all about our latest charitable donation. We went to the tennis last weekend because it was only $10 and we wanted to see if all that grunting is amplified by the tv microphones (it’s not). Anyway, they had these tents with promotional crap (like free pots of yogurt and Irish Spring body wash) and one tent that was running a silent auction.

It was one of those silent auctions where you can see everyone’s bids and it was early in the morning so Bert and I decided to help Tennis Canada by driving up the price on a photo of Tiger Woods on some golf course somewhere. So I bid on it.

Later that night we got a phone call: ‘Congratulations, you have the winning bid for the Tiger Woods photo’.

‘Um, yeah? Really? That’s great. I mean, really? Um how much did we bid?’

We’re still waiting for the bill to come through. In the meantime, I’m pretty pissed cause I’m pretty sure you don’t get good karma for being charitable by accident.

I am a painstaking 4 weeks into round two of my miscarriage. For those of you who don’t know what a miscarriage feels like (and I hope that none of you do) imagine your worst period, double the cramps, quadruple the hormones and make it last for an entire month (ok apparently this last part is unusual).

For the men out there, it’s not as bad as being hit in the nards but, from what I understand from Bert, a miscarriage is analogous to the second most painful thing that can happen to a guy – a toe stubbing. Except its one, long, ongoing, seemingly ceaseless stub.

The one thing I regret not doing earlier, is issuing daily reports, similar to those boating bulletins you get on the radio. Today would be:

Light flows in the southerly direction with possibilities of easing around 10 pm. Emotional waves are mild over most areas however boaters should be aware that surges are building around ‘too much work point’ and the cape of ‘yes, yes I am still bleeding’. Dangerous undertows can be expected when blood sugar drops.

Given the conditions out there today, boaters are advised to avoid channel 2 on the onboard radio (the one that issues empty sentiments of sympathy) and tune in, instead to channel 4 (the foot massage one).

Well this past year has been um, hectic is I suppose a good word for it. But all of the trials and tribulations we have gone through have taught me tolerance for different belief systems.

I now respect faith more than I did before and accept it rather than trying to destroy it with logical arguments overflowing with reason and common sense. I guess this makes me a better person.

For example, when Bert states with a conviction that can only come from divine insight that it will not rain during a camping trip, I don’t even consider packing the tarp. Nope, not for one second, not for a million grey clouds in the sky, not for a dozen weather forecasts to the contrary.

Likewise when Bert takes it on faith that if he ignores his folded laundry for long enough it will return to its natural habitat in his closet, I don’t contradict him or foil his plans by nagging him (thereby, of course, thwarting his efforts to ignore his laundry).

Belief is a rare and precious thing that should be nurtured.

Which is why, when the dog stands before a squirrel believing with all of her heart that one day all squirrels will recognize her authority and bow down before her in supplication I don’t laugh at her. At least not on the outside.

And in return when I state, with all certainty, that I am done with drama for the year, my husband hugs me, my dog rests her head on my lap and I believe.