Happy Christmas To All--And To All A Good Night

I just wanted to blog something before I sign off for 2009. Things have been so busy lately and we are planning a trip down to visit with family and friends for Christmas. I don't like leaving so much time between postings but sometimes it cannot be helped.

I do want to wish everyone who stops in for a visit a very Merry Christmas and a truly blessed 2010.

For those of you who have had personal struggles this past year, I wish for you, enough. And a peaceful, and spiritually fulfilling festive season. I hope 2010 proves to be a banner year, that you find your way home from the insurmountable hilltops and back down into lush green valleys where you may find rest.

I will leave you with one of my favorite stories from my Christmases past. As I was growing up my family made sure to read me this classic right before I drifted off to sugar plum dreamland!

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement Clarke Moore
or Henry Livingston

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

My Dad

What would I give to clasp his hand,
His happy face to see,
To hear his voice, and see his smile
That meant so much to me.

The rolling stream of life rolls on.
But still the vacant chair
Recalls the love, the voice, the smile
Of the one who once sat there.

Nothing can ever take away
The love a heart holds dear.
Fond memories linger every day,
Remembrance keeps him near.

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My how quickly time passes. Amazingly, it has been two years since my dear Dad passed away.
It seems like just yesterday we were gathered to spend his final days all together. Doesn't that sound so cliche, but it is so true.
So much has happened since then and yet so little. I think of him every day and often wish I could pick up the phone and call him to tell him something funny that happened, or just to say hi, how are you. Does one ever get over those feelings? I feel like half an orphan. When we go to visit it still feels odd to be visiting just my Mom. I still sometimes expect to see my Dad standing at the door waiting to greet me with a huge bear hug and kiss. Or see him sitting in his favorite chair watching the Blue Jays. Or sitting at the kitchen table reading or doing puzzles.
Dad is so missed at Christmas time especially. He loved Christmas, loved having his family gathered all around. Although we still celebrate, it is just not the same without those who have gone before us.

I just wanted to take a moment to remember my Dad in my blog on this anniversary, as I remember him in my heart every single day the rest of the year.

Love you!!

Highway of Heroes

The attached You Tube video is of Ginny McIlmoyle, a Cobourg, Ontario resident. The song was written by a local writer and a production company saw Ginny perform it on a show in Warkworth and got everyone together to do this video. It is a great song and the video was shot in Belleville at the Armories with footage from repatriations at Trenton.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

While we were visiting at my Mom's for her birthday, the weekend after the festivities were over, the three of us (Mom, Bruce and I) went out for a little drive around the bay and looked at all the expensive homes. It was a gorgeous day, it was mild, the sun was shining, and we enjoyed the drive. Afterwards we went out for supper to Applebees. While we were there it clouded over and we had a very sudden downpour! It rained so hard but it also turned sunny and the storm turned into a sun shower. This happened just as we were leaving the restaurant. But we got to see the most incredible rainbow!! And... I had my camera with me for once!!


This rainbow had to have been the largest, brightest, and longest lasting rainbow I have ever seen. I got several good shots of it.

The above photo was taken from the car while driving with the window down. It seemed to be at it's brightest and widest at that point in time.

It even turned into a double rainbow!!I also got a couple of shots of the sky from inside the car while we were driving. It was so interesting looking.



The happy camper............

The last two shots are of Bruce who found his own private pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!!

I Wish You Enough

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'

'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'.

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.

'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone..' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.................................




I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear




I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more




I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting




I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger




I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting



I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess




I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good- bye................................

To my dear friends and family... I wish you enough!


LOVE FROM KAREN

Mom's 80th Was a Huge Success!!

We are back home after a very busy week spent at my Mom's, celebrating her 80th birthday. It was a whirlwind of celebrations and visiting with family. We drove down the day before the big event and it poured rain most of the trip. On top of that we chose a different route and it turned out to be a very long drive... longer than usual :-(

But... we finally arrived.

This is a photo of the birthday girl... an amazingly youthful and beautiful lady..................
The day of Mom's birthday we met up with other family members at Kelseys for a luncheon. There was supposed to be about eight of us in total but Mom had two surprise guests... Taylor and Gwen ( my Uncle Doug and Aunt Marg's daughter-in-law and grandson) which brought the total to ten! A very nice turnout. My aunt Verna who I mentioned in the previous post turned 90 the week before and who very recently had hip surgery felt well enough to come and her son Grant graciously elected to bring her so they were there with us! I was so thrilled to get to see my aunt there and looking so well and we had a nice visit. Here is the lovely lady also looking very youthful and healthy....

Grant and Allan..............

My Mom's brother and his wife, Doug and Marg made it too and it was wonderful to see them there.

My Mom's cousin Lynda and her husband Allan came and brought the cake with them... a huge slab cake with all our names on it who were celebrating milestone birthdays this year! Here is a photo of the cake...........
And here is Allan who was sitting next to me and that is why the close up of his head....

Lynda looking lovely as usual.....
The three siblings... Verna, Doug and Barbara...............
We spent about three hours at the restaurant until the visitors started departing for home. Mom and I and Lynda and Allan went back to Mom's where I finished preparing our supper for that evening. Just after eight o'clock my brother Mike and his wife Debbie arrived and the day was completed by their presence.

The next evening us kids took Mom out for supper as our birthday dinner to her. Here are photos taken at the house before we went out.

Mike and Debbie with Mom and our dog Jett...............

And Bruce and Jett...............
Our brother Dave unfortunately couldn't make it during the week as he had work commitments.
He had been there the weekend before to spend time with Mom and take her out for dinner and he brought her some flowers. But.... he surprised us the following weekend by showing up unexpectedly. Thanks Dave for coming... we enjoyed seeing you!!!

For the gift to commemorate the day we designed and produced a 104 page hard copy picture book honoring Mom's life from cradle to present day. There were photos of her as an infant right up to today as well as photos of all those who have figured prominently in her life. The actual book which was still away being printed did not arrive on the day but Mike prepared a digital copy for all of us to see and the book looks amazing. It will be a beautiful coffee table book for Mom to look at and enjoy.

We drove back home to Elliot Lake the following Monday and it was great weather starting out but as we got to Barrie it clouded over and rained again most of the rest of the way although not quite as hard or as steady as it had on the drive down.

Although we enjoyed our time with family you know what they say... there is no place like home!

Milestones

September is a big month for birthdays in my family; 2009 is a big year for milestone birthdays!
The first milestone was Bruce's 55th birthday in May.


Then my 50th birthday in June.


Yesterday (September 21st) would have been my Dad's 80th birthday!! Happy Birthday to You!! Missing you all the time xoxo

Today (September 22nd) is another milestone... my Aunt Verna turns 90. I am beginning to think she is actually aging backwards and getting younger with every passing year. She recently had hip surgery and sailed through that with flying colors and is currently on the mend. We are looking forward to having her here with us for many more birthdays in the years to come. Here are a few photos of Aunt Verna from childhood on..............

My Grandma with two oldest daughters Margaret and Verna; Verna being the younger of the two.
Great Grandma Friend with Margaret and Verna; Verna is the one with the darker hair.
Sisters-- Margaret, Verna and younger sister.... Rhoda

Verna and Rhoda, dressed up and out on the town together
Me with Aunt Verna and my Mom in Redcliff when they came out for a visit

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My Mom is turning 80 also this September 29th. Like the rest of her family she is young for her age. She hasn't slowed down a bit and continues to bowl in two or more leagues a week; enjoys playing bingo and works hard in the local Lion's Club. I have selected some photos of Mom through the years to chronicle her life..........

Obviously the four below are from birth to about four years of age... wasn't she a cutie??


Here is a selection of photos of my Mom when she was a young lady; wasn't she a stylish dresser?



She always looked so smart and well put together.This is back when they used to paint their black and white photos.

My Mom and Dad on their wedding day... April 19, 1951
My Mom holding me.............
Mom and Bruce dressed up and posing for the camera. Photo taken in Massey Ontario.
Mom at the kitchen table. She would say she doesn't take good pictures anymore but I like this one of her.

We will be going down to visit my Mom for her birthday this year. Mike and Debbie will be there and so will cousin Lynda and Allan and maybe other surprise visitors. I hope the memories of the day will remain with her and that she will look back fondly on them for the rest of her life!

Love you Mom!!!!! Happy 80th!!!!!!!!!