Family Times

It is a bittersweet season for our family. On one hand, we are all together. Often. Having one family live so far away in New Zealand, this is not something we take for granted. Of course, knowing that Mom's time is growing shorter with us makes it all very special. For me, it feels like dusk, that part of the day when late afternoon intersects with evening as the day draws to a close, and the light grows more golden, suffusing everything with a golden glow.

Because Mom is doing so well right now, it is joyful to have her with us and to be all together, even though I have moments when I remember that she will leave us and I am sad.  Mom's gut is working really well right now. The steroids are quite helpful, though they have the side effect of causing a bit of puffiness in Mom's face, which Mom has pointed out has erased her wrinkles. However, Mom has noticed the ascites coming back, the fluid in her abdomen produced by cancer, so we can't quite forget the cancer's there. And she's quite tired at times. In spite of that, she is doing really well, and we are having wonderful times as a family. I feel blessed. The verses from Lamentations 3: 19-26 seem very descriptive of this season:

I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them, 

and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord's great love

we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him."

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him

to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

God seems close to us, and every day is filled with new mercies and new blessings. We have joy in these days. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks:

On Saturday, May 26, many of us got together at Mom and Dad's house to
celebrate Cohen's first birthday. One of the presents he got was a drum set.

He is a natural!

Everyone had donuts (a tradition around the Visscher household for birthdays!).

Four generations.

It was cousin Wina's last day before she went back to Holland.

No visit is complete without photos with the flowers!

Or painting toenails!

Smiles with Owen

On another day, Mom and Aunt Wilma made a rhubarb pie with rhubarb from the back yard.
Mom has a running rivalry with Jake Bosch (neighbours and childhood friends) about rhubarb pie.
Will the pie be good enough for Jake? 

All smiles with Jake and Alice Bosch - must have been a good pie!

On Tuesday, June 5 we met at the Toronto Zoo. Mom and Dad, all 14 grandkids,
 and most of the kids and spouses. It's quite a caravan! 

Dad pushed Mom around all day. In a nice way!

With 14 kids, 13 adults, 5 strollers, and one wheelchair,
sometimes it was hard to end up in the same place.

It gave the grandkids time to be together and be with grandma.

Even though sometimes we got tired! 

The hippo was also tired. 

The girls pose for photos easier than the boys. For some reason, I don't think
I have any photos of the boys together!

Mom and Owen