Quiet times

Well, the parties are all done and the company's gone home. It has been a quiet time lately.

Harmony and Marco returned to New Zealand last Thursday (June 28). Harmony and Kelsey were throwing up the night before, but after the first flight they felt a bit better, though weak. After 37 hours of travelling, they arrived home! Though they are far from Canada, we can still skype with them. It certainly wasn't like that in the old days when Grandma and Grandpa first came to Canada in 1953. Then the minister prayed for them in church on Sunday, and they said goodbye to their family, not expecting to see them again. Though we miss Harmony and her family, we can skype them and talk face to face on our computers. It's not the same as being with them, but we are pretty blessed.

Mom got a cold on the Father's Day weekend, and has been fighting it since then. She has been coughing a lot, and the doctor has given her puffers and cough medicine. The coughing has left her tired, and she hasn't been up to doing much, mostly staying inside and resting.

Yesterday, I went to visit with my girls. It is summer holidays now, so we started out with a baking project the night before. I want to teach my girls some baking skills (whether they want to or not!). Marika made banana chocolate chip muffins ("Are you proud of me, Mom?") and Natalie and I tackled a lemon loaf, made with a yeast dough. We finished the lemon loaf and baked it at Mom's so we could eat it hot and fresh.

         

When we arrived yesterday, we first had coffee with banana muffins (thanks Marika!). Then Dad took the girls for a ride in the trailer behind the four-wheeler. Some whispering went on in the kitchen and then they were off. I just asked for no broken limbs. Well, anyone who knows my dad knows that he doesn't do anything half way. And life is always an adventure with him. They came back just before lunch and he sheepishly told us to come on the back deck. There were my girls, covered in clumps of thick sticky clay from head to toe. They had mud in their hair, on their faces, on their arms, legs, and their clothes were filthy. He'd taken them to the broccoli field nearby (how can he stay away from his farm!). They got an inch of rain that morning, and there happened to be some significant mud puddles, which he happened to drive through.

The dirt didn't show up too well on the photo, but it's there!       

After Dad hosed them off, the girls had showers and they put on bathing suits while we washed their clothes. Grandpa took them to the beach while their clothes were washed. And they learned that everything is an adventure with Grandpa. 

While Grandpa did that, Mom and I and Aunt Wilma worked on ordering photos from our photo shoot. Mom is eager to get the new family photos up on the wall. They were beautiful photos. We are thankful for Darlene from Jakal Photography who did the photos for Smiling Eyes. You can see Darlene's blog post about it here. Thank you so much, Darlene.

Mom went to the doctor today (her oncologist in London). He was very surprised at how well Mom is doing! She is very stable right now, being very careful what she eats to avoid bowel obstruction. He made a slight adjustment in her medications, but basically, all is stable. Her CA125 even came down three weeks ago from the time before! We don't know today's result yet, but the doctor was pleased. He approved a new antibiotic for Mom as her sinuses now seem to be infected with this cold. She is very tired and has been resting lots. But we are pleased. Mom has another appointment with the doctor in 4 weeks.

It is difficult facing the uncertainty sometimes. A friend at church just lost her mother, only five weeks after her cancer diagnosis. She barely had time to prepare for her final journey home. Yet we as a family have had lots of time to process Mom's illness and to cherish her. I was thinking about how death is so different for each person. None of us knows when we will die. For some of us, it comes suddenly and without warning. Others have more of an inkling how or when they will die. Yet for each of us, we should be prepared for our final journey home, whenever or however it may come. How do you prepare for death? You keep short accounts, and cherish your loved ones. Live each day to the full. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength. Do what matters.

Speaking of cherishing life, when we came home last night from Mom's, my hubbie had supper ready. I left a little late and traffic was heavy, and so it was 6:30 before we walked in the door. Paul surprised us with a beautiful candlelit supper. It's the little things like this that make all the difference. We know that the prayers and many gifts people have given Mom have made a world of difference, and we are thankful. Thanks for your support and your love.

Who can pass up Whopper Wednesday? The candles made me laugh and it was fun.

A squirrel at Mom's feeder. Hanging on!