hard

There's something about those points

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Thursday Challenge

Next Week: BOOKS (Very Old Books, Library, Electronic Books, Piles of Books,...)

reunions etc. (#564-578 of 1000 gifts)

I've been away — did you miss me? We flew to Saskatchewan over the Canada Day long weekend to attend my high school reunion, returning on Tuesday (5th) to lots of catch-up and house guests. It's been a busy start to the summer. Here are some of the gifts I've counted in the last two weeks.

564. A safe trip to and from Saskatchewan.

565. Driftwood surrounded by blooming flax.

566. My brother's creatively decorated house. It's like visiting a family museum.

567. Critters seen from a distance.

568. A wonderful high school reunion.

569. A house to "sit" while away from home (thanks so much Gilbert & Anne!).

570. Golden canola under gorgeously big prairie skies.

571. Finding myself beside a cousin in church last Sunday — leading to lunch and a great catch-up visit.

572. Lovely walks over rivers and along banks.

573. Discovering a sculpture cemetery (along the river just west of the U of S campus in Saskatoon).

574. Rhubarb and strawberry pie with ice-cream.

575. Getting reacquainted with old friends and meeting the handsome Skipper.

576. Going on a walk with some real birders who alerted us to a Cooper's hawk, mourning dove, and many lovely goldfinches.

577. Living in a place where there are relatively few mosquitoes.


578. The Bible — such a storehouse of Other Food (with something new to share every morning).

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If you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts, please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on how to join are here.

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roads

High water on the South Saskatchewan River - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (July 4/11)

Thursday Challenge

Next Week: VEHICLES (Trucks, Motorcycles, Cards, Buses, Bicycles,...)

movement

Caught

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Thursday Challenge

Next Week: CARS (New, Old, Sedans, Convertibles, Station Wagons, Sports,...)

goodbye, goodbye (#284-292 of 1000 gifts)

The front cover of the
memorial service bulletin:
My brother, hiking in the river hills.

It's hard to believe it was only one week ago today that I came home from working in Alpha to the news. A sister-in-law had phoned. My brother had died a couple of hours earlier.

It wasn't as if we weren't prepared. After all, the doctor had told us this summer it could be only a couple of weeks then. That my bro soldiered on for six more months astounded everyone on his medical team. Only days ago in her update, Mara, my brother's wife, made it clear that the end was near. But last Tuesday night the news was still a shock.

The next hours were a flurry of planning. We decided to fly (versus drive) to Saskatchewan for the Saturday morning funeral. We booked flights, rented a car remotely, then on Friday caught a 6:15 a.m. flight from Abbotsford.

The weekend was a marathon of special family moments. We shared a Chinese food dinner at Gilbert & Anne's on Friday night along with a birthday cake for my hubby. Then we motored to Borden and Brian & Darlene's cozy house where we spent all our nights.

Anne, at the Chinese food buffet (courtesy sister Doris)

Ernie with his ice-cream cake

Saturday was amazing as we mingled with family members, cousins and the friends of our youth in the foyer of the Dalmeny MB Church and later in the basement reception hall.

The memorial service for my brother was tough — and made tougher by the three segments of photos (all to the accompaniment of the roots and bluegrass music he loved and played so well) featuring the three eras of my his life.

The pastor's talk was stirring and challenging, anchored by two words: "appointed" and "choices." It's a sobering thing to view the whole of a person's life and to realize: this is it. They've done all they will do. The last chapter has been written. Their living here is complete. (His obituary is here.)

I came back when to the sanctuary when it was deserted and photographed the memorabilia of my brother's life that my nephews had lovingly assembled, washed (at least the farm tools) and hauled to the church. Goodbye my bro — a husband, father, uncle, friend, farmer, gardener, bus driver, musician, hockey player, bird watcher, naturalist, hiker, jack-of-all-trades, of whom it was said again and again how kind, and supportive and encouraging and thoughtful he was.

On Sunday after church whoever of the family hand't left for home gathered again in the church basement. Kudos to all who contributed, especially to Gil & Anne who so capably organized, supervised and so much more!

Four sisters

Four brothers

After a photo shoot we all drove out to the farm for more visiting, pizza and pop. I was told there was even some schmalzing in the snow!

Pizza and pop at the farm

Flowers - so pretty in the farmhouse. Now my bro is a 'Bird of Paradise'

Here I slipped away again to the room where my brother spent his last months, days, and hours (when he wasn't up and about, which was pretty well every day until almost the end). His hospital bed was set up against the wall where the futon now stands.

Cake made by "Cakes by Christine" (Loyd's niece)

We got home yesterday at midnight. From my familiar writing desk here, the last few days seem like a dream. Though the week has been gift upon gift, I'll gather them into bundles that could be broken down into many...

284. Ann Voskamp on Blog Talk Radio.


285. A sense of God directing my steps and moments.


286. A sweet last day on earth for my fro with all his family present.

287. Memories of a life well lived.

288. Travel mercies — safe flights, luggage that arrived, a rental car that never failed to start despite the −30C weather.

289. The warmth and generosity of the people at the church where my brothers attend.

290. Time with family rich in memories, catching up, laughter and tears.

291. E-readers; it's so convenient to transport books on a trip.

292. The internet, Facebook, email. With ease we can let everyone know - we're back home, all is well.

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If you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts, please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on how to join are here.

Ann's book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are is out and selling like hotcakes. Get your copy! 

school

"School"

(Mural in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan)

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Thursday Challenge

Next Week: PLANTS (Garden, Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers, Trees,...)

monday mural

This charming mural from Duck Lake, Saskatchewan shows the energy and exuberance of recess in the one-room school.

For a couple more slice-of-pioneer-life murals go here.

monday mural

(Click on photo to enlarge)

In "Crossing the Saskatchewan," one of the murals of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, artist Glen Scrimshaw depicts a settler crossing the river using a red river cart as a raft.

For more Duck Lake murals, click on check it out, below.

go for a walk!

Saturday night after the recent writer's conference I attended, I mentioned to hubby that there was nothing I'd like to do more than take a walk - especially if it could be beside the Saskatchewan River. But though he had scouted Edmonton during the day, neither of us had a clue about where to find access to the riverbank. We did eventually go for a walk that night. But it was in the West Edmonton Mall (hardly as pastoral as a river, but it was a walk!).


Imagine my joy the next day, though, when we visited my niece and she asked, would we like to go for a walk along the riverbank. Would we?!



A few days later, we walked along that same river in Saskatchewan with my brother and his wife. The riverbank here is much wilder than within the Edmonton city limits. But to our surprise, we found that civilization is encroaching. A whole new development is in the making on the hilltops with roads already built and lined with signs giving the plot numbers and names of owners. Only one house was built but another one was in the making. It felt strange to be hiking around on the rough cow-pie-strewn paths and hillsides, then to look up and see the long arm of a cement conveyer contraption hard at work. The people who live there will have this view.


The next day another brother took us on a walk to Beaver Creek -- a stream that feeds into the South Saskatchewan.


The area around Beaver Creek is criss-crossed with footpaths and is maintained as a conservation area by the Meewasin Valley Authority. It was a perfect place to walk on a crisp fall morning.




So don't spend the beautiful days of autumn inside missing summer. Go for a walk. All the better if you can do it beside a river or stream. But of course if you can't find one, there's always the mall.

monday mural - prairie scenes

As we drove up and down the streets of the various towns and hamlets on our recent trip back 'home,' I was, as usual, attracted to the murals. They are all over!

The Saskatchewan town where my husband grew up, Blaine Lake, has some that weren't there the last time we visited.

This striking depiction of Blaine Lake in its grain elevator era is painted on the back of the arena. When I was taking the photo, being careful not to stray off the sidewalk, the lady who lived in the house directly behind me popped her head out her front door and in typical prairie-town fashion invited me to come onto her property to take a better picture. I did - and this is the result (thanks again!).



More Blaine Lake murals posted here.