Monday 14 July 2014

Small and wonderful things . . .

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 "The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard  

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life.   It's the small things in life which truly mean the most.  Simple abundance . . . it's the best.  
  

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Eating freshly picked strawberries in a shirt to match.   I just love this photo of Cameron.  I know I am more than a tad biased, but I think he's a cutie pie.  ☺  It looks like he is really enjoying those berries!

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My dad rocking a ball cap.   Do you know this is the first time I have ever seen my father in a ball cap?    It's only taken almost 59 years (less than a month to go and I will be in the last year of my fifties)?  The only had I had ever seen him wearing was his hat for work.   He was an airman in the CAF.

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I cannot resist showing you another photo of Maryn swimming.  She looks like she is having so much fun.   I also think she is a cutie pie.   That is a grandmother's prerogative!


















Did you know that there was a sound track to Call the Midwife?   I know!  How wonderful is that?  I just love the music on this show.  I cannot wait for series four!  I am sure we will miss Jenny at first, but to be honest she wasn't in most of series three and I am sure they will have plenty of great story lines irregardless of whether she is in it or not.


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Knowing that your children are settled and happy.   My youngest daughter has a lovely husband.  Amanda and Tom met when they were at Uni. For financial reasons I was not able to attend their wedding.  I have always regretted not being able to go. In retrospect I should have borrowed the money.   There is a part of me that feels that my not being there was the catalyst to her pulling away from me.  I am really proud of my daughter.   She graduated from High School with honors.  Between her scholarships and bursaries she was able to educate herself at University and also graduated from Uni with Honors with a Nursing Degree.   She went on to work with children who have cancer and that is her specialized field. She is a super mom and wife and has a lovely home that she takes wonderful care of.  It is immaculate.  She is raising her family and working full time and doing great at both, as well as working on her Master's degree in Nursing.  






















 This is a photograph of her when she was five years old, taken during her first year in school.  I have always loved this photograph of her.   I could always tell that she would be an over-achiever because she always tried really, really hard to do her best at everything she put her hand to.   I can remember her crying when she made a mistake on a spelling test.  She is very driven, much like my mother.   That determination and drive will serve her well in life.

Of course I am proud of all of my children.  They are my greatest achievement in life.   To have raised five children to be wonderfully well rounded, productive and happy, upstanding members of society, who all love the Lord and are just plain good people.   No mother could ask for more than that.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

"Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind 
the memory of any unpleasant thing that has passed."
~anonymous  

I am not entirely sure that is possible, but I am doing my best to give it a go.  

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Cooking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  A Really Good Bolognese Sauce!

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......HAPPY MONDAY
....ღღƸӜƷღღ My GOOD FRIENDS ღღƸӜƷღღ
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May your week be filled with a lot of small and wonderful things! 


 

7 comments:

  1. lovely photo's of the family this morning Marie. Still can't believe how much you look like your Dad...It was sad that you coudn't get to your daughters wedding but thast life I'm afraid and I am sure she will understand if she really give sit some thought. No Mum would deliberately miss their daughters wedding day....
    I do hope that you have a lovely week, looks like our summer weather is to continue...we have been so lucky this year..
    love to Todd and Mitzie xx

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  2. You do have a wonderful family and I love the picture of the little one with a strawberry. Hope you do have a good start to this new week. Happy Monday.

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  3. They all look happy and grateful!
    That's the best along with health that we can hope for ..for our loved ones..
    Have a great week!

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  4. Thank you very much Sybil. I think the fact that I didn't go to her wedding was made worse by the fact that I had once said I would go to a wedding if my ex was there with his wife. Which I didn't mean of course, but I think she may feel that was why I didn't go. When I went to her brother's wedding two years later she commented to me that I had "gone to Doug's wedding." So I know it probably hurt her feelings I had not made it to hers. I could't make it to her wedding because I had spent my trip home money the year before making a rush trip back to Canada because their dad was sneaking out of the country with my youngest son and I wanted to stop him if I could. That was a wasted trip because I wasn't able to stop anything. If I could re-do just one thing in life I would have gone to her wedding, no matter what I had to do to be able to do so. Sadly there are no re-dos in life. WE just have to learn to live with the consequences of our choices.

    It's raining and very close here today. I don't like it when it's close, but we did get a couple of major chores done!

    Thanks Pam. I love that sweet picture of Cameron as well. He's so adorable and looks so much like his mom and Uncle Bruce. It's uncanny!

    Thanks Monique. They do look very happy. They are healthy too. Such a blessing. xxoo

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  5. Oh those two grandchildren are adorable and of course you should be so proud of them. I loved the picture of our daughter and her husband; she looks so happy. She is a very accomplished young woman; you should be proud. It is wonderful when you can say that your children are just very good people.
    Thanks for sharing this one and blessings and hugs for you!

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  6. Thank you LeAnn! that means a lot to me! xxo

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Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!