Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

"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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Getting to have an overnight visit with my daughter Eileen.  We had some great laughs with each other.  We ate some good food.  We got to talk without having anyone else around.  It was just plain nice.  I love this girl of mine. Of course, I love all of my children.  Each of them are special to me in unique and individual ways. Blood of my blood, bone of my bone.  Heart of my heart.

 

This is a photograph of Eileen from when we were living in Suffield, Alberta.  She was pushing her dolly around the garden in its pushchair. She was always really tiny for her age. I think she may have been 2 1/2 to 3 years old at best here.  She had white blonde hair at that age. Amanda would have only been a baby at that time.  And Anthony maybe 4 to 5 years old.    The other two only twinkles in their daddy's eyes.

Its funny how it goes as you get older, you have a hard time putting dates on things.  I do at any rate.  I know that when we moved to Suffield Amanda was only about six weeks old and when we left, I was pregnant for Douglas. And there is only 23 months in age between the two of them, and 23 months between Amanda and Eileen, and of course Anthony is 2 1/2 years older than Eileen.

That was a hard trip. That one from Alberta to the Maritimes.  We had been put out of our PMQ because my husband had his release in and was going to join the Prison Service as a guard. The people in Suffield said they needed our  house for incoming personnel and we ended up having nowhere to live. 

My husband put us on a military flight from Calgary, Alberta to Chatham, New Brunswick. I was about 6 months pregnant for Douglas and had an 18 month old, a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 year old and was by myself.  We got bumped off the plane in Trenton, Ontario.  We had to hang around the airport until they got us on another one, which they finally did around midnight that same night.  We flew to Chatham and my father and mother in law met us there. I had only ever met them in person once before. They picked us up and we drove to Prince Edward Island. I stayed there for about a month before my brother could pick us up and bring us over to Nova Scotia to be with my own parents.

That was such a hard time, but somehow I got through it, as I have gotten through all of the hard times in my life.  You just do, don't you?  And along the way you cry and you laugh and everything in between.

My father took us all out for supper yesterday.  We went to the Crowsnest in Hillsburn which is down towards Digby way.  They are known for their seafood. It was nice to be there all together.

Dad had seafood chowder and he really enjoyed it.

The rest of us had English style Fish and Chips. There was only one size.  Two pieces. Cindy and I shared some with Dad because there was just too much.  It was very good however.

Dan and I did not have dessert, but Dad had a nice big piece of Lemon Meringue pie and Cindy had Skor Cheesecake. (I did have a taste!  It was nice.)

It was just nice being there together.  We took the shore road drive up along the North Mountain, and then we took the valley road back along the river.  Both drives were nice. It was a bit of a rainy day yesterday, but Dan did some really good driving through the showers and the respite in between. 

 

Dan and Cindy are good people.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by good people, by family. 

 

Doug, Kayla, Jake, Josh, Jon

I had a lovely facetime with Doug and his family yesterday. Doug wanted to share with me his latest test results from his heart.  They showed a restricting of the arteries on exercise. So now he has to go to Saint John and have another dye test. Every night I pray he will live to be an old man and get to see all of his boys settled and happy and to spend time with his grandchildren.  It was nice chatting to them. They are getting all ready to start school this week.  Jon will be going to College of course and the others are in grade 9 and grade 11. It hardly seems possible.  Were they not just babies yesterday?

Today they are having one last day of summer fun at the Sandspit which is an amusement place on the Island.

 

Gathering at School

Linda Nelson Stocks

All of the children will be starting back to school this week.  Gabe and Jon are going to Uni and College.  Josh will be in Grade 11, Jake Grade 9, Luke Grade 8.  I am not sure what grades Maryn and Cameron are going into.  But Maryn is 13 and Cam 11.  Liam apparently is starting pre-school. He is 4 1/2.  

I wish for them and all children a very productive and happy school year.  We are so blessed to live in a place where our children are able to have a free education right up to their College and Uni years. There are children in the world that do not.

I did not go to church yesterday.  Glenna was not feeling well and to be honest I had not slept very well Saturday night either.  So I just stayed home. I did listen to Music and the Spoken Word which I enjoyed very much.  I also have the Zoom link now so that I will be able to watch church online if I am not able to get there another time.  

I love Music and the Spoken Word. You can find it on YouTube live every Sunday, and of course the programs stay there forever.  First transmitted on July 15, 1929 it is the world's longest running broadcast.  At first it was on radio.  Now we can get it online.  I was really blessed to have been able to attend it in person that year I flew to Utah and Idaho that time to watch Eileen participate in the International Special  Olympics Winter Games, and it was really wonderful to see and hear the Tabernacle Choir in person.

There is always a beautiful spirit in attendance when the choir sings.

Christianity is comforting, but it is often not comfortable.

The path to holiness and happiness here and

hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one. It takes

time and tenacity to walk it.

I listened to this talk by Jeffrey R Holland a couple times at the weekend.  It was giving at Conference in October of 2020.  Waiting on the Lord.   I love his words.  I have listened to this talk maybe six times now, twice this weekend. Each time I have felt uplifted and inspired. Today I hope to put some of my thoughts on it into my journal. 

I will soon have to crack open my new journal and start another one as this one is getting filled up.  I started my present journal back in 2019 I believe.  There is a lot in it.

 

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I have a good life. A very good life.  A wonderful mix of highs and lows. A balance of the good and the bad.  I cannot complain.  I am the sum of all my parts. I have learned much through experience and grown to become who I am through them all.  I like who I am. It has taken a lifetime to get here.  I am still growing and becoming.

 I have a life filled with meaning and purpose, with people that I love and care about.  My two furry pets who bring much joy into my days. My faith which undergirds it all and which strengthens me.  I am blessed.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *Behind every young child 

who believe in himself,

is a parent who believed first.

~Matthew Jacobson° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

 In The English Kitchen today.  Quick Macaroni Salad.  A small batch recipe fit for two people. You could also use gluten free pasta in it if you wish. It was very easy and quick to make and is really delicious.  Perfect for a Labor Day meal to end the summer on. 

I am not sure if I will be here tomorrow or not. It all depends on what time I wake up in the morning. For some reason I have been getting up later.  Jenni is coming to do my toenails first thing so that is quite early.  You may not hear from me until Wednesday. I didn't want anyone to worry.  

I hope you all have a lovely Labor Day holiday today. I hope it is spent doing something you love and with people that you love. Be safe and be happy. Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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And I do too!