Saturday This and That . . .

 

 

(source) 

Another sadness in our family yesterday.  We lost our dear Tante Nadine.  Nadine was one of my father's younger sisters. She was 8 years older than I am. She had been diagnosed with "galloping lung cancer" only a few months ago.  This has been a very few sad couple of weeks for my father having lost his younger brother Jean Paul just a few weeks ago. 

 

This is an old family photograph of my fathe's family.  My Grandpapa and Grandmaman are holding some of their grandchildren, my cousin's Yanina and Jocelyn, plus one of the boys is just behind.  The two older boys in the front are my Uncle Patrice and my Uncle John Paul.  From the left in the back was Fleurette, Nadine, Margot, Roderique, Rina and Arlette. My father was already living away from home when this photograph was taken, so was not in it.  Other than my father now, the only ones left are Patrice and Arlette. 

This was a side of the family that we didn't really know very well when we were growing up.  First of all there was a language barrier.  They spoke French only and we spoke English only.  Then there was the distance.  We lived quite far from them for all of our lives.  We did live much closer to my mother's family so we were able to build relationships with them.  Thanks to the miracle of facebook however, we are now friends with most of our French cousins on there and with the miracle of google translate we can now communicate.

I was priviledged to have had some contact with my dear Aunt over these past years and her family. I remember her from when I was a child as being very pretty and very stylish with a blond beehive hairdo/updo.  I can remember her scratching her head with the end of her comb, poking it into the beehive.  Rest in peace my dear Aunt.  In pain no more, and reunited with her parents, siblings and husband. 

 

I am grateful that my father has our family to help to comfort him. I finally figured out how to use the telephone here at the motel and was able to call him last night. I know!!  It only took me a week! What am I like! 

The weather has turned quite a bit colder here.  We were so blessed to have warm and sunny days when  I first arrived. I kidded that I had brought it with me, but of course we know different.  If anything I have brought the rain which has drizzled down a bit these last few days. This is the first morning I have not opened the window in the front door of my room to let in some cooler air. I will need my woolies for sure! 

The house has all been cleared and cleaned. I am so grateful to my friends in the UK for taking over that chore for me.  What a blessing!  I can never thank them enough.  Every so often I think of something which I had to leave behind and my heart pangs a little bit, but then I just brush that thought away and remind myself that it is only stuff.  Stuff can always be replaced, unlike people and relationships.  and although people and relationships cannot be replaced I am ever grateful for the eternal nature of such things! 

 

Door visits continue, and I am most grateful for them!  Every day like clockwork, twice a day at least this smiling face appears at my door to see how I am doing and sometimes to bring me a treat! I cannot seem the smile because of the mask, but I can see the smile in her eyes and hear it in her voice.   What a treasure this dear girl is to me.  Her husband stops by just about every day also.  It has been a real blessing to me to be situated so close to their apartment building.  Today she is going Christmas shopping for her husband. She says that this year they have decided just to give each other gift certificates.  A wise choice.  

It is hard to  believe that this Christmas I will be with family. I could never have envisioned this only a year ago.  I could never have envisioned this three months ago.  Your life truly can change completely in an instant.  Although the changes have been drastic and heart rending, they have also been filled with many, many blessings for which I am very grateful. 

 

It may have taken me a week, but yesterday  I finally figured out that I can get more than 3 naff channels on the television in the room.  They really need to do a printout that they can leave with the phone and the television to help the occupants of the room to navigate their options easier.  Even using the shower was an exercise in guess work. (But then it usually is!)

One week down and one to go.  I received a telephone call from the NS Government yesterday to make sure I was quarantining and that I had no symptoms.  Whew!  Happy to say that Yes, I am quarantining and yes, (praise God) so far no symptoms have been experienced.  I am so grateful for that and pray that it continues!! It would really suck (pardon my phraseology) if I was to get this far on my journey and then get the virus and croak. I am really praying that life would not be so cruel to me.  Although in all honesty I don't deserve this blessing any more than anyone else. 

 

 

Each day I am reminded of the fluidity of life and my many, many blessings. I have far too many to count. May it always be so and may I always be able to recognise them. God is good.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

 ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Set your life on fire,

Seek those who fan your flames.

~Rumi   ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 

 

 

 

I am sharing another classic in The English Kitchen today with Mary Berry's Classic Victoria Sponge.  This is my all-time favourite cake. You can't beat it! (No pun intended!)

Have a wonderful day.  One less for me in solitude!  Don't forget! 

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and I do too!