Sweet Finish

A patio party on the last night of August.
How fitting and so very wonderful.
Good food, good friends, puppies playing,
yellow glow of the late summer sun through the apple trees
Ahhhh....

The Alberta trip finished with a bang!
We drove from Rosemary to Calgary,
stopping to buy me some long pants in Strathmore
those wheat fields and big sky giving me another thrill.
Patrice, not so much.
Strangely she felt "claustrophobic" on the prairies while I felt expansive and peaceful.

Calgary was crazy with traffic and we were invited to Becci and Martin's new home for dinner on their very first night there.
Time with the kids was so sweet,
Such familiar little voices and personalities.
A blessed little reunion.
A walk in the 170 acre parkland that will be their new playground and off to Kananaskis for the night.

A migraine, crazy spasms and not enough bedding made for a strange, rather uncomfortable night but joy cometh in the morning with the help of a sleeping pill!
Joy and incredible mountain views, green, green, tall trees and a moose.
Driving into Kelowna was immensely satisfying for both of us.
What a gift to live here.
Our hearts were home and the valley welcomed us with sunshine and open arms.

Grateful for the time away.
Grateful for a home that is here.
Grateful for a daughter to share all of this with.

Alberta

I'm on the prairies.
BIG skies, WIND, wide open spaces
Outrageous beauty.

We roared down the long flat highway from Three Hills to Rosemary
miles of rolling hills and swaying grains...
Bruce Cockburn serenading us at high volume
"Going to the country....sunshine, shine on me"...

Privileged to do this trip with my dear daughter
and with dear Daniel and Nicole.
The wedding of a dear friend, held on the the beautiful ranch of the groom's family,
under a scorching prairie sun.
Best wedding address I've heard in my entire life.
Roll kuchen and Arboose
Surrounded by people I love.

And now in Rosemary at the home of a friend that is like family.
Celebrated her mom's 90th birthday with EVERYONE. 

Here I am with Tante Elsie - my "other mother".  She looks fabulous at 90!

These dear people who have known me my entire life,
and have loved me like their own.
So many memories...

New ones now made including my children.
Rich and sweet.
A gift from heaven.
laughter on the back patio, porch swings, a barbecue.
Breaking bread together,
Seeing the next generation.
Little people in the tree fort and toddlers underfoot.

This one, in this home, who is like a sister to me. 
Welcomes me like I am royalty and pours out love,
On me and mine and anyone else who comes near her sweet expansive heart.

She's been on the potter's wheel and has submitted
much like my own dear sister,
To years of unyielding pain, years of confusion,
Clouded perspective and adversity,
Allowing the Potter to throw her down,
again and again, molding, refining, firing.
Clinging fiercely to the One who was able to help.

I am humbled to be here and incredibly grateful.
For this gift of time.
For this perspective and privilege.
Of watching a life layed down.
Not her, but Christ.
He is large in this place, in this couple.

I want Him to be larger in me.
Jesus, hear my cry.
Strengthen me in this journey where I am tempted to complain.
Tempted to self pity.
Tired of how difficult it is on such a constant basis.

I want to look and sound like you.
Just the way these precious ones do...


The sweet spirit that has emerged is something heaven kissed.
Such gratitude,
A servants heart,
Such generosity,
Such kindness and easy laughter.

Broken and refined and more beautiful than words can express.
I'm humbled by this encounter and inspired.
Wanting to respond in this same way.
Simple pure gratitude for each day.
The privilege to serve and pour one's self out for others.

The Lord keeps putting these ones in my path.
Allowing me to rub shoulders with these kingly, queenly, saintly ones.
Whose lives have been refined by fierce hot fires.

The Knowledge of the Most Holy.
Propels me forward, creates a framework for these crazy days of good, hard,
wonderful and mysterious.

The Filing Cabinet

I've been doing a bit of digging around in the filing cabinet...
finding old files and folders and pulling one big package of history together for each of the kids.
Kinda feeling raw and achy as I do it because there's just reams of history
Days and days and days of documented and undocumented family life.
Moments with the kids, Christmas letters telling stories of the year gone by,
calendars reminding me of the day that first tooth poked through, visits from Grandma, first steps and first days of school.

School papers, pictures and report cards.
Mother's Day cards, memoirs and stickers letting me know all those important milestones

Statistics - little numbers and weights and measures that culminate in a small being entering my life after hibernating in my body for nine months.
A little being that has forever changed me and filled my life with so much good and so much vision, and of course, some pain.

I just came upon this one very scrappy piece of paper with "fall '89?" written at the top.
I don't want to lose this raw, sweet little memoir.

A new mother's heart....

"The intense pleasure I take in this little boy the Lord has entrusted into our care.
I love to sit and watch his movements, expressions and beautiful smile and sparkling eyes.
I love to have him sit relaxed on my lap with his soft little hands on my arms
or his fingers entwined with mine.
Even though I have only one,
I can take some refuge in the fact that I am able to enjoy him so much
and spend uninterrupted times with him.

It's like it magnifies the love i have for him and enjoyment he brings me.

I often sit gazing at him with awe and great delight...
What a wonderful miracle that God has granted me
 the privilege to raise up a son.
My greatest desire and prayer for him is that he grows up to love God more than anything."

He still has sparkling eyes and a beautiful smile.  He's still gentle and now is is also wise.  

Summer Still

The squares of August on the calendar are becoming fewer.  I feel a bit of panic, like I haven't done enough summer stuff and the days are already getting shorter.

But there's still lots of sunshine.
And there's a holiday coming up - a trip to Alberta for a wedding and a birthday.
So I'm hoping it will feel full, FULL!
That the end of summer will just go on for a long time too.

There have been so many sweet moments and I've tried to capture as many of them as I can on my camera.  Now that I have an iphone it's just easy peasy even though the quality might be a little lacking.

So for the record, here's a bit more of August...

an evening with some of the ords and anita and olivier

Saturday night

a visit with Olivia

a shocking hailstorm that destroyed many leaves and left our little apples bruised

working with the expert, learning quilting skillzzzz

enjoying a new ap on my camera that makes my pictures look outrageously beautiful!

Oh, and one Sunday not so long ago I was asked to share on joy.  So I told some of my story as I sat at the front with a Bible on my lap and a Big God hovering over me.  Made me think of that picture Donovan had at prayer last month...

More Summer Fun

And it's been a scorcher - wonderful heat and so much sunshine!
OOOHHHH I LOVE SUMMER!!

Since we had the big tents set up in the backyard I decided to host a surprise 60th birthday party for a dear friend.  It was absolutely wonderful and she was so very delighted.

Here is Carlyn with some of her family that managed to be in Kelowna for the celebration.

I just love hosting events as long as I don't have to be in charge of food or cleanup - haha!  

Backyard Parties...

I had the privilege of sitting next to my dear friend and her mother as we watched her son Josh marry his best friend Thea this past Saturday.  On Kalamalka Lake under the big blue skies with the very hot sun shining its approval.  It was so beautiful. 

My precious little family - I'm always so happy when we can all be somewhere together, celebrating and sharing...

 The reception was in our back yard which was transformed into something magical with big tents and lights and lanterns hanging from the apple trees.

My dear friend Dawn, the mother of the groom looked like a movie star so I made sure to get a picture taken with her!!  She is one of my besties forever...

And how fun is this??  We got to do archery!!