Nieces and Nephews

Vic's daughter Becci and her family arrived last Saturday.  This bunch lived in Kelowna for about 6 years and right here in my house for a number of months back in 200?.

So I feel attached and invested and there's lots of love for these ones.

They also feel connected to this place and it's always lovely when they come back for a visit and I get to look up, always higher to see the heights to which they have grown.

Now instead of a mom and a small girl wandering the back property, there are two beautiful women enjoying each other and the new view.

And below Luca and Moose are checking out the valley vista. 

Some time in the past 10 days, our view changed dramatically.

We used to look out at a row of beautiful pine trees with little glimpses of the city on the right hand side but now it's all city and lake!

Pretty amazing.

I'm just hoping that there will not be a building going up at the highest point as there happens to be a flat piece of property there now.

Can't get too attached to anything here on earth.

Change is inevitable, but even so we are always surrounded by beauty up here.

 We did a wee early Easter egg hunt.  (In which Luca managed to fall into one of the window wells - thankfully not breaking any bones in the process! Whew - his wild antics continue but then I was silly enough to throw a treat down there thinking they were big enough to handle the jump now.)

My recently retired wheelchair proved to be a big hit and it was used throughout most of the weekend by one of the three kids.  

Timers had to be set to avoid altercations...

I managed to capture this sweet daddy - daughter moment when Alexia shared her drink.

I heard Martin say "sharing is caring" and their faces say the rest. 

A meal was shared at Oma and Opa's and it was wonderful to see the interactions and joy all the way around.

Such a beautiful, familiar, and yet fragile thing.

Passing moments, days and years.

Becci was excited to record the measurements of the kids and great headway had been made by all except dear little Oma who is diminishing in stature but thankfully remaining strong in spirit.

I'm grateful for the ones like Becci who value family of all ages.

Having survived the tearing and brokenness that results from a divorce in the family, she has kept these ties and honoured both sides.

She is a superstar.

We played some games,

the birds were let loose, providing entertainment,

and more memories were put into the bank.

Now they are off on their annual Big White Ski Trip! 

This year there is LOADS of snow and more on the way.  

Spring Celebration

It's one of the most beautiful days of the year for me.

The first day of Spring.

I celebrate my version of Mother's Day twice a year; once in the fall when Daniel was born and once in the Spring when Patrice was born. 

I awoke praying a beautiful blessing on this daughter of mine.

That she would be blessed in her lying down and in her rising up,

in her going out and in her coming in...

in her moments and her days.

She's out of town this year for her birthday which is wonderful.

Spending time with friends and with a community she loves.

In this past year she has found a place and people that she resonates with at A Rocha so she's been re-connecting with her tribe and is loving it.

It makes my heart happy.

This has also just happened in the past week and it also makes my heart very happy.

Fresh sprigs of green breaking through the soil and mulch.

There is something achingly beautiful about this season and how it begins.

The snow lasted forever but here is hope.

Spring has truly sprung.

Aslan is on the move...

And even though my lovely daughter is celebrating elsewhere, the Lord arranged a fabulous little birthday party for me to enjoy here!

Sweet Donara treated us to dinner at a fancy restaurant right on the lake. 

I felt so very spoiled.

Michelle was thrilled that I was finally able to celebrate with her right on her birthdate, so celebrate we did! 

The drink looks about as big as my head, but it's an optical illusion.

It was delicious and decadent and oh so pretty.

I was told that I could order anything on the menu.

When does that even happen?  

On the first day of Spring, of course! 

And the birthday girl ordered steak and prawns! 

It was all so artistic I couldn't help but capture the moments before they were devoured.

Obviously it is more blessed to give than to receive judging by the expression on Donara's face.  

I felt the kindness of my extravagant Father on this day.

The scripture that corresponds with March 20 is Ephesians 3:20 which I experienced today and will continue to as this Jubilee year keeps unfolding.

He will do exceedingly and abundantly MORE than all I can ask or imagine...

I feel vibrantly alive,

like Spring has crept right into my bones...

Mishmash of Months

February morphed into March and there were many hello's and goodbye's, visits and parties, work and play and unending snow in between.

My sweet friend Celia popped in with her son Josh during his reading break and it was fun to chat over a cup of tea.

I commended him on his courage to sit and have tea with a bunch of ladies but he claimed it was quite enjoyable.  Perhaps having two sisters has enabled him to stretch his horizons in that direction.

Shrove Tuesday was also celebrated with some dear friends and my kids. 

This year I had no plan for lent however, so the pancakes just marked 40 days till Easter for me. 

And were a delicious diversion on a cold February night.

Instead of Lent I sort of participated in a 3 day Esther fast for Purim which I had some passion for.  It's incredibly difficult to fast without motivation.  

In my humble opinion.

One of my friends celebrated her retirement and 65th birthday so we had a fun time reconnecting with an interesting assortment of friends from "way back when".  

The get together was planned for just three of us, but two others happened to be in the coffee shop at the time which was perfect. 

A divine little setup.

Anita arrived for a visit and her Dad Ollie also had a birthday so we celebrated with pizza and a rather lovely cake. 

The snow was truly relentless this year, lasting well into March.

And as I lay down faithfully on my bed every afternoon, I watched as the snow slowly began to creep away from the trees, leaving more and more yellow grass exposed. 

The golden glow at a day's end.

A winter sunset.

It was a happy, very beautiful winter.

And I'm so glad it's nearly over. 

Lovely Lana

Today this sweet friend drove to Vancouver on her way to do missions work in Prague and beyond...

She has been with us since the end of December and it has been a heavenly little season together in this snowy wintery wonderland.

She has been a part of our family mix since the kids were in their teens and I am so grateful that she has become like family and that we were able to have her stay with us for these past few months.

She LOVES people and has a huge bunch of friends here in the Valley where she grew up that she has been connecting with so she put a party on for herself the other night to bid farewell to many of them before her departure. 

This is only a sampling of the crowd that was here.  

So much laughter and fun and love...

Her walk with the Lord is something that is paramount in her life and she very intentionally seeks Him and follows Him wherever He leads.

Thankfully He lead her here, to our house, and we spent many quality hours sharing our hearts and praying together in between her other many activities and interactions.

She is a woman of integrity, intelligence, conviction and deep love, and is "wholehearted" in the way she lives her life.  She was exemplary to me in her purity of lifestyle and I was challenged, inspired, and convicted, in a very good way when I would spend time with her.  

I love that the Lord has given me such a beautiful variety of friends of all ages and varieties.

I have spent many years praying for this next generation, especially during my time at New Life when I was heading up a prayer initiative called "the Sheep Gate" where we prayed for children, youth and young adults.

Having Lana here and seeing her life up close and personal brought me incredible joy.

I felt like I was seeing some of the "first fruits" of an army of young people who are wiling to lay down their lives for Jesus.

Disciples whose hearts are aflame with One desire.

I'm believing that there will be many more like this one who graced my home and my heart with her beautiful presence. 

I'm looking forward to seeing where and when the Lord will connect us again.

Last time was Germany, this time Canada... who knows where we will meet next?!

Sister Love

My precious sister has been staying here for a few weeks while she's dealing with some health issues and it's been a really sweet time.

I've missed having quality time with her as we are usually dividing our time looking after Mom and Tante Hilda's needs - so this has been a huge blessing.

She's here with little Pupcake who is an absolute delight.

Due to his "territorial" nature, Elsie has had to design several outfits for Pupcake  that prevent him from being able to "mark" various areas in the house.

In other words, he now has to wear a diaper and is dressed in baby clothes to hold it in place!  

Very funny business indeed.

Moose and Ladybug have grown more tolerant over time with this feisty little guy who has moved into their space. 

The other day I had all sorts of energy to finally dig out my sewing machine and I  made new covers for our heat bags.  It was so much fun to use the pretty fabric that was leftover from my foray into quilting and to make the bags look extra cozy with little hearts stitched on.  

Here is a little pillow case and matching heat bag cover that I made for Elsie out of some flannel. 

So glad that God is in the house, bringing healing and joy and precious sister time.