God's Good Earth

I love when Patrice comes home.

Her presence here is so familiar and so natural.

These lazy summer days are such a delight.

My succulents on the back patio have been very happy as well.

Seems to be a perfect spot for them to thrive.

I've turned this planter into a little memorial for Moose =)

While she was home Patrice prepared a huge Indian dinner and invited over the friends that have been supporting her over the past year.

I'm impressed when I see the younger crowd represented so well.

The fact that they honor Patrice and what she is working towards environmentally in a practical way at a time in their lives when finances are probably not overly abundant really touches me.

It was a perfect evening to sit outside in our beautiful surroundings on the patio with all of these beautiful people and celebrate the goodness of God.

Caring for creation costs... it costs time and money.

Here are people who are invested in preserving God's good earth by sharing their resources and showing love for my precious girl in the process.

Unbridled Joy

Ladybug enjoys coming along for the hospice visits.

They provide organic dog treats at the front entrance and there is a lovely green area to run in out back.

Check out the smile on Lady's face! 

Sure beats staying home alone.

I watch her run with bated breath, nervous that she will drop a load that is hard for me to access.

Patrice is home and she has made a point of spending some quality time with her Opa which they both love.

Lots of smiles.

Unbridled joy.

It's the simple things in life that matter.

I am so grateful for such a beautiful place for us to gather.

Serenaded

August rhythms involve a daily drive into town to pick up mom and bring her to hospice where she cozies in and keeps Dad company.

The cuteness is pretty constant, hence the multitude of pictures of these two.

Holding hands is a pretty big deal.

Dad is eager for this touch and Mom is more than eager to comply.

68 years of love boils down to the simplest but most powerful gestures...

Even on the smokey days it is wonderful to be able to get mom and dad outside together.

All those years at the condo and then at the Village it was difficult to persuade Dad to spend time in the great outdoors.  However, at hospice there is a garden just a few feet from Dad's door and with some gymnastics I get mom pushing Dad or I push him and we are suddenly surrounded by birdsong and beautiful flowers. 

Daniel is home for a week to do some work on his deck.

Dad was over the top thrilled to see him.

I wish I had videotaped the reunion between these two...

There has been an openness and childlike quality to Dad's interactions and when he saw Daniel his face broke into the biggest grin.

He just kept staring at Daniel and smiling for the longest time.

It was incredibly precious to witness.

At times Dad is able to engage in bits of conversation with some clarity of mind but other times we just enjoy a contented silence while the bees hum and the birds serenade us.

Daniel got Dad into an electric wheelchair I purchased for him, but Dad isn't able to maneuver it around so it looks like it's now my electric wheelchair.

They have a far more comfortable recliner wheelchair available that we will be using instead.

Check out that smile!

Grandkids are a pretty big deal.

Family is a very good thing.

Thank you God.

Socked in with Sweetness

We are living in some sort of a twilight zone with this thick blanket of smoke covering the valley. The landscape appears so altered as the mountains disappear and a yellow haze limits visibility dramatically .  

Thankfully we get to enjoy the August warmth and the fruit is still ripening on the trees.

It doesn't feel like a typical Okanagan summer day though!

Sadly so many people are struggling with breathing issues and my eyes are sometimes feeling irritated.  Headaches and exhaustion also seem to be more common with the heavy air.

But that didn't prevent me from having a fabulous evening with my dear niece Cori and her family. 

Her kind husband has been working on a standing frame for my "firefly" wheelchair attachment.

We enjoyed some nachos together and then headed outside to try out my new contraption.

So many little helpers!

And so much love.

Cori & Trevor are doing something very right with their sweet girls!

They are so loving to each other and to pretty much anyone else that happens to enter their little world.

The smoke won't stop us from having fun even if it leaves our world looking dark and gloomy.

The Blessing of Sharing

I get to be an up close observer and cheerleader of some pretty intimate moments of people that I barely know.

Right in my own home.

This is the blessing of living up here and being able to share this incredible property with friends.  In this cases I was doing Ron a favour - knowing how close he is with the "father of the groom" I opened the place up for yet another August wedding. 

And there is always joy and many blessings in it for me, even if it makes for an unsettling week or two while the property and my house gets invaded. 

I know the groom's family, but despite not knowing the bride or her family I fell in love with her sweet spirit and enjoyed the excitement of last minute preparations and beautifications. 

One of the lovely young wedding girls fell in love with Ladybug and this cuteness was happening in my bedroom.

The backyard looked pretty spectacular with a big fancy tent set up and they chose an unusual spot to host the ceremony further out back, overlooking the valley.

Unfortunately the smoke was hiding most of the city, but this particular day was better than the one before so there was a bit of a hazy view.

You can get a glimpse of the crowd out behind the cute little Mint trailer that was a bar.

And I discovered Marc & Tiffany were the bartenders! 

What a cute little get up!

As you can see the smoke settled in as the evening wore on, but by then the couple was happily married, people were drinking and eating and the music and dancing was about to break out.

The merrymaking went on till 11:00 when they obediently shut the loud music down at my prior request.

I just want to stay friends with all my neighbours and get a good nights sleep if possible. 

Marc & Tiffany are next on the agenda to get married, sometime in September! 

Another New Normal

We have been settling into a new routine and this kind of cuteness is part of it.

Dad is in a comfortable room with a large window looking out into the yard.  There is a little bird feeder attached to the window where we can watch the fluttering and activity of our little feathered friends. 

I'm glad Dad has good vision so he can at least see!  HIs lack of hearing makes it communication very difficult, especially for mom who now has such a weak raspy little voice.

I pick Mom up and get her set up here with Dad.  

Their coffee mugs are filled, Mom is tucked into the easy chair with a blanket, cookies are made available and I can head out for a bit while these two visit or nap together.   

Leanne and I decided to meet downtown for our little monthly "catch-up" date

since it was closer to where Dad is staying.

How fun that we live so close to this kind of beauty!

Despite the smoke from the raging forest fires in the province we can still see a bit of blue sky and enjoy the warmth and loveliness that is in our city.

We discuss where we are in our life journey, encourage each other, laugh a lot and pray even more.

We are seeing "the goodness of God in the land of the living" even if the road gets rough in places.  Leanne is making some courageous decisions and changes in her life that have been a long time in coming. I'm also in the midst of pursuing change by finally going to see a lawyer about getting the separation agreement completed.

Whew.

I take mom home for her afternoon nap and later Elsie picks her up for the evening shift so Dad isn't alone for too many hours at a time.

Of course Pupcake is part of the equation, cheering people up wherever he goes

I'm just so very thankful that I have Elsie here to share the work load.

It's a privilege, but it is also very constant and consuming.

One day I dropped mom off and her sweet neighbour Shirley was outside so they sat together  on the front porch.

It's a lovely little community, but harder for mom to connect due to her short term memory loss and her dedication to Dad.

There is a TV in Dad's room and I found a beautiful channel that plays Christian music while beautiful scenery and verses are displayed.

I sometimes read them out loud to Dad and there is such a sweet spirit in the room while this program is on - I feel God's nearness in such a powerful way and I'm caught up in the glory of the moment.

This verse seemed particularly poignant considering Dad is laying in a hospice room having lost his ability to live independently.

It is true for all of us...