Culture & Colour

Since I was downtown after dropping Mom off at Tante Hilda's on this rainy afternoon, I took the opportunity to visit our local museum.

Amazingly enough, on Thursdays they offer free admissions and there was an authentic van Gough and Monet painting in the mix so I very eagerly went in and took  in the exhibition.

Above is the van Gough,

and here is the Monet.

I enlarged the signature.

Kinda in awe...

And here are a few others that caught my attention.

I even ran into my Grade 11 art teacher at the museum which seemed rather fitting.

We chatted and I asked him a couple of art related questions confirming what he already knew... I am someone who appreciates art but it was never going to be a "day job" for me! 

I love these pieces as well.

Since I was downtown I also took a drive through the city streets to enjoy the natural art display of leaves on the streets!

Pathways strewn with gold... 

Canopies raining down red and gold flakes.

Flowers in boxes still blooming late in October.

I am so blessed to live here!

The drive home through the countryside is also laden with beauty.

Layers of colour and glory divine!

Awe Inspiring Autumn

I hardly have words to describe the awe and wonder of this magnificent month.

Heaven is allowing us a glimpse into the kind of beauty that Dad is enjoying on a daily basis, however.... this is somehow is only a shadow of the extraordinary beauty that is yet to come!

Eye-popping colours in the sour cherry orchard next door!!!

And the gorgeous muted autumn palette just outside my kitchen window. 

Check it out - even Ladybug is sitting like a royal diva enjoying the fall colours. 

There is a new normal around the house...gentle rhythms.

Dear little mom gets to cozy into the easy chair and listen to teaching or music of her choice.

Usually we have some lunch after this and then it's time to rest again!

She's a perfect companion for me who also loves to lay down and rest whenever possible.

Following her afternoon nap in bed she gets up and joins me on my bed where we visit and listen to music or teachings on the computer.

Ladybug is learning to share her space on the bed with Oma.

Sometimes Mom dozes off... it's all very peaceful and gentle for the most part, but mom is most certainly feeling the loss of her life-long companion and I'm glad we can process that together and she can cry when she needs to.

She is so beautiful.

A noble and humble soul.

Some mornings her tears fall as she sits at the breakfast table.

The flowers that were given following Dad's passing are dropping their heads and petals in his memory as well.

It seems a fitting month to say farewell and to remember...

Despite the sorrow and adjustment to her new home, Mom is a good sport and is happy to get out in the sunshine and get a bit of exercise.

Just need to make sure the warmth quotient is sufficient as a Rempel can NEVER get a chill...

As you can see I'm doing my best to ensure that mom stays warm!

 Esther popped by on a lovely afternoon to sit and have lunch with mom on the back patio.

Warm soup in a mug on a cool fall day.

Communion at our new church location...we are finally back to meeting on Sunday mornings.
I go when I can make it, but it all depends on whether mom is up to going to her church or not.

And here is a random dog picture because you can never get enough of those. Now that the house is emptier I sometimes take Ladybug along for an outing rather than leaving her home alone.
She is an eager, very cute companion.

Martha came by for a visit to cheer Mom and they enjoyed some much needed fellowship.

Martha is good at keeping a conversation going and she has so many interesting stories to share.

This friendship has lasted for many years and has even survived Ron & my separation.

That is worth something! 

I'm glad these beautiful days are stretching out for such a long time.

The leaves are in no hurry to fall and the colours are remaining vibrant!

It's one of the most beautiful autumns I can remember.

In this Moment

We are having an incredibly beautiful October, just as I was hoping we would back during our dark, wet September when the weather got cold very fast.

Things have changed so quickly and dramatically since dad passed.
Amazing that I am actually writing those words.
Dad passed.
Passed out of his struggling, frail, earthly frame into realms of glory that I can barely even imagine.

I am grateful beyond words.

Haven't written in here since August 15 when things got so much busier for me visiting Dad every day while he was in hospice. I'm going to try to go backwards and fill in those weeks as I have so many beautiful pictures of my times with Dad, but for now I need to process on "paper" what is happening.

I am now on the other side of something so very amazing.  Everything feels so different and quiet, almost surreal. There was all the hubbub of moving mom and dad to the care home for one short week, Dad's very rapid decline resulting in Vic and Patrice rushing home to say their final farewell before Opa passed followed by the gathering of family for the goodbye celebration.  And on the very day of Dad's celebration of life, Derek and Jennifer were moving out to make room for my family.  It was somewhat chaotic and rather cataclysmic, but God's grace was over all.

And now I am here at home.
My now quiet and incredibly peaceful home.
The rooms are bathed in late fall sunlight and there are golden and red trees declaring God's glory outside every window.

I am finding a new rhythm with Mom here.
She is so sweet and precious, childlike and so humble.
I feel honoured to have her here and to be able to serve her.
I'm still trying to get my bearings after the move-out of the family and the move-in of mom, along with laundry from the guests that stayed here and getting things reorganized; but slowly things are falling into place.
I've been "reclaiming" my kitchen, cleaning the fridge out, reorganizing cupboards, sorting things in the garage and starting a new chapter.

I am suddenly responsible for making three meals a day, keeping mom warm and entertained, helping her get dressed, reminding her where the bathroom is, taking her on little excursions into the yard where she sits in the sun and giving her pills and eyedrops on schedule.  Thankfully Elsie has been showing up in the evening to help get her into bed, as that can take a very long time and by then I am out of gasoline!

I'm only just starting on this journey with mom here, but so far there is immense peace and grace.  It may end just as quickly, but I'm glad I don't have to figure out tomorrow.  Right now every day is very full and I'm just going to enjoy this sweet time with mom.

This afternoon I cleaned out my garden beds and got my geraniums ready to winter while mom sat all cozied up in blankets watching me while the sun warmed her back.  She makes such lovely little comments about the sunshine, or about what I am doing.  There's a lot of repetition because of the dementia that has set in since her fall and all of the rapid changes she's been through, but because of mom's sweet personality it's easy to manage.

Right now we are laying on my bed and mom is sleeping beside me.  Occasionally she wakes up and pets Ladybug and we chat a bit but I'm thankful that she is content to lay with me so I can have my refuelling time.

Tonight Elsie comes over for the evening shift while I go out for prayer.

All is well.

Truly Thankful

We celebrated Thanksgiving with grateful hearts.

Grateful for the gift of life, but even more grateful for the gift of eternal life and that Dad had slipped through the veil into the arms of his newfound Savior.

The timing all seemed so perfect so we celebrated.

October 8th and 8 is representative of new beginnings. 

Us kids didn't really have tears... more a sense of immense relief that Dad's struggle was over and that he had made his peace with God AT LONG FLIPPING LAST!!  

Such a gift to be part of this little family here on earth, but knowing that the big celebration for the greater family that we believers are all a part of is just around the corner.

Maranatha...Come Lord Jesus, we love you!

So very much. 

The Other Side

October 7 dawned with a glorious sky.

Seven means perfection and completion... so very fitting.

It was Thanksgiving Sunday.

I got up early and sped down to the care home to continue the vigil.

Patrice was already there as she had gotten up in the night to be with her Opa.

Mom was present, lovingly checking on Dad.

When she and Vic went for lunch I lay down in the bed next to Dad and watched him and waited with him.

 Reminding him that we were there with him.

That He was loved.

Listening to his laboured breathing and pained expressions upon movement.

His race was almost finished, he was struggling to the finish line and we were gently cheering him on.  So grateful that he had, even though somewhat begrudgingly, given his yes to Jesus and we knew where he would land.

The day wore on and since Dad was continuing to breath steadily, I thought I'd have time to go home to refresh myself.

We left Vic at Dad's bedside hoping to return in time for a final goodbye but shortly after I lay down I received the text from Vic that Dad had suddenly breathed his last deep breath and had gone to his glorious home. 

I'm sorry we missed the "home-going" but I'm so glad Vic and Mom were there.  Mom was resting in the bed next to Dad and wasn't really able to enter into the experience as she is somewhat in the "shadowlands" - not always fully present, but we walked her through the goodbye as best as we could.

Such preciousness... saying a final goodbye after 68 years as one.

Understandably she was somewhat in shock.

Dear precious warrior of love.

Vic was such a loving support.

We gathered around for our final goodbye and took the requisite last family photo to send to our relatives in Germany.

And then the part of Dad that housed him for the past 92 years was taken away.

Strange and surreal but the outer casing is no longer necessary.

Dad is finally truly free. 

We ordered food in and sat together at Tante Hilda's letting the events of the weekend wash over us.

Truly a memorable Thanksgiving Sunday.

We couldn't be more grateful for this amazing ending to our amazing Father's life.

We can rest secure in the knowledge that our sweet Jesus met Dad with a loving embrace.

Welcome to your forever home daddy... we'll join you soon!

Lana happened to be in Kelowna on this momentous weekend.  Interesting because she had also been in Kelowna four months before running into my bedroom when she heard me praying with Dad when he gave his life to Jesus.

So we "la-chaimed" this occasion as we do and gave thanks to God before bedding down.