Tag: family
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She Remembers
Yesterday, I was going through one of my old blog books from 2018. It was the year I posted something every day, and it offers a snapshot of daily life. That summer, as usual, our granddaughter, who was nine-years-old at the time, spent a few weeks with us for “Camp G & G.” Also, as…
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Some Days Are Meant For Meandering
In the morning, we have coffee with a couple we hadn’t met before. Writers, the pair of them. All isn’t as we wish it to be in the world, but we have technology that facilitates connection that otherwise wouldn’t happen. That’s a gift. Turns out he and I are distantly related on the Letkeman side.…
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My Mother’s Mothers
Lately, I’ve been thinking about trees, specifically my maternal family tree. I come from my two times great grandmother, Maria. Maria was born in the Netherlands in the mid-1850s into a Dutch Anabaptist family. Mennonites were tolerated, but faced restrictions in the Netherlands due to their pacifist beliefs and refusal to serve in the military…
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An October Whirlwind
It’s been a hot minute since I posted here. The October wind has blown literally, making sticks of trees that were arrayed in golden splendour a few weeks ago, and metaphorically in terms of lots going on. I’m ready for a long string of ordinary. Let’s see. Gerry had cataract surgery on both eyes two…
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Letter Writing
I’ve got a pot of potato soup simmering on the stove for lunch. It smells delicious (there’s bacon in it, so how could it not?). Bacon’s good, but I don’t like cooking it. Apart from the fact that it’s messy, the heavy smell sticks around for a long time afterward and I don’t like that.…
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Taking Up My Life Again
We enjoy a few days visiting with my cousin; his significant other and now our new dear friend; and a little puppy named Ebony who becomes fast friends with Molly. It takes a few hours for Molly to warm up to the newcomer, but before long she finds the opportunity to play with someone her…
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A Whole Lot of Too Much
I mentioned last time that we traveled to British Columbia to visit our daughter and bring our granddaughter back to Saskatchewan with us for her summer visit. It’s a long way to travel: 1305 km / 811 miles. About 14 hours in total. We overnighted in a hotel part way there, but made it all…
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An Afternoon In The Old Neighbourhood
The moment I see it on my Facebook feed, I know I’ll go. Gerry and I don’t, as a rule, go to garage sales, but one held in the Christian education center attached to the church where I was baptized (the first time), where I attended Sunday School as a kid, went to Brownies, and…
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Down By the Bay
I’m in Kamloops visiting our daughter and granddaughter for a few days. Totally lucked out on the weather! Yesterday, Laurinda and I went for a float (oh, pure bliss!) and then meandered down to Cooney Bay. We wandered, took photographs (mostly me), and looked for pretty stones (mostly Laurinda). It was simply a wonderful afternoon!…
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Letters From the Afterlife
A few weeks after she died, I opened her mailbox and found a letter addressed to my mom written in her own handwriting. Yesterday, I read a sample from Joy Williams’ short story collection, Ninety-Nine Stories of God and the first story, Postcard, reminded me of that day. It’s very short. I tried to find…
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I’ve Been Thinking About This Young Woman
I’ve been thinking about this young woman. This photo was taken in 1977 when she was 18-years-old. She thought she had things figured out, but had already chosen to let go of personal dreams and ignore relationship red flags. She would pay a steep price for those decisions, as would those around her and those…
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Joy Sparkers Abound
What a great week it’s been. I was inspired to jot down a few things that have sparked joy in me the past couple of days and thought I’d share it here. A good haircut (at last!). Seeing and hearing kids playing outside and wearing shorts and t-shirts. Flocks of Canada Geese returning from their…