Tag Archives: surprises

Ups and downs, but Spring is here

This morning my daughter who lives in Alberta boarded the plane for back … meaning … I MISS HER ALREADY!  😦  It was a lovely visit, but, as always, too short.

flying(This photo is actually from my flight to Holland. Exquisite cloudbanks!)

As you may recall, my third daughter arrived home secretively to surprise her oldest sister on her special birthday April 19. She was home to enjoy that celebration, family Easter dinner with all of us – her first holiday meal with us in six years! – and her brother-in-law’s birthday. She and I went bargain clothing shopping for a few hours one day and her younger sister joined us, which was fun. On Wednesday I took all my girls and my grandson out to a Thai Japanese restaurant, which is when I ate sushi for the first time — and liked it! Then on Friday all my girls got an identical tattoo which they call their sisters tattoo. It’s a dainty infinity ring with four tiny doves flying up from it. Quite nice, and meaningful. My girls enjoyed their time together, and it was even harder for our ‘away’ daughter to leave this time.

There were such good things, positive things, that happened during these past nine days, things for which I am thankful. We all have concerns in our lives so I continue to pray, because often times that is the only thing a mother can do.

The newest excitement for me is that a girl friend asked me to go with her to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert in another province in May! (Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian singer – do you know him?) It will be a day’s journey by bus, followed by the concert, an overnight stay in a hotel and then the bus trip home the next day. The drawback is Meyya and it’s during one of my weeks at Dad’s, so now I’m getting things in order so I can go on this much appreciated adventure. The Lord knows how I need this; I’m hoping everything works out.

We are now enjoying the beautiful Spring weather, although we did experience another cold dip that brought some fresh snow. I’m not sure but this one may be the smelt snow. Know about that? There’s the robin snow, the smelt snow (little fish that come up the river), and the poor man’s fertilizer snow – or some call it the farmer’s snow. Whatever it is, it doesn’t stay long. Our mornings are much warmer than they have been when I take Meyya out early, and I get to enjoy the birds singing with such glorious abandon. Love it!

What do you love about Spring? What positives has Spring brought to you?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

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Easter weekend busyness; reminder of a book giveaway

The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed! 

In the truth of those words my hope is anchored and my life is secure.  🙂

What a busy Easter weekend we had. On Saturday morning my daughter #3 who lives in Alberta arrived home to surprise her oldest sister on her birthday. Although dd#3 (dd stands for dear daughter) was quite tired when she got here, she got busy adding the finishing touches to a video she had prepared of the many photos we had gathered of dd #1 through her life, from when I was expecting her right up to the present.

Dd #1’s lakehouse had been beautifully decorated inside with lots of birthday bling by dd#2 and dd #4, and pink balloons along the road marked the way there. Eventually, twenty-three of us were gathered in her large living/dining area, and the table was loaded with food for the “potluck” dinner. Once all were settled, in walked dd#3. When the birthday girl looked up and saw her sister standing there she yelled, “Are you freakin’ kidding me?!!” and ran to her for a long tight hug. Only six of us knew dd#3 would be there, so it was a delightful surprise to everyone else. The meal, some gifts, and then the video – which was enjoyable and entertaining, but it was the clip at the very end of it, from her good friend in Egypt, that really made her cry. Well worth the wait. 🙂

The next day was dd#1’s husband’s birthday, our son-in-law, so we had another little party. Since his birthday fell on Easter Sunday this year, we enjoyed our family dinner first – fourteen of us at Dad’s – and then followed that with blue balloons, birthday cake and a surprise gift we’d all ‘gone in on’ for him. It was another fun family event.

I know not everyone celebrates family the way we do. Some do more, some do less, but this is the way it has always been in my family. I remember as a child going up the road to my grandparents’ large farmhouse for celebration dinners. There would usually be somewhere between two and three dozen of us there (if not more), three generations. And everyone got along, except maybe there would be the odd spat among children that would be quickly settled, nothing major.

It has been surprising, and disappointing, to me over the years when my girls have invited friends to join us who weren’t used to that dynamic, but more used to squabbles when their family members got together. Their friends would express amazement to my daughters later and I would feel such regret for them. I hoped they saw in us something to strive for in their own lives and future.

Yes, we have much for which to be thankful. And when things don’t go smoothly, I have found the Lord can do wonders in hearts.

How do you celebrate family events?

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER: Tuesday April 22 at 6 PM EST … book giveaway! Laura Best’s Flying with a Broken Wing. Be sure to leave a comment on our interview.