Reflections

Thank You!
Each and every one of you are so incredibly sweet, caring and, not to forget, wise.

I am feeling better each day.

There are lessons to be learned from this, although I am sure not all have revealed themselves yet.

Time will tell many things - as well as heal our souls.

For that I am glad.

I remain with Gene at his home.

I have a space to store my belongings and a place to surround myself with some of my special treasures.

He has been patient, kind and loving through all these trials.

For all that I am glad.

Beth is here, too.

She needs to be with family, but she also needs to know she did something unacceptable.

Many people have spoken with her and I believe she is slowly realising the depth of it all.

For that I am glad.

I miss Bobby and Jenny very much, as they are still with their dad.

They will be there until I am settled - whichever way that is possible for me.

Their father has offered to buy my portion of the house and he, as a carpenter by trade, will fix it up and do what he wishes with the place.

For that I am glad.

My sister will be arriving from Toronto next Friday evening and the kids are coming to stay with us for a few days.

It's nice to have something to look forward to.

For that I am also glad.

Although my immediate family is slightly scattered for the moment, and my extended family is spread from one end of the globe to the other, Family endures.

We love and support each other despite the miles that sunder us.

For that I am always glad.

Although stricken from my home, I still have access to a computer.

I have been able to continue to compose my thoughts and use words to comfort me.

For me, the written word is a friend, whether I do the writing or the reading.

For that I continue to be glad.

At Christmas my entire Family will gather.

Beth, Bobby, Jenny and I are flying to Montreal, where Mum and Dad will meet us and we will drive to the family home on the shores of our lake in the Laurentian Mountains.

The place of my roots.

For that I am glad.

My brother and his sons, my sister, and my other brother with his wife and children from Australia will be there, too.

We will be spending several days over the Holidays at a cosy country auberge near Mont Tremblant.

Our leisure time will be occupied by world class skiing

dogsledding over the hills

roasting marshmallows over a towering bonfire

feasting on Holiday fare

sleigh rides winding through the trees

skating on the pond

lounging before a cosy fire in the sitting room

and sleeping beneath feather downs as the stars pulse through the cold outside our window.

For that I am glad.

We have our health.

We have our wisdom.

We have our aptitude.

We have our friends.

We have our love.

For that I am glad.

Next weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada.