Father/Son Puppy Edition

You wouldn't know it by this picture,

but Jack's smile, stroking his cousin's new puppy

is a victory, because he has been afraid of "doggies".

When he came over a few days later,

I showed him a photo of his daddy holding a puppy -

and you probably know why. 

Oh, how he loves seeing photos of his dad!

I realized that I should be handing the photo album over,

but just haven't been able to just yet. 

True to life glimpses of a past season give a grandparent

a second chance to enjoy. 

❤❤❤

 

Tribute to the Dads in our Family

This Father's Day weekend, when I saw this post

I realized again what a blessing it is to see a son become a dad!

This photo somehow, as crazy as it is, captures the fun he has with his kids,

no matter what they're doing, be it work or play. 

Ben is a building contractor and it was so great 

to put the process of our new house build into his hands!

I really appreciate seeing how much he is like his dad

and maybe even a bit like me. 

At the very least, he gets me. 

Shaun recently made a career change that involved a few years of schooling. 

He just graduated with his Bachelor of Education degree with great distinction!

He will be teaching 5th Grade this coming year and I know that he will be an amazing teacher.

This also is a fun snapshot I took from a video. A water fight with his kids on the weekend.

Chris has been a jungle pilot since 2005, with a few years off in 2012 - 2014.

In those years he realized again that flying is what he loves and he and his family went back.

He does medical flights and delivers basic essentials to remote places in Papua.

Living where they do, he gives his kids opportunities they would likely never have here ...

things such as swimming with white sharks and every water sport imaginable, 

often making the boating and boarding equipment himself. 

Brothers from different mothers,

but they all call me Mom,

which truly is an honor and a term of endearment. 

They give us many reasons to be thankful,

especially for their desire to honor God, 

and love their family. 

 

Mimi's Strawberry Jam

Our strawberry season, here in the berry capital of Canada, is short but sweet.

Other berries follow suit ... raspberries, blueberries and blackberries ...

but the berries that make it into jam every year are strawberries.

Our local, naturally grown, berries are not large,

but juicy and sweet.

I began making jam with my mom, who was used to cooking jam until it looked right. 

There is something about acquiring the skill or knowing when jam has the right gel,

especially when cooking without pectin, as she often did.

Over the years I've played with the box recipe and what I've learned from her

and come up with a recipe that has become a family favorite.

Not too sweet, not too marmalade-like, a tad runny, so that it can easily be spread onto a scone or into that hole in a split Zwieback.

The overseas grandkids call it Grammy's jam and our local ones call it Mimi's jam.

Jam that has been made in the various places our kids have lived and also been tucked into countless suitcases, including the suitcase that arrived in Indonesia this week. 

The recipe is posted on the MGCC site as light and runny strawberry jam.

It was so much fun to take time for a three generation cooking day!

Natalie is the one who first called me "Mimi" (short for Grammy).

I thought, at the time, surely the name would not stick to teenage years.

But here she is, Mimi's girl, who just finished ninth grade.

 

When a Season has Changed

These days, as I've observed Tehya prepare for her first trip back to her home in Indonesia, I've had some time to wonder about the ebb and flow of this life we've shared. 

Thinking back to that very teary day when we said goodbye to her as a toddler, I never could have imagined a day like today. Grown up Tehya, stepping up to the check-in counter at the airport and taking care of all the details pertaining to travel overseas. On her own. 

Not like seventeen years ago, when I packed up tiny gifts for her mom to give to her in future days ... a favorite cup, a story book, band-aids, smarties, a stuffed toy, bubbles, a purse with tiny treasures inside, thoughtfully wrapped to evoke memories of her Grammy and Papa. There was no good facetime way of communicating, but today it's all just like the tide that receded and returned.  

While we get glimpses of that sweet baby face and attitude that will tackle any problem, it has been a time to move on and go deeper. Our rooms have been filled with joy, music and spontaneus dance, as she has helped us settle into our smart home. We've observed her pen and paper journaling, aritistically putting into words or art, the things that inspire her.  We've shared unexpected moments, such as going through her box of treasures, while unpacking my long ago unfounded fear of not being able to have a relationship with grandchildren so far away. We've happily survived driving lessons, last minute made plans, snow shoeing, bike rides, baking fancy cakes, laughing through movies, meeting new friends and finding her gone to watch the sun rise. 

These have been days of catching up and being blessed in ways that only came about because her home was once far away. 

One Year in our New Home

I can hardly believe a year has gone by ...

a year like no other, for many reasons.

One would wonder if it feels like home yet and, yes, 

there are times I still feel like I'm on vacation here.

Not really a bad thing.

I heard this week from friends who also moved and

they noted that a home only feels like home once you've made memories in it.

Something harder to do when socializing is limited.

I remember not wanting to wait to have friends over last year,

and I have been so thankful for the ones we squeezed in before we had to stop.

Making shared memories is a big part,

at least for us, to make it feel like home.

Family has been about for the most part and that has helped.

New to our visitor list are the deer!

Last year I was so frustrated about my first buds being chewed off,

but this year, with some extra care, they have not done too much damage yet. 

We put lupine seeds into the ground last year

and I think we'll have them for good now.

This year they came back in full force, with many blooms on them!

I love the color combinations

and it's been fun to bring them inside as well.

When I think about this past year, 

I can compare it to just that - the planting of seeds

that will produce in due time.

While I've been in a waiting room of sorts, 

preparing, hoping and wishing to share our life and our home;

it's also been an unplanned way to rest

and to truly appreciate our new space and season in life.

What I Always Want to Remember

His sweet, happy smile when his pre-school teacher sees me in the pick up line and lets him leave the class. I observe his confident gait, proudly holding his latest artwork in one hand while the other takes my hand.

Oh, and the ride home, peeking in my rear-view mirror and listening to him chat about life from his four-year-old perspective. It would be a good idea to find a slow way home.

 "So what are we going to do when we get to your house?" he wants to know. I tell him that I have bun dough rising and that we can bake buns. I suggest that we can make chocolate muffins if he wants to and tell him that we can play games and maybe watch The Donut Man.

"Those are four plans." he says, processing just a tad ahead of me.

He talks for a while and suddenly I hear, "and that's the end of the story ... but now I want to tell you something that's not a story." Too late, I realize I missed it.

He wants to know what I do when Papa and he are not with me. Good question.

Is it possible that he enjoys entertaining me because he doesn't have to compete with three sisters on this ride? I hear him make mention of his job site. Although this is familiar language in our family, I am surprised how young they start these days! I ask, "you have a job site?" to which he responds that he has seven job sites! Obviously I have some questions about his involvement!

At home we work and play together, from pinching buns to reading a stack of books of his choice, which is most likely my favorite thing. His mind, like a sponge, taking it all in, every picture, every lesson, every detail. Would that time could stand still!

I treasure this time, knowing that in reality, one day, after many other days, I may barely remember it! So how will he? And yet, specifics remembered or not, life has a way of taking that invisible thread, gathering experiences and love shared, to play a part in who we become. No matter how far he goes, may this love go with him all his days.

❤❤❤