Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The calendar page has flipped and we're still here. How did you start your New Year?
Not much seems to have changed from 2020. We're all still in "careful due to C-19" mode. The past month, Americans have been eyeing their presidential inauguration on Jan 20 with mixed emotions. Some are happy. Others consider it apocalyptic. (Reminds us of fears during the potential digital crash of 2000. That never happened; do you remember the food hoarding and conspiracy theories back then?)
We spend the first week of the year in Canada with my mom. We commemorated Dad's passing with services in person and online just before Christmas. W visits his mom nearby almost daily once he's out of quarantine. We have a delicious meal courtesy of his sister and get to see their cute grandkids.
*****During three weeks together, Mom and I find treasures and make discoveries around the house. A hand-colored wedding photo of Mom and Dad turns up under a stack of 1980s women's magazines.
Isn't this cool? Mom and Dad were married for 67 years! Their love has been the bedrock of our family.
Fun memories are attached to kitchen and household items, too. I remember this salt and pepper set from when I was young. Mom always made nutritious meals from scratch. Family dinner was the anchor point where our parents transferred stories and spiritual values.
In one book Dad had earmarked, we find his own grandpa and uncles listed among ministers in Russia and Poland.
******On a lunch visit with W's auntie, we eat a yummy meal together. It's great to see his cousins there, too. Then AuntieM brings out her most-requested dessert, a home-baked Black Forest cake. It's so good that I have to ask for the recipe.
She smiles, "It's easy!" Auntie M tells us to stir together a cake mix, 4 eggs, and a can of cherry pie filling - and then bake it. (I'm going to try baking @375o for 45 min. We'll experiment from there.)
Oh my, it tastes better than any expensive bakery treat.
*****Most days Mom and I enjoy a few long walks along the slough, A letter of permission is tucked into my pocket, allowing me to join her outside during the initial 14-Day Canadian quarantine.
She lives in a beautiful area.
I snap pictures on our walks.
This is the view I enjoyed every day as I walked down our street toward the high school. Mount Cheam is the same after all these years.
Her friends and neighbors meet for their daily walk along the river. It's fun to see the ladies again, even when accompanied by the misery of a cold rain.
*****One afternoon, Mom and I drive up Little Mountain to visit Dad's grave. Brrrr, it's cold up there, but beautiful. At least there's no snow, like on the day of the funeral.
We also find the tombstones of my grandparents and other elderly acquaintances. My dad's mom has the first plot by the upper entry. Oooh, she would not like that: she was quite shy and retiring, never wanting to be up front. Makes me chuckle.
*****During our three weeks in Canada, we keep working remotely. But I love the mealtime hangouts with Mom, and frequent calls with my brothers and our kids. That's where we exchange great memories and old photos. Here, Dad was playing violin with one of our sons. He sure loved music and encouraged each of us to play an instrument or two.
January 8
We say goodbye to Mom and Norm's family to fly out of Vancouver. The trip to the airport is courtesy of Norm's driving. It's been wonderful to spend time with family. Mom's getting tinier by the year. She's doing pretty well for 85 though!
When we get to Seattle, the kids greet us. Waaaaa, how GOOOOOD to see them!
*****This week, Makenna has her 3rd birthday. The kids have decorated the room in pink for her Pink Birthday them. She's wearing a pink crown. YAY, it's the first time we get to celebrate with her in person. (Among the unearthed mementos at Mom's house, my own 3rd bday card. below.)
******On Saturday evenings, (= Sundays Indonesian time), we watch the
BICOnline gathering together. It's really fun to have the kids with us.
We join their own service on Sunday. The grandkids set up a mike and their instruments. They worship, read the scriptures, and allow time for discussion. Kinsey's in charge, including the setup and teardown.
When they come downstairs, the children know where their toys are. They play hide and seek in our flat. They are creative in where to hide. It's fun to watch them.
When they leave, Oma and Opa clean up, with big smiles on our faces. Each kiddo can be described as,
Oh how peaceful it is when they go back upstairs. Haha (Every grandparent knows this feeling, right?)
*****I'm ready to quilt a top and backing cotton brought along to give a friend. I take out a piece of batting that Mom sent along, found in Dad's workshop.
What is that? Right in the middle is a hole. Well, it's true that Dad passed along his love of a quick fix to me. This must have been one of his practical solutions for working in his cold basement: the batting has a jagged neckline cut into the center, making each side 4" too short for me to use it for quilting.
It's perfect for working in my own chilly office. Thanks, Pop! I order the quilt batting from a shop instead.
*****Sidewalks around our Seattle neighborhood are scattered with storm-blown leaves, mosses, and little pine branches. The streets are so empty! We may see 4 or 5 people outside and the same number of cars on our 3-mile trek up one street of house and down the next.
One day, I pick up a cotoneaster branch for my desk. The pop of color energizes me.
Another day, I pick up odds and ends and put them on a 24" tray. The aluminum tray was made by a company with my family name of Daher. Every time I pull it out, I remember the Ebay purchase while we lived in the UK (for W's doctorate).
*****Most mornings, I make a traditional breakfast. We add a scoop of Hungarian paprika to jazz up the taste one day. The oranges disappear one by one. Yum.
*****One day, the kids come down for tea. From my teapot, I fill their animal "teapots" with tea. (Each chooses an animal creamer - doggie, cat, cow, or chicken - and yes, the grands have distinct preferences.) They like to pour tea into their miniature teacups.
The little china cups were given over the years by my mom and my Winnipeg uncle. Everything I touch brings up old memories and creates new ones. Also, I believe china and other "good things" are meant to be used and enjoyed. So we love this traditional teatime, every time Oma is back.
The days are full and the nights short. God is good.
Read more:
*The Lord has sent me to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah 61:1,2
*Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4
*As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. Colossians 2:6-7
Moravian Prayer: Comforter, be with those who are grieving. Guide them under the fold of your wings and keep them safe from the world’s questions and judgments. Their lives and concerns matter, so we lift them up to you.
Christ Jesus, we pray that our faith stands firm like a mighty oak! May we be rooted in you. Even as the storms of life attempt to toss and shift us from our place, let us not be moved. We remain yours, Jesus. Amen.
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