Family photos and snow days

 Saturday, February 1, 2025

I sleep in, from 1 AM to 7:20. Wow - that's a late lie-in.

After a chat with Mom's primary caregiver and friend, I head outside for a walk. It's snowing! The ground turns white. Growing up in Winnipeg, we got our fill of snow every year. Now I don't care if I never see another snowflake. Chilliwack often gets snow in late January or early February, so this is normal.

It's also cold. I layer up with an undershirt, long sleeved T-shirt, a fleece jacket, socks, and trousers - and a hat. A long waterproof windbreaker and gloves from the entry closet get pulled over everything.

I carefully place my feet on the track to avoid sliding on the fresh layer. Very few people are out. Coming back, our tracks are already covered by the wet white stuff.

As I happily head back indoors, I shake the water off the coat and hat and pat dry my shoes. I have only one pair along. No flip flops for us here!

Norm and I head to Walmart for groceries after Mom has lunch. He buys burgers for an early supper. After that, Mom sips coffee and eats a cookie before we chat for a few hours. We pray together, then I make tea for myself and fill a few empty Sprite bottles with hot water to warm the bed. 

W is speaking at the IES Bandung Gathering. It's 6 PM here (and 9 AM Indonesia) when I join online. 

After, I relax with a few chapters of a book before falling asleep. Before long, the alarm rings for Mom's 11 PM meds.

Sunday

I get back to sleep at 4 AM but I don't have to be up until 10:30. I take a hot bath and lounge around until I'm needed. It snows off and on all day. Pretty but not my style. I don't have boots so I'm locked inside.

I wake Mom and the day is in full swing. Between chores, I make lunch: French toast with cottage cheese and pear slices for lunch; for supper, there's chicken schnitzel, baked potatoes, and cheesy broccoli.

It's a long day of conversations and memories until Mom goes to sleep at 6 PM. I clean up and read a bit before turning out the lights. The alarm rings and by the time we finish the 11 PM appointment, I'm wide awake--(the 11:00 alarm rings at 2 PM Indonesian time, in the middle of my usual afternoon. My body has not yet adjusted.) ...

Monday

Ridiculous jet lag. I lie still for an hour after Mom gets up and takes her meds. I give up and turn on a nightlight to read a book. After the last page, I lie there for another hour. Nope, I'm still not sleepy so my YouVersion reader goes through the last half of Ezekiel (rather depressing, much of it). And I lie in the dark for two more hours. Finally, Kindle reads a whole historical novel. Then I just lie there - the last time I check my watch, it's 9:20 AM. I haven't slept a wink.

Happily, I still get a good hour and a half of sleep before the alarm goes off at 11:00 AM. I help Mom get ready and make lunch (sausage, eggs, and fried potatoes). She has a good appetite, which is a welcome improvement in her health.

We dive into bed for a short snooze after her bath. I take pictures of old photos - and post them on the Frameo device Sandy got her. She reminisces as pictures scroll of her family through the years. (She's the little girl on the left, below.)

Jeremy and Rebekah (our kids) show up midafternoon with A&W Teenburgers and warm conversation. It's lovely to see them - both for Mom and me. They live on the other side of the USA border and the state so it's quite the trip in this winter weather. We pray together and take photos before they head home on the snowy roads.

By 7 PM, Mom and I are ready for sleep. Thank God for rest! We pray for protection over J and R and find out later that the wind pushed them into a snowdrift. They and the car were protected from harm. And a kind passerby helped Jeremy push the car back onto the road.

Tuesday

Sandy does the night shift so I can sleep through. I'm awake for a few hours but not fully alert. In mid-morning, before waking Mom, I go for a 3 km walk in the snow and sunshine. 

When the winter sun comes out in Chilliwack, you have to get outside.

A family of ducks paddles by the opposite bank of the Hope Slough.

Homeschoolers are sledding on the river slope. The dad pushes the kids at the top, while the mom catches them on the riverbank before they hit the freezing water.

The weeping willows keep their beautiful gold colored branches.

The grasses have turned grey and tan along the trail, too.

I spend an hour browsing old photo albums. Mom enjoys those new photos on her Frameo. She says, "It helps me to remember the past when I see all these pictures." She hasn't seen some of these pictures in years.

The photos show the startling differences between the body proportions of today's young adults and the youths of the 1950s. My parents' generation ate healthy portions of home cooked food, didn't have access to modern junk foods, and consumed few snacks.

It's fun to see the courting couple: Dad is 20 and Mom is 17 (below).

They were so in love. They stayed that way their whole life. When Dad died at 88 years of age, they'd been married over 67 years.

Mom is at her bridal shower in 1953 with Aunt Thelma, Dad's only sister.

Mom has kept a sweet smile on her face from childhood until now. On Grandma's deathbed, she told Mom: "You were always my sunshine." And she's still the warm heart of our family.

My parents married in August 1953. Their parents who were in their early and mid 40s. No wonder people say 60 is new 40.

There's a pic of our wedding, posing with my grandmas. It's hard to imagine that they were barely 60 years old at the time. Both grandmas lived into their late 80s.

We get great news. One of our sons has been offered work in Germany, an answer to prayer. We talk to my younger brother and his daughter in Germany about that. Mom chats with another brother. We call Kirsten (my daughter) to see how she's doing. It's a total family day.

We send pictures of Mom's meals to the head caregiver. Today, Mom eats crepes and a hearty serving of fried potatoes, eggs, and sausage. It's amazing how she has rallied. What a gift to the family.

The wonderful thing is that each family conversation ends with prayer: we worship and give thanks to God, along with any petitions that have been mentioned. Prayer is not merely our tradition. It's a life-giving and personal blessing we offer each other before God.

W lands in Seattle, rides the light rail into the city, and gets a ride to our house from Jeremy and Rebekah. In a few days, he'll visit his mom and join me here.

Read more:

*[Before his death, Moses said to the people of Israel:] This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

*Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. Job 11:7-9

*Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

*Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Moravian Prayer: God of all, we are grateful for your promise made flesh in Christ our Savior. May we hold Jesus’ lessons in our hearts and reflect them to others this and every day. Amen.