last year, on George’s birthday I took this picture of a snowflake… I had been trying to get a good shot and he encouraged me to take it on the red tail light of the car… after taking a number of pictures, I finally got this one… we had a lot of fun in the process… that’s what I am remembering today… the fun, the laughs, the love…

tonight, my family here – Crystal, Jeff and the boys – came over with an apple pie, George’s favourite, and we Skyped with Cyndi in Calgary, and Ron in Courtenay, BC… we all had apple pie… Ron even had ice cream… Cyndi’s apple pie came from McDonald’s, because that was the only place she could find one…

it made me realize again, what a gift my children and grandchildren are, and the gift of hospitality they learned from George: that they would take the time to find apple pie wherever they were to remember their dad and grandpa…

we shared some stories about George, dad, grandpa… missing his famous grumpiness, rolling of eyes, questions about the weather, sharing his favourite foods with the boys… it was a special time, to celebrate and focus on good times…

again I was reminded of the patience I have learned over these last months… to wait for the clouds to part and the sunshine to come through… the patience to find the good in amongst the pain in conversations with the girls… to be able to hear what my grandsons’ are feeling about losing their grandpa…

it was a good day… I really am blessed…