Heart and Mind

I am so grateful for this life!  I am so grateful for family!  Where my heart is...my family, those I love most.  We spent lots of time with our families over Christmas and that continued into the new year. My Auntie Jan from Bonnyville and Auntie Kirsten and Rob from Prince Albert visited Grandma and we enjoyed spending some time catching up with them.  It had been a number of years since I had seen my Auntie Jan so I was thankful for the time I got to spend catching up with her.  She brought her dog Buddy with her and the kids loved him.  It was cute seeing Buddy lying on the floor and Kirra lying across from him nose to nose.  Such special moments that I am so grateful for.

Mom and Dad also spent some time in Saskatoon over the last week - a little unexpectedly.  My Dad's Aunt Olga was admitted to Palliative Care on December 31st.  She has melanoma and after much treatment, is not doing well.  Terry, the kids, and I went up to the hospital on January 2nd to spend some time with her and the rest of the family.  I had not seen some of that side of the family since I was in university.  It always makes me sad when it is events like this that bring family together.  My kids had not even met some of this side of the family so I was thankful that they came along for the visit.  It also helped them to understand a little more who we were praying for and why.  I so appreciate their little prayers for Aunt Olga and how big their hearts are.  I went up to the hospital again on January 5th but just on my own; Aunt Olga is spending more time resting and too much company can tire her out easily.  Before I left for the hospital, I asked the kids if there was some artwork I could take to the hospital to brighten up the room.  Jaret was very generous and enthusiastic to give away his handprint Christmas tree.  He thought it would be perfect since Ukrainian Christmas was coming up this week.  I love his generous and compassionate heart.  Kirra was not so excited to give away any of her Christmas artwork we had done as she liked it all hanging on the wall.  So instead, she coloured a princess that she asked I take up for Aunt Olga.  Aunt Olga was so happy with the kind thoughts that came from the kids in this little gift they gave her.  She is such positive woman - always making the best of every situation and even in this difficult time, not wanting others to fuss over her and being courageous with a smile on her face and a positive word for everything and everyone.  She is such an inspiration!  I was impressed during my visits to Palliative Care, never having been before, at how serene and peaceful it is.  The rooms are large, allowing for family and friends to visit.  There is also a more private sitting room off each room that allows for more visitors to congregate, especially nice when the patient is resting.  The nurses are there to ensure the patient is as comfortable as possible and to meet their needs but they are so kind with also giving space and privacy for family and friends.  Kudos to the nurses and doctors at St. Paul's Hospital.

I have also been grateful for time with the kids over the holidays.  We have been slow to get up in the morning.  Often Jaret will tiptoe into our room in the morning and ask Terry if he can read to earn some  iPad time.  He will then proceed to cuddle back in bed with a book and then the iPad, allowing us to sleep.  And Kirra will tiptoe over to my side of the bed in the morning and ask if it is alright for her to be up now and play in her room.  This is often the best quiet time of the day for her to just play by herself, again, letting us sleep.  It is a nice stage with our children.  Once we get out of bed in the morning, we would have a leisurely breakfast and then spend more time with the kids.  Most mornings that meant playing board games together.  Jaret beat Terry at Battleship while I beat Kirra at CandyLand and she beat me at Trouble.  One morning I also did some painting with Kirra.  She loves doing crafts that involve painting and also likes just colouring on her own.  She often asks if she can do some colouring, what she considers her homework, to earn iPad.  When she gets on iPad she often will work on her letters which she also says is her work.  The time together has been wonderful but I am craving the routine that comes with the start of school, and deep down they are too, right?  Sometimes too much of a good thing is just too much and the kids could use some space from each other too so that they aren't at each other so much.

One night, I fell asleep with Kirra in her bed.  When I later awoke to go to bed, I discovered that Terry and Jaret had fallen asleep in our bed reading their Bibles together.  What a cute scene that was.  I simply crawled in next to Jaret.  However, I was regretting that when I woke up a couple of hours later when Jaret had his leg across my chest.  I was thankful that Terry carried him to bed so I could have my space back.  I guess even a king sometimes isn't big enough - haha!  But so grateful for these moments and this time in our life with our precious children.

We enjoyed supper at Moxie's with Mom and Dad on Friday night.  They kids had good appetites and so finished with dessert.  They were so excited over the ice cream served over a bowl of dry ice.  I wish I would have gotten a picture.  Kirra is already asking when we can go back there for dessert.  That evening, my Auntie Jan came to our house for a visit before she was leaving the next morning.   

Life is to be cherished, and I will cherish and be grateful for even these small moments.  I think the following quote says it best: