Introducing... Dan and Tinah

The next on my list to introduce is Dan, my eldest son, and his wife, Tinah.  Dan has just turned 33.  (Is that dating me?  Do the arithmetic...  I was Mandy's age when Dan came along)

Dan is a Red Seal Chef.  I am immeasurably proud of him!  He is presently working in a Retirement Home but has had lots of experience in other facilities, including in a hotel in downtown Toronto.  Not only is he a "chef extraordinaire", but he is a terrific daddy to two sweet little girls and a great big brother to Mandy and Bryan.

His passions are Hallowe'en and fishing, and his little girl is following suit.

I have often referred to Dan as "my rock."   He has been a source of strength for me many times.  He has also been there for his siblings when they have needed someone to lean on.

Tinah is working in a Large hotel in the downtown core.  She is multi-talented, and bilingual, and has worked in many areas in this Hotel involving reservations etc.  She is a wonderful mommy to Alexia and Delia, and I am sure that those two children will never want for fun and adventure with a mom like Tinah.

Dan and Tinah have been married for over four years now.  Their lives are busy, and yet they still manage the time to make family a priority.

Did I say I was proud?

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Happy Birthday, Mandi!

My "baby" has just turned 25. She is bemoaning that fact, and I have to admit that I have little sympathy for her. (Wait till she passes 50!)

I have decided that I want to take a minute to introduce some of the people that are responsible for a few of my grey hairs in the next few blog posts. Just kidding!!! What I really want to do is to introduce you to my family...my children, and their spouses.. After all, my family enriches my life in so many ways. I love them and I am proud beyond measure, of every one of them.

So... This is Mandy. She is my youngest child and only girl. (I am also proud to say that I have a wonderful step daughter who I will introduce at a later date.)

Mandy has recently finished schooling and is now working with autistic children. This was her calling. She has always drooled over babies, and has enjoyed working with young children. (The baby in the picture is her newest niece..."Delia".) To get to where she is now, she studied and was awarded her E.C.E. She then went on to University and got her BA in Child and Family Studies. After many years of study, she decided to work with young Autistic children. Mandy is a talented girl. She is compassionate and caring.

Mandy has many friends but her "best" friend is her partner Jamie. The picture below was taken two years ago. Since then, Jamie has become a "Class A Mechanic" and he and Many are now engaged. I could not ask for a better partner for Mandy. He treats her well. She treats him well. They are ambitious... and fun to be around. At present, they are renovating their home with the intention of selling one day. They are doing this on their own....and doing a fine job.

So... now you know a little about Mandy, and what makes her such a special gal.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story.

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My Condolences to Our Friends South of the Border.

Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night

by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning, they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.



As the world hears of the horrors that occur on a daily basis on some soil both near and far...as we awaken to the knowledge that our world is ill and diseased, and that what we once considered normal is no more... as we find ourselves looking harder and harder to find good in the people and the world that surround us...we wonder at times what our future holds for the possibility of peace and health...our personal and planetary peace and health....in our time. Are we approaching the end of our world as we knew it? Are we just to go softly into that good night?

Well Said

A fellow blogger posted words that are very meaningful this morning... and I encourage you to go here to read her post. We all struggle with raising children in this day and age. We have successes and failures. I think the author of her letter has hit the nail on the head. Bravo!

Thoughts on Our future

There seems to be a lot of "Doom and Gloom" circulating lately. At times it feels almost overwhelming. We are warned of a bleak future for humanity. We are told we must change our ways to avert disaster, and then we are told that our small actions are of little significance. I cannot believe this is so.

John Schaar
The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created--created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination.

It is a true that our world is changing. It is also true that most of the damage is caused by large corporations that continue to pollute unchecked by our elected government parties. I continue to believe, however, that the actions of like-minded individuals CAN and WILL make a difference.

Andrea Ayvazian
A reporter interviewing A.J. Muste, who during the Vietnam War stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle, one rainy night asked,"Mr. Muste, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle?" Muste replied, "Oh, I don't do it to change the country, I do it so the country won't change me.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." Dale Carnegie

Is it foolish to work hard towards change in every small imaginable way and then trust that there is a Greater Power that watches us and cares for us?

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." Victor Hugo

I choose to move forward. I choose to focus on what I can do today to help make tomorrow a brighter future.

KALIDASA:

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!

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It Is Done.... Finally!!

I finished hand stitching the binding this weekend and was finally able to give Dustin his quilt. I am ashamed to say, that it has taken me two years to complete this project. I explained to Dustin, that this just isn't a blanket but it is also a game that he can play, ("I Spy") and told him that when he was sad or just needing a hug, he could bundle himself up in it for a "Nana hug," and know that the person who made it loved him a lot.

I have started gathering fabric a quilt for the little gem below (The bigger gem) . It is her turn for a quilt...and a "Nana hug," and I commit to finishing it in less that 2 years!

Both of my grandchildren were blessed with a little brother or sister this year. As you can see, Alexia loves her little sister, Delia., and she is a wonderful big sister.

I overheard a conversation between Dustin and his little brother, Halen, this weekend. In a very quiet voice, Dustin said. "I love you, Halen. You are my very best friend. I waited for you for a long time." I asked Dustin if he had wanted a baby brother or a sister, and he replied, "I did not care... I just wanted something..."

Out of the mouths of babes....

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MIA

I have been unable to post for almost a week now. I have been back on night shift and it seems as if all I have been doing is sleeping. Working at night and sleeping during the day is tremendously taxing. It doesn't matter how much sleep that I get...it never seems enough.

We had visitors this weekend...two smalls and a daddy... and on Sunday night poppy shared a meal with his great grandsons. It was wonderful having so many generations around that table.

Dustin, the six year old small, had many questions. He questioned me about why I removed a plastic bag from the garbage and why I felt so strongly about not bringing plastic into the house. It was a great teaching op and after typing "Plastics in Ocean" on Youtube, I was able to show him a video that spoke of the greatest crime against the environment...the use of plastic.

He sat on my lap and I felt his little body become tense at the images of dolphins and turtles playing with floating plastic bags, and he was horrified to see birds with their heads stuck in rings that had previously held our pop cans together. These images, as hard to view as they were, made an impression, and for the rest of the weekend, Dusting asked what many of the items in our home were made of. He reminded his daddy not to bring home plastic and to take a reusable bag when he went shopping.

I truly believe that our children, with knowledge and guidance, will do much to help heal our environment. At this age, they are like little sponges and are not yet conditioned or hardened to the harsh realities of the world.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Much was accomplished.