Monday 8 September 2014

You are in my heart Mom

Today my family laid our Mother's ashes to rest with her Mom.  Mom had died last January, and we were waiting for a time that all the family could be there.  It was a simple, heartfelt farewell.  I read the story that to me summed my mothers life up from:
http://ldsparenting.blogspot.ca/2012/09/motherhood-journey-poem.html?m=1

I've seen the poem before, but it still broke my heart to read it for Mom for this last time


Quote:

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. ‘Is
this the long way?’ she asked. And the guide said: ‘Yes, and the way is hard
And you will be old before you reach the end of it.. But
the end will be better than the beginning.’

But the young mother was happy, and she would not
believe that anything could be better than these years.. So she
played with her children, and gathered flowers for
them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and
the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried,
‘Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.’

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was
dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother
drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said,
‘Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.’

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and
the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.But at all times she said to the children,’ A little patience and we are there.’
So the children climbed, and when they reached the top
they said, ‘Mother, we would not have done it without you.’

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up
at the stars and said, ‘This is a better day than the last, for my
children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage..
Today, I’ve given them strength.’

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened
the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped
and stumbled, and the mother said: ‘Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.
‘ And the children looked and saw above the clouds
an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the
darkness. And that night the Mother said,
‘This is the best day of all, for
I have shown my children God.’

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and
the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong, and walked with
courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her,
for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill,
and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And
mother said, ‘I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end
is better than the beginning, for my children can
walk alone, and their children after them.’

And the children said, ‘You will always walk with us,
Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.’
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates
closed after her. And they said: ‘We cannot see her
but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She
is a living presence…….’

Your Mother is always with you…. She’s the whisper
of the leaves as you walk down the street; she’s the smell of bleach
in your freshly laundered socks; she’s the cool hand
on your brow when you’re not well.. Your Mother lives
inside your laughter. And she’s crystallized in every tear drop.
She’s the place you came from, your first home; and
she’s the map you follow with every step you take. She’s your first love
and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can
separate you.

Not time, not space… not even death!


Love you Mom....

Wednesday 7 May 2014

What an idea for a muffin

Cheese, apple & pecan

Sweet & savoury! The cheese is just on the top. Will have to arm wrestle the cooks at West Coast General Hospital for the recipe!

Saturday 1 February 2014

Card a Day Blog Invitation!

I’m in the middle of moving, and almost all of my craft items are packed (EGADS!). In the back of my mind I’ve been thinking about how I was going to make a card with so little available to me to use… thankfully I had a bunch of scrap cardstock available, as well as some old “cut” scraps.

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The card base is an ivory cardstock from Staples. (Cover stock actually, as I find that is the thickest my laserjet printer can print on).  The card is a 1/4 fold size (4.25 x 5.5 inches).

The blue card stock was embossed with Crafts-Too Embossing Folder “Daisy & Swirl”, and distressed by gently trying to rub a silver ink pad on top and rubbing gently with paper towel.

The red polka-dot paper was actually a scrap piece from another project I had cut a bracket frame out of (don’t you just love keeping scraps! They come in so handy!).

Now, if I would have had all my craft supplies available (even my Silhouette cutter is packed!), I would have made a better bracket shaped “You’re Invited” shape, but you get the idea of how easy it could be with just a couple of pieces of paper can inspire a neat card.

Here is an example of what you could change the card into with these “shapes”

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Enjoy! And remember the challenge at the Card a Day Blog too!

Friday 24 January 2014

Two weeks until I move! And a poem...

Last December I applied for and got a job in a town about 148.9 km (92.5 miles) away from me. I got it, and start in just over 3 weeks. I start moving my stuff over there in 2 weeks! This is the first time in 30 years that I have moved by myself (and definitely could not have got this far without a LOT of help from my family and friends!)... and it is definitely the farthest move I've done in over 35 years... this time is different as well, as I have a house to sell, and another to buy --- I've not done that before, and am just hoping that things go alright.  So, be aware that there will be lots of posts in the future about my new place, but not for quite a while, as I expect there to be a 4 month period between starting to sell, and getting the keys to my new place.  But, there will be a lot of posts about things I've discovered that are new in the town I grew up in :-) It has been almost 40 years since I have lived there! Now I'm feeling old! This year is bound to be a year of change, some good, some bad, and some definitely sad. But then, right now I'm thinking of this coming weekend.

Tomorrow I go there to attend my Mom's memorial service. It will be bitter sweet to attend. She fought a brave battle with cancer.  I hope that if I ever face that battle, that I will do it with such calm determination that she had. Sweet, because I know she is now at peace and out of pain.

My niece Tina, and Aunty Joy did a wonderful job on her obituary:






















I wrote another poem for Mom... it is very rough around the edges, and I don't know if I will ever try to polish it up so that the rhythm is better. I don't think doing that matters, as I was just writing down memories of what made my Mom, Mom... a classy lady that I hope I reflect as I grow older myself.

Our Mother

motherless at 12,
her Grandmother raised her
she married Dad at 18
and was mother shortly after
she learned to cook for a crowd
making the most of hamburger

the budget was tight
with 8 mouths to feed
and a pantry to keep
with gardens to grow
chickens to pluck
and clothes to sew

she loved to try new things
harvesting wild crafted plants
like skunk cabbage and nettles
and learning which
vitamins or herbs to use
to help cure our sore throats

at every river or beach
there was a treasure to find
as she looked for the rocks
for her rock polisher to fill
or fungi and shells to paint
for gifts that were made

there were laughter and tears
as families will have
but firm faith she held
'though sometimes it made her sad
to let her children grow
and go their own way

growing old with our Dad
their smiles were glad
as they walked their lives
together hand in hand
down the road of life
until he passed

by herself she let
her spirit enlarge
to study and help
those who'd let her impart
her love of the LORD
and the hope she held dear

her hope was secure
until the end of her days
her thankful heart
around her shone
and touched all who knew her
and felt her sweet spirit

Monday 13 January 2014

For my Mom

My mom is in hospice, and my sister and I have been blessed to be able to spend some time during these last final days she has left... she is still with us, but I wrote a poem for her that I thought I'd share --- I tend to like to write poetry when I'm upset or facing my fears.

For Marion

Shallow breaths
fighting for time
memories fading
forever mine

Patiently waiting
the family near
talking so softly
of things they hold dear

Dreams, aspirations
things they have done
where they are going
where they've come from

The joy and the sorrow
of the final goodbyes
sad thankful tears
for the peace obtained

as the last soft breath
brings . . . silence.

Sunday 5 January 2014

Love You Card

Sorry for the delay in getting the first card of the year for the Card a Day Blog up! I’m in the middle of a move, and slept through my alarm this morning.

So, this is an example of what type of card you can do in under 1 hour, from design to finish.

I did it as a simple print and cut (but I cut it, as it was really simple).  I chose some plaid and plain hearts and a vinyl expression that touched me (thinking of hubby). Print them out and adhered them to a blue card base. I think you can see that the hearts are on dimensional tape, where the expression is just taped down with double sided tape.

Sometimes love is simple too, no?

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