The thoughts and reflections of life’s moments that give me pause, make me smile and sometimes shed a tear, but always confident that the dance through life is a great one……
…the house is empty as we bring the last long weekend of Summer 2024 to an end.
There is joy in the summer months when people are looking forward to some time off from work and kids are out of school. It’s been 2 and a half years since we relocated to Nova Scotia. My daughter always says, ‘it’s wonderful living where people want to vacation’ and that sentiment does not get old. When asked what my plans are for the summer, my response now is, ‘I’m waiting for company to come’. I never get tired of entertaining guests and taking them to the hot spots here on the shores of the north Atlantic Ocean.
This year was a little different though. The desire was strong but the logistics conspired against too much travel. The cost of living impacted some of those I expected, hoped and longed to see. We did have some company come in spring this year rather than in the summer. Flights were a little cheaper in the spring affording more flexibility with the other travel-related expenses. But other financial obligations and considerations made traveling quite tough for most.
The one guest I did get to enjoy three weeks with was my granddaughter. Mary embraces country living and particularly loves getting out of the city. Despite having a guest room now, Mary likes to stay in a private little nook commonly found in these well built, older farm houses. When I see her taking her friends on a virtual tour, I cringe a little inside that her friends may find her space a little too Harry Potter’ish…you know, that space under the stairs!? And to be clear, it’s not some forgotten space under the staircase but rather a ‘loft’ of sorts, or ‘ledge’ as Mary calls it (cringe again!). But she finds it cozy and unique and it’s private so we brightened it up with light paint, put a daybed in it with an antique table and she’s happy so I’m good with that.
Mary also makes the ideal house guest since she doesn’t like to be too busy; she really is here to rest, relax and decompress. She is agreeable to do ‘one thing’ per day – one visit, one drive, one beach walk, one sea glass hunt – tucked in between her time with our barn cat, walking our big, goofy dog (who I swear would ditch me in a heartbeat to claim Mary as her owner), or just watching TV with me in the evenings. This year we continued watching our way through old episodes of The Mentalist!
We did have the great pleasure of participating in the Congrès Mondial Acadien 2024 and the Deveau Family Reunion. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather with people of the same lineage and hear some stories about the history of the family here in Nova Scotia.
But just like that, it’s over. Time to pack up and head back to routine and school. We knew it was coming of course. There is a saying here amongst the old time timers, that they can mark August 15th on the calendar to mark the change of season. And truly it’s true and almost that dramatic. This year it was closer to the 20th that the air turned fresher over night, the night temps dropped lower and the night skies are so clear we can see the stars across the entire sky and the Milky Way streaking across, just by stepping outside the back door. That’s the signal to make the most of the daytime sunshine and start cleaning up the gardens.
Mary and I took one last walk on the beach for this year the night before she left and talked about things that made us both smile. We talked about school too – about goals and strategies. Our visit was winding down. I got a little teary but still had a smile because the summer was a gift and Mary is my blessing.
The week between Christmas and New Year is always a pleasant one for me. I am filled with such joy over Christmas celebrations, visits, and video and voice calls, and equal amounts of optimism and anticipation for new beginnings.
Despite my traditionally early start to the Christmas season, it has passed so quickly once again. My mother was a traditionalist with a love of Christmas so, when I was young, our decorations would stay up until January 6th, the fest of the Epiphany. I enjoy that same practice, as much for the observance of the Epiphany as the extra few days of Christmas coziness (I personally don’t feel the Epiphany and Christmas decorations are mutually exclusive, but that is a discussion for another post!). So, as the events of this Christmas season 2023 wind down and I’m left to reflect on my feelings of gratitude for the year that has passed, I am gently turning my attention to the practical reality of moving into 2024 with a spirit of optimism, delight, and determination, ready to embrace the opportunities awaiting in the new year.
Looking back on 2023 is a walk down an amazing Memory Lane. While technically still 2022, Christmas last year was spent in Ontario with my older children and my grandchildren. Sadly, a severe ice storm resulted in the cancellation of the Christmas worship service with my community that I was so looking forward to and that I do still miss so much. However, we gathered together for a lively celebration and gift exchange at home. Then I rang in 2023 in Nova Scotia with my younger daughters – the one I gave birth to and the one I adopted. There were visits with extended family and friends here in Nova Scotia, phone and video calls, a ‘business meeting’ or two with my dear cousins on the farm, sea glass hunting on the beach, polar bear toe-dips in the ocean and cozy evening tucked inside with the woodfire and Christmas movies. And that’s how I kicked off another amazing year – 2023!
Early spring was filled with plans to travel out west for my grandson’s graduation. I love the family times when we all travel together. We pile onto planes, into rental cars and into hotel rooms. Over the years, I have had the blessing of working as a consultant in various cities across Canada and Europe and, as a result, I’ve been able to combine a few business trips with vacation time with the kids and grandkids. This past year it wasn’t a business-pleasure trip combo but a huge celebration for my grandson who graduated from high-school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. Once again, we piled on the planes – my granddaughter, my youngest and myself from Halifax, and my son and oldest daughter from Toronto and we met up with my grandson in Regina. It was another very special time together.
COVID has changed the way I work and resulted in basically exclusive remote work. Thus my ability to work from the shores of the Atlantic ocean in Nova Scotia, which is a ‘vacation’ in itself. Now, the visitors come to me! One of the things my daughter says, ‘it’s the gift of living where people like to vacation’. And once we were back home from Saskatchewan, the company came. It started with young people who have been friends of ours for years, since my youngest was first in elementary school to be exact. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but they are young and can handle that pace. So I continued to work and made sure they all were fed and enjoyed the amenities of home to make their trip more comfortable. The beautiful thing about entertaining company here is that the sights are so fantastic that we never get tired of being tour guides. We continue to enjoy the quaint seaside towns, the historical sights and museums, the ghost tours (there are a LOT!!), the beaches, the whales and seals, and the food and the food and the food!
My eldest and her partner came down next and relaxed a little more than the first group. Both are hikers so they took advantage of the countryside, beaches and forests, and our dogs got plenty of additional outings – managing to avoid the porcupines the one is so desperate to make friends with, thank goodness! My son and grandchildren wrapped up the summer with an extended stay, again filled with good food, lots of fun and some pretty physical work. The grounds of the old property were assessed and some trees close to the house were taken down as they were deemed unhealthy and too close for comfort in this area prone to gales and the effects of hurricanes. The house was gutted, assessed, and shored up with the help of family and an old (literally and figuratively) friend of my father-in-law, then we closed the house up for winter. We had a few phenomenal bonfires – luckily the weather cooperated and allowed for the ministry to give us the ‘all clear’ at just the perfect timing.
And then, just like that, the company was gone. My youngest found herself an apartment in Halifax so she can meet the requirement of Dalhousie University that she complete her 4th year studies in person on campus. I miss her terribly as she is a lively spirit. The other daughter found herself a fulltime job in the field she is still studying for. So the fall arrived, the house was quiet, and I was able to transition a consulting gig at a company I really, really like. It was a great year….happy, healthy, fun-filled, and eventful (old houses hold hidden treasures in those old walls and floorboards – it’s amazing what is uncovered when you take down walls and pick up flooring – more on that also for another post). Ultimately, I am so grateful.
So, here we are…the final day of 2023. Having reflected with gratitude, it is exciting to look forward to 2024. Long gone are the days of ‘resolutions’ to make dramatic changes in the new year as I have adopted a mindset that is certainly more relaxed, and mellow. Being much more contended with myself and my life, I am more inclined to make gentle changes.
I intend to work a bit less. Being on the east coast these days, my workday starts earlier than any of my peers. I do like the extra hour because it is quiet in the virtual office. The problem is often felt at the other end of the day. Again, because I’m on the east coast, some of my peers are only mid-afternoon when I’m setting the table for supper. So when I say I intend to work less, it will just mean taking a little more time for myself in the morning – getting all the little things that need to be done when one lives in the country accomplished in a more relaxed way rather than rushing to get online. I will also be a little more determined to end my day at a time that works for me. Of course, I will need to accommodate some later afternoon meetings but I may start declining the early evening ones!
I will arrange more of those morning ‘business meetings’ with my cousins on the farm that I mentioned above and join my church back in Kitchener in fellowship over video conference in the evening.
I will strive to enjoy what I have recognized to be my true luxuries in life – slower mornings, getting lost in my books, more time in nature (which is really so simple to achieve and wonderful here), being with friends and family, enjoying beautiful music, enjoying colourful sunsets, enjoying the freedom to choose, and the opportunity to do it all again!
I will be more aware and openly grateful for my life, my good health, my rich and close circle of family and friends, and a career I still enjoy as much as the people I share that career with. And I will reach out more to let people know I am thinking of them and appreciate their presence in the my life.
And I will accept the responsibility to model a more restful and peaceful way of living for those I connect with.
So, on that note, thank you to all who have enriched my life in 2023. May your 2024 be filled with peace, love and all the happiness your heart can hold!
I am a huge lover of the holiday season. Plain and simply, I love Christmas. It’s one of my favourite times of the year. I come by it naturally, inherited from my mother and I have passed the same joy of the season to my children and grandchildren. I remember the days of my childhood when my mother would be up at 5:30am sitting in our living room at a little card table writing out Christmas cards. The youngest of 14 children raised in a French-Canadian family in Montreal, she had a lot of cards to write to greet family, to say nothing of the cards for friends and neighbours and work acquaintances. My mother’s joy of the season was infectious, and I certainly inherited that. She loved to decorate the tree and would spend so much time arranging and re-arranging the lights, the ornaments and the little strips of foil called icicles which had to be strategically placed, just two on each bow.
For me, I love the coziness of the soft lights and candles that dot my home as the days grow short. I love the music. Yes, even in November, I love the music – the songs, the hymns, instrumentals, choirs and popular singers. I love it all. My youngest marks our calendars for November 17 th as the day to start our Christmas decorating and there is a strategic approach to that – it is respectfully past Remembrance Day and gets our decorating done before another, not so welcome anniversary hits our consciousness.
December 14th is the anniversary of the death of my husband. Dave was a gentle soul, relaxed, laidback, and so caring of his family. His heart was in his home, those in Ontario and those in Nova Scotia. Dave made friends easily, enjoyed his social circle and loved his family. It’s been so many years since his passing and yet, without a conscious prompting such as the date on the calendar, our subconscious is aware. A somberness comes over me and my children a few days ahead of the 14th . Every year, we feel the melancholy, the sadness, the crankiness for no apparent reason. Except that we are approaching the 14th . Come that day we acknowledge it to each other, and in our way internally, and I send my heartfelt thanks to the man who made my life a joy, even if only for a tragically short time, and who gave me the gift of the children and grandchildren I have today.
This year, 2023, however was different. November 17 th, we pulled out the Christmas decorations. The lights, wreaths, and tree first (we’ve moved to artificial again last year…we’ll see for how long) and the Christmas villages next. The house feels good, looks good and smells good thanks to the a wood fire and one, well-placed scented candle.
There has been a calm this year. December 14 th rolled around more gently for our hearts. There was a tenderness rather than a sadness, a sereneness, a restfulness, and a freedom from the pain of loss. Instead there were gentle smiles at memories and reminiscences. We all passed the day with love and gratitude. December 14 th came and went wrapped in thankfulness.
2023 has been a good one. Our global village is hurting but 2023 has brought comfort, peace and healing to me and my family. It is time for a joyful Christmas!
Maggie, Here and There... 