GRATEFUL

 

If I were to ask you what "grateful" means, what would you say? It's a feeling, a deep sense of thankfulness; it's an emotional experience to feel grateful! In the world today, it's important to cultivate and identify things that produce the oil of gratefulness to help you with the rough patches. 

Sheldon and I are back (and presently quarantining) from a trip to Vancouver to meet our second grandson, Caleb, and spend time with our son Adrian and his wife Carolyn. 

Here's the new Little Prince!

He presently excels at smiling, general chit-chat and has mastered the "B" sound!

I'm so grateful to be able to meet and hold this little precious bundle. 

Adrian and Carolyn are working through all the joys, all the surprises and all the struggles of figuring out how to raise another human being.

I'm grateful for them and their deep love for Caleb. I know they will do an amazing job. 

Travelling is not something we are doing a lot of right now so it was a privilege to visit Vancouver and take in its beauty. 

Mighty towering trees

And mountains kissing the clouds

The gardens still hold flowers, long gone in Ontario. 

Even the statues are trying to capture a pic!

We did not have any sushi this time round but the coffee is amazing and there were always treats to go along with it.

Does this cinnamon bun look delicious? It was, believe me!

I'm back home now and got the greatest, wiggliest welcome from Lulu. 

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to travel to Vancouver. I'm also very grateful to be home. Life has its share of frustrations, pain and roadblocks, but searching out the many things I have to be grateful for makes my perspective balanced. 

DINNER FOR TWO

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada and really one of the most beautiful times of the year in this part of the earth. The air is crisp and the leaves take centre stage

It was a very quiet one for me! Thanks to the second wave and the plan to soon take a trip to Vancouver and meet our new grandson,  we are limiting our interactions. So no raucous family dinner this year!

But still, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a walk in the woods

How gorgeous is that!

We have much to be thankful for here even under the current circumstances.

This wagon load of carrots caught my eye

As did this decoration of flowers and corn stalks

And even though there were just two of us for dinner, I still wanted to make it special. 

Cornish hens with fresh herbs in a lemon garlic sauce

I accompanied these babies with potatoes, roasted squash, brussel sprouts and the last of the fresh corn to be had.

Dessert was my first attempt at a pear almond tart

Which was not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

Thanksgiving is a time to take stock of all the blessings we have. Like beauty and peace, good food in abundance, warmth, colour and love. Even in the middle of a pandemic, we can still find much to be grateful for.