Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Judy's death. In the week leading up to February 21, I encountered several bouts of extreme sadness. As mentioned in an earlier blog, the feelings of sadness/grief are insidious and uninvited. I was going to say the feelings are random, but they do creep up when the 21st of any month approaches. Of course, the 21st of February came with greater significance.
What can you do? Well, the best I can do is anticipate there will be bouts of sadness and the best response is to pray for the peace that surpasses human understanding.
I took Haley and Judy's sister, Audrey, for lunch yesterday. We had a time of remembrance and support. Mary is in Houston with a good friend this week and her thoughtful friend made the day a special time of remembrance with Mary. After lunch, Haley and I took my two grand dogs for a walk out the acreage. We had a wonderful chat. I continue to be amazed by the courage, wisdom, and strength my daughters have shown in the last year and in the years of supporting their mom leading up to her death.
So there you have it. The year of firsts has drawn to a close and so begins a year of seconds. People who have walked this path before tell me the grief never ends, but overall, the intensity lessens in time.
It has been quite a year. I pray to God that 2017 will be a better year for everyone. Over the last year, there have been the saddest days of my life and the most intense feelings of loss, but I live in hope that our hearts will heal and we will serve Judy with the greatest honour, a life well lived with hope, love, forgiveness, faith, and a positive attitude.
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Friday, 10 February 2017
February 9
On Saturday, January 28, I flew to Miami for the beginning of a 5 day Caribbean cruise. The flight to Miami was a grind because I had a 7 hour layover in Toronto. On Sunday, January 9, my youngest sister, Twyla, who lives in Fort Lauderdale Fl joined me for breakfast and delivered me to the Cruise terminal. If you have never been on a cruise, let me tell you the line ups far exceed the longest lineups you have ever experienced at the airport or Boxing Week shopping. The switchbacks were 50 meters long and went on and on. I boarded the cruise ship by mid afternoon, toured the ship, had a restful sleep, and woke up in Nassau, Bahamas. While in Nassau, I went on land, enjoyed a few local beers, and checked out the tourist junk. Nassau is a friendly little city. I enjoyed seeing the police with their white tunics and pith helmets. Tuesday was a cruising day. Wednesday was spent in Cozumel, and Thursday was another day at sea. The cruise ended in Miami on Friday morning.
I am not sure whether I would go on another cruise. The food is great. There are lots of activities. I met a lot of nice people...mostly Americans. The weather was great. I loved Nassau and Cozumel. I didn't wear a patch and never had motion sickness. My room was great. The service was amazing. Even though I was on a ship with 3700 other people, it was lonely being a solo traveler. There weren't hundreds of cougars begging to dance with me. Most of the activities were geared toward couples and the younger crowd. That being said, I am glad I had the chance to try the cruise experience.
Friday was a long day. I had to clear out of my room by 8 am, then I had to sit in a waiting area for 2 and a half hours before leaving the ship. Once off the ship, there were long line ups and to make things interesting, the fire alarm went off in the cruise terminal. I was rushed through customs and when I finally exited the terminal, everyone was herded across the street. Fire engines, taxis, cars, buses, police cars pulling up on boulevards, pandemonium, swearing, whistles blowing, horns honking...It was a little tense. Fortunately, I didn't have to be to the airport until 1pm. The flight to Toronto was fine, but when I went to collect my suitcase, the conveyor belt failed. Ultimately, I had five minutes to spare once I collected my bags and cleared Canadian customs. At least, I thought I had 5 minutes until I discovered my flight to Calgary was delayed an hour. After boarding, we had to wait on the runway for an eternity because they had to de-ice and drive around the runways for a while. I got into Calgary 20 minutes after my connecting flight to Saskatoon was supposed to depart. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Saskatoon flight had been delayed until 1:45 am so with the time difference, I got home at 4:30 am. Oh yeah, and they lost my suitcase with the winter jacket that would have come in handy.
Now that I am back home, I am back to my usual routine of putzing, playing hockey and volleyball. It's good to be home.
I am not sure whether I would go on another cruise. The food is great. There are lots of activities. I met a lot of nice people...mostly Americans. The weather was great. I loved Nassau and Cozumel. I didn't wear a patch and never had motion sickness. My room was great. The service was amazing. Even though I was on a ship with 3700 other people, it was lonely being a solo traveler. There weren't hundreds of cougars begging to dance with me. Most of the activities were geared toward couples and the younger crowd. That being said, I am glad I had the chance to try the cruise experience.
Friday was a long day. I had to clear out of my room by 8 am, then I had to sit in a waiting area for 2 and a half hours before leaving the ship. Once off the ship, there were long line ups and to make things interesting, the fire alarm went off in the cruise terminal. I was rushed through customs and when I finally exited the terminal, everyone was herded across the street. Fire engines, taxis, cars, buses, police cars pulling up on boulevards, pandemonium, swearing, whistles blowing, horns honking...It was a little tense. Fortunately, I didn't have to be to the airport until 1pm. The flight to Toronto was fine, but when I went to collect my suitcase, the conveyor belt failed. Ultimately, I had five minutes to spare once I collected my bags and cleared Canadian customs. At least, I thought I had 5 minutes until I discovered my flight to Calgary was delayed an hour. After boarding, we had to wait on the runway for an eternity because they had to de-ice and drive around the runways for a while. I got into Calgary 20 minutes after my connecting flight to Saskatoon was supposed to depart. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Saskatoon flight had been delayed until 1:45 am so with the time difference, I got home at 4:30 am. Oh yeah, and they lost my suitcase with the winter jacket that would have come in handy.
Now that I am back home, I am back to my usual routine of putzing, playing hockey and volleyball. It's good to be home.
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