Our First Day.

There were a few tears but many smiles

and laughter today when we opened

our new centre. Families loved our

space and we are so thankful. Joy!!

💗 Chy 💗

"All You Need is Love."

Two kids got married, with a whole life ahead of

them. He promised her a life of "adventures" and

he has delivered! She hoped for calm and quiet.

But life continues to be a roller coaster all the time.

They had a total of 12 very wanted and hoped for

pregnancies, but ended up with just 4 healthy babies.

Their lost babies have never been forgotten and

created a journey of helping others along the way.

Now everyone is grown up and living their own lives

but still hang out with the mama and the papa for

special days and holidays. Not always all together

because of distance. But "all you need is love ...."

Our motto and a favorite song from our childhoods.

Now with 2 sweet grands and many grand pups

and kitties, life is full. Hurts, trials and tribulations

mixed with hope, hard work and love all around.

Wishing you and your sweet family a very

Happy Valentine's from our little clan!

~ Chy

Goodbye 2023!

I know it's customary to "be done" with a year.

Despite the hardships this time has brought to

our lives, we choose to reflect on the growth and

the blessings that come with diversity. There are

things we can't always control. And things that

fall in our laps without warning. Living thru the

good, the bad and the ugly is what matters. With

whatever life delivered to you this year, I hope

you've expanded your capacity and embraced the

experience. The opposite is not worth the time!

Goodbye 2023. A year to remember for sure ....

~ Chy

Baby Shower.

One of my colleagues is finished work

for a bit while she patiently waits for

her first precious baby to arrive. Before

she was done though, we gave her a

sweet little surprise baby shower. And

she loved it. It was a lovely afternoon

as she opened up each gift to reveal

tiny items for her nursery. So much fun!

~ Chy

Don't Lose Hope ....

~ Chy

Wishing ....

.... that Covid would soon disappear and

we can all be together again ....

.... that my mom's dementia would magically

disappear so we could have her back ....

.... that the residents in our brand new hospice

all have the most peaceful, love filled deaths ....

.... that the World takes the lessons from this

huge Pandemic and moves forward with grace

and love and respect for all. That we relearn

how to live and are better for this in the end ....

What are you wishing for these days?

Are you hopeful for better days ahead?

Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Hope Finally.

We were able to get on wait lists today for our

first Covid vaccines. Hope is here, finally ....

~ Chy

Hope for 2021.

No one will disagree that this year has been incredibly difficult on so many levels. Life stopped, then started again with restrictions and radical new routines. The virus that started out small in one community has spread Worldwide with a speed that has been hard to keep up with. We have made changes to how we work, how we live, how we play, and even how we die and how we grieve. Nothing is the same. We grieve for what was, what we can't have in the moment and we even grieve for people we have never met who have succumbed to the virus. We carry fear in our minds, our bodies and our hearts. We miss the activities that we once loved, and we have all done our very best to keep safe and healthy. At the end of any year, previous to 2020, many of us will often look back on the year and feel gratitude for the special moments, and hope the tough experiences were met with grace. We plan for the next year and some even make resolutions for change. But what do we do at the end of a year like we've never experienced before? How do we look forward to the future, when on an hourly basis, it keeps changing before we can even take it all in?

I've been mulling this over the last few weeks as I go thru the motions to close out my now full and very worn out daytimer. I love this time of year to reflect back on what worked, what didn't go so well and what can be improved upon. I truly wish to leave this Earth having lived my very best life. But how does this work, in the middle of a Pandemic? Here's what I've come up with to get myself moving forward as we say goodbye to 2020 and welcome 2021, with trepidation ....

Hope stands out for me as a word that is still here at the end of this year. Hope is free. Hope can be contagious. Hope can carry us through anything. Many hoped for a vaccine to eradicate this viral journey by next Summer. Many thought it wouldn't happen, that it would take years or not be effective. And yet here we are, in December of this same year, with more than one vaccine ready for distribution. We have hope the numbers will drop, even on days when they are super high again. We have hope our kids will fare well through this year where their schooling is different. Yet, they are still learning and growing and playing. We have hope that though it feels like life has stalled, we are still living, and moving, and being. 

We began the construction of the new residential in the Summer of 2019. In the midst of a Pandemic that none of us planned for, we managed to continue to work towards our long-standing goal of a residential hospice for the Greater Edmonton Region. We are ending 2020 with boxes to unpack, and staff and volunteers to train. We are so hopeful for the warmth, the care and the compassion that our residents who will soon reside in this special place as they journey toward their final moments will experience. And bright and beautiful spaces for our grieving clients, of all ages, to explore their unique paths as they navigate their mourning with our dedicated team. 

Hope began this project. Hope saw up through. And hope is all around us as we complete our final tasks as we work towards our opening day. 

My hope for you, as you enter 2021, is that this one small word will help carry you thru this New Year.

~ Chy

Community Spirit.

I have personally loved all the ways

that businesses and organizations have

incorporated community spirit in to

their messaging/branding during Covid.

From heartfelt commercials, to art

and music. As a visual artist, I'm in

love with the windows at our local

grocery store that were painted last

month. We will get through this and

the reminders due help to keep our

spirits high as we spend each day

coping, living, stressing and waiting

for a healthy World once again. In

the end, HOPE is free and present.

~ Chy

Phew!!

You know when you have a worry that is so big, it affects your sleep, your mood, your every day life and it feels like there is nothing you can do, except face it head on? Yup, that kind of worry! Well, that was me with a particular worry. But today, some relief and a collective "phew" was part of our vocabulary today. The worry was real, the solution out of our hands but today, in our favor. While waiting for a couple of guests today to arrive at our house to go over the worry and see what could be done, I kept very busy. Cleaning the house from top to bottom, spending time on some projects for work, paying bills, writing, setting aside some sewing that needs to be completed, washing tiles in the kitchen, making lists, reorganizing the pantry, starting some laundry, cleaning out the fridge, answering emails and calls, deciding what to make for dinner and finally, taking some time just for me to unwind after our worry became full of hope and promise. A great ending to a very stressful time. 

Have you had any big worries lately?

What do you do to cope with the stress?

Introducing Hope.

A week old today, she is a welcome

gift in a world that is hurting. 

Her family is so lucky to have her,

safe and sound and sweet all around.

I was honored to be there on her first day 

on Earth. I can't wait to watch her grow!

Where have you found "hope" lately?

Hope.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops ~ at all.

And sweetest ~ in the Gale ~ is heard

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land

And on the strangest Sea

Yet never in Extremity

It asked a crumb ~ of me. 

~ Emily Dickinson ~

And then, a Miracle!

I wrote yesterday about my aching heart. 

A heart full of grief and disbelief.

Too many deaths in such a short time.

Wishing for a more peaceful world.

And then today, just when it felt so hopeless,

an incredible note came to me on Facebook.

A beautiful picture of a little girl from our school.

She attended our program for over two years.

Now in kindergarten, she has always been full of life.

This summer, that all changed with a diagnosis of cancer.

Today, she received the news that after months of brutal

and harsh treatment, she is now totally cancer free!

Miracles do exist. When we least expect them,

they pop into our lives, providing hope that even

in the midst of trying to understand great tragedy,

if we believe that life can change, peace can return.

Thankful tonight for this glimmer of hope!!

Grief Workshop.

Our community is getting ready tonight for the opening of a Grief Workshop tomorrow night and all day on Thursday. Each of us who provide grief support for families have been invited to have a table display about our programs. Mine is almost finished. Just waiting for my administrator to send me the final posters so I can print then laminate them. I have to be at the hotel at 4 p.m. tomorrow so lots of time but I like to get it done now so I won't be running around tomorrow. Rest is more important than gathering items. I love the opportunity to talk about what our centre has to offer to the grief journey that so many try to navigate on their own. Finding support can be so helpful for many and we are grateful for this chance to showcase who we are and what we do. Help for the present and hope for the future. 

A soft bear, gifted in love,

in memory of our youngest son B.

The matching sweet girl teddy,

to remember our youngest daughter C.

Request for Blessings ....

I'm off in the morning for a mammogram. 

Not a screening but an actual diagnostic scan. 

Slightly terrified here tonight. 

Things are moving quickly. 

If you have a prayer or two, a blessing to spare, though we are strangers, I'd appreciate a moment of divine intervention. I'm feeling rather selfish tonight but I have too many things left to accomplish and this curve ball, so unexpected, was never part of the plan. We've paid our dues as a family and cherish every moment we have but please, can't we have a break? Can't we live long and healthy lives? Why us? Why me? Did we do something wrong? Was I not good enough? Why? Why? Why?

Okay, selfish rant over. 

I'm off to try and re~frame my anxious mind to think positively that tomorrow, the scan will be clear and our worries will fly away. 

Thank you for your kind thoughts.

Namaste.