"So what are you doing for Christmas?"

The old "So what are you doing for Christmas?" is a familiar question from Isabel's visitors or Christmas correspondents. And once again, we reply "Christmas is a season"!

The Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love of this Advent Season has come into Mum's life in so many ways since our family launch of the season in late November. We rejoice in:

* a surprise CD full of Orcadian images and music created by friends who live on Orkney.

* the artistry of one of Mum's first students, Rudy (1948), in his depiction of the Christmas Lights of Vancouver in his card for "Miss Robertson".

* Lynn's creative birthday card with its Hawaiian theme and photos of Isabel in Hawaii (1952).

* the surprise phone call from Mum's childhood friend Lil from Chase, BC.

* success after a 10-month search for the whereabouts of an Orcadian-connected friend who had lived in Bredenbury and Regina, and who has now been discovered living in a care home in Central Butte.

* the jazz renditions of old familiar carols played by Larry & Marj at the Wascana December Birthday Party. And during "Angels We Have Heard on High", a sudden deep bass singing The Gloria. The beautiful words were sung by a resident who no longer appears to have words (as the result of a stroke). But his choir-trained voice found the GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO and he sang in perfect harmony while we listened in wonder.

* two days later ~ on a sunny Sunday morning on the Wascana Veterans' Unit, our family friends Ron & Joel led a guitar singsong of Christmas carols and songs. Isabel brought Rufus' Jingle Bells and for the first time in four years she felt able to sing the familiar words. Among Joel and Ron's complicated finger patterns that created lovely arrangements, we told stories of the meaning of different carols in our lives. Isabel & Doug (Ron's father-in-law who is another Wascana resident and Mum's daily friend at therapy) recalled the names of their Jingle Bell horses over the years.

"There are many ways to enjoy this season and they don't all include eating and travelling", says Isabel.

Gratitude for it all....and for all your letters and cards and visits. We can't begin to name all the ways we are touched by your kindnesses.

HOPE is the thing with feathers

HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune -- without the words
And never stops at all. (Emily Dickinson)

Isabel has a new small red-feathered bird perched in a Christmas fern on her window sill. This gift was part of the symbols shared with her during a gathering of Isabel's "girls" and their families on Nov 27. We gathered in the Wascana Hostel and then later in the sunny terrace by Mum's room with food and riddles & jokes, family musical entertainment and hours of visiting. The grandkids exchanged the usual decor of her room for two suitcases full of seasonal decorations. This gathering time each year is our opportunity to launch the Advent/Christmas Season and Isabel's birthday month.

One of our traditions (two years now so it is a tradition!) is to toast our Mum/Grannie B and to name her accomplishments of the last year. In 2010, Isabel sent two sets of tubes "packing" in record time including the ventilator and oxygen which she has not needed since February. As well, Mum has learned to transfer from bed to chair and chair to car. She is walking several 100 feet each day. She cycles nearly 5 kms in 20 minutes twice a week. Her voice has improved and she has bought her first computer and emails us almost daily. Three out-of-town trips this summer meant expanded horizons.

It is easy to quickly type these accomplishments without acknowledging the incredible hard work and determination (or stubbornness!) that are the ground work for such progress. Each day is an effort. Isabel has to psych herself to be ready for five days of therapy each week, plus coaching her nurses through much of her daily personal care due to the restriction in her hands and arms. "Living in HOPE" is not always easy, but HOPE does seem to prevail through the 365 days of a year.

Today is the first Sunday in Advent ~ this time of waiting for the Holy to burst through in our lives in the birth of a small child. As we light HOPE ~ the first candle of the Advent wreath ~ we give THANKS again for friends, family, community, nursing staff and therapists, and Isabel's dogged determination which helps to kindle faith and HOPE in all our lives.

Hen Keeping

Once a farmer
Always a farmer!

So says Isabel who is Unit 2-6's latest consultant on raising chickens. This autumn, one of Isabel's new nurses commented on the number of farm photographs and "farm stuff" in Isabel's room. Mum quickly filled him in on her farming past. The nurse told her that he was now raising chickens in his backyard - 4, in fact, by the names of Eeny, Meeny, Miny, and Moe. Well, it turns out that they are a heritage breed ~ Buff Orpington ~ the same breed that Isabel & her siblings and cousin raised near Bradwell in the 1930s. This fall, Mum's Cousin Duncan came to visit from Saskatoon. They studied this photo of a recent prize winning Buff Orpington, and agreed that they had not heard of the breed since their school-days.

Isabel's nurse is a new chicken-raiser who comes to her with lots of questions about moulting, nutrients, winter care, and egg laying. Last week, he showed up with a new book from England called Hen Keeping: Inspiration and Practical Advice for Would-Be Smallholders (by Jane Eastoe), a small, attractive, bright red hardcover book. Mum studied the chapters throughout the week ~ heritage breeds, broody hens, keeping young chicks healthy (put stones in their water basin so they don't fall in and drown), how to keep an ash heap healthy for chickens bathing, and how to introduce new chickens to the flock.

We have not yet heard of any backyard cows, but you can be sure Isabel is ready to play Livestock Consultant as soon as she is called upon.

Considering Friendship

There is an email that has been circulating around cyberspace for several years that starts out:

"People come into your life for a reason, or a season, or a lifetime." The full length of the reflection is too long to include here, and can be found easily with a google search of the exact words in quotations.

However, the part of the reflection "for a season" is short enough to include here:

When people come into your life for a SEASON . . .
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

During Isabel's residence at Wascana, there have been many people that have come through her door for a season or a reason and have moved on -- other residents who have moved or died ~ and their family members, students who work with Isabel each day during a 6-week internship and then return to school, nurses or therapists who care generously and lovingly for nearly three years and then move to another job.

This past week was a time to unexpectedly experience friendship for 30 hours. Isabel met out-of-province family members of a new 100 year old resident of Unit 2-6. She and old friends (who were tea-partying together) were invited to come to the 100th birthday party. Then Mum got to know these family members from Ontario and British Columbia as they chatted together in the hostel. Bright and early, the next morning, three of the family members showed up at Isabel's door to get to know her more and to learn from her about her experiences of 2-6, and thus how they could be supportive to their 100 year old Aunt. And then they returned again and again that day to use Mum's internet connection, to show off their "Cowtown" purchases, to borrow Mum's CDs for their aunt, to share laughter and stories and blessings of many sorts. And finally, they came very late at night to leave a parting gift with THANKS for her hospitality. Outside Mum's window, imprinted in deep snow by scuffling feet is a very large heart, a horse, and an angel. The horse is in the photo above.

On Friday, Isabel and her faithful Rufus lll headed over to The Bentley on Hillsdale Avenue to visit friends of nearly 60 years. Thank goodness for friend Russ and his faithful van to plough through Regina's second big snowfall of the season.

For a reason, a season, a lifetime or for a mere 30 hours before out-of-province visitors headed home again......friendship to be treasured.

"No rest for the wicked"

Isabel said this week "There is no rest for the wicked" as she began in earnest to meet some new therapy and nursing goals to once again add to her quality of life. Following a recent annual meeting of her enthusiastic care-givers and therapists, Mum and her staff have a renewed plan of action before the holiday season. Once again, we are grateful for pro-active staff.

One of the new therapies of this fall is speech therapy. Each week Mum meets with a Speech and Language Pathologist (the official name for speech therapists) to work on improving her speech and swallowing. Mum has been talking for nearly two years, however, she still has muscle weakness in her mouth and throat that prevents easy talking and swallowing. Her immediate goals are to learn to say "T", "D", "S" and "J". There are specific exercises and intentional movements of the body and head and face to facilitate proper pronunciation of these letters. This week her focus is on "T" and "D".
,
Who would have known? For most of us, those sounds slip out with ease. In fact, speech is very complicated, and Mum is learning that these days.

Yesterday, Isabel counted up the times she goes up and down the Wascana halls to physio- and occupational therapy each week. Fourteen times to-ing and fro-ing. The thought can be overwhelming until we remember that Mum is someone who skiied, skated, walked, ran, rode horseback, and gardened.

We hope to have new accomplishments to report by Christmas. In the meantime, thank you for your letters, calls, and visits that brighten each day.

Thanks-giving

This past week marked the Thanks-giving holiday in Canada. Gratitude for harvest (much still in the field!); sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends; giving public and private Thanks in a variety of ways.

On Thanksgiving Sunday, I was in the Scottish Highlands down a long glen (mountain valley) at the end of a sea-loch (lake) having tea with an acquaintance of Isabel's. At 91, Margaret is the retired housekeeper and cook for the mother of our Blakeney cousins. (Cousin Joy Blakeney has visited Canada several times in the last few years and was significant in helping Isabel ease into her move to Wascana).

In a small cottage in front of a cozy fire with a table laden with tea and five kinds of "sweets", Margaret showed us her collection of Isabel's letters from the last three years. We talked of ability and disability and Margaret's life-long hearing impairment. For most decades of her life, she could not use a telephone. With thanks to the newest technology in adapted phones, she can now call from her small isolated mountain village to all her friends and family. We spoke of Isabel's adapted computer and word processor and what that has meant for communication in Isabel's life.

Mum receives her nutrition by food-peg (her throat muscles aren't yet working properly) so there was no turkey or pumpkin pie on her Thanksgiving menu. "And no dishes to do!", says Isabel. But there was a "full meal" which she receives four times a day that provides her with excellent nutrition and energy. And there are friends and family galore that write, and visit and phone and care from all around the world. For this, there is much Thanksgiving.

During the shortening autumn days of the last few weeks, Mum has said a last good-bye to several friends and neighbours. In the midst of sadness and loss, there is much Thanksgiving for years of friendship, neighbourly support, and community service.

With gratitude again and again.

October Greetings

October Greetings to All

September has sped by with wild wet weather and farmers anxious to get on the fields. Mum has been working hard in various therapies along with "supervising" the repair work on the terrace that held her beautiful garden this summer. The heavy rains of this year have resulted in newly found leaks in the brick Wascana building and the gardens and terraces have been dug up (way too soon for the liking of the residents!). Mum writes of the leaves changing on the trees outside her window that are now being caught by the sunny warm breezes of the last few days. With bare trees, more light shines into her west facing room.

Many of you have written or visited in the last month. Thank you. There is a quote that hung on Mum's wall in Abernethy for many years that seems fitting for this transition time of year:

"The cream of enjoyment in this life is always impromptu:
the chance walk;
the unexpected visit;
the unpremeditated journey;
the unsought conversation or acquaintance."

Each of these have been present in Isabel's life this summer and fall. Thank you for your care and love.