It's 2017!

Hello There!

It is 7:35 p.m. Kuwait time on January 7, 2017

A month ago I wrote that December was here and so was hubby. Today, December is gone, and so is hubby. Yes. In what seems like an eye blink, January is here, Since the last post, I have been to Canada, visited with our daughter in North Dakota, spent time at home with our son and grandchildren in Ontario, and renewed old acquaintances with friends and families.

Christmas cards were written and read, sent and received, each one representing a continuing relationship from our past. In case you missed it,

Dear Family and Friends- 
It is Christmas Day! 
Clarke and I are resting in Winnipeg today and tomorrow, due to weather forecast of blizzard in Winnipeg and ice rain in Ottawa.
This has given us the opportunity to write to you an update about our year 2016.  
We are aging! Barb turned 60 in February and Clarke 65 in September, the golden age of retirement for him; not so much for Barb. 
For the past three years Barb has taught at a Bilingual School in Kuwait. While not ideal, the job has enabled us to travel a bit more, while continuing to save for our future. Clarke visits Kuwait when it suits him- first year- 4 months, second year- 2 months, and this past year he came for the month before Christmas break. The rest of the fall, spring, and summer months he keeps busy around the neighbourhood, helping friends and neighbours with various projects, and fishing in Little Silver Lake. 
In the summer months we enjoyed living, fishing, swimming, and boating on the lake, as well as socializing with family, friends, and neighbours. 
Our children are grown up! It's fun to get together when we can with Nathan and his two children, MacArthur and Everly, who now live in Cambridge,  and with Sara who is studying for a second Masters degree in North Dakota. 
At this time of the year, we stop and count our blessings, including family, friends, and the joy of the Christmas season which celebrates the humble birth of Jesus. 
We want to share our joy with you this year by wishing you the merriest of Christmases, and the happiest of The New Year 2017. 
With love, 
Barb and Clarke 

When we did not have a written address we sent greetings to our email list. And then there are Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, WhatsApp, and Instagram, which represent a population of cyberspace people.

It seems to me that the older I get, the less I anticipate the festive season, yet the more I appreciate the special time with family and friends.

Grandchildren at Upper Canada Village Night Alight

Unique Gift from daughter- see North Dakota, Ontario, Kuwait?

Yes it is Winter in Canada!

 

New Year's Eve Visitor

Now, fast forward almost one week to January 13.

Yes, believe it or not this is my third attempt at writing this blog. I am reminded of my friends Em and Lindsay, who several years ago encouraged me to start writing as a way to communicate with loved ones at home. The Pearl Curriculum and This is It are two of my favourite reads. I believe we all go through phases of writing or non-writing.

Recently I remarked to a friend that blogging was a form of therapy for me. The act of writing down thoughts, ideas, events, and feelings is an act of consolidation that brings about peace of mind. The process of rereading, editing, and finally publishing teaches me what is and is not important to share.

Whether or not I write is dependent on a number of factors, including mood, time available, the number of pictures I have to share, and whether or not the cat is awake and on my computer.

Today, my mood is good, I have time to spare, and I am determined to publish before going to bed, I have many pictures on my phone, and am now trying to move them to the computer so I can share them. (Mission accomplished!)

Three things I have learned over the past month.

1. Remember, but do not dwell on the past. It was what it was.
2. Breathe and enjoy the now. It is what it is. 
3. Anticipate, but don't be anxious about the future. What will be will be.

We also had the opportunity to visit with friends in Brockville and Clarke's sister in Cardinal. What a surprise when we met their cat...and noticed the similarities with my Kuwait cat. Perhaps one day they will meet!

Penney's Cat in Canada

My Kuwait Cat

On New Year's Eve, former neighbours, and good friends, came up to help us ring in the new year. We ate a lovely lamb dinner, talked about our experiences from the last time we had been together, and then everyone crept to bed- almost all of us (except me!) before the magic midnight hour. 

Gathering in the Kitchen to Celebrate the end of 2016

By January 1 it was time to return to Kuwait, to the reality of the rest of the school year. This will be a first for me. My husband will not be coming back to Kuwait. The next time I will see him in person is in mid-June. I am asking myself, how will I cope? 

Time will tell. In the meantime, I am back to teaching, tutoring, swimming, and playing with the cat. Let us see what else 2017 has in store!

Several of the 22 Little People in my Life these Days

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

A New Year- A New Me?

This is me! 

The new year, 2014 is now upon us and I have only one resolution and that is to be myself!
This train of thought began one day at the pool.  I was getting ready to teach one of my first aqua fitness classes in many years.  I was nervous, distracted, worried and wondering, Will I measure up?  Aloud I said, "I am a little nervous and rusty, but I hope you enjoy your class."
One of the patrons said, "Just be yourself."  And that got me thinking about my life and how for many, many years I tried to be someone other than who I am. I wanted to be prettier, thinner, smarter, faster, happier and better. I am slowly coming to realize that I am human with as many strengths as weaknesses.

• I am a people pleaser. I want others to be happy, sometimes to the detriment of my own happiness.
• I am  a perfectionist. I want to be perfectly right all the time to the point that I sometimes ignore the good advice of others.
• I am organized. I usually want everything to go my way so it is better to do everything myself.
• I am often uptight. Many years ago, one of the swimmers on the team I coached gave me this T-shirt displaying "You Otter Relax".
• I am moody. I swing from extraordinarily happy to unpleasantly sad.

The list goes on and on but the point of it all is that I have two choices: I can choose either to change or to accept the way I am. The Serenity Prayer comes to mind:

God grant me 

the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 

the courage to change the things I can and 

the wisdom to know the difference. 

When I reviewed the list above I realized suddenly that balance is the key. So I asked Ask.com the definition of a balanced lifestyle and found this helpful information:

A balanced lifestyle basically means taking a thorough inventory of one's life, managing time and making adjustments where there is a need.  It essentially adds up to living reducing stress levels associated with the demands of life.  One can live a balanced lifestyle by getting sufficient exercise, resting enough, eating healthy and finding time to relax.

And that is exactly what my T-shirt reminds me to do, I really ought to relax because a balanced life is good!

Balance is the key!

Wishing you health, happiness and balance in 2014!

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

Happy New Year 2014!

Christmas is over for another year.
It was a time to slow down, reflect, decorate, eat and spend time with friends, family and neighbours. Christmas cards were written and sent.  Baking was completed and then enjoyed.  Meals were planned, prepared and eaten. Leftovers were stored and then revisited.
Today is New Year's Eve. All that remains as a reminder of the Christmas week that was is the 8 foot tree, decorated with red and green lights and ornaments evoking memories of Christmases past, beautiful Christmas cards received during the season, Christmas updates from friends and family and an extra layer of body fat to keep us warm. There were also new memories made-visits with children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, neighbours and friends, walks in the snow, building a snow man, hot drinks, warm embraces and long conversations.
Yesterday the temperature went from +2 to -17 degrees C.  A brisk wind brought in an icy air mass and wind chill temperature of -30.  Brrr! January begins tomorrow! Today we travel to meet our daughter (who worked over Christmas) at the airport and visit our son's family.  A special family trip to the Winter Classic hockey game in Ann Arbor is planned.  I will spend New Year's Day in the company of some of my favourite people.
Anticipation and memories. We look forward and we look backward. Each moment is precious and together combine to form the fabric of our lives.
And for that, I am truly thankful.

Winter beauty!

From our home to yours, Happy New Year!

Until next time,

Bee Rich