Why PEI ?

We just came home from another great family trip to PEI. Last night with family we re-visited memories of previous trips trying to build a timeline and fill in details of the history of these trips. Sunday night we met and chatted with a neighboring camper who was herself from PEI and was there with her husband's family She asked the question "Why PEI?"Interesting question and it got me thinking. We could of course gather everyone together at one of our houses, bring food, play games, swim somewhere, stay up late , let the kids run and play, and spend time together. But we wouldn't. A vacation however forces you to do all those things and most of all make memories. So why PEI? Both Burton and I have childhood memories of vacations in PEI. I always point out(as Paige reminded me) the cabins we stayed in and the memory of my cousin Janet ,my brother Ken and I getting our picture taken on the small veranda in front. Burton recalls he and his siblings finding stray kittens on a beach and bringing the wild beasts home in the car with five little kids. Last night we pooled our memories and came up with years, locations and lists of those in attendance and when I got home I combed my summer journals for clarification of dates and details.The cabins we just returned from have been our choice for the last ten years with a couple of missing years for various reasons none of us were sure of. What we were sure of was the value and importance of the years we managed to pull a crew together and go to PEI.A priceless investment actually and the tourism and draw of Cavendish just a backdrop to the family time we spent watching our own children grow, our grandchildren bonding and our nieces ,nephews and great nieces and nephews interacting. Treasures like Ronnie on the roller coaster, new babies being passed around, young married couples joining the adult ranks, new family being warmly embraced,lobsters cooking,bets resulting in grown men wearing their nephew's girlfriend's hair extensions, kids growing tall enough to go on every ride by themselves,washer toss victories ,young children growing in leaps and bounds going from saying PDI to PEI and so much more.The memories of past trips and recent stories to tell gives us the anticipation of the trips we hope for in our future.And we are more than happy to travel to PEI to make that happen.

We've Hit the Midway Point

The girls have been here for three weeks which is half their visit. Looking back I see how quickly those three weeks have gone and know how fast the remaining weeks will fly by. We have had lots of fun, lots of laughter, lots of swimming and family time and lots of memories have been made. This years jokes and teasing lines have been established ( Monkey's fat knees). Bedtime has proven to be challenging and probably holds the least attraction but mornings are quiet and I get to look at two sleeping girls taking in their beauty and the wonder of their being. I get to be Monkey face to face instead of on the phone or in the words of my weekly letters to them. I am very thankful for this time together and can easily dismiss their reluctance to settle down at night. I have silent evenings the rest of the year. Yesterday Emma made an extensive list of chores she and her sister will do to earn the enjoyable activities of the next three weeks. She knows of course that those activities will happen regardless but I love that she lists the jobs such as washing eggs( a job her mother detested) as their way of earning the things Grampie and I are providing. More precious than gold comes to mind. I do once in awhile remind the girls that their presence here and all the fun things we are doing does not come cheap. But even as I list the cost of airfare, whale watching . our road trips etc. I know I would not have it any other way. I say that these six weeks are our way of condensing into a short time the things other grandparents do year round.This is what our distance apart calls us to do and here we are half way through another year of doing that. I will love to have my quiet evenings back but I will deeply miss the first hugs of morning and the presence of our girls in our home when the next three weeks come to an end.

Monkey in the Middle

I have not written a blog entry lately and am trying to fit one in tonight . I am tired. My summer days are busy and full and I do love every minute but time for reflection and time alone is at a premium these days. This morning as I hung out a line of clothes I found myself thinking that I hadn't worried about my Mom for while; a short while really but the thought caught me off guard. I am so concerned for my failing Mom , her well being and that of my Dad trying to care for her under their new circumstances.We are putting things in motion for a nursing home placement which may take a long or short time . It will be a big change and it is not something any of us would choose but life sometimes ( or always) makes choices for us. I strongly believe that we will embrace whatever lies ahead and as a family do the best with what we are given but my heart breaks with the changes. So to realize I'd not thought about it this morning made me think about the other things filling my thoughts. My two granddaughters fill our home and our summer days with love, laughter, activity and obligation. They consume my waking hours requiring lots of energy and attention.I had several things to do after hanging out the clothes, one of which was to go to the city and shop for my youngest grandchild's birthday present. We were over joyed to attend her fifth birthday party this afternoon and the house was bursting with fun and excitement, family and joy. What a gift to behold!So tonight I reflect my place in the middle. I am the daughter, the mother, the grandmother and I am thankful. I am also weary and sometimes overwhelmed.I sometimes am in disbelief that it is me in the middle when just a few short years ago , or so it seems I was the kid,the teenager, the newlywed, the young parent. But this is where today finds me and I celebrate it all. I look toward the uncertain future mourning the mother I still have but miss so deeply. I relish the ages and stages of my own children proudly taking in the adults they have become. I remember the twenty years I got to be Zac's Mom and shed tears for the future he lost. I embrace the ages and uniqueness of each of my five grandchildren.I accept my role of Monkey in the middle and after a good night's sleep I look forward to another day.