The Canadian Chronicles: A Celebration of Life

And just like that, it is the dreaded last ~~week~~ day. The week full of mixed emotions. It was a very short summer considering it began on August 15th! Try fitting in all of the visiting, the sitting on the beach and soaking up some sun while attempting to read a book, the rounds of golf, the lobster suppers, the cousin time, the many walks on the sandbars, the marveling at sunsets, a few scenic drives, and spending as much time as possible enjoying the peace this place brings into a mere 5 weeks! It has been hard work, but we were up for it. We knew we would make it here once the border opened and we were overjoyed when it did. Hopefully, next year will be a bit more "normal" and our regular summer pattern will resume. Of course, none of us are banking on that because if we have learned anything over the last 2 years we learned life is unpredictable. Still, it has been a true blessing to spend some very quality time up here in Nova Scotia.

That "coming home from the beach" hour.
I love the shadows!

One notable occurrence this year happened on August 28. As you probably all know, my Dad passed away on New Year's Eve 2020 and his funeral was in January 2021. I was unable to make the funeral. His wish was that his ashes be spread in the Northumberland Straight, which is the body of water our little piece of heaven is located. I am pretty sure he is not the only one to have that wish, there have been several to go there before him and there will be more to follow him. I am sure they are all enjoying that eternal shore summer together now. My Mom was very focused on making this happen this summer. She was lucky enough to make the trip up here once the border opened and I think her main purpose was to honor Dad's wish. As my siblings handled the funeral and all the arrangements in Baton Rouge in January, I was put in charge of the Nova Scotia part. Fair enough. But planning something when you don't really know if you or any of your family will even be able to cross the border presented a bit of a challenge. Once we knew we were able to come up, we made sure the ashes were sent up here too. Mail and delivery these days is unpredictable at best. No plans could be made until "Dad" was here.

Dad's ashes arrived and the planning began. With 3/5 of the kids here and Mom here and so many of Dad's cousins and friends it was the perfect setting we never saw coming. The day ended up being the most beautiful day ever! Mom was a bit emotional, as should be expected. I think we were all a bit emotional and unsure. Having never distributed ashes, I wondered the best way to do it. As it turned out, the wind was very high that day and using a boat was not possible. We decided the best plan would be to wade out into the water and distribute the ashes sometime near high tide. Dad was a veteran and a proud American. One of his grandsons carried an American flag, attached to one of his walking sticks into the water making sure to keep it dry the entire time. The wind kept it blowing for all to see perfectly! One of my sisters distributed the ashes while another tossed flowers along with the ashes to float along with him. I sat on the bank with Mom and watched. It was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever seen. The weather was perfect and he would have loved it! The flag was prominent and it was all very respectful. There were many people gathered on the bank watching and each was touched in their own way.

Driving Mom down to watch the ash distribution.
Dad would have approved of the golf cart transportation!

I was worried that this day would be too much for Mom. She will tell you that she was worried she might just pass out, but something very different happened. She felt peace. She said she knew that Dad wanted to be here and that he would not rest until he was here and consequently, she would not rest either until he was here. The spirit was among us and he is finally at peace, and even more, Mom is at peace. She knew what he wanted and would not rest until it happened. It was so special.

This is the YouTube video I took of the ashes being distributed, if you care to watch. It is 5 minutes long and the wind is blowing...thus the noise.

We held a reception, outside, and invited friends and relatives. They all came and celebrated Dad's life. Not everyone could be here, but the ones who were made us smile. We served some of Dad's favorite foods and drinks. His signature cocktail was a huge hit! Vodka, cranberry and Fresca! Dad, again, would have loved it! So...on a perfect day, in the perfect place, Dad got his final wish and Mom seems to have found peace. The rest of us had some great food and enjoyed a good cocktail...thanks Dad! It was the perfect send-off.

The heavens...or Dad... even gifted us with a lovely sunset that night!

Once we celebrated Dad's life the summer seemed to fly by. There was that one rainy, icky week but then there is always one icky, rainy week. How would we ever read a book or get anything done if there weren't?!

The last two weeks have been special. Normally, there are not many cousins here after the 3rd week of August. But...this year September was awesome! We had a continuous cast of cousins here! TJ and I loved the company. We all enjoyed the less frenzied time together by hosting dinners and playing games every night. Mom got to participate in many of these nights and I think she liked it. Especially when she was kicking our butts in Uno....or OneO as she called it. Spending quality time with your first cousins, who you spent many a summer with as a child, is special. Turns out, we really do like each other as much as we like this place.

1st Cousins rock!
Can't wait to be all together next summer!

After 2 years we will close the door on the farmhouse again with hopes of returning next May. I have realized there is no guarantee and so I have cleaned to the best of my ability and put everything away as if I may not return in 9 months. That really stinks...doesn't it? Today, TJ, Mom and I spent 3 hours of our last day driving to Moncton to get our pre-flight Covid tests. We have 3 negative tests results "to go". Yes, the world has changed. But, if taking a Covid test and "wasting" 3 hours of my last day here is what we have to do....I guess that is what we will do. I could have been dumping unused condiments into the green bin instead.

Once again, I have stayed up much too late on my last night, trying to postpone the inevitable. If I don't go to sleep, maybe I won't ever have to leave. It was a good summer. A short summer but appreciated so much more... "because". We, and that means more than just TJ and myself...it extends far and wide, love this place. We are so happy when we first arrive, we revel in the day to day luxury of routines that we love and we dread that last day that arrives much sooner than we are ever ready to accept. There has been life breathed into my soul just being here. I can't wait until next year and I hope next year is just an ordinary year...because we truly love those ordinary years here.

A few photos to show you why....