Please Talk to Strangers--- They might be a friend of mine...

Last night I had to run into the Superstore to grab a few things. I noticed that a lady next to me in the aisle was speaking french to her husband, so of course, I asked her about tourtiere. We had a lovely discussion about how it should and should NOT be made (she uses regular ground beef and pork and would NEVER use veal). As we parted ways she said to me that she would think of me on Christmas when she ate her tourtiere with her family, and I promised that I would do the same. 
When I got home, I saw the obituary of someone I knew. 

She was a young mother that I got to know during her pregnancies. 

She was lovely. 

I have no idea how she died, but I do know that she left 2 small children. 

She lived in my neighbourhood. 

I would see her now and then and wave.

What a tragedy. 

To me, those moments of chatting with a stranger in the grocery store, or a new mom in the clinic are what make life beautiful. 
Life is precious and sometimes too short. 
Don't be that cranky shopper. 
Talk to strangers. 
You may make their day, and they may make yours. 
That stranger could be my sister, my friend, someone I love.
That stranger may need a kind word to keep them going...
 --Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.-- Plato

So, what's new?....

A whole year?  Crazy.  Let me sum things up...


Our family went away for Christmas and had the most magical time.  Here are a few photos...

 

My 15 year old niece was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in January.  This has consumed my life and the lives of the rest of my family since.  Bronwyn did chemo, beat cancer, and then almost died a few times- the chemo put her into heart failure.  Our lives stood still for weeks, make that months, it's all a blur now.  Long story short, she now has a VAD and is living in Toronto awaiting a heart transplant.  She learned how to walk again.  She is dancing.  She just started school.  She is thriving and inspiring all that know her.  Here is a link to the Facebook page that my sister and brother-in-law started when Bronwyn was diagnosed.  It's all there- their whole insane ride.


Bronwyn's Fight Against Leukemia

Bronwyn

We had a beautiful summer, went on a road trip to a huge music festival in South Dakota that Kris played at.  Enjoyed our family and our growing boys.


And then in September ALL of the boys in our house went to school.  Nathan to JK, Kaelan grade 7, Josiah grade 8 and Kris too!  Kris is currently taking the 1 year education program at LU (and kicking butt I might add).

This is sooooooo not what we thought the passed year was gonna look like!

And what's next?  Who knows!  I have thrown it all up in the air and wherever it lands, it lands.  It is out of my hands!

Ferris was right- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

All I can say is- Please don't miss it!!!!  Don't get so stuck in the grind that you forget to lift your head and enjoy all that is around you!  And don't get so attached to a particular plan or dream that you can't be happy today!

This is it!  Now is all we have!

Hug your kids, say kind things, enjoy your friends, live life.  Things can change in a moment and sometimes you can never go back.

That's where I'm at after the year we have had.  Nothing is more valuable than family and nothing is more urgent than this moment.

Sleeping Giant

So take a moment to enjoy the view...