How's the weather out there?

There's a tinge in the air....a cold tinge.

I don't like it.

Preferably I would like warmth and sun and sweet smelling grass.

We'll see what the week brings.

Hopefully, no snow.

Some days I dream about being in the tropics with palm trees and beautifully flowering shrubs, a soft warm breeze, and the ocean lapping at my cabana door.

Like I say.....I dream.........

Full days......

Yes, I can just imagine what is going on in son's life these days.

Will tree planting be all that it is cracked up to be? Or is it cracked up to be anything to begin with? Will he find himself planting with lightening speed? Will he enable himself to think of his new position in life, as being a sustainer of the world ecological system? Will he be ready for combat (against the mosquitoes)? Will exhaustion overtake him at some point and he will simply be another casualty left by the tree planting roadside?

I'm thinking about him these days.....and praying for him to be tough in the midst of adversity!

I'm praying that for daughter's life too. Perhaps Spanish class will simply have to wait for a while until there is more time to tackle it. I pray God allows her wisdom in what she does in the next couple of days as there are times to do certain things but there are also better times to do certain things. I know she will choose what is best for her and her family.

We are also enjoying having my cousin, Sue and her husband, Joe here to visit this week. Joe had hoped to see a blizzard, but alas, he and Sue arrived a few weeks too late. There just aren't very many blizzards in Texas to speak of but we have tried to tell him what they were like. He can just imagine..........

Today has been a mixture of many things. Busy at work. Visiting Aunt Connie in hospital. Speaking with daughter on the phone. Having guests for supper. I enjoy a full day. It's a gift from God to be able to enjoy it.

"This is the day that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Good weekend all around.

I'm done.....

Tired....

Totally laughed out....

Exhausted.....

..............'nite

Our son's birthday.....

It's Todd's 32nd birthday today. He's the husband of our daughter and the father of our grand-daughter. Ya, I know he's a son-in-law, but we love him like our own son. He is precious to us and we pray that God would bless his life with everything wonderful and good and beautiful and that God would also watch over him and care for him as he works that underground diamond mine a trillion miles away from home. He does well at providing for his family and we are so very proud of him and thank God for him.

Happy Birthday Todd. Our lives have become better because you are a part of them.

Our son, Matt, is away today tree planting in southeastern Manitoba to make some money to live, and go to school in the fall. That's a difficult job that tree planting stuff. Through snow, sleet, hail, rain, wind, wild animals and the dreaded, giant, blood-sucking M.M.............(Manitoba Mosquito). May the Lord have mercy on him!

Son's lady friend is leaving this week too,to tree plant in B.C. Oh my. She's one brave woman! God, would you take care of Kim and make sure the bears don't infringe on her territory (or maybe that's the other way around)......anyway, keep her safe God.

Daughter begins her summer Spanish class tomorrow too. It will be good to rid herself of this one language requirement. May the Lord give her much knowledge, wisdom and a tongue to speak those new sounds into a good grade.

A great way to end the weekend. With the "Benson Mini-Reunion" the 18 of us gathered once again to eat and drink and laugh and chat and reminisce. The afternoon found us at the cemetery, looking at my parents and my brother's grave site as well as Aunt Connie's husbands grave. Then we all went and visited her at the hospital. Each of us spoke tenderly to her and she in turn asked everyone about their children and grand children and about how good it was for her to see each of them again. It's been an emotional weekend and another day yet to come. That will be good too. As I said before, I love my cousins. The fellows all remind me so much of my dad.....especially their laughter.

We are very fortunate people in this "Benson" family of mine. Not many families love so deeply and with such abandon. One thing we did find though, as much as we love each other, that not many of us enjoyed talking on the phone......me included. I would rather write a letter or email or talk in person. Funny eh? Ya, I thought so too!

So, I will go to bed this night being so grateful for a son(in-law) whose birthday was today, for a daughter who, tomorrow will go to school again; for a beautiful granddaughter who means the world to me; for a son who will be living on the edge of hell's half acre for the summer; for the girlfriend who is leaving to also plant trees somewhere in B.C.; for my cousins and their spouses and especially for my dear Aunt Connie, who must stay hospitalized while we all have fun.....may God grant her peace this night.

I'm thankful too, for all of YOU..........my friends at work, at church, wherever you find yourself this night.....I think one of you is at the lake (EC)!!!! I am one very fortunate person indeed.

Go with the flow.....

That's what this weekend is like. Nothing formal. Just easy.

Our guests this weekend are like that too. We help each other out with whatever needs doing. We chat and laugh between times of drinking and eating and preparing and dishes and whatever else needs doing with 18 people.

It's just a lot of fun.

I really like my relatives!!! They all have such a great sense of humor.....and many of them have a weird sense of humor too, like me! They are selfless people, always putting others before themselves. They all love hugging.....like I do, and we all love reminiscing. Stories of my grandma Benson. She was quite the lady. Giving, caring and kindly...... and how she loved to laugh too. I remember that about her.

We made Aunt Connie a part of our festivities this afternoon with a few people at a time going in to visit with her in the hospital, until at the end, she was played out. I trust she will sleep well tonight because tomorrow will bring an encore of today.

Wished this could happen every weekend.......well, maybe every other weekend.;-)

More of the same....

So, my last post was talking about a lot of fun and frivolity last night at the retirement function.

Well, this night is more of the same. My sides hurt. My (face) cheeks hurt.

My Benson cousins are totally fun - 3 brothers and 1 sister (children of my dad's oldest brother and their spouses - all from B.C.); plus a daughter of my dad's oldest sister and her Mexican husband;) - from Texas; another sister and brother cousin; and husband and I and plus Aunt Connie's late husband's niece and her husband from Saskatoon and my brother and his wife who will join us here tomorrow!

Eighteen of us. I think we made some noise in dear Aunt Connie's condo!!! She is still in hospital but she wanted us to have our first evening of fun at her place - without her.

I have so much fun with those guys and gals. We laugh hard and we laugh loudly and we laugh a lot! It's in the genes. Some drink wine and some drink beer and we eat more than we should and talk about what has happened in our lives since we last were together - 7 years ago.

So it's more of the same tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.

It's good to have sore cheeks! ;-)

Another one out the door.

Carman's retirement function was a good one.

We celebrated him well.....as he did with us also.

Lots of laughing.

Lots of joke telling.

Great food, great wine, and superb fellowship with folks, many of whom we hadn't seen for some time.

I like times like that because we have a chance to tell the person how much they are loved and appreciated.............unlike at a funeral where it's too late!

May God walk with him into these retiring years. He'll be missed around the office!!!!