Dreams Do Come True - Part 2

   I have to admit that the first few moments were..uncomfortable.  It was... because of a long period of time that had passed and that when the decission was made to move away from the Maritimes to St Catherines.  I took it personally as a direct "stab in the heart" to hurt me.  Why you might ask?  Well, I adopted a baby girl when she was 4 days old and I made a committment to be her mother for litterly.... for ever...and when she decided to go and live with her "birth mother' I felt that I was not longer wanted......worse needed.! 

   Time does "HEAL"...mostly because time allows for a re-newed way of seeing and thinking.  The birth mother called several times that evening requesting to be involved in our time.  It was viewed as a great interference and finally it was stated.  I do not want HER here...I want my family...YOU..You are my family..MOM...  It brought me to my knees.

 

   

   We ordered Pizza, passed the little baby around the room, took a pile of pictures and then the question....Does she look like me?  She is a perfect "Shade of Pink"...just like her mother.  As you can see I said YES..!!!

   We all found a little corner of the room to sleep.  I slept on the fouton matress..actually it wasn't too bad..If it were not for the CATS...Oh dear, there were three giant felines that belong to the man of the house Adam.  Then there is the traveller "Tigger" , he has even had plane rides.  My daughter seems to think he has to be where-ever she is.    These cats jumped all over the house all night.  The three of us were scared, and hardly slept an hour.  But, we got through it.  The next day we decided to do a photo shoot.  Babies first and a day trip to the Famous Falls.. ...so we punched in the Famous Falls and Gorge into "Alice," secured everyone in the M3 and off we set. 

 

   We might have known, first we couldn't figure out how to get out of St. Catherines.  Alice took us straight to the door but could not get us out of the city, eventually we found the highway heading south.  We followed "alice" to the tee and guess what?  She directed us to some place way past the falls and to some Senoirs Home...WHAT?  Because of the lack of sleep none of us found it particulary funny.. We then back tracked and evenually found what we were looking for.  Couldn't see it very much though, the mist fog was so intense that the falls themselves were hidden.  We did get a few nice photo opportunites and did see Horseshoe falls.

   The rest of the day was somewhat somber and quiet, we simply enjoyed the baby and mom, talked about things from another time.  My youngest and I walked to the mall and did a bit of shopping, groceries mostly.

  Another night with the savage cats and then heading more South to a little community called West Lorne.

      





Dreams Do Come True....Part 1

First of all I want to wish everyone a wonderful, 2011 that is filled with memories like no other year.  My 2011 started out just that way.  On January 5th my newest member of the shades of pink was born.  She was just over six pounds and totally beautiful.  My Oldest daughter who is pushing 28 had her first bundle of joy.  And a bundle of joy she is.  My girl had a good supply of disappointments through-out her life and walked down a lonely road trying to find something that filled the emptiness.  Now she has found it.  This baby will be the salvation for her mother.

A few days following the babies arrival; myself, and my two younger daughters packed up my M3 and headed  west.  Now remember it is mid January, it is freezing, storms are literally everywhere, after all ...this is Canada.  We watched the weather reports and headed out early on a Saturday morning determined to beat the "Alberta Clipper" that was headed towards the Maritimes.  Just the three of us!

Life had handed my family in particular a good dose of internal stress and we had been separated as a family for a while, meaning that a week in a small car in itself was going to be a challenge.  We approached the entire "road trip" with heightened enthusiasm and excitement as we had a plan and a goal.  To see big sister and her new family.

Were off heading north towards Quebec, along the Great Saint Lawrence River.  I had travelled this way several times as a younger person and I guess I wanted the girls to see their country.   For the most part day one was uneventful and we were getting acquainted again.  By 5 that day we were hungry and snow had started.  I guess the "Alberta Clipper" moved more north than I had anticipated.  So we stopped for supper and grabbed a hotel , bedding down for the night.

The next morning the skies had cleared and we were up  before breakfast...literally.  Oh yes, still in our Jammie's we hurried it to the lobby looking for whatever was eatable for breakfast.  Problem was our cell's had not changed to the new time zone and we were an hour early for breakfast.  Eventually, we did eat and on the road again we were.  In a blink, we were smack dab in Montreal and it was the most awesome trip I have ever had through that city.  Many will agree, Montreal can be a real challenge and down right scary but at 7:30 on a Sunday morning is is quite the opposite.  We breezed through and thanks to my "Alice", ( the GPS) we came upon the tunnel with no troubles either.  Amazing!!!

Next, Toronto....Now you need to understand something here.  We are three maritime women whereby the biggest city that we would have here is Halifax and that is only 250,thousand not 22 million.  Okay!  So driving through these two major cities is really scary, down right dreaded.  But we conquered both in one day too.  With Toronto behind us all we had ahead was Hamilton and St Catherine's, again much bigger than we were used too. But....HEY... we just passed the two most feared, how bad could it be?  We motored along pealing up the highway behind us, driving and driving.  Holy cow, were did they move St Catherine's?  So we stopped, shopped a bit and had another Tim's...

What appeared to be the longest part of the trip was the best.  We arrived just after dark and deal little "Alice" directed us right to her door.  She greeted us ( after the text..."were here!") and it was amazing.  We piled in on her, and coo'ed over the sweetest little baby anyone has ever seen.

Stay tuned for Part 2..Dreams Do Come True - The Visit

The Godess of Spring

Spring has come and gone, Summer in 2010 was amazing, here in the Maritimes anyway. Fall is almost over and we are now getting ready for winter. Seasons, our lives are very simply a series of "Seasons".
When we are young, the "Season of Youth". As we grow into young adults and then full grown adults our bodies change..(excuse me… we all know this right?) you wait!! Then the Golden years, I am not yet convinced that I am in my golden years, but that is another story.

Violet Mae was born in the Spring in Botley, England. She was a simple farmers daughter with huge dreams of being something someday. Now, I could go on and on about things I do not know. She was a goddess to me, but truthfully what really makes us beautiful is it the outer layer of skin that covers us or is it what is deep within. Our hearts?

To her family she was, the primary caregiver, a fabulous cook, she sewed, and her organizational skills were second to none. She had much to say and was always chirping like that little chickadee. Monday's was wash day and dinner was always at five.

One of the most important things that made her feel happy and contented was her strong need for acknowledgment. It was not the money as she never worked outside the family home. She did Cancer fundraising and was a regular visitor at the local seniors facility, driving her neighbors to and from errands and to funerals was almost a daily occurrence.

She would litterly "give the coat of her back" if someone needed it. She never needed money or asked for it. But on the other hand, forget to acknowledge what she had done and she would never talk to you again.
I remember one thing that made her puff all up, and that was the simplest thing. Actually I have adopted it and transferred this to my own family. she would add up the weekly groceries in the grocery cart and by the time we were to the cash register she would have it all added up and the money ready to give to the girl, being out a dollar or two is all it would ever be. Sometimes she was right on the money as they say. I as a young girl, would stand in absolute awe with her ability to do that. Now here is am doing the same thing and feeling that feeling of pride when I looked at my little girl as she was so very proud of her mom for being so smart. It feels good to be looked up at and to be simply thanked.

Now to bring this character trait into our "shades of pink". 

 My brother is the most gentle, kind man I know and he would open and has opened his home of anyone in need, not for the money, never.... Oh no.... he has been handed down the trait, he feels self pride for being able to give back when he is doing well, all he wants is a simple thank you and when he gets it sincerely his face lights up. That is the true reward!

My daughter, she has the kindest heart ever, even though she struggled with that ADHA as a youngster, she grew up and now is in the mid-season of her life. She is loved where ever she sets her feet, rarely forgotten and I remember in her graduation yearbook the request that sounded over and over again was "Don't ever Change." She too has been handed down the shades of pink, she would do anything for anyone, go way out of her way to help you, all you have to do is ask. She would never ask for anything in return, no strings as they say. In this world it is very special to know that there is a friend out there that can be called any time night or day.

I could talk for days because every one of us have some piece of those around us, or of those who have passed on keeping the shades of pink alive. My mother always says ' As long as your alive your grandmother will never be dead". sometimes I'm not sure if she means that is a positive way or not, but it is true. I have another daughter who inherited the secret thing. She can keep a secret like I have never seen before as did my grandmother, my sister who is only 5 foot 2. She did not get that from my mother as she is 6 feet tall.
Take a look at those around you and have fun with who has inherited the "Shades of Pink” in your families.

I send out this invite...I would love to hear about it.

Thank you

Leslie

What's in a name?

Oh my goodness, believe me... there is lots in a name!
So we will start with "Pink"  Who would have thought that Pink meant "One who was a chirpy person, like a finch"  http://www.meaning-of-names.com/  That in it's self struck me right off.  Grandma loved to talk, she would talk to anyone about... anything.  In the grocery store to the young one who tallied the produce, the banker and the fellow sweeping the street.  It didn't matter; she would even talk to herself...YES.. out loud.  I hate to admitt it...but I do too.  My daughter told me it is a sign of being intelligent....I'm going to hold onto that thought!!!
Okay, "Violet"  I don't know it comes from the Vivian family or something like that...to me it was the flower that is almost impossible for me to grow. I was my grandmother's favorite flower and she could grow them. I cannot however.  House plants, cactus maybe!!
So I looked it up too and guess what, can you imagine "Violet" the heroiness in Shakespear's play "Twelfth Night".
A heroiness,...how ironic...I simply have to tell you this.
Grandma was my heroiness is so many ways and so many times she rescued me from my fears in particular.  But, this one night was the one that stands out the most.
I was about, 10 maybe 12 years of age, I had with me my sister who would have been 7 maybe and by brother 3. 
Now remember, it was in the late 60's early 70's and things were done differently back then, and this is not a reflection of my folk's ability to parent, okay!  It was just the way things were done, I don't know it is kinda weird actually, because my folks never would have experienced these things and yet most of us in this era have had this type of experience.
Here we are, it was late November, a very windy, stormy night, with ice pellets pinging off of the windows.  My fol, were in the process of building their first new home and they were trying to get it "live in ready" oh not completed... just live in ready by Christmas.
I was in charge, well I was supposed to be... the storm was howling and well... to put it plain, my imagination ran away on me.  My sister and brother were in bed and I was to stay up until my parents got home.  We lived in the "boon docks" seriously a neighbour was a couple miles away.  The old run down place was heavily treed. 
Do you know how scarey the trees are when the wind in blowing and the ice is hanging off them while they bank on the house?  Not to mention the pinging of ice against the windows.  I was completely petrified, I was pacing from window to window, looking out and practically scaring myself into shock when I would see my own ( oh yeah... my own) reflection.  By midnight I was completely hysterical.   Between the trees, the wind, and ice, the wolves.....  by then, had me surrounded the house and were prepared to scratch the walls down to get us
I was hysterical with fear, and totally un-consoleable.  Now, you have to remember in those days we had no cell phones, there was no such thing.  Are you kidding, we were lucky to even have a phone.  Really were were way back in the sticks. 
To me, what would I do?  Call Grandma, so I did at midnight.  I cannot imagine how she felt at that moment, when she picked up her phone and heard me on the other end.  It is only now at this moment I (as tears swell up) she took my fear and carried it for me, all she said was..."Lock the doors, I'm right there"!  Time stood still after that, she arrived, well you would have to know her, she gathered all of us of and took us to her house. 
She was so angry at my mother, By the time she was finished scoulding her, we had snow banks growing on our backs as we slept.  We never spent another night in that house.

Well... we all have to have a hero..and Grandma was mine!

Yeah! As you can see.. there is something in a name!
Her middle name, Mae.  The Goddess of Spring.  I'm going to have to think a bit on this one.  I did not know her when she was the " Godess of Spring" however, that doesn't mean to say she wasn't.

The Dedication to "Violet Mae Brown...nee Pink"

I've been wanting to do something that connected me with all those I love and have ever loved.

 This idea has been rattling around in my head for like ever, I knew I wanted it to be something for HER...Her, you say? ...My Grandmother.

 She was the one in my life that made all the difference.  No matter what she said I believed it....I believed in her and everything she said.
So.... who was this lady,  Well, she was my mother's mother.  She was born in England..I'll have to find out for sure where from my mother though.  She was a sister, to how many i'm not sure, she did talk about a particular brother, but that story will come later.  She was a mother, too and again a very interesting story ...a kinda .."pandora's box" that emerges from, you will never guess where?  Australia..I always wanted to go to Australia..and now I have shades of pink there....This story is amazing, again for another time.
Back to the dedication, and the reason I wanted....no..I needed to do this!

"The-Shades-of-Pink" represents the many facets of our family, starting with "Violet Mae Pink" there are many sides to all of us, as if we are all diamonds hanging in the window, sparkling off rays of colour, depth, strength and revealing all those things that are not always easily seen with out the rays and warmth of the sun.  A metaphor if you will.  Warmth of one another, bringing out each and every-one of our special qualities.  Those talents, that have been suppressed and hidden.

"The-Shades-of-Pink" represents our Grandmother's and the way they changed our lives, how so very special they were and are.  I want to hear about YOUR..shades of pink....Those things that makes your families so special and so dear to your hearts, those things that made us laugh and YES!!!  Cry.

I dedication..I am personally inviting every-one....simply every-one to join me and my shades of pink...with stories, memories, pictures, anything and everything and is IMPORTANT to you!!
I have tons of plans for this Blog/site...but I need your shades of Pink to make it happen...

Will you Join me..In dedicating this to those we love...and loved..

Thank you,

 Grandma....Your the BEST!!!