Year: 2017

Fate or Destiny: Do you Believe?

~ Loreeebee ~ 1 Comment

The words fate and destiny are used interchangeably.  Do you believe in fate or destiny?  I definitely do.  So many things have happened in my life that I feel fate or destiny had a hand in.  A minor change in any of the details would have resulted in a totally different lifestyle.  Here are just a few examples, all major events in my life.

I met my husband on my 21st birthday when I was celebrating at a college pub in Kingston, Ontario.  Less than a month previous to that we were both in long-term relationships with other people.  A month after we met I would leave Kingston to return to my hometown of Cornwall to finish my college program.  Had we not met that night of my birthday, our paths would probably have never passed, and both of our lives would be very different now.

We dated for three years before marrying, but I knew within a month of meeting him that he was the one for me.  In our attempts to start a family, we suffered three stillbirths, all of which were boys.  We persevered, eventually having three healthy baby boys. 

Now a bit of an expert on the subject of pregnancies, I have since written a book:

fate

One Sunday, because it was pouring rain and cold at my husband’s family cottage, we returned to Ottawa earlier than usual, stopping to view a model home in a new subdivision in Kanata.  We loved the house so much, we made a down payment on the house that same day.

These are all examples of significant events in my life that I feel were destined to happen.  A small change of detail in any of these events and none of them would have happened.  Without the first one happening, the next two would not have occurred.

The latest example of fate happened very recently.  To support a friend’s daughter,  I had planned to drive from Ottawa to Barrie to pick up my niece, then drive to Orillia to see the musical Chicago.  Because the weather was bad with snow and freezing rain, I canceled my plans for the long drive.  I was, however, able to phone the box office of the Orillia Opera House to transfer the tickets to my niece’s name.   She invited her college roommate to go with her, but those plans did not work out either.  She then asked a contact on Tinder to go with her.  They went to the show together, had a great time, and have been dating since.  She too had been dating someone else until recently but was ready for a new relationship.  If Mother Nature had not stepped in with lousy and dangerous weather for driving, I would have been her date that night.  She may or may not have connected with this new man on Tinder at some other time, but fate intervened to make it that night.

I’m a huge believer in fate, are you??

The ghost of Christmas past

~ Loreeebee ~ 1 Comment

Every year I try to simplify things and reduce the commercialism in our family Christmas.  That’s because every year it seems to get worse.  The stores are crowded, people spend money because they feel they have to, everyone seems anxious and stressed, and then it’s over.  Until next year.

Christmas, when I was young, was about visiting family and friends, delicious baked goods and candy, homes full of cheer and love and excitement.

With grandchildren part of my family now, I really wanted to bring the special back to the holiday season.  I started off with good intentions and actually made (with my own hands!) some presents this year, but am still running around buying things as the big day gets closer.

So why do we do it?  The commercialized, overcomplicated part I mean.  I’m sure my parents, with six children, spent money buying us each something special to go under the tree.  And, I’m sure they felt the pinch financially in January.  But it seemed worth it then, and not just because I was not paying the bills.  The excitement built for months beforehand and lasted for months afterward.

Then there is the whole politically correct thing.  Not saying “Merry Christmas” because it might offend someone.  Have you ever heard of anyone actually being offended when strangers wish each other Merry Christmas?  No one is forcing anyone to celebrate Christmas by wishing them a Merry Christmas.  The greeting is simply to spread the joy and spirit of what Christmas is supposed to mean.  To me having  Christmas spirit means being kind(er) and (more) tolerant and generous towards others.  It does (should) not matter what God you believe in or pray to, what color your skin is, where in the world you live, or how much money you have (spend).

If the Grinch can get it, why can’t we humans?

Winter Solstice on December 21st

~ Loreeebee ~ 2 Comments

Today, December 21st, is our winter solstice here in Canada and the rest of the northern hemisphere.  That means it’s the shortest day of the year.  It also means the days will now start to get longer. 

It also means that spring is coming!

Yaaaaaay.  After all, spring is my favourite season, when I can (finally) get back out into my precious gardens and watch everything come to life.

Technically, winter solstice, also referred to as the first day of winter, is an astronomical event that happens as the earth travels in its orbit around the sun. Apparently, the sun sets one minute later each day of the month between now and the summer solstice in June. That calculates out to thirty minutes per month.

winter solstice
photo credit

This date reminds me of my late father as he, like me, much preferred summer and spring.  He always commented on this first day of winter, getting great satisfaction in the fact that the long winter was getting shorter.  Even though winter just started.

On the flip side, on June 21st, summer solstice or the longest day of the year, he would grumble and complain that the days were getting shorter. All the way to the winter solstice.