Just a thought… If you get, give. If you learn, teach. [Maya Angelou]
The late Maya Angelou’s birthday is April 4, same as Rob’s. So that quote seemed fitting, even two days after his.
Another quarantine family birthday to mark today: my little sister Leslie, who just finished a gruelling course to reboot her life and become a personal care worker/health care aid, celebrates under these most bizarre circumstances. As I told her yesterday during a zoom call with all four sisters, a birthday marked in quarantine doesn’t count, so you don’t add a year! I mean, I read it on the internet….
Rob’s birthday on Saturday was memorable for all of the right reasons. Our aunt and uncle brought a beautiful hot beef stew with a gorgeous side of mashed potatoes and even some cherry loaf for dessert plus chocolate Girl Guide cookies; our friends and angels from Sidney delivered a lovely chocolate cake plus a small steaming loaf of freshly baked bread. How can we be so lucky?
While out briefly on Friday, I managed to pick up two packages of Super Nibs for Rob’s “big” gift from me. (Well, besides the wink-wink nudge-nudge; if you saw Saturday’s journal you know about that. LOL) There were no Twizzlers, but just three packages of Super Nibs and I felt that taking them all would be unfair.
Unlike so many, the man needs nothing. And we were blessed to have the gift of food literally dropped at our door. But the emotional highlight of Rob’s birthday was opening a card that Colin (with help from Brooke, I suspect!) had drawn with two bananas talking to each other on the phone. I videoed Rob opening it, if you want to see it. Here’s a link.
Colin was delighted with Rob’s reaction, too; when his mom showed him the same video he exclaimed, “Again! Again!”
Saturday’s journal also has pics of Colin and his new sister, if you’re not quite used to checking in here seven days a week. Yesterday: thoughts on Dad. And can I brag a little bit? I heard from my sisters during a four-way Zoom chat yesterday that he’s turned the 15% rent reduction on his place into cheques for the Salvation Army and his local food bank in Kelowna. I’m so proud of him; we all are.
Rob and I have decided we’re going to follow his lead, starting with our local food bank. So many people are what they call food insecure at the best of times; these are the worst of times and those of us blessed to have more than enough are called upon to share.
As I used to demonstrate live on the air, it takes literally one minute to make an online donation to the Daily Bread Food Bank, or whomever you want to share whatever money you wish to give, if you have any to spare right now.
It seems there’s so little we can do to help our sisters and brothers in need, and if it’s not monetary aid, then you know how a phone call or video visit can brighten someone’s day. They always brighten mine!
Take good care of yourself and try to think good thoughts. Hard times can’t last forever but people will always remember how you took care of, or thought of them, during these challenging weeks and months.
I’ll be back here with you tomorrow.