October 31, 2015

Slice of Life | Weekend


My dad is from Sandford, Nova Scotia and I always loved going there to see our family. One of my favourite things to do was to spend time with my cousin Ida. I grew up with Ida and the last time I saw her sisters, Mary and Clara, was at Ida and Glen's wedding when I was around 20 years old.

Mary and Clara both live in the Toronto area and Mom was in touch with Mary before we flew here. Mary sent us a kind and thoughtful email before we left. She texted me all this week and was willing to come from Burlington if we needed her. It meant a lot to me. We ended up with a plan to get together on Saturday.


When we got in the car, it felt like home. I could see Aunt Marjorie in Mary's eyes and I could hear Clara's sweet Sandford accent. It was comforting to watch their cute bantering about directions and where to go!


Here is Jim waiting for us outside a unique shop, a favorite of Clara's, on the Danforth. (Is that how the locals say it?) I was only window shopping, but what a great place filled with children's books, creative art, furniture and more.



At a local studio, we watched an artist make beautiful beads. I realize now there is a lot of creative work put into making one glass bead.

The storekeepers and folks walking on the street were friendly. The area was bustling with activity! Mary lived in the neighbourhood years ago and now Clara has a charming home not too far away.

We went to the Beaches next. (Still not sure how locals say it!)


Ends would be a favorite if I lived nearby. It was filled with new clothes that come from various stores and the place was packed. Many treasures to be found!


Here they are on a mission (at) (on) (in) the Beaches to find a place where I will like something on the menu. It's always a challenge! But the Salty Dog was a perfect find! (Thank you for the yummy bakery treats and the delicious dinner. You spoiled us!)

What fun it was to catch up on our families, including our furry family members. We chatted about many things and reminisced together! I loved hearing Clara's memories of times with Karrilee. 

We had a couple of moments where we couldn't stop laughing! If I were to repeat the conversations that tipped us over, I could not capture them well enough and a reader would probably not understand why it struck us so funny! I will just write this for my memory... sickness and sitting on laps...skinny fries...It still makes me giggle as I sit alone typing this post!

Mary invited us to go home with her and before we knew it, we needed to travel to Burlington for the trick-or-treaters! We drove Clara home and we shared a couple of hugs!

Our time in Mary's lovely home was relaxing and restful. Jim enjoyed his pillow so much that he is finally going to get a new one when we get home. (Jim gets a little attached to his pillows!)

It filled our hearts to be there in her home and to have more time together. I loved hearing about her family and students. How blessed those students are to have her loving them and believing in them.

I loved meeting her two youngest children, Sarah and Brendon. They are precious. Sarah is so sweet, helpful and a beautiful rhythmic dancer. Brendon is a gentleman who helps around the house when he is home, has the cutest dog that he rescued, and was a great tour guide when he took us back to downtown Toronto on his way home.

Thank You, God, for the gift of family.


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