John's Celebration of Life

 

Yesterday was very special. We finally held John's Celebration of Life. An early morning scattering of his ashes took place under clear skies. In chronological order we took turns from August, our 12 year old grandson, passing the urn to family members and ending with the 78 year old...me!

Around 10:00am we welcomed family and friends to the Rotary Interpretive building at Derek Doubleday Park. Everyone mingled with beverages and cake in hand. Some had never met, others had not seen each other for years but everyone had known and loved John.

Heather had prepared a beautiful printed piece that memorialized her father.

Adrian wore one of his father's t-shirts while he shared stories and MC'd the celebration.

The t-shirt has John's favorite quotation by Nikos Kazantzakis

"I hope for nothing

I fear nothing

I am free"

Dave Clark, one of John's oldest friends from High School days

provided a few funny stories from their youthful adventures.

Chris, our son-in-law, recounted the experience of having John officiate at their wedding.

There were many other stories from family and friends that included peanut butter, shortbread, broken limbs, fishing trips and long distance friendships over the years. It was a wonderful gathering, spanning generations and full of love. I am grateful to everyone who joined us.

Walks in the HOOD

 

Gorgeous weather means wonderful walks with the air scented from blossoming trees and bushes! My right pupil finally returned to normal size about 48 hours after cataract surgery. It is amazing how much brighter everything around me looks! My paintings are completely different when viewed independently through each eye. Cataract surgery for my left eye will be on June 6th. That is when the eye drop confusion will really be a challenge.

The back side of Brogan's Diner...a Langley City favorite.

Inside you will find Elvis and an inviting stage for performers!

 

Cataracts and toenails

 

Ah!...this aging process is fraught with challenges. Cataract surgery for my RIGHT eye is scheduled for tomorrow. This involves a complex system of administering three different eye drops for a varied number of days...starting two days before surgery! So...I designed a special calendar for the five week period and yesterday morning I dropped the first drop into the LEFT eye! My mistake was easily explained by the placement of the three vials on the lefthand side of my table! So...I moved the vials to the righthand side of the table and, as an extra precaution, made a large sign that reads RIGHT! it seems to be working so far.

An additional complication will happen in two weeks when surgery is scheduled for the other eye. a second calendar will have to sit on the left side of the table with three new vials for the LEFT eye! It is a good thing that I do not entertain because guests would be subjected to my pharmaceutical table of contents!

A visit to the podiatrist yesterday confirmed that the large toenail on my left foot has a fungal infection. He prescribed a solution to paint on the toenail every night for one year! My pharmacist said "This is quite expensive!...$124 for one month of applications". I was stunned! He explained that it would probably last for more than one month because I was only painting one toenail! Can a fungal toenail kill you?

Sad

 

Those we hold in our hearts

never truly leave us.

I will cherish 50 years of shared memories.