More Fall Colours

 I drove around town one afternoon & snapped a few pictures of the fall scenery.

 Liked the look of this fencepost with the moss on it. 

Found a tree in one of the parks in town with crimson leaves.

 I love the fall season & the variety of colour but this year it just isn't easy to see the bright colours. There is a sadness in my heart  & sometimes it presses down on my chest until it is difficult to take another breath. This past Thursday it was 6 weeks since the accident. Thursday afternoons I watch the time & know exactly what I was doing in the later afternoon those weeks ago. Some things are very clear, some are a little fuzzy, the feelings are very clear. Family & friends call, email & each contact means so much. Each prayer is what carries us day to day. 

"When we need God's love, we know He is there....

He is our strength in times of sorrow and our shelter during life's storms."

Beginning of Fall Colours

 Sunday, September 22 was a perfect afternoon for a ride to the Pembina Hills.

 

 The leaves were just starting to show their fall colours.

 We saw several birds like this one soaring through the blue skies.

 The river is quite low at this time of the year.

 I love the contrast of the vivid yellow among the green.

 Take me home, country roads.

 Part of an old homestead.

Just had to have a picture of these contented sheep & the one lama.

Our drive took us west & then south of Morden.

Five Weeks

Five weeks since the accident. We measure time now by "Before the accident" & "After the accident". We are so thankful for friends who spend time with us, listen to us tell our story, call to inquire how we are doing. Thanks to B&D who shared some of their experiences when their son passed away from cancer, who presented me with an interesting question - "So think about this - if you could have, what would you choose  - to be spared from all this hurt & not have had Barry & Zach in your life or to have had Barry in your life for 42 years & Zach for 16 & now have the hurt & heartache from the pain of loss?" I did not have to think about this at all. Barry & Zach both have added so much to my life, have made my life so much richer & have added love & laughter to each member of my family.
Barry graduated from high school with a gal by the name of Kim &  then carpooled with her for 3 years or so when they both attended Brandon University & they then graduated the same year from university each with a Bachelor of Education. Kim passed away in January due to a severe asthma attack leaving behind her husband & 3 beloved sons. Kim's parents came to Winkler & came to visit us. Hard as it was to share our stories about our kids, it was a time of healing, tears & encouraging each other. We are so grateful for the many, many expressions of love & sympathy shown to us in such a variety of ways - phone calls, cards, emails, FB messages, gifts of food & flowers, etc.
Most of all, I am so thankful for my faith in my Lord Jesus Christ, I could not get through this horrible time without Him. He is my Rock, my Healer, my Comforter.

Tribute Centrepieces

This tribute was artfully creatively  by Meagan, of Bloom Floral Shop, here in town. We wanted floral centrepieces for beside the pictures of Barry & Zach to honour them. The peach roses represent the roses from Sigrid's wedding bouquet, the branches & fishing lures for the outdoors & fishing which Barry loved, the cement pot for the building construction trade in which Barry was involved is as an a Engineer Licensee.   

I also liked the combination of the succulents & other plants & greenery used which looked quite masculine to honour Barry.

This arrangement honoured Zach by using his camera bag as a base, with some fishing lures, the Bird of Paradise, & the Calla Lillies to represent his youth. Both were beautiful pieces that represented many things about each of their lives.

The English Gardens at Assiniboine Park

 A change of topic for this post. We visited the English Gardens yesterday afternoon. I had hoped to get here earlier in the summer but couldn't & was happy to spend about an hour here just enjoying the perfusion of colour.

 There were many borders of fall mums along the pathways.

 I was here in the spring & enjoyed the tulips & then missed the summer flowers.

 

 There were many colourful combinations.

 Me!

 Love this little cottage nestled among all the foliage.

 These impatients were still blooming brightly.

It was peaceful as we strolled through the gardens & just enjoyed the beauty & variety of colour. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the tulips again in the spring. 

One Month

 It's one month today. One month since August 8th. Our lives have been changed forever. We have been thrust into such deep sorrow, a way of life that we did not plan for or ever wish for. There's times when I think that this is all bad dream. Times when it seems like it has been a long, long time ago. Sometimes it seems like I'm still in the moment, waiting in the hospital to hear, thinking it can't be too bad as I spoke with Albert on the phone, when he was still at the accident scene.   And then reality hits, like a heavy stone on my chest, it's an effort to take a deep breath. Our son, my second born son, my B,  as in Allen, Barry, Chris, is gone. Our grandson, my second born grandson, Zach, is gone. And I cling to my faith,  grasping at promises in the Scriptures. At times it's hard to pray, I know the Holy Spirit intercedes for me. The Lord knows my pain. Someone calls, someone sends me an encouraging email. Tears fall. I look at some of the many cards people have sent to us. Such kind words.  We hear various reports about the accident & we know that Albert's life was spared. 

These pictures were taken by my niece. The top one was taken after the family service Wednesday evening. The bottom picture is of the memory table depicting Barry & Zach's lives. 
This weekend our church was celebrating 125 years & Brian Doerkson & his band had a concert Saturday evening. We wept through some of the songs. Each song blessed us & encouraged us.  There is healing around the sadness. Our church family is so very supportive. Friends are calling to check on how we are doing. Our family calls to see how Albert is doing. Friends & family are calling to arrange visits. We feel loved, blessed & cared for.

The Picture

This picture was taken by my grandson, Zach at approx. 4:30 PM  on Thursday August 8. My sister, Carolyn from Brandon, arrived after lunch to visit in the area for a few days. We had a few things planned that we wanted to do together & this was one of them - going out to the farm to explore the forest trails with the golf cart. Zach & his dad came to Winkler for the day & when my sister & myself went out of town for our little jaunt, he came with us. Zach didn't come with us on the trails but stayed at the house to help his aunt with cleaning out a fridge & sweeping the garage floor. Within the last year, Zach had a keen interest in photography - he was in the Photography Club at school - & so we asked him to snap a few pictures of us. He took several to make sure there would be one that we liked. About an hour later, while driving his Papa's prized '66 Mustang, together with his dad in the back seat & his Papa in the front seat beside him, while slowing down to make a turn, they were severely rear-ended. Zach & Barry were instantly with their Heavenly Father & my husband miraculously survived. He was badly injured  &  it will take a long time to recover. We are so grateful for all the prayers for our family. Barry's wife & 13 year old daughter are struggling to put the broken pieces of their lives into some sort of order now. Please keep them in your prayers. And may the Lord bless you for caring & your faithful prayers.

The Poem

This poem was written by Zach on April 11, 2011. One of his teachers sent it to his family included in a card.