In my family, May has always been the month of birthdays! Two of my sisters and I were all born in May, as was my Father, two nieces, a nephew and of most impact in my life, Timothy Connor, my son’s birthday falls on May 13th! How clearly I remember the day of his birth … love just bloomed that day … a precious new life to love and cherish in the form of a little eight pound, four ounce boy. A brother for Sarah! I have discovered there is little in life to rival holding a new life in your arms at the moment of their birth. Nothing comes even close. I don’t know that I really understood love until I gave birth to my children. Words fail me when I am moved to that place beyond words where love lives. Inevitably there are many ways to experience that unique love without having children but for me it was the moment I became ‘mom’ … below, Sarah almost five, me thirty five when Tim was born ❤️❤️

May is also a time to celebrate a bit of Canadian history! As many this long weekend are celebrating what has been called “May Long”, I wonder how many today, out in the campgrounds, hiking and biking trails, sitting around campfires, or at backyard barbecues sipping their beer know the origins of this Canadian holiday? The birthday of Queen Victoria, the reigning British monarch at the time of Confederation! Seems a bit archaic to think that all these years later, we still celebrate the birthday of a Queen, and indeed have a national holiday in honour of it but it remains an indelible part of our country’s history. Lots of fighting and squabbling between England and France for supremacy in those early years. I still remain surprised that America did not just bulldoze their way in and take over our country in those early years before confederation! Probably too cold a country to consider as a viable addition 😂!!

Whether you celebrate the return of warmer temperatures and outdoor lifestyle today or toast to Queen Victoria, enjoy the weekend! Savour the precious moments of life.

A quote that seems to always come to mind in troubling or emotionally charged days …. “life is what happens while we are making other plans”. And so it is. I lost a great friend on April 18th! Just two days previous, we sat in the Gibson kitchen enjoying a morning coffee discussing the somewhat high risk surgery Gordon would be facing the following morning to remove a brain tumour. To keep the atmosphere light and positive, we discussed plans for our next adventure, possibly to Puerto Vallarta in the fall after his recovery. How quickly and with such abrupt finality life can change on a dime, despite the best laid plans.

All kinds of reflective moments just seem to have moved in during these last ten days since Gordon’s passing. Losing a friend I have known for almost fifty years leaves such a sad and empty feeling deep in the heart. Life takes on different hues when people we have shared so much of our lives with, loved and cared about, pass on to the other side! Gordon’s family lost an amazing patriarch. A kind, compassionate, loving, generous, gentle, honest, reliable, highly principled gentleman. I will miss his sense of humour, his sense of fun, his basic decency and oh my, how I loved discussions of all kinds with Gordon. He knew so much about the world around him and humbly shared his well researched thoughts and opinions about all manner of topics. I always learned something new …. my intellect receiving a welcome jolt of stimulation from these discussions.

Words seem to fall short to adequately share what I am feeling. Perhaps in time the words will flow. I will instead post pictures through the years with the three musketeers, something Mickey, Gordon and I so often called ourselves as we travelled around the world on so many wonderful adventures … we have hiked the coastal villages of the Cinque Terre, enjoyed the best goulash soup in Vienna, savoured coffee in a cafe along the old city walls of Dubrovnik, ‘galloped’ on camels in the sand dunes of Morocco to watch a desert sunset, walked the crumbly steps of the Great Wall of China …. and who could forget the sight of Gordon sashaying on stage at a fashion show in Turkey!! We had been touring a leather clothing factory with our Springbank travel group and the organizers regularly invite guests to participate and model the clothes for the fun event … who should volunteer but Gordon? There he was decked out in full leather, wig and heels! … his sense of humour fully engaged! In more recent years our travels together were mostly to La Quinta and Palm Desert, where we enjoyed many memorable moments walking in the Santa Rosa Mountains. Puerto Vallarta in Mexico was another favourite in our travels together as was Vancouver Island. Yes, the adventures have been many and varied. The three musketeers are now down to two 😪 … but Gordon’s spirit will travel on with us. At this point one would normally say something along the lines of ‘rest in peace’ but I think not!! Gordon, get that Matua Sauvignon Blanc chilled and get on with happy hour up there my friend … cheers 🥂

Captured some poignant moments at Gordon’s Celebration of Life at the Gibson home. A very emotionally moving day, many of us sharing stories and memories of Gordon through the years. There was much laughter and joy mingled with the inevitable tears as we shared and celebrated a life well lived. Gordon was loved by us all.