Family Traditions

I have been going to the same Maple Syrup Festival since I was a little girl. I remember going with my Grama & Grampa for what seemed like a long drive to Elmira, Ontario.  Then as a young gal living on her own I took my best friend and introduced her to all the delights of the festival. It's now blossomed into a new family tradition for my husband and I. We have been going to this event since we were dating and the last 3 years we've taken our son. We've also introduced other friends and their kids to all the fun.

I love the idea of this being something we look forward to every year. We've gone in all kinds of weather; rain, snow, ice pellets to almost being able to wear t-shirts. We usually start off with pancakes, served in a big tent, hot off the skillet and topped with fresh maple syrup.  We each have our favourite things to snack on throughout the day, there's plenty of food.

In the past we've taken the tour of the Mennonite farms and trip out to the sugar bush to see how the syrup is made.  In recent years we've gone into "Old McDonald's" barn to see the farm animals, which kids of all ages love. For the first time today my son got a tour of a real fire truck, very exciting.

I'm so thankful for all the fun we've had over the years and that the tradition carries on. Family traditions are important; I know my son won't remember sitting around watching TV with me, but he'll remember the times like these that we spent together. Not expensive, not necessarily "educational", but full of precious time together.

I hope you enjoy a few snapshots from our day!!

A Sleeping Boy

My hubby sent me a picture while I was at work today. He found our son sleeping on the floor on top of his giant teddy bear when he went to wake him this morning, so he snapped a shot.

This is my bit of thankfulness for today, this sweet picture really brightened my day!! Love this boy so much!!

2 Smiling Faces

Today I'm thankful for the 2 smiling faces that were waiting for me when I got home from the gym. I wasn't feeling excited about going to the gym, but I did it and made it home. When I pulled in the driveway my hubby and son were waiting for me, which made it all worth it!!

This picture was the skyline just before we came in.

Finding the Positive

Although Alzheimer's is a devastating disease, as with in anything life, one can choose to look at the positive rather than focusing on the negative.

I started to notice a change in my Grama a few years ago when I was on maternity leave.

My Grama has never been the typical apron wearing, cookie baking Grama, but she's my Grama nonetheless.

She was so excited that I was having a baby, I made a point to visit more often after I had my son. He was a little doll to her and she loved to hold him.

On my visits I started to notice knick knacks in different spots or not there at all, every time I came. Then one time I was sitting on her floor with my son, she was sitting in her big lazy boy chair and with a puzzled look she said "who are you to me again?". I tried to laugh it off and replied in way that would be comforting to her. In that moment I knew.

I work for a healthcare agency where I started off as a home care Personal Support Worker, so I am well acquainted with Alzheimer's. If you have even a little knowledge of the disease you know the devastation it causes not only for the individual, but also for those closest to them.

There have been many more incidents over the years, of which I'm not going to go into detail about. Grama is now at a point where she can no longer safely stay at home.

You might be wondering, what is there possibly to be thankful about in all of this?

Well, first of all I feel with my knowledge and experience in healthcare I've been able to help my family understand the disease and its progression a little better. I know I have been an advocate in ensuring my Grama is well taken care of. I'm thankful that even with the heaviness of this disease there are light moments. My Grama still recognizes us for the time being. She's still so excited when she gets to see my son Liam and she genuinely loves him so much.

I'm thankful that I am making the most of whatever time she has left.

I know this picture is blurry, but to me it is representative of what happens to the mind with Alzheimer's disease. In the blur you can still see the love.