Angelic Bliss, Firey Hell or Summerland?

March 8, 2014 was beyond doubt the saddest day of my life. It is the day my father, Floyd Corbin, passed away. He had not been well for some time, it is a blessing that the end was quick and relatively painless for him. He fought a long battle with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) as well as the after-effects of a couple of strokes. But, he is no longer in pain and is finally able to rest. He leaves behind a loving wife, four children, seven grandchildren and a boatload of great-grandchildren. He leaves a multitude of friends as well.

Our family is of mixed faiths. Some of us believe in reincarnation, some in Summerland, some in Heaven and Hell. I'm not going to debate the afterlife here. That is not the purpose of this post.

What I want to say is that this is an extremely difficult time for our family. We will miss Dad dearly, our world is much poorer without him. We'll miss his irreverence, his laughter, his teachings, his mockery, his love and all the good things he brought into our lives. The best thing about my father was that you always knew where you stood. No lies, no bullshit, no doubts. If you did wrong, you knew it. If you did right, you knew it. When he was proud of you, he told you. There was a comfort in always knowing where you stood and what was expected of you.

He spent many years serving his country in the Canadian military, worked in the oil patch and was quick with a joke and loved to laugh. He always claimed that he didn't like people, but there was always someone around, someone visiting or asking about him. He had more friends than anyone I have ever known. If he met you, you were his friend, and he would remember you years later. He had friends from every social class, and every walk of life. Well, except politicians. If you knew him, you knew that he had no use for politicians of any leaning.

Dad could tell a story like no one else. He could stretch the simplest event into a long running, dramatic or hilarious tale, usually with a bit of embellishment or exaggeration for fun.

Laughter abounded in Dad's presence. Jokes came fast and furious, as did teasing, puns and uncontrolled giggling. A few of my fondest memories include digging garnets in a pit of mud, rock-picking on mountain-sides and in fields, stopping beside the highway to talk to deer and cows. Then there were the camping trips, family vacations, winter carnivals and dog sled runs. He taught my children how to drink jello through straws. He taught me to stand up for myself and for what I believe in. He told me to take no shit, but to give it out when someone else deserved it. To befriend everyone, because no matter who you meet, they have something worth sharing.

While there are no real words to explain what he has meant to me, I do know this. He is in a better place. He is pain free and his mind is clear. And those of you who knew him know that no matter where he ended up in the afterlife, he is kicking back with a beverage, people are gathered around to hear his words of wisdom. And, there is no doubt that he is telling who-ever is in charge how they should be running things. And he is loving every minute of it.

As for me, I will miss him, always.

I love you Dad. Wherever you landed, give 'em hell.

Hugs
Cathy

Welcome, My Wee Grandson

Let me start out by saying that life is absolutely amazing!
 
A couple of days ago, my darling daughter and her husband just celebrated the arrival of their son, my first grandson.

Please welcome the newest addition to my heart, Benjamin Scott.

He is the most precious young man. I adore him already, and I am so proud of his parents! They are so loving and gentle and caring.

What astonished me, is how quickly I fell in love with him. And now I have a problem ... I have two adorable grandchildren to play with. (Ya I know ... not really a problem.)

I was a lazy ass before, but now, I have another perfect excuse to avoid housework, cooking, writing and quilting..... there are two adorable, cuddly, perfectly precious babies who desperately need my loving.

So, on that note, I am off to get some baby cuddles.

Hugs,
Cath

Fabulous 50

Yes it is true! Today I hit 50.

A number of years ago,when I was in my 20's, I actually thought that 50 was just about the end of the road. I worried that 50 was ANCIENT. You know ... creaking bones, grey hair, weak muscles, loss of memory .... shoot I DO have all that.  Yikes!

We'll I am older and wiser now. I know that the best part of my life is just beginning. I have a fabulous family and great friends. I have a good job and an appreciative boss (even if he does have an issue with me breaking the stapler repeatedly.) I have pets who love me. I'm a published writer. I'm happy and healthy.

Yes, all in all, my life is pretty damned fine!

And to top it all off, yesterday my darling daughters and their husbands threw me a fabulous birthday party. Friends and family arrived bearing hugs and gifts. (I'm not going to ask why so many of them brought me alcohol. I'm just going to drink it and be grateful.) There was great food, a STUPENDOUS cake, and balloons. I love balloons. There is just something about them that makes me smile.

How great are these balloons!
They just make me smile!
 

And to make it even better, they got me this cake. And yes I proudly admit that I am a Trekkie!

This might be the most perfect cake, EVER!

 

This photo in no way does justice to the painting given to me by Cousin Marnie.
So soft and romantic, it reminds me of Thomas Kinkade.

Today on Facebook, and on my author's loops, I received birthday wishes from tons of people. It was fabulous. It gives a girl a warm fuzzy feeling when she is remembered by her friends and family.

Today, I say thanks to everyone for sharing my birthday, whether in person, by card, by letter, by e-mail, or text. It means a lot that you took the time to share my day.

Hugs to you all
Cathy

Thursday Thanks

Kim's "Applique" birthday cake.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking lately. A dangerous occupation at best, I know, but driving the longarm gives a person a lot of time to muse things over. My machine is an APQS Liberty and is not computerised. I have to follow the patterns myself. While one part of my mind is busy concentrating on that, the rest of it runs wild.

As I ease into a rhythm of quilting and my brain takes off. Yesterday, my brain seemed stuck on all the good things I have. Not the possessions, but rather the intangible things. Things like luck, family and friends.

Let’s start with luck. I’ve decided that I don’t really have bad luck, but I don’t really have good luck either. Life flows on with its highs and lows. Nothing really bad has ever happened to my husband and I. But we haven’t won the lottery yet either. Things just seem … well neutral. I guess that means that my Cosmic Karma must be fairly well balanced. (Yeah, I know … there are days when I’ve done or said things that should have me run over by a Karmic Retribution Bus, but we’re not going there.)
I have a fabulous family.

My husband is supportive, career-wise and financially. (Grin.) My kids are happy and healthy (and moved out. Happy dance!) I’m close to my parents and siblings and we have good relationships, although I don’t see them as often as I would like. I know that later I will regret not making a bigger effort to see my family, and I hope that they understand how much I wish I was with them. I wish to publicly thank them all, here and now, for being part of my life and for kicking me in the backside when I need a reality check.

Happy Birthday Old Friend!

And friends. I have a lot of friends, and no I’m not bragging. I’ve got a handful of really close friends and a basket full of good friends. I’ve also got a lot of people in my life who are more than acquaintances, but not quite friends, if that makes any sense.  I spent some time this week with my friend and quilting buddy Kim.(Chatterbox Quilts) I talked about her obsession with applique in my last post. I had her over for birthday tea. Last Friday was coffee with Linda day! Yeah. Linda is my vent. I can tell her anything and spend two hours being angry and snotty about something and she just sucks it all up until I feel better. Deb is my day out friend. We talk almost every day and love to take day trips together shopping and eating and thinking alike. We laugh a lot, and we like to think that the local quilt shops are amused by us, but I expect that we leave as much relief as laughter in our wakes.

But let us not forget Betty Bubbles, and Colleen my Regina friends. Oh, and Little Calgary Betty, Jane, Phaedra, Rita, Sam …. Okay, I’ll stop there. See, there’s no denying it. I’m blessed. My life is good and I am happy. Oh, oh, and my pattern testers. Ann Marie (Muddy Feet 16: Check out her blog!), Tammy, Beth and Alice.

Okay enough drivel for one day. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who makes my life so good.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What are your blessings?

More cake! Mmmmm, it was soooooo good!