Living Life Well

I suspect that some of the followers of this blog – I’m assuming (hoping) there will be a few followers – are anticipating that any day the kids will begin to unravel, and my next post will have me pulling out my hair in frustration.

Today is not that blog.

I had a great day with the girls, albeit a day slightly behind schedule. Given the late night last night, I had to wake up both Marley and Evelyn around 9 am. Jordan had herself only awoken around 8:45. This is odd for the girls. Admittedly, Evelyn had woken up earlier, but then drifted back to sleep. Around 2 am she was cold, and had spent the night snuggled up to me. It had been quite a cold night – I can’t verify the temperatures, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was close to or even in the single digits. So, at 9 am, I roused the girls, and forced them to start the day with a bagel and a bowl of fruit loops. By the time breakfast had been eaten and cleaned up, kids readied, and trailer packed, it was close to 11 am. I had hoped this morning to leave at 10:30, although 10 would have been preferred. All it meant was a slightly later arrival at Kakabeka Falls this evening.

Today was a day of planned stops. The drive between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay has several well-known roadside attractions, and I was planning to stop at several. I had even printed off colouring sheets related to each, so the girl’s anticipation would build (they have yet to colour several of these sheets, although I do believe they appreciated the effort).

Stop one: the big goose in Wawa. Well, geese, actually. I have a picture of only one of three giant geese that we saw in Wawa. Perhaps there are more. It was a relatively quick stop, as we had only been driving for about 25 minutes. After some pictures with the goose, a trip to the bathroom, and some watermelon, we were back on the road. Unfortunately, Evelyn had a mishap at this stop, although I didn’t realize this until later. Unwilling to hold Marley’s hand in the parking lot, Evelyn ran to my left side, only to run right into the camera. She didn’t make much of a fuss about it, but at our next stop, when she complained, I noticed the goose egg. I suppose it is appropriate that she got her goose egg in Wawa.

Stop two: Winnie the Pooh, in White River. Dang. I just realized I told the girls I would read them the two-page story we got from the information booth in White River about Pooh tonight, but forgot. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Anyhow, for those that don’t know, the actual bear that became Winnie, who inspire Milne to write Winnie the Pooh was from White River. There is a nice roadside park here – sadly, White River’s only redeeming feature. For whatever reason, my family all hate White River (most members of my family have driven across this fine country at least once, most a few times, some absurd amounts like I). As I’ve never stopped with kids, I’ve never appreciated how great the play park is. We had a lunch break here, and some time to play, before trucking on.

Evelyn's giant goose egg.

Stop three: lighthouse in Terrace Bay. This was a washroom break primarily, but we parked next to a lighthouse, and the girls wanted to climb it, so we did.

Stop four: an unscheduled stop to observe a moose. Jordan has inherited her mother’s eyes. While driving west of Rossport, she suddenly exclaimed, “I saw a moose!” I was a tad skeptical. I once was driving into Slave Lake with my younger brother and thought I saw a bear. I turned around quickly, only to discover the bear was an man in a black jacket hunched over picking some what I can only assume was a wild edible. To be honest, I’ve stopped declaring that I’ve spotted something until I'm certain (a.k.a., I’ve run it over), as I’ve mistaken many an inanimate object for some animal. But, given Jordan’s exuberance, and a handy place to turn around, I went back. Sure enough, there was a big bull moose off to the side of the road. Evelyn, given her position in the truck, and the fact that she can’t lean forward in her seat, couldn’t see it. Although I turned around again, it was gone. We tried to comfort her by saying, “see, here’s a picture, you did see it”, but she’s no fool. I need to see another moose, or at least some other cool animal, so Evelyn will recover.

Stop five: Terry Fox monument outside Thunder Bay. I’ve stopped here several times. I’ve always been amazed to think Terry Fox ran the hills of Northern Ontario. Given my newfound interest in running, I’m also terribly impressed. Stopping here today had some somber significance. A dear friend is on her deathbed due to cancer, and so today we honoured her when we stopped. Leia and I have decided to be frank with the girls about death. It has not been without consequence – as I’ll explain in a minute – but I am glad that we have. Today, as we talked about Terry Fox leading up to and at the monument, we also discussed our friend Kathleen. While they do not understand it fully, they know the significance of death. We placed some wild flowers for Kathleen at the monument, and stopped to think about Kathleen. When we first pulled up, there was a guy playing bagpipes, and while it would have been neat to have him still playing while we were there, the silence was fitting. As we walked away, Jordan and Evelyn started to bawl. They both sobbed for about 15 minutes. Last time I said, Evelyn was crying because of Jordan and Marley – but I’m not convinced of that today. She continually kept asking why Kathleen had to die, and expressed that she didn’t want her to die. Leia and I both have taken this sad moment in our lives to explain the importance of valuing each day. I told Jordan, who insisted that we turn around and drive home so she could say goodbye to Kathleen, that Kathleen would want her to continue enjoying this trip, and to enjoy each day. I’m confident that Kathleen and Mike would wholeheartedly agree – which is why we will mourn Kathleen with smiles and gratitude. I am glad that the girls and I had the opportunity to know her, to call her a friend, to be part of her life. Cancer sucks, but Mike and Kathleen have shown Leia and I how to face death, both as a possibility and a reality, with courage, strength, and integrity. It has also given us a chance to show our girls that while death is sad, it is the necessary corollary to life – and that death has less of a sting when we can live well!

Tonight, I raise a glass of Tailset Ginger Ale, beer #3, to Kathleen. You lived well, and you have shown us how to face death well. Thanks for being part of my family. You are loved, and you will be missed!  

Living life well with the girls at Kakabeka Falls!