Ascension : News From The Grotto - Thought For The Week
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 23.04.2009 (Article Archived on 07.05.2009)
I’m back on Ascension after a whirlwind trip to the mainland. These quick vacations are always so busy, especially when work is added into the mix.
I’m back on Ascension after a whirlwind trip to the mainland. These quick vacations are always so busy, especially when work is added into the mix. I started to feel as if all my time was being spent in airports, on planes, and driving! At least when I arrived in Canada it was, although not warm, certainly not as cold as it was in January.
I had a good, if somewhat short, visit with my family. It was bittersweet. My little grandson Dominik is a delight, growing by the day, and now full of smiles and gurgles. I got to spend time with him, even babysitting him one night. He is a treasure; a beautiful gift for our family.
My daughter and her husband’s family have been moving ahead one step at a time after the loss of her sister-in-law’s husband and children. It was sad to visit the graves, and hear my daughter talk about every thing they’ve had to handle since that tragic night.
They have decided to build a memorial playground in memory of Jason, Hannah and Jack at Hannah’s school. It is the family’s attempt to have something positive come out of their pain, and to have something to always remember them by. Not that they will need something concrete, because the memories that live in their hearts will keep their precious ones with them forever.
Fundraising for the playground will keep Maggie and her family busy as well. It will help the time pass so that they can get to that place when they realize that they smile more than cry when they think of Jason, Hannah and Jack. But that time is a long way off yet, and it is probably the toughest journey they will ever have to make. All I can do is pray for them and be there to talk.
At the beach the other day, I was talking to a friend while we were floating around in the surf, and we decided that life is like the water of the ocean. It flows to and fro, taking us along for the ride. As much as we swim against the current, it can get too strong at times to fight against. And sometimes it guides us safely over the rocks, and sometimes it slams us into them. Water can be gentle and soothing, but as we all know on this island, it can also get terribly rough.
We helped a friend celebrate his 60th birthday today. I remember when I was young and 40, 50 and 60 seemed so far away, and here we are, having passed a few and looking towards the next “big” birthday. We were full of dreams and plans for our lives. Some have come true, some have changed a bit, some got left behind. For many of us, we look back with a bemused smile and wonder what happened along the way.
But for most of us, for all the dreams we left behind, new ones took their place. And these dreams and happenings in our life were mostly good. And we realized that this is the way it was supposed to be. Our lives may not have turned out the way we planned, but they probably turned out the way they should.
So this week, as we look out on the beautiful ocean that surrounds our island, let us remember that we need to go with the flow. Enjoy the calm seas, the good days in our lives, and save our strength for the wild seas. And always know, that no matter how rough it gets, calm seas will return. Keep dreaming, but know that sometimes dreams we never even dreamed will sneak in and become our reality. Be open to all the possibilities, and know that for every sadness we suffer, the joys will be greater. To look back on our “big” birthdays, indeed any day, and smile at the story told so far, is a great gift, the best birthday gift of all.
God bless each and every one of us as we journey on and discover our own personal dreams.
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