Back from a much needed R&R

Well, what a week we have had! We spent the past week at Forest Rock Camp. The week was a great time for our family to enjoy the beautiful creation and forgetting about our life back in Goderich. The camp has not changed since Stephen and I had been going as kids ourselves. Although the cabins could use a bit of an update, we were blessed with wonderful weather and a beautiful surrounding.

The week was filled with frog hunting, minnow catching, lots of fishing, playing at the playground, swimming out to the raft and in the lake, badminton, boccie ball, Dora Uno, talking with the girls, campfires, boating and lots of relaxing and rest.

I have to report that the girls did not catch a bigger fish than their dad, but they each had the opportunity to go out fishing one on one with him and help him haul in the big ones. There are plenty of the usual pictures of Stephen and the girls holding a stringer of the day's catch. One time, Stephen and Nicole were out on the lake and around the bend in the bay, I could hear the excitement of the big catch. I had to laugh from my perch at the cabin, as Stephen's excitement echoed across the water -- it truly was a "Steve" moment.

We are beginning to see how Nicole is growing up. There were plenty of times when she would just pull up a chair and sit and chat. She "had to" take the camera or the video recorder to capture some moment be that Stephen taking off to go fishing, Meagan and Sarah at play, the ducks swimming by, or the blue heron on the raft. One afternoon I enjoyed playing badminton with just her. It was not just the exchange of the birdie but the conversation back and forth that captured my heart.

We are constantly amazed at the creative mind in Meagan's head. She had drawn an elaborate "sunshine and feeling" sand drawing. She had made a hidden office in the woods. Also she had built a campfire by the water so that she and Sarah could warm themselves. Boy, does she love the natural world. She was mesmerized with trying to catch frogs and net minnows.

We enjoyed the adventure and zest for life Sarah has. She just went and talked all day long. She attempted to play trackball, needed to be pushed at the swings, and loved swimming. One afternoon, although it was a little cooler and cloudier, she desired to be in the lake. With her life jacket and floatie, she was determined to swim out to the raft all by herself.

This week was one of the most enjoyable and difficult times for me. I was blessed with this family time without interruptions. It was a time to enjoy and praise God for the joy that Stephen, Nicole, Meagan, and Sarah bring into my life. To observe the wonderful qualities developing in these young girls. To be thankful for the man I love dearly and am dearly loved by. To enjoy the wonderful world which God has created for us to live in - the quiet of the lake, the blue heron, frogs, minnows, the mist over the lake in the morning, and the clear starlight nights. All these good things, to name just a few, were mixed with some difficult moments. I experienced great discomfort in my joints and muscles as a result of the new chemo drug I was given. Stephen would send me to the cabin to rest while he was with the girls. Although this allowed me to try and rest, it was during these moments that I became an "observer". I could listen from the cabin and hear the delight of a swimming out to the dock, or the fussing of putting on life jackets, or the sound of the boat leaving the dock. Although it was hard not to be a part of it all, there was some peace in that maybe this was God's way of showing me how things will be all right during the next months when I will not be able to be around for everything -- that things are going to be 'okay' .

Cindy