End of the Year

I started this blog last January 1 in response to a challenge to post a picture a day. Over the year it has evolved into a journal of the happenings in my family. I have enjoyed doing it so much that I have decided to continue for another year.

Here are a few final images of the end of this year.


A snowy day in Lethbridge yesterday as we started for home.


When we visited Lloyd's sister Cheryl, one of her friends brought out this beautiful angel to show me.


Three more Oilers jerseys - Mike, me and Lloyd. Too bad our team isn't doing so well this year.


A late Christmas visit with Mike, Avril, Alex and Kenny. Always fun to visit with the family and little grandsons.


For our Christmas Eve dinner this year, Sara made these little deck-of-card-sized personalized boxes for all the adults in the family (16 of us). She put slips of paper in each of them and they were passed around so everyone could write something positive about the person whose name was on the box. They're lovely treasures for us all to keep.

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Sadly 2008 ended on a sad note for our family. Yesterday morning our niece, Tania's 12-year old son MacKenzie, collapsed from a ruptured brain tumor - a tumor they didn't even know he had. He never regained consciousness and was pronounced brain dead this afternoon. The family gathered at the pediatric ICU all day to give Tania our love and support and shed tears together. It was very sad. MacKenzie is the first child our large family has lost. He was loved by everyone and will be missed by all. He had expressed the wish some months ago that he would like to have his organs donated at his death so his family is honoring his wish. His death is providing the gift of life to several people who otherwise wouldn't be so blessed. What more could we wish for his legacy.