Back from Oma's funeral and feeling quite at peace. She lived a long, and good, life and she is at peace and in a much better place with her Lord and Saviour. The potential for family drama didn't turn into reality, and other than my Mom being asked to do a reading during the service (and breaking down part way through, which was heart-breaking as I wanted to go up and help her) and the long trip out and back, it was a good time of family remembrance and visiting. Oma's 96 years with us were celebrated, and her pastor had some lovely things to say. My uncle in particular spoke of something that the minister at my Aunt's funeral had said 5 years ago that has stuck with him (a Newfoundlander and lover of the sea)--about how the loved ones at a funeral are watching a boat set out to sea and saying, "there she goes" with fond remembrance, while Jesus and all the Heavenly host are standing on the farther shore watching as the ship comes in and saying, "here she comes, welcome home!".
I've come home with a box full of the multi-photo frames that graced the walls of Oma's house and later her care home unit--because I have the scanning and editing equipment to restore the faded and light-damaged photos. My Mom and her sisters would each like copies of the photos they don't already have, and all 3 have promised to let me go through their own photo albums over the next year to create a more complete visual family record. I have already copied a number of my parents' old photos, so I'm well on my way there, but my two aunts have photos I've never seen before (some of my own childhood!) so I'm really looking forward to the project and walk down memory lane. My plan is to create hard cover photo books for each branch of the family, hopefully for Christmas 2012. But it's going to take a lot of scanning, restoring, and getting the stories behind each photo (or at least the names and dates).
On the home front I've been canning up a storm lately--before we left town for the funeral I put up 11 half-pints of Sweet Pickle Relish and 6 quarts of Tomato Sauce on Saturday and 11 half-pints of Black Cherry Jam and 9 pints of Dilly Bean Pickles on Sunday afternoon after church. I still have more tomatoes to process as they ripen, and still need to purchase cases of pears and apples to can and make into sauce over the next few weeks. I'll post photos of my recent efforts later today once my phone is charged up again--I'm always letting the battery die.
We're having a landmark family day: our oldest daughter started High School today--first day of grade 10. She was so excited, she got all the courses she wanted and needed and was so happy to see her friends again. Our younger daughter starts classes tomorrow--grade 9. They are growing up so fast--in height, and beauty, and wisdom. I'm always amazed at how such tiny little people have grown into such beautiful young women in so short a time.