Elaine

Hi Elaine,

Last time we talked was early October, when you had just moved and were trying to settle in. It's my guess that it was hard for you to leave your home behind, which you've shared with Gordon all your life and where you raised your children.  But co-housing with your grandchild sure made the move a lot sweeter. You were rational enough to know it made sense. 

The frequency of your posts online where you often shared images of grain elevators in Saskatchewan slowed down, the frequency and length of our little chats had decreased as well...I feel guilty for not reaching out to you more. I was aware that we didn't talk as much anymore and I had good intentions but as often life takes over, and it was weeks or months in between a chat. 

It was not easy being a widow, it was not easy being ill.  When I got up last Thursday and saw that your daughter had sent me a message, I didn't have to read it to know what happened.  She had responded the week before when I asked you how you were doing.  Since then, I had a candle burning in church to symbolize my thoughts for you and your family.  That candle was still burning when yours went out. 

Your battle is over, you are reunited with Gordon. I am happy for you for that reason.  You're both dancing in the gas parking lot now, as your children described it in the announcement.  I love that image of you both...I can totally picture it.  I store it along with the image of you both pulling up with the horse trailer at the mall parking lot, the first time Jan was going to meet you.  This picture of us all in 2019 is the last one with both your you.  Thank goodness we all had no clue.  My next visits in the valley will never be the same anymore, without stops at the cherry sign along the highway, the farm no longer one of the places to call my home. 

Us in 2015

You never visited us in Europe...you feel better at home in nature than in historic cities surrounded with buildings.  You gave me your love for nature: out panning for gold with our feet in the river, out fishing and you canned half of my own caught rainbow trout, so I could bring it home to my parents months later and show off my fishing result to them.   At our last visits, we usually found you busy in the garden, under the cherry trees or in the flower perk, hushing the dog(s) to be quiet when we pulled up. 

You've driven me around so often in the white car, to and from school or other activities that I wanted to take in town or to friends I wanted to hang out with.  After school I walked up to the Rec Centre where you worked to catch a ride with you.  You took me curling for the first time...ha ha, taking this crazy Belgian adolescent brooming the ice with you with a lot of uncertainty, good fun.  You looked proud when my date showed up to take me to my prom, dressed up in my big purple dress. 

I loved how you were down to earth and pragmatic...no facades, no pretenses.  When I was my chatty teenage self, your talkative "Maggie", you smiled and listened to my stories.  You thought my choice of music was strange.  When I tried to apply nail polish the first times you told me I might as well dip my fingers in the pot for the same result, and you were absolutely right. I still suck in applying nail polish properly, so I gave up all attempts. 

In a few weeks I'll hang up the beautiful handcrafted Christmas socks we received for the birth of each boy.  They are a centrepiece of our Christmas decorations and with them your love and skills will be very visible in our house.  I'll look at them as of now with sadness but so much gratitude. 

Thank you Elaine! I love you.

Your Maggie