Saturday, June 4, 2022 9:58 AM

Hello to you! I know that I am not alone in having patches of challenging struggles. I'm trying my best to try my best. 

   I'm no stranger to pain, having had the 'constant companion' of fibromyalgia symptoms for more than 30 years. I've learned to (for the most part) put the pain 'somewhere', ignoring it the best I can, to get on with the important things, called 'life'! Well… sometimes pain wins! I know many of you know exactly what I'm talking about! Well, cancer treatments haven't helped either. I just want to get back to being 'reasonably' healthy & strong again. Really struggling with weight loss & continual muscle or tendon injury, which have left me quite a comedic mess. Tim Conway often comes to mind when I try to 'quickly' get from point A to B, in a hurry, when I can barely lift my head to see where I'm going. I love my physio, who is working on me top to bottom. My sprained ankle & very painful neck issues. 

   Heavy on my heart are more and more loved ones suffering with a nasty case of Covid, or cancer, as well as repeatedly hearing of young people, committing suicide. Lots of conversations with God on their behalf, entrusting all to Him.

   Having celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary was a very significant and beautiful occasion in the history of my life with Larry. I've planned & organized significant anniversaries for our parents & others. 'Event planner', with the word Covid, thrown in, certainly changed what I would have thought our celebrations would look like. However… what may have seemed unfortunate, trying to work around health safety issues, has turned out 'quite all right', actually quite lovely! I spent many hours organizing a slide show, that in the end Larry & I were very happy with. Being reminded of the wonderful people & times in our lives was the best medicine for anything that ailed me. 

 On the 27th, our Cursillo group had a fun 'Newly Wed' type game & we showed our slides. A few people in person, including a 7 year old with lots of questions. Zoom was set up & a lovely surprise was that our son Shane joined from Kelowna as well as our cousin & friend from Lethbridge. Sunday's celebrations came together with 4 day's planning. Fr. James invited us to renew our commitment to the vows we made on our Wedding day, not only to each other but to God! Whenever Larry or I struggled with being gracious not only In the good times, but certainly the bad, God never failed us, and always brought us back. And, 'sickness & health'? Larry certainly was given the grace to champion being my ever patient & kind caregiver. After Fr. James' homily, he invited us to come to the altar (like a bride & groom) for the ceremony. He then invited us to "Show each other some sign of affection!" (wink, wink) A roar of applause broke out when we kissed. It meant a lot to us, that my sister Erin & hubby John came from Tsawwassen to be with us.  We went to the parish centre for a reception, which was pulled together over the previous days. Pretty gold & white balloon clusters, posters of photos & the slide show projected on the wall. Our adopted (Syrian) 14 yr. old niece, was excited to bake & decorate cupcakes for us, as well as our dear friend. Pizza & samosas were on the last minute menu. I was 'forbidden' to do anything by my sister & our friends, as they took care of absolutely everything. A beautiful memory from that day is of a young couple who came to us so excited to share that they're getting married in October. They were so gleeful, seeing themselves in 50 years. So sweet they were!

  We're collecting cash for Ukrainian refugee efforts. We are grateful to those who contributed. Flowers, cards, so many gestures of love, including a couple of get-aways. We received a card from N. Ireland yesterday from our forever friends, Eileen & Seamus.

  Thank you so much for listening. I should have written this earlier. I'm feeling energized now, to move forward. Oh! Speaking of that, we're heading out in a bit to gather with a close circle or our friends for an afternoon (maybe) sunny picnic. Our family will celebrate our 50th, whenever there'll be a sunny Sunday & after symptoms of Covid are done with in one household & hopefully no more.

  God bless you & your loved ones, with good health, peace & joy! xoxoxo