‘Tis the season when thoughts turn to this most cherished of seasons, when above all else we reflect on our glorious past, remember the good times and the values that we all share, find comfort in the traditions that we have nurtured and nestle in front of a roaring fire, family all snuggly in their blankets, happy smiles and good cheer abound. Yes, for some of us, ‘tis the season for gathering around the hearth — in our case TV — to watch . . . NFL FOOTBALL, because ‘tis the season of Fantasy Football playoffs.
We are happy to note Girard’s team, the Sherpas, is poised for another run at the league championship. And once football season is over, Bryn will be thrilled to be able to watch “my show” on TV rather than football. In fact, speaking of Bryn, since that’s all we talk about, she is a growing, bubbly, boisterous and demanding concern. She has been asserting her independence — which will be good for her in her adult years, but maybe not so good for
her parents now — and she has been amazing us with her comprehension and speech. Lately she has been into rhyming words (“dad, sad, mad” being one of her favourites) and singing.
She sings almost non-stop some days. Raelene, of course, knows the words to most of the songs, being a babysitter of some renown in her younger days and an auntie of tremendous patience in her advancing years. Girard, of course, knows nothing. Both in general and when it comes to kids’ songs, as he has never paid any attention to them, let alone be forced to remember them. “How does that song go?” Bryn will ask him. “Ummm, how does your mom sing it?” he will respond, which brings on warbling that may or may not trigger a memory. Why just the other day Girard for the first time learned the words to Frosty the Snowman (“...with a corn cob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal”). Who knew? Well, Bryn taught him.
Bryn’s teaching us a lot about priorities. The value of a good night’s sleep being number one. Also, the value of accomplishing nothing in a day, except reading Elmo books, cooking plastic french fries in a miniature microwave, teaching the words to Jingle Bells, coming up with a surprise for dessert, receiving hugs for no reason at all. Life is full of new surprises and wonders each day, not just for Bryn but for us as well.
Speaking of priorities, work continues to be work, in other words, an interference in the enjoyment of life. These are not great times for the newspaper industry, but we are lucky to have what we have (one supposes). We have led a sheltered existence this year, except for a planned trip to visit friends in P.E.I., which didn’t work out. After stopping in Toronto, we drove home, which is nice if you like trees spoiling the view, but we tried to make the most of it. At least we can say we went “whaa, whaa” in Wawa.
We have visited and hosted many visitors this year. We made a few trips to Regina and Yorkton to visit family. One of those trips was to Regina in October to see Neil Young, Girard’s fave since his teen years, and we were lucky to get tickets for Elton John’s Saskatoon concert which was an incredible show. Raelene and Bryn have been to see The Backyardigans, The Wiggles and Sesame Street Live so Bryn is well on her way to becoming a concert-goer. Alas, we didn’t see anyone younger than 60 or older than 10 on stage in 2008.
This year, Bryn enjoyed sharing time with friends from Edmonton and Rainy River, Ont., and points between. It’s been an amazing year watching her grow into the incredible almost three-year-old she is today. Our baby has grown up fast.
Bryn would wish everyone a Merry Christmas, but she is helping decorate the tree right now. So from our house to yours, we wish you all a magical Christmas and peace in the New Year.
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