A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

9 Years Young.

Happy Birthday Chad ☺

Every day, you take my breath away. Love Mom.

May your spirit soar gracefully

on the whispering breeze.

May your joy

run strong

as the deepest seas.

May your soul

reach out

to embrace the sky.

May your heart

guide you truly

as the years go by.

Reflecting back just for a moment - 2009

Sitting at my desk. The fire is roaring within the wood stove which sits in front of our front window framing the barn atop the hill. The sun has just set and it's lightly snowing. Supper is cooking on the stove. The hockey game is playing in the background while the Beatles puzzle is being put together, and my boys..... I hear them upstairs - giggling, playing, enjoying life.

This is what I am thankful for today and every day.

Looking back at 2009:

• My amazingly beautiful and talented boys, they breathe life into my soul each and every day.
• Our family as a whole, we complete each other.
• Mom, Dad, brother and sister - we are a part of each other, always.
• Our friends, we are truly blessed.
• New friends made, particularly from school - a beautiful soul.
• My journey in becoming a Doctor of Homeopathy began and so my dreams are being fulfilled.
• Travelled across the country to Alberta and back with my parents was an experience I will not soon forget. From swimming in the mountains, to exploring prehistoric fossils, to crashing a wedding party to staying at the Banff Springs Hotel, to a quiet moment under the stars in the mountains at two in the morning eating flour-less chocolate cake with my Mom - A surreal experience. I am truly blessed to have been a part of the experience and am forever grateful and thankful.
• A flight out to Calgary to accompany my parents on yet another visit to see my brother. A hug, even just for that reason would have been just enough to go out there and back.
• Attending the birth of my nephew, for that I am thankful to my sister for having me be a part of such an extraordinary and spectacular event.
• Attending the births of the many thoroughbreds here on our farm - to help bring a life into this world with my own hands..... inexplicable.
• My amazing canine family members. Everyday they make me smile, I can only hope that I do the same for them :)
• Growing our own vegetables throughout the Summer and Fall, there is nothing like pulling fresh heirloom vegetables from the ground and serving them minutes after.
• I am truly blessed with how I am able to raise our beautiful boys ALL on our own and am SO very lucky to have the family that I surrounded by.

Welcome 2010.

Cole's 11th Birthday Treasure Hunt

We celebrated Cole's 11th Birthday outside this year on November 22nd. We lucked out with such fantastic weather, some of the kids wore only t-shirts!

After a weeks worth of preparing the treasure hunt, it took only about 15 minutes for the 2 teams to find the hidden pirate treasure. It all started with an old pirate map and the first of 11 clues...

....and X marked the spot! YaY for the treasure!

~Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.~

To my little man: The universe gave a gift to the world when you were born—

a person who loves, who cares,

who sees a person’s need and fills it,

who encourages and lifts people up,

who spends energy on others

rather than himself,

someone who touches each life he enters,

and makes a difference in the world,

because ripples of kindness flow outward

as each person you have touched, touches others.

Your birthday deserves to be a national holiday,

because you are a special treasure

for all that you’ve done.

May the love you have shown to others

return to you, multiplied.

I wish you the happiest of birthdays,

and many, many more,

so that others have time to appreciate you

as much as I do.

Love forever and always, Mom ♥

Friendship

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had.

~Author Unknown

A Day at the Pond

A person should go out on the water on a fine day to a small distance from a beautiful coast, if he would see Nature really smile. Never does she look so delightful, as when the sun is brightly reflected by the water, while the waves are gently rippling, and the prospect receives life and animation from the glancing transit of an occasional row-boat, and the quieter motion of a few small vessels. But the land must be well in sight; not only for its own sake, but because the immensity and awfulness of a mere sea-view would ill accord with the other parts of the glittering and joyous scene.

~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

~Margaret Meade

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.

In Memory of our Beloved Colt.

Bowden, 2007-2009.

Somewhere in time's own space

There must be some sweet pastured place

Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow

Some paradise where horses go,

For by the love that guides my pen

I know great horses live again.

~Stanley Harrison

(Fall of 2008. He LOVED to be ridden and got rather upset on bad weather days when riding was not an option)

Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.

(Fall of 2008. James & Bowden enjoy a ride at sunset.)

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,

Friendship without envy,

Or beauty without vanity?

Here, where grace is served with muscle

And strength by gentleness confined

He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.

There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent.

There is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.

~Ronald Duncan, "The Horse," 1954

(Yearling colts together then, and now together again.)

Sometimes I wish I were a little kid again, skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts.

Good bye my friend...

The Limehouse Hike

Such a beautiful day it was today. Gorgeous weather, fabulous company, and amazing scenery. The boys and I enjoyed a 3 hour hike with our friends Doris and Alex in Limehouse. As you can see the boys LOVED every minute of the hike and their explorations. We ended it off with ice cream, popsicles, coffees and even complimentary hot chocolates for the boys in Georgetown.

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.

~Henry David Thoreau

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.

~Dinah Craik

My 2 'Other' Children

I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.

~W. Dayton Wedgefarth

♥ My Little Man ♥

Long ago, beyond the stars in heaven, there was a human soul. It lived among the radiant colours of the angels, heard their heavenly music and listened to their wonderful song.

But the soul grew restless.

“How can I become closer to God?” it said. “How can I learn to be worthier of him?”

The angels replied, “There is only one place in the whole universe where you can learn that lesson. You must go again to the earth.”

So the human soul prepared for the great journey to earth, and one of the angels guided him.

Their path took them down through the kingdoms of seven great stars.

The Spirit of the first star-kingdom wore a mantle of deep, deep blue. This spirit had a memory greater than any you can imagine. He could remember everything that had ever happened in the universe. As the human soul passed through his kingdom he said, “I will give you the gift of memory, so that when you are very old on earth, you will be able to remember your whole life - all the things that have happened and all the people you have met.” This and other things was the gift of the first star spirit.

The Spirit of the second star-kingdom wore a garment of rich, royal orange. This spirit had wisdom greater than any you can imagine. When the soul passed through his kingdom he said, “My gift to you is the gift of wisdom and thinking, so that on earth you may think clearly and judge wisely.” This and other things was the gift of the second star spirit.

The Spirit of the third star-kingdom word a garment of strong, radiant red. This spirit had courage and energy greater than any you can imagine, and strong truth in his words. As the soul passed through his kingdom he said, “My gift to you is courage of the heart to face your lessons on earth, and the gift of speech so that you can share your thoughts and feelings with your fellow human beings.” This and other things was the gift of the third star spirit.

When the guiding angel led the soul into the fourth, the middle star kingdom, they met a wondrous Spirit greater than all the others, clad in a raiment of shining white. This spirit was filled with peace and all-encompassing love greater than any you can imagine, for this was the Spirit of the Sun. “My gift to you,” said the Sun Spirit, “Is the gift of goodness, so that you may fill your deeds with love and make yourself worthy of God.” This and other things was the gift of the Sun Spirit.

The spirit of the fifth kingdom wore a garment of a delicate and beautiful green. This spirit had beauty and gentleness greater than any you can imagine. As the soul passed through her kingdom she said, “My gift to you is the gift of beauty, so that in all you do, in all you create on earth, you can make the earth more beautiful.” This and other things was the gift of the fifth star spirit.

The Spirit of the sixth kingdom wore a garment of sparkling, radiant yellow. This spirit was full of movement and joyful quickness greater than any you can imagine. When the soul passed through his kingdom he said, “My gift to you is the gift of movement so that on earth you can run and dance with your feet, work skillfully with your hands, and move quickly and easily in your thoughts.” This and other things was the gift of the sixth star spirit.

The Spirit of the seventh star-kingdom wore a garment of deep purple. This spirit had imagination greater than any you can imagine. When the soul passed through her kingdom she said, “My gift to you is the gift of imagination, so that on earth you can see things in your mind when your eyes are closed, and can use your imagination to create pictures and paintings and many new things.” This and other things was the gift of the seventh star spirit.

Now the soul and his guardian angel drew near the earth, and the angel opened his hands and showed the soul a huge picture of his life to come - all the places he would see, all the people he would meet, the challenges he would have to face, and the life lessons he would have to learn to become worthier of God. “But remember,” said the Guardian Angel, “I will always be at your side.”

And the angel caused a sleep to fall over the human soul. The soul fell deeper and deeper asleep and grew smaller … and smaller … and smaller, and began to forget heaven and the star-kingdoms.

When he woke up, he was a tiny baby! And the baby’s parents called him Chad. And Chad learned to sit, and then to crawl, and then to walk, and then to talk, and then to think.

Verse Out of heaven bright, And the seven kingdoms of light, Came our Chad With gifts from the stars. Down he came to Mother Earth, And found a place and house of birth. Time has passed, and now can be told: Today he sits here 8 years old.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday's 'friend' party was celebrated in Guelph at the Galaxy Cinema. Chad had the opportunity of being led up to the projection room and he started the movie they all watched (Race To Witch Mountain) followed by a quick tour. That was a big surprise to him and thought it was very cool!

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.

Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear...
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.

The 'Other' Kids.

No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.

~Herman Melville, Redburn. His First Voyage, 1849

(Elmo)

I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying.

(Crystal)

Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when there is a stranger about, but it is an expression of unmitigated joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning.

Skating on the Pond

What a fabulous way to spend a beautiful afternoon. Wonderful company, great fun, a game of tag, some hockey, hot chocolate and somewhat of a fire.

Who is wise? He that learns from everyone.

Who is powerful? He that governs his passions.

Who is rich? He that is content.

Who is that? Nobody.

~Benjamin Franklin

Women are always beautiful. ~Ville Valo

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it. ~Not Your Average Dictionary

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.