Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Our last day in Kamloops










After the birthday blog, I'm finally getting back to finishing the story of our trip last week...
Our last day in Kamloops provided a wonderful surprise: the DuMez family! (Well, all except Ruby). Mark and Erin and Hannah came to join the Tows and us for some picnic-swim-play time and conversation. Earlier the boys helped Sebastian with his paper route, then we took Emma and Sebastian to ride the old steam engine: The Spirit of Kamloops. It was a peaceful little journey and the mock train robbers were too kind, but it was good to have something interesting to do. Then we set up a picnic back at Riverside Park where the DuMez's found us. Hannah is so inspiring with her zest for life! It was fun to see all five Chemainiacs together again. Believe it or not, Hannah, Donovan, and Sebastian were all born in the same year.
Then we play-play-played on the playground -- two of them, before returning to the Tow house (hoping we had given them enough hours of quiet to get some shut eye after a tough morning tending to Jeremy.
We had a very special visit with Anita and her good friend Bina who had come out from Calgary. The kids had a good two hours of the trampoline and grass boarding before they settled into the TV room downstairs to watch Night at the Museum 2 (Battle of the Smithsonian) while we tended to the garden.
For supper, Mark and Erin brought in Little Ceasars and we had a wonderful meal out on the deck. I love seeing the kids play with each other. It was so special and felt so natural, even though we hadn't all seen one another for over a year.
Finally we said our goodbyes after hearing about the Chemainus fundraiser for the Tows from Mark and Erin, and hearing a few more words from Anita about Jer.
Goodbye was hard. Especially for Sebastian. I know because as we were turning around in our van and waving he kept flick spinning his Chinese yoyo and saying, "Goodbye! Goodbye! Goodbye!" with each unfurl. I still have that image in my mind. The smallest eight year old I know... a little blond man with a heart bursting with fear and love, tossing the top of his new yoyo, plaintively calling: "Goodbye! Goodbye. ... Goodbye." We waved until the last possible moment of visibility... and then a bit more. Then we were quiet. All of us full of thoughts and questions.
And new memories.
Thank you, Lord.

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