April 5 to May 25...
A pan of stewing beef turned on high,
a last-minute change of mind,
a split decision to come along,
a "senior moment"
was all it took to displace us from our home and bring on huge upheaval for the next 2-5 months!
And coming at such a time when we already felt to be at max capacity preparing for my wedding and the extended trip to follow.
But it could've been worse! At least we still had a house to return to and insurance to help deal with the extensive smoke damage and pay for temporary accommodations. And it was good for us also to have a tiny taste of homelessness to be able to be more compassionate for those who truly are without place to lay their head or access to any of their possessions (if they even have any)!
It was a comfort to know that the Lord was in control, knew what He was doing!
So thankful that He provided all we needed
and it was a blessing to have more time and fellowship with loved ones.
Good thing I had taken some work with me
Thanks Maurice & Christine for giving us (and Tia too) a place to stay for the first few days till we found a B&B
Tia was a big help ;)
yes, this was in April!
The Lord provided a nice Bed & Breakfast in a lovely setting very conveniently situated between our house (where we went almost daily at first to meet with insurance/cleaners and help sort, clean...) and Chris' home where she made us welcome for supper anytime we didn't have anywhere to go.
Inn on the Morraine
When we were here we felt like we were on vacation!
Loraine the hostess was very friendly and provided a full course breakfast which at first Mom couldn't eat much of but later she made some sprouts and gluten free items for her!
We stayed here until they closed for Easter.
Anyways we needed something where we could cook our own food and have Tia with us
(that was their big dog trying to nestle under Mom's legs during breakfast!)
That wasn't easy to find at short notice but on the final evening, on the way home from a tiring day at the house, the Lord provided the answer thru Tinie D! She "just happened to" be going away for 2 weeks and the house would be empty so she welcomed us to take over her place! PTL! Actually, it was quite amazing that she was even still alive, let alone going off on trips, after her massive heart attack just 3 months earlier! She is amazing example of answered prayers and the Lord's compassion on His children! PTL! We were grateful to be able to stay in her lovely home and help her in return (also via our insurance). It turned out perfect timing to be in Brampton for all the church events and the other extra things we had to do in town then. And what a blessing to wake up to see beautiful promises on the wall instead of pagan artwork.
Here Mom also had the space to finish my wedding dress
And we could have Maurice & Rachel and kids over after church
We were also able to join in on the community Bible Study that met there!
When the apartment for Mark & Joanna was
almost completed we moved into it to help them with the renovation costs and it
was great to be with the family again yet have our own space (sorry I didn't get any good pics of the apartment). Here's Josh over for dinner
(nice for me to be
close to my Matron of Honour :) )
Maria was there to sew her bridesmaid's dress with Oma :)
(shower)
Great to see Heidi & kiddos more often...
special times
Lydia loved Tia
Tia can only handle so much hugging...
...just hanging out... lazin around
We had to be out of there the week
before Mark & Jo’s wedding, and since
our house was still not ready, we had to find another place again! This time the Lord provided a fully self-contained 2 BR apartment on an old hobby farm in Palgrave where
we could stay as long as needed!
The lovely, quiet, wild surroundings were restful
and Tia could run free sometimes
too - tho the burrs were something to reckon with!
Unfortunately the outdoors wasn’t so accessible from
the apartment which was above a high garage (and the long flight of stairs made moving in & out more difficult so we were very glad for Chris' help!)
Thankfully there was a balcony along which Sonja kindly had
some wiring put up so Tia could be out there safely – but it was too low and
one time Tia, trying to chase a raccoon that was sitting on a tree close by, jumped
onto the higher rail and was about to topple/jump off! Thankfully I was right there and managed to
grab her just before she plunged to her death – or at least serious injury!
A beautiful sunset as seen from the balcony:
(Sharon's)
(Thanks Sharon for the beautiful pictures L&D and following)
