We ARE Family, Et. Al.

When family includes peeps and doggies, what else do you need!

Yesterday turned out to be a goldmine in the immediate and extended family circle. 

First, the immediate Love family of Ma and Pa here at the Lovestead, spent time on the other side of the fences from each other. 

Yes, Bill painted fence on the west side of the barnyard while I painted on the east. 

Twas a lovely afternoon with birds singing and even a need to remove some layers. 

We finally reached our point where painting was getting pretty redundant, but happily several sections of dirty, chipped boards are now gleaming with a fresh new  layer of white AND it's not snow!

Bill and I then went our separate ways----he to Mirror Lake with his pontoon and his rod, and I down our country road looking for photos. 

As I turned onto Center Valley Road, I could see a figure beginning to appear about half a mile away. 

"I hope that's Willie," I thought while driving closer.  

Sure enough, it was.  Willie was out with his tunes plugged in to his ears and his sidekick Joe. 

When Willie saw me park on the side of the road, still a ways from where he was jogging, he let Joe loose. 

A happy, beautiful gray and white Border came wiggling and smiling over to my car.  What a moment!

Standing on opposite sides of the road, my son and I enjoyed a pleasant conversation of catch-up.  His distance learning day from home had ended, and this was his chance to get out and enjoy the spring air. 

Finally, we said good bye and I drove on.  Soon, my phone told me I had a text. 

Twas from Laurie, telling me that their masks, fashioned by our sister-in-law Joyce had arrived in their mailbox and there were instructions. 

"Put your mask on and come outside of your house," I texted back just before pulling into their driveway.  My sisters were sitting on the deck when my answer and my unexpected appearance broke up their day. 

We again visited for a while, and Miss Brooke of Brooke and Todd (Willie and Debbie's other Border Collies/our other grandpups) came to join us. Later, Todd came too. 

But wait!

That was not all of this family story, which made yesterday a really great day.  

Annie called from Seattle.   

We visited and then drew our conversation to a close with Annie telling me I'd better download the ZOOM app on my phone because we would both be participating in a 7 p.m. ZOOM "Happy Birthday" song. 

Talk about a family bonanza.  

Our ZOOM chat was crazy fun and so nice, even if some of us were all talking at the same time. 

There were "outlaws" from the Thompson family----Chris, Sig, Bob, Kirsten, Tom and Dana.  There were members of our family---Barbara, Mike and Mary (she's an outlaw and an in-law) and Annie.  

And, there were the guests of honor from the Laumatia family plus one:  Laura and Sefo, along with the birthday kids, Jacob, Justine, Grace and Jade (the plus one). 

What a great and uplifting time for all as we celebrated an 18th birthday, threefold. 

To say that seeing "family," even virtually, is better than ever would be an understatement.  

Twas definitely a day I'll cherish, and I'm sure all the rest feel the same, including the Border Collies. 

Please check for two items below the photos.  

First, you'll see a picture of my first blooming daffodil, along with a story. 

I've heard this same story told in different ways but the very first time, its message left a strong, lifelong impression. 

Though I did not start in 1958, I've been taking the message literally for the past few years, adding to my daffodil show which comes alive at different times around the place.

Happily, it lasts for a few weeks depending on when those golden tops decide to burst open. 

Secondly, please take time to listen to Paul Bonnell from Bonners Ferry singing a John Prine song. 

Finally, though it be different from what most of us have known in the past, may it be a GOOD FRIDAY for all.  

In-laws, outlaws, triplets/quadruplets, longtime friends AND family:  a lovely few moments last night. 

My niece Laura says she has enough cake to last two weeks.

I'm kinda doubting that estimate, knowing those triplets, plus one.

Grace, Jacob, Justine and Jade.

Great kids.  We love you all. 

The Daffodil Principle

by...

                                                         ~Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards~

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things.

We can change the world ...

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle.

Stop waiting.....

There is no better time than right now to be happy. .Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching.

If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special.I just did!

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

~~~~

I met Paul Bonnell when our mothers were residents at Sandpoint's Life Care.  

Our paths have crossed a few times since those days.  

Each time I've spent visiting with this Bonners Ferry educator and talented musician has been inspiring and pleasant. 

Though we've shared little time together during our friendship, I always felt that a bond was formed from that first meeting:  elderly mothers whom we loved so much and a common love for "teaching the children."

Paul came originally from Viet Nam.  If I recall correctly, his mom was a nurse there.  

I think most people who know Paul, a soft-spoken, warm and gentle soul, would agree that Viet Nam's loss was Bonners Ferry's gain.  

This week the loss of the "Mark Twain" of American music, John Prine moved Paul to record this song on YouTube---mainly so his students could hear. 

I hope a host of people, beyond those students, hear this beautiful performance. 

Thank you, Paul.