Back in the day we hosted our fair share of Christmas dinners. On those days, I wouldn’t drink during the day but once the dinner was eaten, the dishes were washed and the kids were happily playing with their cousins, I would open a bottle of Valapolacella and take a seat in the living room with my guests. Kitchen clean, glass in hand, I would relax and reflect on the day.

It’s almost midnight Easter Saturday night. Two of our three kids, a partner and granddaughter are here for the weekend. They have to leave tomorrow so we had our big dinner tonight. Now, everyone is asleep. And as I have always liked to do, I sit here with my glass of dry red reflecting on the day, our family, our life.

It was a gorgeous day. The whales came at breakfast. The boys split wood, the girls discussed wedding plans and the dog? Well the dog worked hard at relaxing with strangers in the house. He was challenged. Chores done, we were also able to sit in the sun and take advantage of the whole reason for the reno. Our new deck…

There was a great island do going on at the community fire hall tonight but our family didn’t attend. I confess, I am a selfish mother. I haven’t seen my kids/grandkid since Christmas and I am reluctant to share them. E would have loved to have been at the community event but ultimately family is everything to us. Our time with them, rare and precious.

More of our extended family are at the other end of the island. The two youngest will hunt for eggs in the morning together just like their parents did thirty years ago with Papa. This of course begs the question. Where the hell did that time go?

While my niece is here, I was able to give her my latest attempt at quilting. I can show it to you now. It is for her upcoming baby’s arrival, with the goal of celebrating the shared family love of reading.

I would like to make more of these “bookcase” quilts. They are fun to do and help me learn.

If I had to summarize the thoughts in my head upon reflecting on our life here it would be threefold.

1. Every day, living here, provides more opportunity for growth and learning.

2. Our children love this island as much as we do and support our decision to live here.

2. With the physical help our children provide when they visit, we are confident we can live a long and happy life here.

Life is good