celebrating

In January my parents had a 60th birthday celebration. Friends and family came to join in celebrating the 60 years God has given them. We heard stories, laughed, talked, and enjoyed delicious food.

My sisters and I prepared speeches for this special occasion. In a strange way it was a hard speech to write. There were so many stories- both funny and serious, snippets of conversations, and words of encouragement that ran through my mind. In the end I narrowed my speech down to the topic of

 "Living Beside Dad & Mom."

Here are a few paragraphs from the speech:

About ten years ago, Adam and I sat down in dad and mom’s living room and told them we bought the old, rundown grape farm next door to them. Considering we did not know a thing about grape farming or tractors, dad and mom probably had some hesitations about our investment but they didn’t share their misgivings with us.

They have been slow to criticize and interfere and instead they have been quick to encourage and often throw in their full support.

They allowed us to live with them while we worked on home renovations, and when the time came for harvesting grapes – they slaved away right beside us. When they couldn’t help with the picking and sorting of grapes  - they sent my sisters over to help. The whole grape harvest ended in a flop, and when we decided that grape farming was not for us, dad and mom just nodded in agreement, and as per their style they didn’t say a word.

We then decided to plant bushes, hundreds of them. I am not sure what we were thinking because we have the worse clay soil in all of Ontario, BUT, once again dad and mom didn’t say a word to deter us, nor did they question our plans. Instead they came along side us and hoed away in the hard clay.

When all of those bushes shrivelled and died and we realized that working the land was not for us, a big solar barn was built on our property rising high into the sky blocking dad and mom’s view of the escarpment. Again, we did not hear a word from dad and mom.

And then came the time we thought we should start a hobby farm and fence posts were pounded into the ground. Again dad and mom didn’t say a word knowing that they would be the ones called when the chickens and pigs escaped. And that is exactly what happened. Dad has helped our dog while she was in labour, delivering a breech puppy, and he has been a huge help when the animals have escaped blocking paths and chasing the animals down.  Mom, on the other hand stood there, pointing to the chaos and laughed her head off.

As our family grew, so did the number of trips to the emergency room. Dad and mom have always rushed right over after getting my crazy, frantic calls. They have either come along to the hospital or have stayed back to babysit the rest of the children while we have had to seek medical help. Again, I think they have shaken their heads in dismay at some of the happenings in our home, but they do not say a word.

Our younger boys especially like it at grandma and grandpas and on a number of occasions have escaped to grandma and grandpa’s reaching their home in Olympic timing. Adam has gone over there to pick up the little escapee only to find him happily sitting on a couch munching  a cookie, and watching TV. Adam has then had to do some serious disciplining so mom takes off to another room with her hands over her ears and then that is when she can no longer keep silent.  We hear, “These boys are still so young! Is it really necessary to take a hard line like that? Do you think those boys know better or do you think it is childhood innocence?”

Our boys know full well that they have grandma on their side because when they have been hurt or have gotten in trouble they stand at our kitchen window facing out to my parents’ home. With their noses smudged up against the glass and tears pouring down their cheeks, they wail “Graaaandma, Graaaandma!” hoping she will hear and rescue them.

A few months ago I noticed a furniture delivery truck slowly backing down their driveway. Mom was thrilled with her new furniture for the downstairs. I asked her what dad thought about the red couches, and heard, “He doesn’t know yet. I guess he will find out when he goes down stairs.” Two and a half months later, mom asked Adam to hang pictures in the basement. She felt bad asking for Adam’s help but dad couldn’t do it because he still didn’t know about the decorative make over in the downstairs. And this is how we grew up, with mom buying, selling, decorating, and re-decorating. Most of the time Dad was unaware of her plans until they were all finished or it was too late to stop the progress. This past summer dad came home from work and there was a man taking apart the back deck. Now they needed a whole new deck. Dad has taken this all in stride, being a great example to his son-in-laws!

A few weeks ago I woke up early on a Sunday morning and decided to go for a quick walk down our road. It was still dark outside and I was actually a little afraid thinking about the hungry coyotes living in the nearby bush. Just then, the lights went on in the music room at my parents’ home. I started walking towards the light. As I neared their home and looked through their window panes, I could see dad sitting on the organ bench, music spread out in front of him and his hands moving up and down the key boards. It was a comforting moment. When the lights lit up that room and shone out onto the dark street, I thought about our lives. Dad and mom have always been there for us. Through the dark times, they have supported us, encouraged us, loved us, cared and comforted us. They have spoken words of truth to us, gently correcting where correction was needed. They have listened to us, and many, many times over the years have we heard them say, “Take the high road. You will never regret it.” They have been slow to speak, quick to listen, always showing grace. During joyful times and during difficult times, their lives have reflected their love for our families, for our church, and for Christ. This is abundantly clear in their words and actions. We are so very grateful for you!