My dad graciously sent me a blog post to help fill in the blank space this week. This post isn’t really cycling related, but it gives you a glimpse into the amazing family and support-system I’m blessed with…

Christmas is a time for family.  For us, the last several Christmases have meant togetherness via Skype and the telephone because our family has been separated by many thousands of kilometers.  Saskatchewan to Ontario, and Saskatchewan to Belgium.  But this year, we were indeed fortunate.  Our move to Lakefield, Ontario, brought us close to Gregory and his family, so we were able to spend two wonderful days enjoying their company and our grandson’s first Christmas in our new home.

For an almost one year old, Christmas does not have a real impact, but for his parents and grandparents it certainly heralded a fresh chapter in the family history.  We were overjoyed, watching him react to the newness of the situation as he made laps around the living room and kitchen clutching a favourite new toy – a pot scrubber from his Mom’s (Liz’s) Christmas stocking! The myriad musical toys – singing puppy, Jack in the Box, a really mellow drum form Auntie Vicki and Uncle Marc – paled beside the tasty wonders of that bristly tool.  And squeaky toys usually played with by Pixie, our poodle, found favour, inciting more than a little angst in their owner’s mind…

We all had chance to visit with Vicki and Marc, and the distance between us was lessened by those several minutes of conversation thanks to Skype.  Although circumstances for V and M were (and still are) far from perfect, with Vicki having to spend the Christmas week tucked up in a hospital bed, we felt the closeness that this holiday brings. How lucky we are to be together when we are apart.

What will the New Year bring, I wonder? Our hope – Sue’s and mine – is for a return to good health for Vicki who will, with the unfailing love and support of Marc, continue to fill us with pride, and for continued happiness for Gregory and his family as they enter another phase of parenthood (Liz returning to the daily grind of her office, and Gregory assuming the role of primary care-giver).

I think it’s fair to say that seven people usually far from each other have been brought so close that distance is no longer an issue. May the coming year nurture and protect us all.

Thanks Dad for this heartfelt post, yes I’m sitting here with watery eyes and thoughts of the future…