As of Friday afternoon, we are officially on Spring Break around here! We got off to a great start by snagging an afternoon spot at the pool for Peter and the girls – the first time back in about a year. Peter and I also made some time on the weekend for some thrift store shopping, another thing we haven’t done much in the past year. Our little downtown has two thrift stores and the best one always has a line-up outside these days and a sign out front asking shoppers to limit their time to 15 minutes. I made the most of my 15 minutes and snagged some great finds.
I even got some time at the library by myself and these were the 3 books I left with.
Last year’s Spring Break marked the real beginning of lockdown for us. Peter began his two weeks off not knowing when or if he would go back to work. We cancelled our trips to Harrison and Whistler and spent the time hiking and playing in the backyard. This picture of Rose at a Tim Horton’s was taken March 7, 2020:
We had just come from a busy fair and stopped for doughnuts at Tim Hortons before heading home. We’re inside a restaurant! I’m letting my child eat off the table! I didn’t even own hand sanitizer. How times have changed… It’s also now been a year since our family has been in a physical church building, something that would have once seemed unthinkable to me.
Spring Break also means the return of Peter’s classroom fish. The girls were very excited to welcome them back for the next two weeks.
Pearl’s class had a Fancy Day this week and of course Rose had to dress up too.
I came across this quote this week, from a liturgical collection called Every Moment Holy:
When I look again at that loss, I see You in the deepest gloom of it, weeping with me, even as I hear You whispering that this is not the end, but only the still grey of the dawn before the world begins.
from “A Liturgy for the Anniversary of a Loss”
March 10th marks the anniversary both of the due date of the baby boy that we lost and the day that I was diagnosed with a congenital uterine deformity and told that bringing a pregnancy to full-term might not be so simple for me. This year that date passed me by in the midst of recalling all the things that have changed since the beginning of 2020 but I came across this quote and thought, Yes, that is what it is to look back on grief. That is what God was telling me as far back as 2014 and though March 10th is a sad day it is also a day to celebrate what I have been given.
A few others from the week…
Our trusty drying rack finally broke down after 10 years 
Karissa Reads Books 
That’s wild to see how small Rose is in that picture taken at Tim Horton’s and then to see her one year later. Their little bone structures and baby fat change so much!
Yes! Rose in particular has changed so much. Sometimes I miss her jiggly little baby cheeks!
Oh my gosh, Rose from a year ago looks so much littler! And it’s lovely seeing how excited they are for the fish and Fancy Day. 🙂
I’m really hoping next year’s Covid lockdown anniversary will be more of a celebration for a period of time that’s ending, but I think you’ve got the right suggestion in looking back at sad dates also as a way of seeing what there is to be thankful for later on, even if it’s impossible to see what that is until we’re farther in the future. Some things take time, but I have to believe we’ll be better in the end for the difficult moments that have strengthened us.
I know! Looking at photos of Rose from last year I really see how much time has passed!
I hope too that this time next year we’ll be honouring an anniversary and a time that is in the past. As you say, hopefully we can take the good from this period of history and use it to make our world better.
This soon-to-be-Kindergarten Mum needs to know – do they have a theme day every week?! 😀
The girls look beautiful in their fancy dress.
I was going to say no but now that I think about it…kind of! We’ve had a few repeats, like crazy hair day and pyjama day. I think it depends on the teacher because only about half of the themes have involved the whole school. The others are the result of their class meetings and they vote on different special days!