a couple more days in Toronto...

We are so extremely grateful to Dave, Cathy, Kendra & Natasha who opened up their home to us for the duration of our stay in Toronto. They were absolutely amazing hosts and made our experience of travelling with two young kids so much easier than it might otherwise have been. Even though they had just finished enormous renovations and only moved in a few weeks prior to our arrival... the home was in stellar shape. To be honest, I have no idea how Cathy does it... I am still in awe of her managerial and organizational skills -- for she managed the entire reconstruction of the home, the move and furnishings, and is also a full time mom of two beautiful girls. To say we were spoiled is an understatement!! They even put up with their front entrance turning into a revolving door of visitors who were eager to spend a few moments with our girls (and us too, i think). While in Toronto, we also got to visit with friends of ours who are currently posted in Tanzania... it was quite amazing to see the girls reunite (Abby is just one month older than Isabel). We had beautiful weather and played outside at Sherbrooke Park. Yet another one of those beautiful memories that childhood is made of... i still get a smile when i imagine running through sprinklers on a hot summer day! The one thing that I found most challenging about this trip is how little time there was to spend with everyone we wanted to see. We are so very grateful to those of you who made such tremendous effort to drive out to visit us even just for a few minutes... really, it was amazing. Those of you who came and played with the girls while we ate dinner, those of you who drove by to drop off toys and clothes (and managed to sneak in a fifteen minute visit), those of you who drove up on your lunch breaks to take a 20-minute walk around the block. The visits were many and the time as always too brief. But what we appreciated most was just the opportunity to reconnect, to feel the physical presence of the people we love and yet live so far away from.

The other part of our time that was riddled with sadness for me personally, was to share time with friends going through emotional and physical distress. It made it all the more poignant to realize how difficult it is to be so far away. I wanted to stay to be around to take long walks and offer face-to-face support... one friend whose husband was diagnosed with cancer, another friend whose mother passed away, another whose sister was undergoing cancer treatment, another whose mother was diagnosed with cancer... the trauma of it all continues to haunt my heart. I could not believe that in such a short time as we were in Canada so many of our closest friends were dealing with such news. And at the same time, during our short six-weeks in Canada, five of our friends had babies... all girls!! So, as always, we were living the complete cycle of life as it moves before us just like the ebb and flow of the waters, the waxing and waning of the move, and the rise and fall of the sun... it is constant, ever-present, ever real.

I felt myself torn in so many directions; and as always, it was my girls who reminded me that there is only one direction and it is this very moment. We live it as it is... filled with joys and sorrows... without judgement and full of grace. And again, I was reminded of the power of prayer and intention... so while I cannot be there to share in the various peaks and valleys of our friends lives, I can also send them energy with my thoughts... I can always rely on the strength of our intentions and allow them to grow wings that span the distance of countries and oceans.