Monday, June 18, 2018

Taking A Short Hiatus

Just a few short hours after my Monday Blog post went out into the world, my brother-in-law John went to meet his maker. My heart is heavy for my sister-in-law and my nephews and I regret the loss they must now bear. John was a kind and musical man, but most of all, he was a man who held a deep unshakable belief in his Heavenly Father. He smiled repeatedly when we saw him last not afraid of death. His only concern was for those who he knew would grieve his passing. John is the only relative Emily would play the piano for without hesitation when asked. He was a good friend to Bobby. He readily accepted me into the family from day one. He will be missed more than words can express. For this reason I have decided to take a few weeks hiatus from my book reviewing. Thank you so very much for having followed me on my reading journey thus far and I look forward to posting again in the near future.

Aileen Stewart

Uncle John with Emily and his Grandson Cole when they were small

A Difficult Week

This past week has been quite difficult. My mother-in-law was in the hospital and hospice was called in for my brother-in-law, John. Despite these difficulties, I was able to find comfort in the facts that my mother-in-law is now home recovering and we were able to visit with John right before he left the rest home and opted for hospice.

I have always admired John for his loving spirit, his musical talent, and above all, his complete faith in an unseen Heavenly Father. This is a faith shared by my husband, daughter and I as well as our family. It is the reason that John, despite incredible pain and weakness of body, smiled at us the entire time we visited him. It is the reason for the unexplainable peace he had about dying. And the belief that we will one day see him again makes the loss that we are going to soon experience a bit more endurable.


Unfortunately these events meant I was unable to visit the library and gather a new stack of books to review, but I am put in mind of a wonderful book by a friend of mine that explains the concept of life and death to children. It is entitled The Life of Bud and is the story of a leaf from formation to falling from the tree. 


Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Connections

Personal connections are important to everyone, and that is one of the reasons I enjoy being a part of our local Farmers' Market. It gives me an opportunity to interact with people in my community that I wouldn't normally know and an opportunity to share my struggles and triumphs as well as theirs.

This past Saturday was our first market day after a long winter and I welcomed vendors both new and old with a smile and a joyful heart. I hugged a customer who lost her husband last year and rejoiced that she was doing well with the help of friends and family. And I mourned the loss of a customer who used to bring his small dog to visit all of us at the market each week.

I chatted with my maple syrup vendor about the complexities of raising a teenager, I took pictures, and I sold lots of mini quick breads. In essence, I lived life, I interacted with those around me, and hopefully, my existence made a difference.






The two books I read for this week's review were both about connections. The first book, Through With The Zoo, was a story of a small goat from the petting zoo who longed to get away from all the people and other animals and find a space of quiet and serenity. He searched high and low for such a space and when he finally found it, he realized that we all need a balance between alone space and time with others.


The second book, Mango, Abuela, and Me was the story of a young girl whose Spanish speaking grandmother moved in with her family and shared a room with her. At first it was difficult for the two to communicate, but soon the young girl decides they can teach each other. With the help of a new parrot which keeps the grandmother company while the girl is at school, the three soon become bilingual and have much to share with each other.


Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Niagara Falls and Diversity

This past week, Emily, myself, and Emily's Aunt Kay made our much awaited trip to Niagara Falls where we had a fabulous time despite my having contracted a poison ivy rash before we left. We settled in to our hotel about ten minutes from the downtown area and opted to take a tour with Gray Line Niagara Falls on our first full day. Our tour guide, Larry D. The Legend, led us on an informative journey to see the whirl pool which is the only spot of water in the Northern hemisphere where the water moves counter clockwise, Through the Cave of the Winds where Emily and Aunt Kay felt the force of the hurricane deck, and onto the Maid of the Mist where we got up close and personal with the American and Canadian falls.







We picked an opportune week to visit as the gulls were nesting, and we were able to see chicks just a few inches away from the path we strode upon.


On our own one evening, we took a jaunt to the lights. I found the casino on the Canadian side fascinating as well and admired the constantly changing colors of the building lights.



We managed to slip in a stop at a chocolate factory where we watched two ladies make chocolate suckers and we sampled some delicious ice-cream.




On our last day we did a little antiquing in a town forty minutes away and when we returned we explored down town Niagara where you never know what you might find around the next  corner.


And as we toured all the wonderful spots, we spent time chatting with a mother and daughter from England, a mother who was visiting with her two daughters, one of whom was born in Japan, and her two parents who were visiting from Cuba. We passed many Asian families on vacation just like us, and we saw many Indian families enjoying the plethora of Indian restaurants dotting the area.

This diversity of people is what lead me to pick the book A Different Pond out of my review stack when we arrived home. A Different Pond is the story of an early morning fishing trip and the bond between a son and father. A Vietnamese Family who moved to America after the Vietnam War, they are poor, and not only must the father and mother hold down multiple jobs, the father must fish to provide food for the family. I found this story touching not only because it shows a family much different than the one I experienced growing up, but also because it seemed to me to be the authors way of honoring his parents who were also Vietnamese refugees.


Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.