Running for Marie

I was lucky to have a favourite Aunt.  A fun-loving, life-of-the-party kind of aunt.  She lived a long 12-hour car ride away but we made that trip every year and it was worth it.  Sometimes, she even made the drive from Utah up to Alberta, Canada to see us, and always brought laughter, music, and fun with her.  I was, and still am proud to carry her name.  She served a mission for the LDS Church to Denver, Colorado, and was the one who took me to the Mission Home the morning I reported for my mission years later.  She was briefly married in  her forties but never had children of her own.  However, she was much more than just an aunt to her many nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.  Famly was everything to her and she loved nothing better than a family gathering, especially when music and singing were involved.  Aunt Marie was blessed with a beautiful singing voice.  She joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 1954 and sang with them for 27 years!  We loved to watch General Conference Broadcasts and looked for her, always sitting in her same seat.  I still remember the summer evening she took me with her to a choir rehearsal and introduced me to the organist in the tabernacle.  She had a way of making everyone around her feel special by taking an interest in their lives. 

Marie also performed in many plays and musicals.  One memorable performance was as the "Pink Lady" at the Promised Valley Playhouse.  She wore an elaborate pink costume adorned with feathers, fur, and jewels and sang beautifully.  As the years passed, she retired from the choir and spent a number of years caring for my Grandmother before she passed away.  Whenever I spoke with her on the phone or visited, she always wanted to hear about my family and our latest news. 
This past December (2012), I received a call from my Mom with the news that Marie, who had been in a nursing home for the past few years, had taken a turn for the worse and was not expected to live much longer.  Marie was my mother's only sister.  My husband and I drove to Southern Alberta two days later, picked up my Mom and made the 12-hour drive to Utah to bid farewell.  We spent precious hours at her bedside that night, singing to her and remembering good times together.  She was unable to speak, sedated by the pain medication but did acknowledge our presence.  The next day, she slipped into unconsciousness and gently passed away.  She was 84 years old. 

I am a runner.  Running enriches my life in many ways.  It keeps me sane.  It keeps me healthy.  And training for a race gives purpose to my runs.  So, just a month after my Aunt's passing while looking for a half marathon to run, I discovered "The Pink Half Marathon".  Imagine my delight when I found that this race is a women's only race.  A race in Utah.  And a "Pink" race!  The perfect race to run in memory of my favourite Aunt.

So, in October, I will be making the long drive from Alberta to Utah once again.  I will run for Marie, a beautiful "Pink Lady".  And I will remember. 

FAMILY

Thursday, July 4, 2013

We had such a blast down at Payne Lake Lodge this past weekend for our  Neil Harker family reunion.  It is hard to believe that our family has grown to 28!  (11 of whom are 4 and under!!)  It has been a few years of incredible blessings as the babies have arrived, even in twos- Matty and Royall's twins Rhett and Harland just turned one and started walking, and Matt and Karen's Tommy and Laura are two months old now and truly miracles.

(Neil is holding Tommy and Laura, and Harland and Rhett are in the background)
We arrived Friday evening, in time for Leah Lorna to take family pictures.  It was a little crazy, with the kids so excited to see each other, but also hungry for supper and tired from the drive to the Lodge.  They were really good sports and we got some good shots of everyone.  It is definitely time for a new family picture on the wall, so it will be fun to see the group shots Leah did.  Karen and Royall did an amazing job of organizing the reunion so that everyone had assignments for a meal and various activities.  There was just enough planned events and down time, and the meals all turned out great!  Lissa did a huge pot of oatmeal for Sat. breakfast with all the toppings. Everyone loved it.

 

Saturday we spent in Waterton- skipping rocks by the lake, having lunch, and playing at the splash park.  When nap time arrived for some, they went back to the Lodge and the rest of us had free time in Waterton.  Neil and I went for a walk down by Emerald Bay, had ice cream at the Big Scoop, and then drove up to the Prince of Wales to relax in the beautiful lobby.  (I had a little nap on Neil's shoulder) 

(Me, rejuvenated after my little snooze)

One of the favourite activities at the lodge was canoeing in the little pond.  We all had fun paddling about in the water.

On Sunday, we went to Mountain View for Church, then home for pizza and yummy barbequed ribs thanks to Russ.  Neil took the older kids on a nature walk while the younger kids napped.  (except for Bonnie who got to go along in the Moby wrap!)

Jenna organized a talent show for later in the afternoon, and everyone participated in that.  One of the biggest hits was Neil doing his "broken wrist" trick. 

Monday we cleaned up, packed up, and drove down the road to Hillspring for the Canada Day Parade.  It was a perfect parade for a bunch of little ones- short and sweet, with horses, firemen, and lots of candy!

We all loved it!

It is a precious thing to have a family who appreciate each other, help each other, and love being together.  It takes a certain amount of tolerance, forgiveness, and patience on everyone's part and I am grateful to have the amazing children and grandchildren I do.  And above all  the father and grandfather of them all my sweetheart Neil. 

All 13 grandchildren!  Precious every one.