Canada Day 2010 - Susan's Style!

Fridays with Susan...

Uh oh.  I just checked Whatever He Says to see what Belinda had written for today and realized - it was supposed to be me!  With Thursday being a holiday and all, I was thrown off my usual routine and entirely forgot that it was my day to post today.  And I only have 10 minutes before I need to leave for work...

Yesterday was a wonderfully "family" day.  Heather and Andrew came over to help cull the clutter that has overtaken our lives and filled our home.  I have done a really good job of acquiring "stuff", but not such a good job of taking care of it!  Old dogs can learn new tricks - I've cut way back on my acquisitions and have exponentially increased my pitching of things that I don't want, don't need, and/or don't have room for.  As a result, we are finding enough room in our house for an upstairs apartment for Andrew and Heather and Sweet William to move into sometime in mid summer.  There's a lot of work to do yet, but it looks like we're going to make it.

Amidst all the dust flying, and furniture moving, the grandsons next door were in and out all day.  They know exactly where their Papa keeps the creamsicles, so they just helped themselves and weren't much distraction at all.

By late afternoon, having said goodbye to the tired little family who were helping us today, we were showering and getting ready to head to a hayfield in Angus to see Robin Mark live in concert.  I was too tired to go, but we had made commitments, so I forced myself.  Am I ever glad I did.  Let me lift some parts of an email I sent to Belinda last evening:

Well, I'm glad I was "forced" to go to the concert. It was wonderful. I'm really glad I was there. A big concert yeah, but it was Angus-style. It felt very down-home and intimate - out in a farmer's field, the hay just mown and taken away, leaving a four inch stubble. Robin Mark was wonderful, of course. He told a lot of stories in between the songs. Some of them were new songs that I don't know yet (I bought his new CD tonight, though, so I'll know them soon!) but there were a few really oldies but goodies too - like Revival, and Blessed Be Your Name and he finished off with the only one I really went to hear, of course - These are the Days of Elijah. I loved every minute of the music...



The kids were great. They had a lot of energy, but it was outdoors so it really didn't matter. Greg fell asleep on my lap and kept me warm. Beth also brought Matthew and Nolan. Christy came with Lizzie and Eliana. Eliana came home with me to sleep over and when we got here, Mikey was waiting for us. Matthew and Nolan just assumed they were staying too, so we have a full house. Again. :) Not sure how I'm going to handle things in the morning as we're both going to work!


There were fireworks after the concert and then it took a long time for the parking lot to empty so we didn't get home until just gone 11. Everyone's already in bed though, and the boys are all asleep already. Just Eliana is awake.


We saw so many people! Sam, Evelyn, Mike and Lynda Zulauf, Cheryl and Mike Birch and girls, Doreen Horlings (Julie's aunt-in-law), Danielle Horlings Jamieson (who we are interviewing in the morning), the Catrambone Clan along with Angela's parents, Jenn Noel, Karen Lubbers and her mom, a number of people from the school, some people from the old church... It was great! Like old home week. A little bit like heaven will be some day, I suppose. Except we won't be walking around through the hay stubble, but on streets of gold...

The highlight of the day?  Standing in that farmer's field, Ron and I side-by-side, surrounded by children and grandchildren, in a sea of people who knew Who they were praising for the privilege of living in this great country, and singing O Canada together.  I must confess it brought a tear to my eye... 

Now off to work!!!

Comments

Karebear said…
You wrote this so beautifully I felt like I was there... o wait. I was!! Thanks for sharing your story.
Belinda said…
Ha ha Karen! :) It sounds as though it was wonderful. I still can't quite believe that Robin Mark was in a hayfield in Angus! :)

And Susan--good going for a 10 minute "writing sprint!" :)
Susan, don't be so sure that it's streets of gold in heaven. Heaven may just be a newled mowed hayfield, it may be stalks heavy with corn, it may be anything or anywhere where there is peace of joy, anywhere where two or more are gathered ..
Joanne said…
I read this and nodded in agreement as my family enjoyed Robin Mark in Grimsby on Friday evening. The concert was truly inspiring and a God-praising time of worship!
Loved it!
I also bought his new CD and wish I had picked up more for friends!
I have never been to Angus but the conert venue sounds perfect!:)
Blessings,
Joanne, a friend of Shannon's

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