Whatever He Says

   By Belinda I shared my plans for the weekend celebration of Sinterklaas, over the phone, with Rob, my brother in England. "Was that when our bears came?" he asked. "Yes, it must have been!" I said, remembering an early December, 52 years ago, when he was 5 and I was 8. A parcel the size of a shoebox arrived from Holland, sent by one of our Dutch aunts. Mum opened the precious parcel from her homeland, while Rob and I looked on in excitement. There were treasures lovingly tucked into every corner of the box, including two small teddy bears; one golden and one black. The golden one became mine and I named him Rupert, because he looked just like Rupert the bear, whose adventures I loved to read about in the picture annuals that are still read by children in Britain. Rob's black bear had a hump on it's back, although I'm not sure why! I still have Rupert. Along the way his golden fur wore off, and his eyes fell out. Being loved will do that to yo...

By Belinda Combine 6 children aged 4 to 12 with a double recipe of sugar cookie dough; add masses of coloured sugar and sprinkles of every hue and let loose with rolling pins and cookie cutters. The result was an afternoon of happy creativity and one very tired Omie at the end, and a very full one too. We had lunch to start with; Shepherd's pie, made with the remains of Friday's roast beef dinner; roast potatoes and cheese topped chicken in cream sauce and spaghetti.  When all of the lunch dishes were cleared away, the baking began. I was in charge of putting the baking sheets into the oven, setting the timer and keeping an eye on the cookies. Since they varied wildly in thickness, the baking time varied equally. I was struck by the differences this year. Tippy made 24 small stars and 2 large ones: for everyone in her class, and for 2 teachers. Elizabeth carefully used a knife to push the sugar into a design of four quarters on some of her coo...

 By Belinda Today was spent preparing for what our six grandchildren call, "Dutch Christmas. We celebrate on the weekend in December that is closest to the feast of St. Nicholas, or "Sinterklaas." I love keeping traditions and celebrating our heritage, both English and Dutch. Our celebration will be tomorrow after church. It always includes baking sugar cookies. I make a double batch of the same recipe I made when Peter and Brenda were little and divide it into six ziploc bags that go into the fridge to chill until needed. Then each child gets their own bag of dough to roll out. They cut out the cookies with my 35 year old cookie cutters, the ones their parents used when small, and decorate the cookies wildly and lavishly with coloured sugar and sprinkles. Sugar will cover the floor, their fingers and lips, but that's all part of the fun. We have to have chocolate letters (the initial of each person.) Today I paid a visit to Dutch Treats ...

  Baby Gabriel came to the party  Lesley-Ann's delectable brownies. The heavily marzipaned Christmas cake was also a great hit, but next year I think I will forgo the fondant roll on icing and make royal icing as I normally do. The fondant is a little chewy. We celebrated Susan's 10th anniversary with our organization, as well as Christmas. Gabriel, Lesley-Ann's Christmas miracle, the picture of peace and  health--another cause for celebration! Lori Lei and Iris Dutch Blitz--a game for the swift of eye and hand. Not for me! :)  A pot luck feast and the best of friends

Fridays with Susan I can't tell you all of Michael's story because it's his to tell.  But I can tell you about his response.  I asked for permission to write this account, and he freely and instantly gave it. His piercing brown eyes misted over, but he wasn't giving in to tears.  He sat across from me, having just been given the unexpected news that his life was about to be turned upside down.  All his answers were suddenly becoming questions.  All his security suddenly was cast adrift on a stormy, stormy sea.  Without sharing the details of what he was facing, trust me that his situation is really tough.  He had every right to react to the news with some strong emotion.  And he had every reason for that emotion to be negative.  I braced myself for what I thought was about to come.  It didn't come.  Not like that. I could see pain in his eyes - a man about to break.  But I could see...

By Belinda Last night, the house sparkled with Christmas by the time I tucked in the girls and prayed with them at 9.30. They snuggled into the comforters on their bunk beds and I went back upstairs to tidy up. It was 10.30 when I headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed myself, Paul having gone long before. From somewhere in the house I heard...singing. I went into our room that is over the girls' room and up through the heat register came the strains of a hearty duet of The Twelve Days of Christmas . I didn't have the heart to squelch their Christmas spirit. How could I tell two sweet things to, "Please stop singing Christmas carols," when they had just spent the evening putting up Christmas decorations? By 11.00, though, when I emerged from the bathroom, the festivities were still going strong down there, and their mom would be home at any moment. Besides, I was going to bed! I went down to find Tori and Tippy, on their knees, facing one another in the ...

By Belinda Rainy day; all day--rain. I drove home at the end of the day in rain and dark. At the post office I picked up the mail just before they closed and the parking lot was dark, lit only by the light from the upper windows of St. Catherine's parish hall. There were parcels (I am in love with online shopping,) and my first real Christmas card. Paul, Tippy and Tori were out for supper when I got home. We had the delight of their company tonight because Brenda was at a hockey game. When they arrived home, I asked if they would like to decorate the tree. I made sure they knew they didn't have to feel they had to do it. "Yes!" they cried in unison, "We want to do it. We love doing it." I was so glad. I carried  boxes of ornaments and Christmas decorations downstairs, and two pairs of young hands scattered tissue paper and hung the eclectic assortment of decorations all over the tree. They managed to be both old familiar friends and shiny new things of wonde...