An Afternoon with Corinne

Meet Corinne, my "sister" in the church family.... a vivacious, fun-loving and inspiring woman whose life was altered dramatically a number of years ago with the diagnosis of ALS - commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

I recently had the pleasure of an afternoon with her and asked permission to introduce you to her by way of this blog.

As I drove up the long and winding driveway, I found Corinne wheeling about outdoors in the company of Belle, the family dog - beautiful in both appearance and disposition. The three of us set out for a jaunt in the late summer sun - me with my camera and Corinne with her talking device.

Corinne's first clue to the presence of ALS was a persistent problem with slurred speech.

It took many months coming to a final conclusive diagnosis since it is typically a process of eliminating all other possibilities.

Accepting the reality of the disease is of course, a painful journey all its own, the sorrow of which cannot be fathomed by the rest of us.   Yet we are called to participate in each other's joys and sorrows within the construct of what I like to dub, the Ultimate Family.  

In this context and for good purpose, what I (and so many others) see now, is a woman filled with courage and determination to bear this burden with all the pizazz she can muster.

I see a measure of God's grace and light that is so powerful, I am humbled and blessed to the core every time I see her... and we get to see a lot of her.
She wouldn't dream of shirking the number of days left to her - using every opportunity to remind us of the blessing of life here on earth, as temporary and brief as it is.

Corinne is a bona fide country girl. I have her permission to share one of the more 'interesting' experiences of my life made ten times more memorable simply because she was a primary figure in it!

We've been members of the same church family all of my married life and many years ago, we somehow found ourselves planning a trip downtown to the local Barton Detention Centre to visit a troubled young man of our church family - incarcerated there for a time.

One of Corinne's gifts is encouragement - she makes it her business to dispense with it whenever/however she can. I certainly needed her bravado to do the same as we drove through that seedy part of the city - a committed pair of country bumpkins looking every bit the part as we cautiously circled the parking lot with our full size family van in search of a spot.

And we two, neatly but overdressed greenhorns to despondency naively picked our way over to a surprisingly long waiting line outside the entrance where one by one - we had to submit to a security checkpoint to gain entry. There was a scrawny little fellow named Mark who seemed to know all the other regulars in that line-up - really friendly in a curious sort of way. The guard on duty blandly informed us to leave our purses behind and pointed to a row of outdoor lockers of dubious condition.

Who did the man think he was kidding?  We weren't born yesterday.

Discreetly, I ran to lock them away in the back of the van.

An hour later, we emerged from our supervised visit (through a glass panel and using an *ugh &gag* common phone to chat with our petty criminal friend only to find the van's back window blown out - and you guessed it -- two missing purses!

We interrupt this story with a portrait of Beautiful Belle who was only allowed to walk us to the end of the driveway. Corinne instructed me in her own inimitable way, to order Belle back home. But alas, we had to trot her back up the driveway and put her in the outdoor kennel ourselves; me - virtually jogging to keep up to Corinne's lead hand on the controls ... LOL

So where was I with the story? Ah yes.
Upon realizing our purses were stolen, Corinne Quick Wit, grabbed the cell phone from the dashboard to cancel her credit cards and captivated the bank teller with tales of the hoist in a Detention Centre parking lot -- under the steady gaze of a few surveillance cameras no less!

The front desk security guard nonchalantly pointed the way to the downtown police precinct with a tired familiarity that was none too comforting. Back into the van we loaded - undeterred, pulling into a Tim Horton's to grab a coffee before filing our paperwork with the police.

The momentary awkwardness at the drive-thru window when we realized we couldn't pay for our order was broken by Corinne's trademark laughter and she once again regaled the employee with our tale of misadventure ... the coffee was on the house after that!

After another hour with the police, filling out one form after another we crossed the street into the metered parking lot and removed a $25.00 parking fine from under the front wiper.

Was it too much to ask for the parking bylaw officer to see a blown out back window and put two and two together?  Pfft!

I might have cried had not Corinne chosen that precise moment to christen the air with yet another trademark peel of hearty laughter.  I could naught but join her - all the way home, long past the dinner hour. There's an indefatigable optimism about Corinne that helps one see past the problem to the opportunity. It's (she's) a lovely thing to be around.

Corinne acknowledges every vehicle that passes us by with a small wave. She still manages to have the guys honk at her! :)  That indomitable spirit of hers shines so bright.  I can hear her sparkling laughter.

We were examining a deer path through the forest (she had to identify it to me, the far less observant one of the pair) when the sun broke through the clouds and instantly warmed our roadside parking spot.
  
By the way, that scrawny little fellow named Mark surfaced once again in my life not six months after that episode.  I saw him duck into the dressing room at the hockey arena where I was watching my sons go thru their ridiculous 6 am drills. (!)?  this time I recognized him for the petty accomplished thief he was and sent a few daddies in after him -- too soon to catch him in the act unfortunately and sadly, he had already ripped a few cars off in the parking lot which wasn't noticed until he was long gone.
Let it not be said that a country bumpkin cannot learn 'street smartness' after all!

Apparently, Corinne's father-in-law made these bird houses. On the way back, I saw many others dotting the landscape as well as the trees up her long & winding driveway.

Hubby Gary was telling us one Sunday about how his wife 'takes him out for a jog' in her mobile and how he had taken a fluke (but apt) picture of her cruising past a speed sign.
I could not resist getting my own evidence of her lead - uhmm ... hand.

But now I must publish this post as late as it is.

I love you Corinne. Your spirit. Your witness.  We never fail to pray for you and thank God for you.

I see Jesus in you and look forward to the day we will laugh together again with great abandon. Meanwhile, please know that you 'speak' more powerfully now than ever before.

Readers can reach Corinne with their own note of encouragement at:

corinne_aikema@ispnet.ca

Annual Girls Getaway

The fall season is a favourite for many of us in the Vanderkruk clan. I don't know what the intrigue is for the others but I much prefer the crisp autumn air, the sweater weather and the great lack of mosquitos and humidity! I also look forward every year again to the annual Girls Getaway - instituted 1987 - a mini vacation designed at the time to encourage our daughter and sister Yvonne as she battled back from an insanely aggressive chemo treatment.

That first attempt was a weekend at Niagara-on-the-Lake to catch a show at the Shaw and stroll through gardens on the lake or as memory serves us - spend a lot of time on the park bench gathering strength. Strength in sisterhood. We learned that from Yvonne and like so many other things - the B&B overnighter to huddle ourselves away from it all and spend time honouring our family relationships has become a treasured tradition.

It being an anniversary year - we booked this cute little place off the beaten track in old historic Niagara-on-the-Lake and settled in serious like for a break from routine.

From L -R: Cathy, Susan, Mom, Pauline, Andrea and me behind the camera. Yay.

I prefer me behind the camera.

This time at the Shaw Festival we took in a matinee so as to leave our evening completely free for comfortable camaraderie into the midnight hours.

It was a good choice this year - we did a great deal of reminiscing and recalling which morphed into a rather insightful experience for us all!

Born Yesterday. I couldn't recommend it on account of the excessive use of cuss/curse words (and especially Names) alone. What's with entertainment today that can't seem to tell a story or share a thought without liberal, unnecessary doses of expletives and vulgarity in speech?

*sigh* I say we re-introduce the bar of soap for potty mouth and rid the world of this scourge.

Thankfully, we find places that are by in large - one man kitchens. :) 'One-man' kitchen she says of a girls only getaway. We generally let Mom do her magic there and THIS year? Yumyum. It was a roast beef dinner with all the fancy trimmings including home-made applesauce and sauteed mushroom & onions. Once in a while, to ease my conscience - I'd slip in beside her and raise her glass of Bailey's to her lips for a swig while she worked away at dinner. I just marvel at her endless passion for this! (Cooking that is :)

What was that quip from the Julia Childs movie again?

With the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter - anything is possible!

Gotta love it.

Yep. This pretty much sums it up. Chocolate Cake & Red Wine....

Chic flicks and emptied kleenex boxes....

Libation of various sort & feet on the coffee table.....

Cat naps mid-sentence to push past the 2am mark. This is an exceptional effort from baby sister Cathy who claims to be in bed sleeping and possibly snoring by 10pm EVERY night otherwise. She did remarkably well I'd like to say. Quite proud of the sacrifice she showed.

And then - yes, we do the touristy thing and we actually saunter down the congested streets and browse through the overpriced & ridiculous knick knack, bric a brac stores.

The micro-climate of the area means the annuals and potted outdoor shrubbery was still in excellent condition. Like my mom eh? She's a wonder woman to me.

I confess. I don't like shopping as a rule. I detest shopping in crowded areas but I found this children's clothing store and got lost in it for quite some time!

Pauline and I are peering in at the doll display.

Me! Peering (with dead give-away delight it seems) at a doll display?

I take the bait and get virtually sucked into that childrens store - straight into the lair of that maddeningly helpful sales clerk.

A new normal since grand-babies have entered our lives....

We enjoy a late lunch and head back to our respective homes by suppertime.

I have more to share - particularly our trip down memory lane, piecing together the bits of recall of that final fall with Yvonne. But I am too tired to get it down in print just yet.

Be patient - maybe after my choir classes tomorrow.

The Annual Thanksgiving Family Hike

Family Baby :) Uncle Mark & Aunt Andrea and family

The Family Matriarch - Mom, Grandma, Super-Grandma!

Uncle Case & Aunt Di and family

                                           Uncle Barry & Aunt Jo and family

Uncle Gerry & Aunt Pauline and family

Uncle Rick & Aunt Sue and family

Uncle Adrian & Aunt Cathy and family

To Nicole from her Canadian family with LOVE - as always!

Slideshow of the family 'uncensored' making the annual mass family hike for Thanksgiving - Music: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by the Trinity Praise and Worship Band

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Dealing with Death

I recently watched a film that stirred a very powerful moment of deja vu.

I'm going to share this because I need to.

Rails and Ties is a movie I picked out of the bargain bin of previously viewed movies at my local video store. Hubby and I were about to set off for a few days of down time including golf (his pick) and some reading/movie watching (my pick).

Here's commentary I found online that describes it better than I can, but beware - it's a thorough review and if you prefer to have a story unfold itself unspoilt - don't read the stuff in blue.

RAILS & TIES, under the guidance of first time director Alison Eastwood, tackles an implausible subject of multiple tragedies resulting in repairing personal breaks and with the able assistance of a group of excellent actors, makes a finely tuned, sensitive study of little lives struggling against major odds. It is well conceived, well written (Micky Levy), well acted and sincerely moving.

Tom Stark (Kevin Bacon) is a train engineer, married to his job as well as being married to his nurse wife Megan (Marcia Gay Harden) who is facing the ugly fact that her breast cancer is terminal. The cancer has spread beyond Megan's body into the tenuous space that keeps a marriage glued: Megan attempts to hide her desperate need for emotional support by continuing to work as a nurse and Tom takes on extra train runs to avoid the reality that face him at home. The other side of the story is equally sad: young Davey cares of his psychologically shattered mother and unknowingly accompanies her on a jaunt to 'see the train' - a ploy well planned by the suicidal mother to drive in front of an oncoming train to end her life along with Davey's. The conductor of the train is of course Tom Stark, and when Tom first sees the car on the tracks, he keeps to company policy that recommends gradual slowing rather than the danger of an abrupt stop: the result is the death of Davey's mother but Davey escapes the crash while trying to pull his mother from the car.

The tragedies mount: Davey is left homeless, being placed in a foster home run by the cruel 'mom' only to escape to find the 'killer' of his mother; Tom is put on leave for the incident; Megan gets the final word that she has very little time left and is ready to leave the distant Tom. It is this inadvertent entrance of Davey into the lives of Tom and Megan that results in a healing of three souls who are desperate for the connection of love.

While some may find the story implausible and saccharine, others will appreciate the manner in which Eastwood holds rein on the story, playing it for quiet honesty instead of explosive situations. Both Bacon and Harden deliver the quality of sophisticated performances that have marked their careers, and the remainder of the cast gives strong support.

This is a tough story to tell but the film holds an indelible mark on the viewer.

There are very few of us that will never have to face the death of a loved one before our own. That said, it is remarkable how ill-prepared we often find ourselves in dealing with it.

I think it must be particularly difficult for those who have (for whatever reason) not made the effort/time to ponder the three realities of life itself:

How did I get here?

What am I doing here?

Where am I going from here?

My deja vu moment? It happens at precisely 85:00 into the film.

Megan has collapsed and is rushed to hospital by Tom and Davey.

The attending physician finds the two in the hallway anxiously waiting to see her.

The doctor shakes his head and gently tells Tom that his wife wants to go home.

She wants to die at home.

Tom hasn't yet accepted that she is indeed dying and has been preparing herself to say goodbye.

His face falls and he looks away.

No words are spoken but the look on his face! Somehow, he has to find the strength and courage to honour her wish despite the abject horror he feels.

The look on his face jarred a vivid recall from deep within - and this is where I burst abruptly in a fit of tears as the memory of a very similar moment washed over me

like an emotional tsunami.

My beloved knew instinctively what this was all about and had the blessed sense to simply

pass the kleenex box and offer me a long quiet hug.

One never forgets those excruciating moments of testing - I don't think we're supposed to forget. I think we're meant to be changed and grow from them regardless of how we handle it.

But this feeling of wanting to cover my ears with my hands and run screaming from the room?

I get that totally. Yvonne was very young. It was very unnatural to watch her die - and even more unnatural to help her get to that place where she was okay with it. It was very hard and I want her husband and her daughter to know...

I get that - we all understand.

Chesley Orchestra

My sister-in-law Sue is an extraordinary musician/violinist gifted with a passion for teaching others the craft. She has single-handedly started off every string player in the extended family and managed to bring out the best in each one of them as well.

Consequently - our family gatherings and celebrations are often tended with an in-house full scale orchestra. Some sing, play the flute or clarinet, violin, cello, viola, piano or CD player.

We actually have quite a few Ipod players as well :)

I think if we'd been born a couple millennium ago we may have found ourselves in the tribe of the Levites.

We've been going to the same vacation spot en masse for the past 30 years or more and this year, Susie negotiated a plan to accompany both morning worship services ... all the pre, post and during service music. What a blast!

I asked my son to get some video coverage which regrettably, he took from the furthest back corner of the sanctuary. *sigh* Boys are so yucky.

So here's a snippet of what happens when Susie orders up a last minute rehearsal and tells you to pack your instrument for a gig at Chesley!

I love that girl.

For your benefit Nicole, I will identify the members of your family orchestra:

From L to R: Cousin Kelsey (violin) Aunt Jo (piano)

Aunt Sue (violin/concert mistress)

Cousin Megan (cello) Cousin Brittany (flute)

Cousin Kayla & Jamie (violins)

Cousin Julia and Emily (violins) on the far right of the stage with

Cousin Amy (violin) in the foreground

Not shown in this particular set:

Cousin Heather (clarinet)

Cousin Brian (piano and solo voice)

Procrastinator Redeemed

I finally kept an ancient promise to myself to submit a box full of video coverage (no less than 35 tapes - 120's and mini's) that hold various vignettes of our life over the past 20 years. They are in the laborious process of being transferred to DVD - and perhaps in a months time, if all goes well, my family and I can enjoy looking at the 'Way We Were'.

One item of major interest is the inaugural tape of our daughter and sister Yvonne with her daughter Nicole, filmed in the three weeks before her death. It was December 1988 that we treated ourselves to the purchase of our first ever video machine with the express intention of helping my dying sister record her thoughts, wishes and final farewells to her little girl.

I remember distinctly what a nuisance my hubby made of himself, (enamoured as he was with this new toy) sneaking up on us at the most inopportune times to capture moments of life significant or otherwise.

But I must say, I am forever grateful for his wise forethought and generosity of heart that made the making of this memory possible.

The anticipation of seeing it again is both sweet and painful. Bittersweet is the word I suppose.

....not to be confused with 'bitter' in any shape or form.

God has graciously spared us from the ill of THAT cancerous response to difficulty. He is Capital G Good!

Awww....

I follow in my mom's footsteps with a love for being in my kitchen, cooking up a storm and feeding the masses. I've also learned her peculiar renegade style of doing my own thing and ditching the recipe book.

Yes I love food, but what truly appeals to me, is the anticipation of fellowship that a big 'sit down dinner' often delivers.

A few years ago during our big kitchen reno, it was determined that the new family table would have to be round to accommodate exactly that kind of objective. Enough of this hollering down the left to the person outside periphery to pass this or that!

My baby sister brought me a beautiful gift yesterday that might just propel me to make a few changes in my 'style' - probably long over-due anyway...

I recently confessed to being smitten with the new Meryll Streep movie Julie & Julia right?

I admitted that I might even go and see it a third time?

Well I did.

This time accompanied by my sister Catherine, who in turn went straight off to Indigo to find the cookbook which she delivered to me as a gift of familial love and understanding.

If you've seen the movie you'll get the bit about the pearls but my portraiture also conveys my impression of this 'jewel of a gift' from my sis.

Thanks from my heart Cath!

If I ever find the courage to steam a live lobster to death or debone a dead duck - you will be personally escorted to the front row seat. I will even let you video tape it for posterity :)

Love you.