Anxiety

These are anxious times for me. Things have been in an uproar with the fridge, carpet cleaning, kitchen disruption and idiot neighbour. But the main anxiety is coming from the baby shower I'm hosting for our soon to be born granddaughter. I got caught up with the planning and getting things sparkly clean that somehow the baby shawl got pushed to the back burner. I thought it would be a quick knit except the knitting machine is refusing to co-operate and I don't have time to fiddle. So yesterday, I grabbed a crochet hook and the yarn to start on a baby shawl with very limited time and a very ambitious project. I'm frantically crocheting while reminiscing all the times I made homemade baby shawls for my own kids. The picture is gorgeous so now all I need to do is focus and finish it before Sunday morning. Things get more complicated from here as my husband is leaving for hunt came on Tuesday which mean there are certain meals like a lasagne and venison chili that need to be made. Too many things to do and not enough time.

This time of year my mind tends to be more focused on my ancestors who served in the wars over the years. Because of them I have the freedom to enjoy my family and host parties and simply just be. So I thought I would share a couple of stories of a couple of my ancestors who made notable differences but to me they all made a difference.

Some of my ancestors were Soldats du Carignan so perhaps that set the pattern for future generations. One ancestor went to Fort Detroit and has been rumoured to be the first white man in that area before Cadillac arrived. He was a very notable person being not only a friend of Cadillac but also for community endeavors. His sons followed in his footsteps. During the war of 1812 - 1814 one of them dressed in a English uniform and solely saved the Fort and Amherstberg, almost across from Fort Detroit. This story in itself is truly amazing! But the story doesn't stop there. Throughout history, my ancestors have answered the call of Canada.

My great uncle fought in WWI. He was reported as missing in action and presumed dead. I can't imagine how my great grandparents felt over the news. They even had a memorial service for him. Later he was found alive at a hospital in France, came home and went on to a successful life. His story had a happy ending yet many that answered the country's call did not. Many gave their lives for our freedom. That's why we wear a poppy! Given the ultimate sacrifices, wearing a poppy is the very least we can do.