MARCH by Emily DickinsonDear March, come in!
How glad I am!
I looked for you before.
Put down your hat-
You must have walked-
How out of breath you are!
Dear March, how are you?
And the rest?
Did you leave Nature well?
Oh, March, come right upstairs with me,
I have so much to tell.March will go down in the history books of our family as being a difficult month . Sadly, Doug's funeral was not until Good Friday and the start of the easter weekend .So we all had this dreadful anticipation with the hope of course, that it would all go well.
The funeral was lovely. It was one of the few sunny days we had in March and it was very dignified, peaceful and simple , very like Doug . We all went up to the condo afterwards for a few drinks and a chat and the day ended on a very positive note .
After the funeral was over though, mum had a bit of a crash. She was recovering from a bad cold that started shortly after to her last visit to Roswell in February . Hilary, my sister in law, was visiting from Vancouver and mum managed to hold up reasonably well and the just felt really sick and awful . I was no help at all as I was laid up in bed for a week. Just as mum and I started recovering, Colin went downhill fast and basically spent his March break sitting on his Grandma's recliner chair playing video games. By the time I took him back to school, he was a ghostly shade of white and looked quite sad next to all the other kids glowing from their tans in the Bahama's. Florida etc etc .
How is Mum feeling now ? Sad, angry , confused, cut-short , heartbroken .......but mum is a complete inspiration in the way she manages to pick herself up, get the help she needs and reach out to the people around her who love and care for her. She is the most resiliant, strong person I will ever know and I am so incredibally proud of her . Mum has never read a "self help" book in her life , but she is the sort of person that is the true embodiment of courage under adversity . She didgs down deep and always seems to find a small spark that she can relight. Words cannot describe my wonderful mother . She is my rock and my touchpoint ... and far from me helping her , she has never , ever stopped being my most loyal friend , mother and confidant . I am so fortunate to have received that gift .
The good news now is that we have all rebounded very well. This is thanks in large part to our Dr Hamboyan, our wonderful GP who makes house calls. He is a godsend and the most gentle, lovely man you could ever meet. He has four young kids of his own and enjoys the flexibility of doing house calls as he can fit it around the schedules of his family .
Life does roll on and we are just trying to enjoy the first specks of spring and look forward to April . This weekend Andrew is coming to visit, we are going to Buffalo and then on April 8th, we are going to celebrate mums 71st Birthday !
Brad and I were thrilled with Colin's wonderful achievement at the Niagara Regional Science Fair. As well as winning an award for the top project at school, he also won a Niagara Regional award . 
I spent this evening with my friend at our local garden centre making this lovely spring container. It felt so good to be outdoors(well, almost) and working with plants and soil . What made me feel even better was the latest news about mum from Dr O'Connor. The bone tumors have shrunk significantly and there is no evidence of any sign of a growth of the cancer . The appointment was ctually on her 71st birthday and so it was probably the best pesent she could have possibly hoped for .
MARCH by Emily Dickinson
