Family Gathering for a Birthday Party

"...dated at Windsor Castle on the 22nd day of May, in the year of Our Lord 1867, Her Most Gracious Majesty did ordain, declare, and command, that on and after the 1st day of July, 1867, the Provinces of Canada [Ontario and Quebec], Nova Scotia and New Brunswick should form and be one Dominion under the name of Canada;..."

Happy Birthday, Canada! You've got a few wrinkles, but you still look pretty good.

For many Canadians, Canada Day is a time to be outdoors with family and friends. Back yards and parks are filled with laughter; the smell of meat cooking on barbecues is everywhere. I spent a wonderful afternoon with my family. There were about 25 of us in June's back garden in Mississauga, a Toronto suburb.

(Click on the pics to enlarge them.)


It's hard to be serious when you're having your picture taken.

Dan and Meagan were both there. Maxine too, of course. And Baby David. It was the first time most of them had met the newest Pringle. Everyone took a turn holding him and David was so sweet, so relaxed. He really is a good natured little man, Ms J.


He enjoyed the attention. So did Dan, I think.

We had hamburgers and hotdogs (I brought the buns) and the women provided salads and cut up watermelon. June baked a rectangular cake and decorated it with red candy to resemble a Canadian flag. I wanted to take a picture of it, but it was eaten before I remembered it. I guess it must have been tasty too.

Maxine is a likeable girl and she visited with nearly everyone. She didn't appear to be too overwhelmed by the number of us. She and Dan were pleased that we made a fuss over the baby. Dan was glad not to have to hold him all afternoon, but neither he nor Maxine strayed far from David. That's as it should be, I think, Ms J.


"It's nice to get a break from the baby, Dad."

July is a birthday month not only for Canada, but also for my brother and me. Pat was born on July 11th and I on the 24th. Mum and Dad gave us each a card with a cheque inside. $100 That was nice. Even better was the gift I got from Mum.

She has made at least six quilts over the past ten years or so. Quilts, Ms J. Real quilts, hand sewn. They're extremely labour intensive, as you can imagine, each one requiring hundreds of hours of patient needlework. Mum made one each for Pat and for each of my four sisters: Donna, Helen and the twins, Jill and June. I wondered when she might make one for me, but I never asked.


This was the day. "Happy early Birthday, Dale."

You know, Ms J, I've written lots about my dear ol' dad but I haven't said much about Mum. Mum is ... well, she's my mother. OUR mother. She's cooked and cleaned for us and sewn our clothes. She can do anything in the house and she does it all well. She's a really good cook and I can't imagine how she came up with three meals a day for dad and us six kids, and always made it a treat. She patched torn pants and bandaged cuts and scrapes, even mended broken hearts. She always listened to our stories, even when she was busy. And she was VERY busy. Mum gave us our religious training, and although I hated going to Sunday school, I'm grateful for that now. I love my mum. And I know she loves me too.


Here's the tag on my new quilt. I wanted to cry, but I held the tears inside.

I promise I'll take good care of it, Ms Journal. I'll still have the quilt when I no longer have Mum.


Brother Pat holds up my quilt. "Get a shot of me holding up yer quilt," he said. Pat makes me laugh, Ms J. He made David smile too.

Helen was at the party too. Remember Helen, Ms J? She lost a breast to cancer this past winter. She's just begun chemo-therapy. I chatted with my sister for a while and she introduced her new beau. Bob's his name. Friendly smile. Firm handshake. He's good to Helen and that's what matters, isn't it? Helen was in good spirits, but she's lost weight. After only one treatment, her beautiful, wavy red hair is falling out in clumps. Oh Ms J, it breaks my heart to see it.

"I had a good cry in the shower the other day," she told me, "but it's only hair. It'll grow back."

Please Lord, be gentle with my sister. I know you love her, but I do too.

Meagan read the card Mum gave me. She decided it was nice.

"Take a picture of me, Dad," she said, "in my state of thoughtful reflection."

So I did. Notice her new hair colour? It looks quite purple in the sunlight. Her natural colour is a gorgeous strawberry blond. I don't understand why she wants to dye it. But she does, dye it I mean. Her Aunt Helen would be happy with hair of any hue as long as it was healthy.


"Thoughtful reflection."

Just before it was time to leave, Meagan reminded me of something I'd planned to do. Something important.

"Dad, you said you wanted a picture of the four generations. We'd better do it before we forget. You get Grampa and I'll go find Dan and David."

I'll leave you with the photo, Ms J, but before I go to bed, I want to say that I had a brilliant time at June's. It was the first Canada Day get-together at June's house and I hope we can call it the First Annual Canada Day Family Gathering. Family is really important, isn't it? I know it, and I want my kids to know it. I want them to know their cousins and aunts and uncles. My blood. Their blood. Our family. The Pringles. What a cool club!


My father, my son, and his son. Don't we look proud?

Good night, Ms J.

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