THANKSgiving Weekend

What a lovely weekend ... truly something to give thanks for .... the weather was AMAZING. It was that beautiful warm, sun dappled, golden kind of weekend that makes fall so special. You know you HAVE to be outside to soak it up and that there is a limit to how many of these beautiful days that will be left. It was heavenly !!

I am thankful for these things from this weekend :

* the gorgeous sun & warmth

* the beautiful treasure of coloured leaves. More beautiful than jewels!

* mango gelato at Cara Mia

* some great finds while shopping - clear glass balls, great glitter, some super little spangles for

our party "cupcakes", a WHOLE FREAKIN BAG of cake decorations for Hallowe'en.

* the Pumpkin Regatta at Windsor & running in to our lovely friends there !!

* the beautiful cookies made by the lady from Windsor - they feed your soul as much as they

do your tummy !

* did I mention the weather ???

* a day of puttering. Blissful !!

And , on a sadder note, I learned this morning that we lost from this world a very special person named Dena. I met Dena years ago when she was receiving treatment for cancer and a customer & mutual friend thought she might enjoy cross stitching to fill the time. She was a lovely person & I rooted for her in her fight against cancer. Every time I saw her & she seemed well, my heart did a little happy dance. She had a few more battles but won them. She was just a lovely person & full of life. I would see her now & again (cross stitch wasn't the great solution ...) and was always thrilled to see her & to see her doing so well. By this time she had taken up beading & was getting ready for a craft sale & asked to borrow my display forms. When she returned them, she apologized for being late but explained that she had just been diagnosed again but that there was no solution or hope. I don't think I will ever forget that day - us standing in the store hugging & crying and , really, her being the strongest one. I marvelled at her. Then came an invitation to her 40th birthday party, the one doctors said she would never have. We went & it was maybe the most beautiful party I've ever been to. There was food & cake, Elvis impersonators, a band, dancing, balloons, flowers, presents, wine, fireworks, and PINK everywhere. It was Dena's favourite colour. As favours, she passed out little cards with a poem she had written & a message. The message was that if you were there you had touched her life in some way & she thanked you. She also wanted you to live every day to its best , enjoy life, and that she would see us all again someday. That was a year ago. Although I only met her about 5 or 6 years ago, and I didn't know lots about her, she was an inspiration to me. I was humbled when I saw her because she was so "Dena". She made it clear to me that we all have to love & live to the fullest. And she did. Her life was an amazing example of how to do that. Thank you Dena & may you be at peace.