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Happiness.

Happiness is like a magic trick.

The more you practise it, the better the illusion that it's real. So, c'mon... practise, practise, practise. Let's be happy!

Photo: Jack, Lindsay and Darcy experience an unrehearsed moment of pure bliss. Happiness in its purest form!

"Thank you, Dear!"

I'm here to confess! The only times we were ever together was when she was in her nightgown -- and in her bedroom. She had a profound affect on me!

Her name? Well, to protect her privacy, let's call her Hazel. I spent about 10 nights with her and her husband over the last month. Hazel and hubbie were not adjusting well to the old folks home where they had come to live, so I was hired to sit with them through the night should they need comforting -- or need help finding their way to the bathroom.

Both Hazel and her husband suffer from dementia.

Last week I was just about to help Hazel out of bed for her second trip to the bathroom.

"Oh, you dear man," she said, "can you hand me my glasses. I'm blind as a bat without them."

She took the glasses, perched them carefully on her nose, then looked me straight in the eye and said, "Oh! Hello! Who are you?"

God love her. Hazel died this week, a few days before Thanksgiving.

But not before she taught me about the power of a positive attitude -- and gratitude!

I have never met a woman who was more positive. She was always cheerful, always seemed to be happy, and always appreciative.

I would help guide her and her walker to the bathroom, then help her get back into bed. After each trip she would tell me how nice it had been and how much she appreciated it. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dear!" It was as if I had just taken her on a trip to Paris!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for having met this wonderful woman. A woman who was grateful for every little thing.

...sense of humour...

I asked the question. I looked into the eyes of Sheila, my cousin's wife, and asked, "What's the secret of a happy marriage?" She didn't hesitate for a moment when she said, "Look at us. All of us in this room. I think the answer is obvious. A sense of humour." Oh. My. God. She's right. A sense of humour.

I was asked the same question a week ago when I was asked by the interviewer, "If you were seeking a caregiver for your elderly mother or father or relative, what quality would you seek?" My answer was easy: "A sense of humour."

Yes.

A smile.

A laugh.

Anything. That brings a smile.

That...is what I would ask for. That...is what's important.

Think about it.

Is there anything more important...

...than something that makes you smile?!!!

Photo: Martha, Roy (my cousin), Sheila, Laura, Brian. This was the first time we have all been in the same room together. And oh how wonderful it was. We all connected. we talked about the old days. We shed tears thinking about the ones who are gone, the ones we miss. We felt new feelings...feeling lucky that we we all got to meet after 30 years, even if it was for one brief afternoon. These. These. These. These are the moments to live for.

Costco Christmas

Okay, Martha and I were at Costco last week.

Christmas is a great time to shop Costco, because it seems that at the end of every aisle there is someone giving out a free sample of some kind of food! Bits of cheese. Fudge. Fancy crackers. Yummy. A tasty cornucopia of free Christmas munchies.

So I approach one of the sample tables. An African-American woman is slicing mini slabs of honey-smoked ham, jabbing each piece with a toothpick and offering samples to passers-by.

She's wearing a Santa hat.

I lean in and whisper to her, "So, do you commute from the North Pole every day?"

"Of course!" she responded, with a twinkle in her eye.

"But," she continues, "I'll let you in on a little secret."

Then she lowered her voice and leaned closer to my ear.

"This isn't ham." she said, "It's really reindeer!"

Now there's a woman with a bona-fide Christmas sense of humour!

Christmas Lights

We are of the opinion that the person who invented icicle lights deserves a special place in Heaven. There's just something about the way they glow, it kind of puts you in the Christmas spirit, don't you think? Can't you just hear the clatter of those little hoofs on the roof? Ho, ho, ho!

Photo: Jack, Martha and Johnathan doing the Christmas thing on a warm California day.

The Last Thing

Death!

It's not the scariest thing,

or worst thing that will happen to you.

It's just the last thing that will happen to you!

Photo: Lunch turned into a photo shoot. Aunt Lib - visiting from Calgary - took the shot, and was quite proud of herself that it turned out so well!