Cool Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving weekend brought us our first glimpse of our newest grand-niece, Mia. Because of Covid, we had to meet outdoors, but luckily Mia has the best baby blanket ever, made by my knitting friend Linda. Photo by John Denniston. 

We all got a little cold, standing in the back yard, but it was as close a nod to Thanksgiving as we were going to get this year. My nephew Etienne and his wife Aya, who are as serious about Covid precautions as John and I are, dropped by with their six-year-old daughter Emi to show off the family’s month-old latest arrival, Mia.

No food was served, and Emi had to make do with exploring the garden instead of entertaining herself with drawing, as she usually does. But it was a chance to reconnect with family, and to be grateful for what we have, rather than what we’re missing.

Their visit brought together two strands of my life that I’m particularly grateful for. One is Etienne, my sister’s son, who arrived in Vancouver from Montreal as a bachelor about 10 years ago, and is now surrounded by family. The other strand is my friend Linda, who wasn’t there in person, but was well represented by the pretty blanket she knit for little Mia, who was probably the only cozy person in that back yard.

They've all met, mainly for Christmas celebrations, and it's a pleasure to me that they like each other. Linda knows how to play with Emi, and Aya and Linda share a similar aesthetic sensibility. Aya says that when other young mothers ask her where she got that blanket, she tells them she has a rather special connection.

Aya, Emi and Etienne with Mia, in our back yard. Photo by John Denniston.

Another closer look at that blanket. Photo by John Denniston.

A Thanksgiving without goodies is unthinkable, so I made a carrot cake to send home with our visitors, pictured here in its box for transport.