Celebrating a Hero's Birthday

It is 4 am and yes I am up playing on the computer... the reason is I crashed about 10 pm last night and got my night's sleep already... I also have an early morning appointment and knew that I would not be able to get these photos up until later today and I really wanted them up....for everyone to see...

As I was dropping mom off from her appointment this afternoon I found Yvette and Hubert at the house coming in to celebrate Dad's birthday so the first photo of dad's birthday is with his oldest...

The dinner is made and many of us have arrived at the house... actually it was a big crowd this year.... Yvette and Hubert couldn't attend in the evening but Roger and Flo, Patsy, Carl, Kalin (I know I have that one spelled wrong but she is Matthew's friend) and myself, Greg, Annie, Rebecca, Matthew and Phoenix along with mom and dad was gathered around the table and living room to celebrate Dad's birthday...

Yvette can still sit on dad's knee even at her age...

I love this picture of Carl he is not all that pleased with it but I had to put it in any way...

If you look really close at this one you will notice mom's has her tongue sticking out at me...

Phoenix discovered the bird feeder in the kitchen window...

Mom taking a few minutes to soak in all that was going on....as everyone arrived at the house...

I am not sure what was on TV but both of them was quite interested in it...

Greg watching on...

Dinner is served .... actually Patsy served it...

Happy Birthday to you

It took a while to light all these candles....

Happy Birthday to you .... where is the broom the smoke detector is going to go off...he he

Phoenix helping Dad with the candles...

Phoenix giving Dad his first taste of the cake...

Patsy cutting the cake...

A family moment ...

A messy moment... Patsy threw a creamer into the garage... Annie was in the way... so I am corrected by saying Annie got creamed last night he he...and she doesn't look all that upset about it either...

A special delivery came to the door last night that brought tears to dad's eyes... Have a Super Great Day it said....

Love Paden and Lisette...

I told them to get closer and they did this... wondering which one was going to put more in at once LOL...

Phoenix was heading home... and came to say good night to every one... Pat was saying good night to his belly button ...

Once again I am trying to get a cute, smiley photo of mom and dad together and again the brat comes out of mom...

But I did get a smile afterwards...

Phoenix still saying good night ....

You know every year I say I don't want anything and I get all this stuff.... next year I am going to say give me lots and may be no one will get me anything... ya right like that is going to ever happen in this house... you are so out of luck on that one dad... You always said a hug, a kiss and I love you would be enough... well you get them with bonuses every occasion...

And if I have to pick what was extra special last night to dad... it would be this simple gift of photos... of Mom, Dad and Rebecca on her wedding day and Dad and Phoenix on Rememberance Day two years ago... it was hung before we left the house right by his chair with the one I got him for Christmas... and after they both stopped the tears I got this picture of them together...

Greg and Dad together.. my aim was to get all the children with dad this year and it was successful...

Patsy and Dad together...

I asked him to bend down with dad... he puts the gift on the table and bends...he he ... brat but not as much as mom LOL

Better ... Roger and Dad....

Mary dropped collecting for Cancer and of course you know she got a piece of cake...

Well that is it for now... there are more to come when Patsy and Flo sends me the ones I asked for... they will be posted when they come in...

It was wonderful to have this chance to celebrate once again with dad on his birthday and being the selfish daughter I will say I hope I am here again next year trying to figure out which of the too many photos I took that I am going to post...

Have a great one all....Joanne

A Hero's Birthday

On April 6, 1923 Louis Melanson was born into this world to Jerome and Anna Melanson. 53 years ago he became my father and today we will be celebrating his 86th birthday by gathering around the kitchen table with family.

I tried to write something just for him here today and the words just wouldn't come out of me so I will repeat the words that were in my heart of this man several years back...



My Hero

As we travel through out our life there are people that we meet that impress us. It could be the simplest thing or a major one. No matter what it is, it is carried with us throughout the journey of our life.

Even though many may influence our lives, there is always that one person that stands out from all the rest. This someone touches you more then all others in your life.

There is one like that in my life. He has been a part of my life since the day I was born. There is not a moment I have regretted him being there. He has been there each and every moment. Watched and waited to see how I handled all that I had to face and even when I didn’t want him there and pushed him away, thinking his help was giving up the independence I so much was fighting for, he was there waiting for me to turn to him for the support that I needed. He has listened and shared all the joys in my life. He has helped me through all the tears and sadness that stood before me. He has watched me cry because I thought my life was nothing any more or that I couldn’t go on alone and life was just being too unfair to me. He has showed me that life is worth living and that for each thing we go through there is a reason for it and that each one of them would give me strength. Even though we may not like the end result of it, it is still my life and I should continue onward to better things.

He encouraged me to continue on with my life and learn from my mistakes. He never judged me because I was not perfect. He never expected perfection from me but what I was capable of and never seen a lesser person because I had failed in something. Failure was a learning process to him.

Some people would think I was crazy when I say that he had this wonderful energy that he shared with me with a simple a touch or a very large hug. It didn’t matter. The energy was there for me and most that was in his life. An energy that kept me from giving up hope on myself or the situation I was in. An energy that I needed so bad at times that I would go and see him out of the blue just to get a hug and a zap of the much needed energy. Energy I am not sure if he knows he has, but if he did, he has throughout his life has willingly passed it on to anyone that was willing to accept it. It was the only strength at times that allowed me to continue on with my life. Times that even he didn’t know what was going on.

His heart is filled with caring and love that he shares with all that he has met through out his life time. He leaves an impression on those that have been privileged to have him in their lives if only for a few minutes or a life time. To see the warm in his eyes, the wondrous smile and the glow that flows from him when he speaks of his passions and beliefs. He is a man that is slow to anger but if it does come to being it is also with great passion and short lasting. And God have mercy on the person that has caused the angry. Not a pretty sight at all.

This man is apart of me. If he wasn’t I would not be here today. Not only because of what he has given me through out my life but he was apart of giving me life in the first place. Out of love I came into this world. Out of love I became who I am. How can one say thank you for a gift that is so perfect to me. He has given me 46 years of his love, caringness, his sharing, thoughts, hopes and dreams. His gentle touch to heal all that ached within me and his firmness to guide me and teach me to be whom I am today.

I watched him on the rare occasion let go of his tears because his heart couldn’t hold them in any more. These tears came more readily as years passed. He allowed me to share some of these occasions with him. An honour not too many men allow others to see, because their beliefs men don’t cry. How silly of them.

I remember the first time I seen his tears in front of people. It was in 1980. It was year that so much had went on in the family. He leaned against the den wall at the door way, I was on the chair closest to him. My mother sat across the room from me and others on the sofa. I am not even sure who the others were. They were not important at the time. It was the year that my oldest sister decided to marry again for the second time but this time not in the church but in front of the justice of the peace. My older sister was taking her final vows for the convent and I was getting married as well but to a non-Catholic. We were talking about the up coming summer and I looked up at my father and saw tears develop in the corner of his eyes. He spoke of his three girls and how they all were moving on in their lived but all in so different ways. “My three girls,” he said “One marrying to a non catholic, another marrying out of the church and the other to the Lord.” I wondered later if he was sadness because we were leaving him behind in some way or out of joy because we were continuing on with our lives to whatever we were going to face with the decisions that we had made. I never asked him this I just believed it was out of joy. But that day I saw my father in a total different light.

Up until that day I saw him as my father and that was all. The man that took care of us, made sure we had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and as much love as he could mustard up at the days end of working at the mill. He was doing his job as a father. But that day I saw a man with a heart. Not because of what he said but because of the tears he let flow without shame or worry that someone would tell him how foolish he was for them because he was a man and that was not allow as I heard so many times before that. That day the way I looked at my father changed and continued to change for years to come until this day.

I was 24 then and what I discovered that day only grew each passing day with this man I love so much.

The saying Dad’s little girl still stands after 46 years of my life. He has been my father, my counsellor, my best friend, my strong hold when I needed him. He has been the man in my life I went to every time I scrapped my knee, needed to talk about anything that was going on in my life, from the greatest joys of my life, to the sadness that tore me apart and needed someone to listen. Broken hearts, my children, my husband, my friends, and a simple or silly thing that was so important to me but nothing to others. It didn’t matter he always had the time to listen to it.

People all have their heroes in their lives. Some are the strangest to the simplest ones. But with me my hero is my dad. There could be no other. He is all that I look for in a person I want in my life, the loving, kindness, caring, gentleness, understanding, patients which there has to be a lot of with me around, the willingness to be who he truly is. No fear to show the emotions that he has developed over the years. These are the things that make up a true man. That is what I see in my father and that is what I want to see in the man I love today.

I thank you today Dad for all that you have given me… all that you have shared with me through out my life…. All the love you have showed so that I may be a loving and caring person… and though it has taken me some time also a stronger person to be able to pass on all that you have given me…. To all those that have entered my life so they may also leave feeling what I feel each time I am with you…


Happy Birthday Dad, I hope it is a great one for you. Love Your Little Girl... Joanne.

Weather for Ducks

Okay I am back... Thought I was going to get here last night but things changed... Rebecca and Matthew (Daniel) came over and while the boys were watching a movie... Rebecca and I did scrap booking... it is always an enjoyable evening when she comes over ... also like girls night out without leaving the house...

As for dad he is back on medication once again for his lungs... this is the second time this year that we have had to deal with this trying very had not to have him end up in the hospital like years before... he is sounding a lot better yesterday even after one day of medication which is always nice to hear... and not having him in the hospital is a blessing as well...

Saturday morning the rain is falling which means that the snow is going away faster... this morning when I climbed out of bed and looked out the window to see what kind of day I was going to be faced with, I noticed some of my flower bed is starting to show up, finally. There is hope for the flower bed to be seen soon and then the work will once again start.... there is so much that didn't get done last fall that needs to be done come the spring... most of it is transplanting which I couldn't do on my own but Carl with some luck will still be around by this time and will be able to help with that part of the garden before he heads off to God knows where this year...

Well the tea has been made and breakfast is on my mind so I am off... have a wonderful wet Saturday morning to those who are sharing this weather... Joanne

Update on Mom....

Since no one took the time or really didn't know where the photo came from I will let you know... It is the window from St. Theresa's Church what was closed down this year....I was up there yesterday snapping a few pictures before they decide to do something terrible like tear it down....

On to other news... we did not have a smiling mom this morning as we went to our appointment with Dr. Boucher... it started out to be another bio but ended up having the whole thing cut out instead... knowing full well that if he did a bio this morning he or I would not get her back to get it cut out....

He had to give her a second dose of stuff to freeze her face because the first one didn't take.... she was not a happy woman and threaten to leave a few times throughout... but I got her to stay for the whole thing... and when she got home she was no happier then when we were at the hospital...


In the photo she started to tell us what she wanted to do with her knee to the poor Doctor... and where he could go and that he might see her in 3 years instead of 3 months to get her ears cleaned again... she is a funny woman when she wants to be...

It is a few inches long and he cut about 1 inch or so from her face...

When I left after lunch this afternoon it was starting to turn blue....which I expected with her skin the way it was

Well that is about it for today... as you can see from the photos she is still not too pleased with what went on today but tomorrow will be a better day....

I do have a little news of dad but it is going to have to wait for the next one... nothing terrible but news... I am off to take someone to work....
Have a great weekend all.... Joanne

Where is This?

Where is this?