Vivien came on our horse back riding trip north of Banff, Alberta. It was about 20 years ago. 16 of our picnic group went, which included several grown children. Gill invited Vivien, who was her sister who lived in Florida.. We spent 10 days riding in the wilderness and being looked after by the guides. The scenery was spectacular. We had never met Vivien before but what I remember about Vivien was that every evening after dinner, she and Gill and Karen went to groom the horses. They brushed them and took them treats. When I asked Vivien why she did it, she said that she felt sorry for the horses, working so hard all day with us on their backs. Now that never crossed my mind, but that told me everything I needed to know about Vivien/ She was very kind.
Vivien just died at age 67. For many years, she visited Gill in Nova Scotia, bringing her two grandchildren so we got to see her every summer. Indeed, it turned out to be true. She was a kind soul, as well as hard working and energetic. Gill and Vivien cut out a path to the shore through the dense shrub and they made stone walkways around Gill's house. As the grandchildren grew older, the visits ceased. Then a year ago she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and she and I e mailed every day about dealing with adversity. Her goal was to get well enough to visit Nova Scotia one more time. But her tumor returned, despite chemotherapy and radiation. Two days ago, she died. Her children and grandchildren will miss her as will the whole family. And the Gull Bay Group will miss her too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment