December 21, 2019. Ancaster, Ontario. Reassurances.

Spending time with the younger generations gives me great reassurances for the future, especially when you spend time with Dave and Irene's children and grandchildren. So much of what is read tells of the disasters of the younger generation but the reality is something totally different, at least for me. Yesterday afternoon Wendy and I visited Alana, the younger daughter of Wendy. I wanted to see her new home which she purchased six months ago. Alana is a nurse. She has a BA in health policy. Then she took two years to get her RN. Now she works at St. Joseph's Hospital and she loves it. She saved every penny and now she is the proud owner of a charming white frame house with a front porch and two bedrooms. And she has a fenced yard for her dog Forest. Clearly, she has been making her own decisions and doing a good job with her life. I loved her little home, which is perfect for her. For the past two evenings I have had dinner with the three Buckley children and their souses. They are an impressive lot and I love them all. Ken and Anne arrived from Vancouver Thursday late afternoon so we ate dinner at Wendy and Ken. Norm and Diane were there too along with Alana. Friday evening we all ate together at Dave and Irene's home. We ate good food and had lively conversation, a combination that can never be beaten. This afternoon Ariel and her boyfriend came to visit Dave and Irene. Ariel is the middle child of Norm, who is the eldest child of Dave and Irene. Ariel and Rob live in Montreal and are here for the Chistmas season. Norm joined us. Then Norm and Rob and Ariel set up the table and arranged chairs for Irene in preparation for the family birthday celebration tomorrow. Shortly after they left, Kenny and Anne came to visit along with Ken and Wendy. We sat in the living room chatting, then worked a huge crossword puzzle together which was fun and productive. We sill have have the huge puzzle for tomorrow. All these folks are energetic, responsible and competent. It was a pleasure for me to spend so much time with them.