Memorial Day morning and all’s quiet at 20 Maine Street. The purple and gold finches zoom from bird bath to feeder, the blue iris stand tall with their chins up, overlooking the courtyard with regal elegance.
It’s been a busy few weeks for the Gamble family. Ward/Poppy finished another round of chemo last week, under the incredible care of his well liked oncologist, and seems happiest when resting in his recliner in the center of all the swirling family activity. Joanne has been recently inspired by a new healer, a nurse practitioner who practices integrative therapies in the care of cancer patients, and has been mixing up new concoctions(acai berry smoothies, beet and ginger cocktails!) for Poppy to try.
Nancy (Joanne’s sister) and Rob flew in from Wisconsin, bringing much cheer and incredible productivity, fixing and cleaning places we rarely see.
Miss Madi raised more for the Relay for Life (American Cancer Society)at Dartmouth than anyone else (thank you contributors!) and she and Sandra (and friends) walked last weekend. Maybe Madi will add more details when finals are over because I’m not really doing it justice here.
We’ve all enjoyed the sunny weekend , mixing tasks with rest and play; pruning lilacs, weeding, throwing softballs in the yard, even taking a few hours at Gooches beach(Maya and Shannon).
Last night we all crammed around the round table overlooking the courtyard and Poppy spoke the prayer, the familiar words resting in the air for a moment, a deep appreciation settling down into my bones. The hopefulness, love and sadness are with us always as we move through the days, spring melting into summer. The lupines droop in the hazy sun, Ward claps and smiles as the marching band goes by and Sierra feeds an injured baby bird on the porch, each moment a gift to behold. With love, Shannon
Ward – you and your family are an inspiration to us all. Thinking of you, and we love you!
Beautiful, hopeful poetry, Shannon!
Thank you.
Love to all Gamble clan…and continued prayers.
ben
Every moment a gift to behold,so true!
I send love and prayers to the whole family!
And thank you Shanon for your poetic choice of words,so lovely. How wonderful that you all can be
together!
I can share the great joy of the arrival of the Manhattan twins on Saturday,a boy and a girl born to Jim and wife Paola,they join Ethan(4) and Toby
(9).We all are filled with gratitude.Thanks be to God.Son Peter says: 7 is a graet number! Love Jutta.
Shannon, Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful words. Peace be with all of you and you remain in our prayers on this beautiful Memorial Day. Love, Lynn and Ernie
Thank you Shannon. We join you in spirit – and feel like we´re there because your writing is so vivid and evocative. Congrats to you all, especially to Ward for completing another round and to Joanne for her loving and conscientious care. And all of you for your great contributions – we love hearing about all the supportive activities.
We have been blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Peru where we hiked the Salkantay and Inca Trails to Machu Picchu and then flew to Manu Wildlife Center in the Peruvian jungle. We are now back in Cusco for 2 nights before returning to Lima and our flight to Boston via Miami. It´s been an extraordinary trip – wonderful people, awe inspiring mountains, verdant valleys, mind boggling Inca stonework and ruins, and very healthy & rich rainforest (saw lots of wildlife, flora, and gorgeous birds).
Will be in touch when we return.
Lots of love to you all,
Tony & Margie
So good to hear about the special moments you all shared this weekend … Shannon’s beautiful words were a treat to read … take care, stay hopeful, be strong …
My love to you all!
Carol
Shannon, thank you so much for this wonderful account of your family gathering and playing this holiday weekend. You bring it all to life. While walking through the Grand Forest on Bainbridge today I thought about your family amidst the old growth, strong with earthy smells and new growth, once again. I commented that I hadn’t heard lately and with the time change realize that you were writing at that moment. Ward and Joanne, I love you and hold you in my thoughts and prayers every day. Your good friend, Nancy
Our love and prayers to Ward, Joanne and the whole Gamble family. Gratitude to Shannon for painting the canvas of the weekend. Pete and Sophie
What a lovely description of the day. My thoughts and prayers are with you all as you move from Spring to Summer and all the attendant joys and sadnesses that are in the mix. Birds and flowers, busy people, activity, and quiet moments….all with the love of family. I don’t think it gets any better than that.
my love to all,
Effie
Shannon, that was a lovely description of your Memorial Day. How wonderful to enjoy the pleasures of life around you, as you live through all the moments of this bitter-sweet Spring. I’m glad you’ve shared this good lesson with us all. Bruce and I send our love and good wishes. Nina
I worked with Ward on Beyond War back in the 80′s and, understandably, came to admire and respect him. His illness has been a dark cloud, but I appreciate these posts keeping people like me informed on both the big things and the small ones — like the description of your evening together. Of course, the small ones are also big. Just not usually seen that way. Ward and all of you are in my thoughts and prayers on a regular basis. Marty Hellman
Beautiful words, Shannon. It was extra lovely to be there with you all.
Love,
Tyche
Dear Ward and family,
It was a special joy to hear Shannon’s summary of your family’s Memorial Day week-end– it must surely have been a blessed event.
I’ve been meaning to ask how close by you are to one of my favorite golf courses-{The Cape Arundel Golf Club} that I have played many times over the years. As you know it is rich in history having had many famous visitors including Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, The Bambino-Babe Ruth ,The UK’s Prince Andrew and 4 U.S. Presidents -{Can you name them ? }
Will be watching for your answer-Peace to all, Alan
Hi Alan,
We’re within walking distance to the golf course and when the Bushes golf they drive right by our front door. Quite an entourage.
So, obviously two of the Presidents are Bushes. The one that surprised me was Nixon and I guessed Clinton correctly.
Hope you continue to be in good health and we always enjoy your responses.
And thanks to everyone one else for their kind words.
Best Regards,
Ward
Love you, Ward … think of you as my “second” dad … love the entire Gamble family … you are a true blessing in my life … peace be with you.