TODAY ... OHHH, TODAY. ZZZZ, UHHHNN

Well I’m awake & it’s 5:45am but that’s to be expected since it’s 8:45 am Eastern time & my body is still there. Flew the Air Canada’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner, decidedly luxurious for high paying customers. Economy class (where we live) delivers more leg room and good ventilation & that’s it. You buy everything else on board. Flight was late in departing - grounds crew problems, 1.15 hr delay as we sat already boarded, but pilots made up time getting to Van. Should have been 10:15pm arrival but was 10:55pm which was 1:55am on our bodies … and Gina and Jeff and Kale picked us up. Kady was having a sleepover w/a friend. 2:30am before we slept. I have a feeling this will be a day with frequent naps. I manage those capably. Looking ahead to air travel in 2050, I will be 108 yrs old. Any way I look at it, I am, and I will be, happy to be Home.

YEP, YESTERDAY WAS THE LAST DAY

Final day of our 20 day Reunion Extravaganza. Flying home from Toronto tonight, C&me. Eleven of us (our BC family contingent) met in Hudson Que for the Langlois Family Reunion Days, then in St. Catharines for the Unruh Family Reunion Days, and yesterday the Willems Related Cousins Reunion, and liberally sprinkled between these, celebration of Christine's and my 50th Wedding Anniversary, nostalgic visits and pics, and fun visits, quaint Air B&Bs, overnights with friends and family, Peterborough Lift Locks, Hudson Yacht Club, Blue Jays Game, CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, Wonderland, Niagara Falls, Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, Avondale Dairy Ice Cream, tears of joy, etc. Nine of us (BCrs) flew home earlier & tonight we (C&me) sleep in our bed at home. What a grand celebration & memory.

Maple Leaf Lounge @ Pearson, all day until 8:15pm flight home

Langlois Family Reunion in Hudson Quebec

Here is the entire Langlois Family group that met in Hudson, Quebec. Here was a photo for the ages, or, at least for the youngest ones to look at later in time, and to be reminded of the generations that have preceded them. We lost Jim and May Langlois years ago. They were parents of Christine, Robert and David. All who are younger, are their offspring or their grandchildren. 

from the left:

Kadence, Gina, Kale and Jeff. Jeff is son of Christine and Ron

Kailyn, Tim, Ryan, Cari, Jayden. Cari is daughter of Christine and Ron. 

Christine in light blue with Ron in back row.

Jordie, Tara, Paul, and Justin all kneeling. Tara is daughter of David and Julie. David kneels on right beside seated Patti (in turquoise). Julie stand in pink in front of Robert.

Center is Graeme with Julie, with her children Nicholas and MaryLou.

Beside Julie is Rob married to Kathy (daughter of Robert and Gloria). Their daughter May stands beside Kathy back row.

In front of Rob and Kathy is Richard with his son Arthur on his shoulders. Richard is son of David and Julie Larkin (in pink on right).

Beside Richard is Angie (Angela). She is Patti’s daughter. Her son Allan was unable to attend.

At the rear on the right is Dave married to Beth who is Robert’s daughter. They have two children, their son, and their daughter      .

Beside Beth is her dad Robert Langlois. In front of him Julie Larkin. 

Beside Julie Larkin is Martin married to Jennifer who is David’s and Julie Larkin's daughter. Their children are little Jack with Jennifer, and standing is daughter

At this gathering then, were the original cousins relating to the three Langlois siblings, Christine, Robert and David, and those cousins are: CARI (Unruh-Locken), JEFF Unruh, GRAEME Langlois, KATHY Langlois/Jagodkin, RICHARD Langlois, BETH Langlois-Connabree, JENNIFER Langlois-Laperriere, TARA Langlois.

We celebrated Christine’s birthday on July 23rd. I will share a few postings that I placed on Facebook. This way those impressions will not be lost to me when I remove them from FB. Christine and I have been together for over 50 years. She is my love, still. What can I say other than I am a fortunate man.

The 23rd came on a Sunday. Christine didn’t want a celebration or a party. In the afternoon, Christine and I went to the Bard in the Valley matinee @ Douglas Park for ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ We came early, got front row seats, were joined buy some of our family, and later all eleven of them showed up at our place for supper and a nice evening on our decks. Happy Birthday Christine.

THE UNRUH FAMILY REUNION 2017

Here is the Unruh Family Reunion crew on Monday August 14th near St. Catharines Ontario, together for the first time in very many years. This group blessed Christine and me with observance of our 50th Wedding Anniversary, and a prayer of thanks for our parents, their sons and daughters in laws and their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A once in a lifetime event I think. So grateful for the hospitality shown to the eleven of us from B.C.

My parents’ gravestone tells us that they were sweethearts for 67 years. Importantly, the caption that my brother Murray and I agreed upon to summarize our family heritage is ‘A LEGACY OF FAITH - A FAMILY SERVING GOD’.

This gathering was special to us, an unrepeatable event. Many changes lie ahead during the next five years. I am glad for the legacy.

50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY PICS - MONTEBELLO PARK

August 12
1967-2017

A Legacy Memory to share with the people we love so much.




In Montebello Park, St. Catharines ON, where our wedding photos were taken 50 years earlier, and now the children, spouses and grandchildren that bless our lives.

 Left to Right
Jayden (12), Tim, Cari, Ryan (15), Kailyn (17), Christine, Ron, Kale (12), Jeff, Kady (10), Gina.

clowning, can’t help it ... life is a blast when we have good company, and when it’s not easy, we have people who carry us through.

FAMILY HERITAGE NURTURED BY OUR FAMILY REUNIONS

Christine and I are now the eldest in our respective families. Our parents left this scene some years ago. This Quebec/Ontario trip has been a means by which to reinforce to succeeding generations the value of heritage and much more.
     "We are pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road and those who've gone before us line the way, cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary, their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace. Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us run the race not only for the prize, but as those who've gone before us, let us leave to those behind us the heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives. After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone, and our children sift through all we've left behind, may the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.
     Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe and the lives we live inspire them to obey. Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.”

Thank you to all of the 38 people who were able to attend the Langlois Family Reunion, and to the 29 who attended the Unruh Family Reunion.
(quotation from lyrics by Jon Mohr)

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Golden - This was the day, August 12 50 yrs ago, Canada’s Centennial Year, that Christine Langlois and I were married in St. Catharines, where we are right now with our children and grandchildren, and will visit the church building and Montebello Park, where our photos were taken in the rose garden, then on to visit Niagara Falls, and be with our much loved extended family. 50 yrs is a long time & we have lived, loved and served together across the years in many places.