Rob/Windsor Ont.
New member
My second youngest daughter turned seventeen ten days ago and it caused me to reflect on the years in between and the struggles that Grace and I were faced with to get to where we are today. At the time of her conception, Grace and I were living in a one bedroom apartment that counted forty-eight stairs to climb. We didn't mind the exercise per say and having children together seemed an unlikelyhood, as we had been told that our chances for children were less than ten percent, medically speaking. We had come to accept this as our "hand to play" in life and carried on with the simple things that brought us great pleasure. Birdwatching, afternoons walking the beach and rides in the car, chatting and stopping for a bite at some country diner, the likes of which you would see in some of the older films with Hepburn and Tracey. Our budget back then didn't allow for much as I had child support payments and other debts that one carries from the result of a divorce a few years previous. We didn't mind though. We always met our responsibilities and if anyone was to do without some things, it was going to be Grace and I. We proved that it didn't require money to find happiness in life. The year was 1988 and things were about to change for the two of us. Grace started to feel queasy in the mornings and we initially gave it little thought, as our future together seemed to have already been written. But, we were soon to find out otherwise. A trip to the doctor's office confirmed what we thought couldn't happen and I will never forget Grace's excitement upon showing me the first ultrasound photo of our precious cargo in waiting. We were not prepared financially speaking, but we knew in our hearts that we would overcome any struggles that would lay before us. After the ninth week of pregnancy, Grace phoned me at work to give me the frightening news that she had started to hemmorage and I rushed home to bring her to the hospital. The prognosis wasn't good and the doctor's on staff had scheduled her for a D and C the morning to follow. We were naturally saddened and felt a deep sense of loss at what we thought awaited us. I sat with her that night at the hospital and a few tears were shed. Morning came and I awoke in the chair beside her bed. Grace's condition had subsided somewhat but the doctor's still advised that we go through with the recommended procedure. Grace was not ready to give up hope just yet. She informed the medical staff that things just felt "different" this morning and that she had made the choice to return home and come back IF her condition persisted as the day before. I remain forever grateful that she had followed her instincts ! Seven months later we were blessed with our beautiful Audrey. Thirteen months later, to our utter surprise and pleasure, our equally beautiful Abbey was to follow. We lived in that one-bedroom apartment until the oldest was two, almost three, as a seven month strike in 1989/90 had prevented us from moving forward in the financial sense. We were atop of our building and our saving grace had been the fact that the rooftop was our patio. It was a large fenced-in area that was originally intended for the building occupants to sunbathe etc. We made the best of it but not without struggle. I purchased a used portable washer and dryer set that rolled out when needed. At least now the laundry could be done without one of us having to run down the stairs to use the building facilities. And I worked every overtime shift available as Grace did her best to make our place a happy "home". Two years after our strike was over we bought a small rundown home that took us five years to renovate. Our first night of possession of this property saw our two little ones shouting with glee at the sight of squirrels and rabbits running about in THEIR yard ! This was a first for them. Makes me smile just thinking about it. The day after we put the finishing touches on our humble abode, we sold it for a small profit and purchased a larger home. It was a nice house in a sub-division near a river but we found that privacy was a commodity not to be had. We too like to sit in the mornings on our deck in our PJ's and though we are still "in the city", our setting at our current home is really tough to beat. It has a charm and character in and of itself and we have never been happier in any quarters of living than this one provides.(Aside from the landscaping and yardwork that is.) Funny thing life is. We had never envisioned that this would be our path, but needless to say, in looking back, we wouldn't change a thing. Struggle does make you appreciate and it does build character. Like the tale of the butterfly. Without struggling from the cocoon on it's own, it would never have harnessed the strength to fly !
It is called PMS like in pmslinda 
