All the Joy that is Mine Today

 In real time, our days on Prince Edward Island are done, but I’m going back in time to talk about those last few days there. Wednesday was our day to go to the Green Gables Heritage Place. It’s a big tourist attraction on PEI, as Lucy Maud Montgomery and her Anne books are a major part of the tourism industry here. The books are near and dear to our hearts, and they are a big part of the reason R.J. and I first came here. Others in the family share that love of Anne, so we hoped that Green Gables would be a sentimental attraction for them as well. Of course, Anne is a fictional character and Green Gables is a fictional place, but this is reported to be the home which Lucy Maud used as her inspiration for Green Gables. The government owns the home now and has it set up for tourists with period furniture and has even gone so far as to decorate rooms as if they belonged to the characters in the books. We toured the house. Elle had a little guide-book-scavenger-hunt she was doing (with Laura’s help) as we went. We walked in the Haunted Wood and on Lover’s Lane (as named in the book) until about lunch time. Before we left, we looked around the gift shop and Elle got a prize for doing that scavenger hunt. Next, we drove a few miles/kilometers over to North Rustico for lunch, meeting my friend Anne Woolner there for a picnic. Anne lives in Rochester during the school year but spends her summers in PEI. That’s another story, but regardless, it was good to see her and to catch up with her. On our way back to the rental, Joe asked to stop and pick up some poutine. He wanted to taste it while he was in Canada, and he shared it with those of us who could eat it. Great idea, Joe! Wednesday afternoon was for resting and playing on our beach at the rental. It was a good day with a roast in the crockpot for supper. This place feels like home.

On Thursday, we decided to show the family the Gateway Village. That is the first place to stop after you cross the bridge to get to PEI, but since they flew in, they didn’t get to see it. There was a playground there that the kids loved, and then all of us did some souvenir shopping. Laura and Andrew found some local artisan-made souvenirs, and Elle picked out a stuffed fox for Liam (which he loved). We all had Cow’s ice cream again, and some of the family decided to eat some lunch there as well. Then we all headed back to the rental. We spent the afternoon resting or on the beach. We grilled for supper and had a picnic on the back deck, where we were sheltered from the wind. It got cool fast, so we decided to have a movie night. We even took a s’mores break, roasting marshmallows on the grill!

Friday was a big day, as it was our last full day on PEI. We decided to try a couple of my favorite spots, Covehead Lighthouse and Greenwich National Park. Covehead is more or less on the way to Greenwich, so we went there first. It was a simple walk up the beach to spend a few minutes at the lighthouse and take a few pictures. Then we were on to Greenwich. We purchased our parks passes and drove to the entrance to the trail we wanted to take, and then we had a picnic before our walk. This hike takes you through meadow, forest, wetlands, dunes, and down to the ocean shore. It’s amazing. They built a floating boardwalk so you can walk right through all that beauty without destroying it. The beauty here always blows me away. It was a long walk to the beach, but Elle persevered! She took off her shoes and socks (as did several others of us) and played in the ocean a bit. This beach had whiter, finer sand than our beach back at the rental. It was fun to see the difference. It got warmer as we walked back to the parking lot. I think we were all worn out. Elle got a ride in the stroller for the last little bit, but she did most of the walk all on her own. We all went to the welcome center next, to cool off, get some water, and use the washrooms. Elle did another little guide book with her mom and got another prize. Then we headed back to the rental for pizza night. A few of us went down to the beach to say goodbye, and then there were early bedtimes. The family had a 5:45 flight out of Charlottetown the next morning and intended to leave the rental at 2:45 am.

Leaving early was the plan, but then the flight got cancelled. They were all up already (except the kids) when they got the notification. None of us are experienced fliers, so it was hard to figure out what was the best approach. At about 3:45, they decided to go to the airport to figure things out. It was only about 45 minutes from our rental. They got another flight lined up by 5:30 am, but the flight itself wasn’t until 11:30 am. They decided to come back to the rental to wait. We all got another goodbye! The kids played and ate, while the adults rested or ate a proper breakfast. Soon enough they all got in the rental car one more time (after Elle picked five shells to keep and then said a teary goodbye to the shells she had to leave behind). We hoped for the best this time around with the flights. (Both flights were on time this time around, but this particular arrangement had a 7-hour layover in Montreal. They were exhausted by the time they got back to Minnesota.)

R.J. and I only had a three-hour drive to our next place, so we had a bit of time to do a slow-departure for PEI ourselves. We drove around a bit. I did a little more souvenir shopping. We ate a picnic lunch in a park in North Rustico (the area where we stayed on our first visit). Then we headed out. I started feeling melancholy, but then I stopped myself. Here’s why.

If you know my husband, you know that he’s a whistler. He whistles well, and he whistles often. When he works from home, I hear whistling coming from his office all day long. If songs get stuck in his head, they simply come out his lips in his whistle. During our time on PEI, the song that he whistled over and over again was “Today” by John Denver. It’s an oldie, of course, and maybe it was on our trip playlist. I don’t remember for sure. Maybe he just wanted me to think about the power line of that song. You never know with that wise and clever man. At any rate, I’ll get the song stuck in your head now like it’s stuck in mine.

“Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine
A million tomorrows shall all pass away
'Ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today”

I tend to try to hang onto moments, like family time together or vacations, as if they were objects to be grasped. They are not and never could be. This flawed thinking inevitably leads to sadness for me when the moments come to an end, as they must. While holding a moment in my hand or freezing time isn’t possible, reshaping my way of thinking IS possible. So I’m not choosing sadness at this ending, I’m choosing joy. For this time that our family had together on PEI, a million tomorrows shall all pass away 'ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today. Amen and amen.