Now that Labour Day book end has arrived to complement the Victoria Day start, the summer of 2019 seems completed (notwithstanding the calendar's insistence that the end is still three weeks away. It has been a summer of richly varied experiences.

There's the cottage - hard work to get it out of the winter doldrums, cut the weeds, fight the bugs, repair the road, take on a renewal project - but also the powerful sense that nature is reliving into its warm weather splendour in the chosen get-away.

There's the outdoor sports and other activities - for me, mainly as spectator, watching grandchildren learn soccer skills, swimming with confidence and pleasure, parents playing political league baseball and gaining the Hill trophy; and gardening - vegetables and flowers, bringing both food and beauty.

Pressing work on family genealogies, photos in old albums, and family films from the 1930s forward required productive partnering with nephew Sean to get the images digitized and organized into a representative family album, other pix stored in accessible files, while videos went to You Tube to bring the past closer to the present.

All that to resource a family reunion on the August long weekend gathering 31 participants - aged 2 to 85, from across North America to Ottawa. It was a great time of remembering (helped by the resources), enjoying, good eating and drinking, and learning about Canada's capital through an Ottawa River cruise and an insider tour of the Parliament (son Jeremy works there) after watching the changing of the guard

Two hopes for the event were not realized when Dutch cousins were not able to attend, and, my middle brother Bert (and spouse, Betty) was not well enough to travel to the gathering. In fact, on the Sunday we were informed that Bert was not expected to live many days. He died after years of suffering with Parkinson's Disease, with his sons at his side on the Tuesday.

For a number of us that meant a flight to Winnipeg and a 3-hour drive to Kenora, where Bert lived. The memorial service was a great tribute to Bert's contribution to family, town, and Church. The church was filled with friends and family. In an amazing audio-visual presentation by Sean Bert's life was recognized in its many dimensions.

Bert's vocation as geography and world studies teacher over 32 years in Beaver Brae Secondary School was a major highlight. We remembered with amazement his passion to help students discover the big world beyond Kenora by every year March organizing a two- week trip to various parts of the globe with anywhere from 20 to 60 students. A daunting but profoundly significant feat and service, recognized by an Ontario Teacher of the Year award in 1994.

As family, we gave thanks for the opportunities to come together in joy and sorrow; for life shared with this brother, father, uncle, husband, friend; and for the grace of God which enabled us to entrust into God's care this sibling from his many circles, and not least from the family circle of five sibs.

Travelling through Ontario's summer scenes was such a privilege and enjoying its clean waters and warming days at cottages with family and friends was a gift. That won't quite end yet, but with school starting for grandkids and parents turning their focus back to work and an election campaign just around the corner - hmmmm, we know we have been and are going through a change of seasons.

Thanks be to God for the gift of life! We are blessed.