Wednesday, June 25, 2014

An unforgettable vacation moment revisited...


The summer after Mama died, my husband and I and my sister and her husband decided to use the money she left to us and visit Prince Edward Island, where she was born, and to spend some time in Maine, where she had grown up.  We had visited our family in Maine before, but had never been to Prince Edward Island to see the homestead there or the family members still living there.

Mama was a descendant of one of the first French families to settle in P.E.I.  Everywhere we drove on the beautiful island, with its soft rolling hills dotted with grazing sheep, we saw little markets, landmarks and streets labeled with Mama’s maiden name.  Popping into one of those markets, we told the owner about our Mama being born on the island and asked about her possible relationship to the owner of the little store.  Being a descendant of the family, we were immediately dubbed islanders and told that our part of the family was from the other end of the island.  Sure enough, he was right.

We had come to the island, never having met any of the relatives that still lived there.  Our older sister had visited there previously and had given us a name and phone number of a family member to contact.  After we checked into the little hotel on “our end” of the island, we phoned her and she and her husband gladly escorted us around the island.  We visited the little Acadian museum with all of the genealogical records of our family.  We visited the homestead that our great grandfather had built on the island, and saw the very bedroom where our mama had been born.  Mama’s cousins still live in the beautiful homestead with it’s view of the sea past the barn and fields.



The highlight of the trip for me was visiting Mama’s ninety something year old cousin and her husband.  They lived in a wee little home that was neat as a pin.  We were warmly welcomed inside and invited into the little kitchen where we gathered in a circle of chairs.  Mama’s cousin was still as sharp as a tack, in spite of her age, and clearly remembered Mama.  She excused herself for a moment, then came back and handed me an envelope.  Inside was a letter Mama had written to her, with a photo of Mama as a young teen.  On the back, in French, was written, “the one born on the island”.  Mama was the only one of the “Maine cousins" that had actually been born there one summer when our grandparents were in P.E.I. helping on the family farm.


There in that little kitchen, we learned that Mama’s cousin was married to THE fiddler of P.E.I.  He had quite a reputation and had even played for the Queen on one of her visits to the island.  We were so pleased when he got out his fiddle, and began to play for us.  Seated next to him, Mama’s cousin’s tiny feet "step danced" along to the tune he played.


Though not a word had been spoken about God or the Bible, I felt my eyes begin to tear up a bit, as I sensed the presence of God in that moment.  There was something holy about the welcoming acceptance as a part of the family, about being readily welcomed into their home, about the genuineness of the love and acceptance offered to us outsiders.  A beautiful joy filled that kitchen, and my heart, as the fiddle played on and ninety year old feet tapped along to the tune.

still following,

   



at 3-D Lessons for Life




24 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you and Paulette were able to take that trip! Love seeing the pictures and hearing the story.

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  2. What a lovely story! It's nice to be able to revisit those wonderful memories.

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    1. Lynda, it was fun to write this and to relive our trip.

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  3. This story touches me so! How wonderful for you to go and visit your mom's birthplace and learn more of her family and heritage there. I'm sure she was beautiful inside and out, if anything like you! The pictures are gorgeous, and what I imagined it would look like. I've always wanted to travel to P.E.I. Thank you for sharing these precious memories from your trip! I know you'll cherish them always.
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. P.E.I is so lovely and is definitely worth a visit. Nova Scotia was amazing as well. Of course, Maine has my heart as that is where my "Nana" , aunts and uncles and cousins lived. (My Papa died before I met him.)

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  4. OH!! This is such a beautiful story. I am so glad you were able to go and discover pieces of your Mama's history that may have remained buried. Maine is such a lovely place too. My husband and I honeymooned in that lovely state at the end of May. I knew nothing about P.E.I. That would have been a fine addition. Thanks for sharing, ~ linda

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    1. Well, PEI is a long drive from Maine through New Brunswick, Canada. I think they have cruise ships that go there, too! We did a big trip flying from Oregon to Maine, then driving through New Brunswick, staying on PEI a few day, then took a ferry to Halifax, Nova Scotia, then back to Maine!

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  5. What a blessed time you had. Thank you for sharing! Vising from the High Calling Link-up.

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    1. Thank you for coming by Kelly! I'm going to pop over to your place and try to read some of the other submissions now that the business of the day is over!

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  6. What a sweet story, and I'm feeling doubly blessed to have it submitted in community with us at #TellHisStory and the High Calling vacation stories series.

    What a treat to visit family, family sites, and then to discover that lovely letter from your mama. A couple days ago, a cousin visited whom I'd never met. He brought a family history book from his branch of the family tree, and he had photographs in the back of his book. I looked closely at one of the photographs, taken in 1918, and there in the front row, was my grandma as a child! it was such a sweet surprise.

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  7. Isn't this the stuff that Anne of Green Gables is made of? Such a gift and legacy Elizabeth.

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    1. I got to see Lucy Maud Montgomery's home when I was there, too!

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  8. What a gift, to be able to visit and connect with your mother's life! I must confess that I do not know what P.E.I. stands for, but reading your story made me want to visit:) Dropping in from Coffee for Your Heart, and loved reading your story:)

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    1. It stands for Prince Edward Island, Canada. :)

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  9. Oooh, how I loved your sentence, "There's something holy about the welcoming acceptance as part of the family." Beautiful. xo

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    1. It really felt that way, as if God had orchestrated it all. I suppose He had!

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  10. There is an inheritance in the stories of our forebears - what a blessing to reach back and connect with it! So beautiful! - and your mom has another name - "the one born on the island" - a beautiful thread to include in the tapestry of your family story!

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    1. It was such a special trip, a real blessing from God in my life.

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  11. What a fabulous trip this was!!! I LOVED PEI the one time I visited, and thought it one of the loveliest places I'd ever seen. What fun to have family there to connect with. Thanks so much, Elizabeth!

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  12. precious memories indeed
    to hold
    to treasure
    to pass along

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  13. Elizabeth, thank you for sharing this lovely story with Thought-Provoking Thursday. I suddenly have the desire to pop in an Anne of Green Gables movie!

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  14. I love this story. I think there is something amazing about tracing roots back, about seeing God's hand sustain a family, about finding our place in the present because we understand the past. This sounds like a wonderful, memorable trip.

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  15. Finding family, feeling connecting to place, and then the fiddle? That is a treasured trip indeed.

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