Today, I’m going to end this week on the same note on which it began. On Monday, as word of what was happening in Toronto was beginning to sink in, Rob and I were taking Molly on a peaceful walk along what is known as Lochside Trail Park, which stretches beside the ocean not too far from our home. It’s what we overlook from our house and the temptation to get closer is sometimes too much, so we leash up the pup and head down for a walk along the water.
 

 
Our outing took us to one of my new favourite spots: a little park that is off the beaten path and away from the ocean just a bit and has a place for children to play on swings (although I never pass up a good adult-sized one, just for a few minutes) and for people to sit at picnic tables in the sun. 
 
Monday, though, it was just us and a fellow planting a tree near the pond’s edge. Oh, and there were ducks, too (as you’ll see in this short video, which is actually quite action-packed and includes a cameo by Miss Molly herself). Just click on the photo below.
 

 
Our friend Nancy brought me to this tiny park on a Molly walk last year and it’s held a special place in my heart ever since: it reminds me of Monet’s lovely gardens in Giverny, France, and when I go there, I am with Lauren. The ducks go about their day, the planes from nearby Victoria International ascend overhead and life is just peaceful and beautiful in this tiny corner of Sidney, BC, even more pastoral than in other parts of our lovely, tiny town.
 

 
I posted a little video on Instagram sending wishes for peace to my former home city the day we visited Iroquois Park. And yesterday I took my love of this spot one step further: I have made an inquiry with the town’s Parks department to see if I can have a bench placed somewhere near the pond, so people like Rob and me can sit quietly and just be with our thoughts and our loved ones.
 
In Ontario, there is a tree planted in Lauren’s name with a tiny plaque and a brick in a wall that remembers her with the words ‘Pure Joy’ but I am hoping there will soon be a spot where we can be with her and just sit. If they say no (and it has not escaped our attention that, in a town that is dotted with benches and their plaques everywhere, there is none in this particular spot) we’ll enjoy this place and its lovely pastoral feel just the same.
 

 
May your weekend be one of peace as well. And thank you for coming by to share some time here with me, too.