Knarr Gallery

"𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒
𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙
𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒"

"𝐵𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑟, 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑢𝑠
𝑇𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑒
𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑢𝑠
𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒"

ᴿᵘˢˢ ᵀᵃᶠᶠ
ᴸᶦᶠᵉ'ˢ ᴿᵃᶦˡʷᵃʸ ᵀᵒ ᴴᵉᵃᵛᵉⁿ ˡʸʳᶦᶜˢ © ᵀᵒʳᶦ ᵀᵃᶠᶠ ᴹᵘˢᶦᶜ

Friday nights will no longer be the same in my youngest sister Jen's home as the "Gaither Gospel Hour" will not be blasting along with my Mom's singing from her sitting room. Mom passed away a couple of days ago and although there is a deep ache that comes from missing her, there is a joy to know she's is in a better, safer place.

There were only 4 things brought true joy to Mom...
..The first was family, immediate and distant, there was nothing that could stop her if she had the opportunity to spend time with her kids or grandkids. The smile that lit up her face as she would sit in our loud Knarr family gatherings said it all. Her unconditional love for us was amazing and it's this example that keeps the 4 of us a siblings so close. This was a trait that she inherited from her Mom. Mom cared for and loved each of her brothers and their families. She was often found kneeling at her bedside bringing her concerns for her entire family to her Saviour.
..That brings us to her faith. An unwavering faith that she loved to share. Her Bible was never far from her and she was often found reading and anticipating being with her Saviour in glory. This past year was so difficult for Mom, not being able to attend services due to CoVid. But Sunday mornings she would be beside her radio, hanging on every note during worship and every word from the pastor.
..She cherished her friendships, some of them lifelong. Her friends came from many avenues of her life. From the ladies of "Victoria St.", to my Godmother Shirley H, to her many friends on Rodney St., Ron and Theresa H., and her many friends from First Baptist. Her face glowed as she would share stories from her past and treasured her times with them.
.. and finally that brings us back to the "Gaither Gospel Hour". Friday nights could not come fast enough for Mom. The anticipation of being able to sing like no one was listening to her. Singing her favourite Hymns and Gospel Songs lifted her like nothing else. Although the decibel levels could reach incredible levels as her hearing failed, these will be special memories that will stay with the Mantel family for ever.

Mom's journey was "successful, from the cradle to the grave". Her unconditional love for her family and friends is a strong testimony to her faith. Well done Mommy, well done!

The past few months have been riddled with sickness in our household. From flu bugs to sinus infections, trying to get out of the house to do any photography has been either not an option or just not a desirable action. Over the past week I've finally been able to get out a couple times and today was fortunate to be able to find a Cooper's Hawk down in Cambridge. He was very cooperative and I was able to do a short study on him. The "Coop" is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico. As in many birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female. Hopefully you enjoy my art.

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