Helen's Home World: September 2019

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Silly Hats

Halloween 2015

While looking for this pirate photo of the boys for the International Talk (Woof) Like a Pirate Day, I found that I had many pictures of them in silly hats. They sure are tolerant of their crazy mum. But oh the faces I get! Enjoy!

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Words of Wordless Wednesday

The song "Acadie of our Hearts" was written by Lennie Gallant for the first Acadian World Congress (Congres Mondiale Acadien) which was held in 1994. The CMA has been held every five years since then. It is held in various locations mostly in the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island but has also been held in Louisiana in the United States. Below are the words to the song (the French in blue and the English in grey, my translation with help from Google). I put a link in the song title to another recording of the song.

Acadie de nos cœurs

Séparés par la mer (Seperated by the sea)

Pendant les années tristes (During the sad years)

Dispersés à travers (Scattered everywhere)

On n’avait pas eu l’choix d’partir (We had no choice but to leave)

C’est l’temps pour se revoir (It's now the time to meet again)

Chanter danser ensemble (To sing, to dance together)

Où ça tout commencer (Where did it all start)

Presque 400 ans passés (Nearly 400 years ago)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Viennent du nord et de l’est (Coming from the north and east)

Pour fêter la joie de vivre (To celebrate the joy of living)

Viennent du sud et de l’ouest (Coming from the south and west)

Attirés par les racines (Drawn by our roots)

T’est mon frère, t’est ma sœur (You're my brother, you're my sister)

J’tai point connu jusqu’asteur (I did not know you until now)

Je peux voir dans tes yeux (I can see in your eyes)

Comment t’a pas pu oublier (How you could not forget)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

La douleur du départ (The pain of the departure)

Et les larmes déjà versés (And the tears already spilled)

S’oublie dans la joie (But lets not forget the joy)

Que l’on prend à s’retrouver (we take in finding ourselves).

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Acadie de nos cœurs (Acadie of our hearts)

Enfin c’est ton heure (Finally it's your time)

Tes enfants reviennent dans tes bras (Your children return to your arms)

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Wordless Wednesday

Video of the Arsenault Reunion Concert Finale

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Making Connections

My father passed away in 2011 and my my mother last year so when I heard there was to be an Arsenault family reunion (in conjunction with the Acadian World Congress) on Prince Edward Island, I knew I had to go. One of my sisters had written me a letter after our mother died and it said "You have come to fill the role of family patriarch". I don't have any descendants and I think I just needed to make those connections with my roots, to belong, to be part of a bigger family.

So as my sister lives in Prince Edward Island (PEI), the two of us went to the family reunion. We made a poster of our family as was suggested by the organizers. My maternal grandmother is an Arsenault, with Arsenault ancestors on both sides of her family but it turned out that my maternal grandfather's mother is also descended from PEI (Ile Saint Jean) Arsenaults.

We attended a number of presentations about the Arsenault family at the reunion. I went to one before the reunion where I learned that my maternal grandather's family, the Pineau's are not Acadians even though the family name does show in the Acadian Museum in Miscouche. The Pineau family was not in Acadia at the time of the deportations by the English.

The Arsenaults however were there almost from the time that Acadie was founded. My seven times great grandfather Pierre Arsenault was a coastal pilot in what is now Nova Scotia and he founded Beaubassin (now called Amherst) with Jacques Bourgeois. It is from him nearly all the Arsenaults in Canada are descended. There was another Arsenault who settled in Quebec around the same time as Pierre Arsenault but he (Francois Arsenault) only had two sons whereas Pierre had seven sons so he has many more descendants.

Having the last name Stewart and having been raised in Central and Western Canada, my brother, sisters and I didn't embrace our Acadian ancestry and I suppose it didn't help that we didn't speak French either. I now understand that that our Acadian heritage is a rich history of struggle and triumph; we haven't just survived but have succeeded in carrying on the legacy of our ancestors, continuing to move forward, while not dwelling on the past. I guess that is the same for my Scottish heritage as well.

The reunion was fun. I was astounded to think that everyone in the arena (with the exception of spouses) was related some how to one man. They said afterwards that over 1000 people had attended the reunion. The first night there we met one of my mother's first cousins. She and her daughters had been sitting at the same table, unbeknownst to us, as my sister and me. She came up to my sister and asked if she wouldn't rather sit so she could see the stage. She then asked me who I was, which was a common question at the reunion. I told her I was a granddaughter of Edmund Pineau and Louise Arsenault. She came around the table saying "Ma Cousine" and gave me a big hug; her mother was my grandmother's sister. Over the weekend, we met other cousins of my mother as well as some second and third cousins.

My sister and I also explored the area near Mont Carmel where our grandmother Louise was from. We found at the Notre Dame de Mont Carmel cemetery, the grave sites of our great grandparents (Phillipe and Ursule Arsenault) and our great great grandfather Victor Arsenault.

Great great grandfather Victor Arseanault

Great Grandmother Ursule Arsenault

Great Grandfather Philip Victor Arsenault.

Also interred there are my mother's uncle Reverend Adrien Arsenault and her aunt Beatrice Arsenault.

Adrien Arsenault

Beatrice and Albin Arsenault

Arsenault History

The link above gives a little of the Acadian Arsenault history in Canada.

Arsenault Genelogy

This link gives the Arsenault geneology from Paul H. Arsenault and his two wives. This Paul was a great grand son of Pierre Arsenault.

So for my Arsenault ancestry, I am:

Helen

Anne

Louise

Phillippe Victor

Victor

Alexis

Paul H.

Paul

Jacques

Pierre

I'm doing more research on my family history now and with the internet it has been made much easier than it was in the past but my advice to anyone who wants to know their family history is speak to your parents and grandparents, then write down those stories and the details that they tell you about the family history. The family stories get lost so quickly.

Ursule Arsenault and Phillippe Victor Arsenault

Now I have made connections to the past, they are a part of me now but I suppose they always were.

Agility Blessing

May the tunnels not have too much suction,
May the course be fun and fast.
May your dog not stop to say "hello" to the photographers they pass!
May the table not be too slippery,
May the chute house no scary beasts,
May all the yellow parts be touched with one little toe, at least
May the wind be always at your back,
May no bars fall on the ground,
May the A-frame have no stop sign on the top,
May the judge's whistle never sound.
May your dog obey all correct commands,
And ignore the ones that are wrong.
May your heart be light, your feet be sure, and the bond with your dog grow strong.
At the finish line, may great joy abound, regardless of your score,
You have your dog, your dog has you, and who could ask for more?

Written by: PJ Hughes

What is a Title!

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores. A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor that dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard, and though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.

A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that in the end your faith was justified.

A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few, that in the world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name.

A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received, permanently recorded.

Written by Sandy Mowery, Wisconsin

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end

And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;

We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

Author Unknown

Beyond the Rainbow

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,

I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.

I saw a wondrous image then of a place that’s trouble-free,

Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side

Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!

My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new

I wanted to run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, and tell you I’m alright

That this place is truly wonderful,

Then a bright Glow pierced the night.

Twas the Glow of many candles shining bright, strong and bold

I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,

We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.

So, whenever you need to find me, we’re never far apart,

If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.

Do you think the time is right?

May I say goodbye to pain filled days and endless lonely nights?
I've lived my life and done my best, an example tried to be.
So can I take that step beyond, and set my spirit free?
I didn't want to go at first, I fought with all my might.
But something seems to draw me now to a warm and living light.
I want to go, I really do; it's difficult to stay.
But I will try as best I can to live just one more day.
To give you time to care for me and share your love and fears.
I know you're sad and afraid, because I see your tears.
I'll not be far, I promise that, and hope you'll always know,
That my spirit will be close to you wherever you may go.
Thank you so for loving me. You know I love you too,
And that's why it's so hard to say goodbye and end this life with you.
So hold me now just one more time and let me hear you say,
Because you care so much for me, you'll let me go today.

I Loved You Best

So this is where we part, My Friend,

And you'll run on, around the bend.

Gone from sight, but not from mind,

new pleasures there you'll surely find.

I will go on; I'll find the strength,

Life measures quality, not its length.

One long embrace before you leave,

Share one last look, before I grieve.

There are others, that much is true,

But they be they, and they aren't you.

And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,

Will remember well all you've taught.

Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,

The fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.

And as you journey to your final rest,

Take with you this...I loved you best.

-Jim Willis

The Price We Pay

There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals.

It is a cycle unlike any other.

To those who have never lived through it's turnings and walked it's rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with the full knowledge it will be broken seems incomprehensible.

Only we know how small price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.

Suzanne Clother