Betty - A Life Well Lived

Last Friday, November 13^th was the end of a long and amazing life of a dear family friend, Betty Dimock.

Friday the 13th is also the celebration of the divine feminine goddess.  In the goddess trilogy, the Crone Goddess represents the old woman, crone is the old English word for crown.  She is the wisdom keeper, seer, healer and midwife, whose knowledge and wisdom emanates from the head like a halo. She is sought out to guide others during life's hardships and transitions.  Crones are not scared to speak their truth and are sometimes feared.

Betty Dimock was a true crone goddess, she was brave, feisty, gifted and certainly not scared to speak her mind. 

She served in the Second World War as a Nursing sister, losing her hearing in the process due to an infection. She cared for soldiers and witnessed horrible atrocities in the absence of proper medical care.

She returned to Canada post-war to find a different life for women. She married and with her husband Herb, settled in Winnipeg. She became an advocate for the deaf. Having studied art in New York in pre-war days she took it up again and became a well-known talent. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Art, University of Manitoba, at age 63, and studied printmaking in Japan.

She had her own studio, a bohemian setting in an old part of Winnipeg.  She was a source of creativity in her cooking, baking, decorating, clothing and of course in her art. She continued to paint and do print making and even travel internationally into her 90s.

After not seeing her for a long time I visited her earlier this year at the age of 99. We made arrangements on the phone to go out for dinner and she asked me if I was up for walking.  I met her at her apartment where she was living alone.   Off we went, Betty in her motorized wheel chair and me at times running to keep up!

Betty in her studio

She led me to her go-to place to eat. I was surprised to find it was a local sports bar, with scantily clad servers, big screen TVs and slot machines.  She was oblivious.  I ordered a cider and she thought that sounded like a good idea so had one too.  We reminisced and got reacquainted. She was articulate and opinionated as usual and she said to me:

“Cyndy, we live too long”

Betty in her 'Jazzy' at the Sports Bar

Given all the changes in the world in the past 100 years I don’t disagree.  Rest in peace Betty! 

My sister

My little sister Jennifer turned 51 this month.
I remember the day she was brought home from the hospital, laid on my parent's bed, and promptly sneezed.
I was worried.

Jennifer (in the red coat), Winnipeg, mid 1970s

  But she survived, thrived and we moved to Winnipeg to endure the cold prairie winters.

Me, Michael and Jennifer, 2013

She was a middle child, sandwiched between me and our younger, entertaining brother.
She excelled in music and sports and was always cracking us up.


She married Jean-Marc, a Franco-Manitoban, moved to Ottawa, Manila New York and back to Ottawa, all the while working or volunteering in early childhood education.

Jen and I eating  Halo Halo in Manila, 2003

Talking about children,

Nic, Jean-Marc, Jen and Luc 2013

she is the proud mother of Nic and Luc, two busy teenagers

Sisters working on papers 2014

She went back to school in 2013, excelled and recently convocated from the University of Western Ontario with her Masters degree in Professional Education. Mum and I were there to cheer her on!

Way to go Jen! 

Then the whole family celebrated her achievements!

 

Jen, I'm proud of you!