Tag Archives: love

0

Tomorrow I go Home

|

I have had one of the most eventful autumns of my life. The events have not been catastrophic or unexpected, they have simply been numerous. Most have been enjoyable but all have felt rushed. In the last five weeks, I have had only four days at home alone to catch my breath.

I have covered the eastern half of Canada from Sydney to Winnipeg, much of it driving, some of it flying (and wishing we had better/more frequent train service in this county) and all of it interesting.

I have seen a beautiful moose that courteously stayed on the side of the road rather than trying to cross it. He gave a call that I am going to assume was a love song because he had a romantic look in his eye. (Unfortunately, I was driving and couldn’t take a picture.) I have seen cruise ships come into the harbour–and the thousands of people who disembark to walk around the city. Their very presence changes the nature of the community they have come to see.

I’ve seen touching acts of kindness and cruel acts of bigotry.

I have gone underground. I just went into a couple of chambers of the coal mine, but it was enough for me to be in awe of those who went down before the sunrise and came up after the sunset. It made me appreciative of all that has been done in this country by those who came before me to give me a life as comfortable as I have in this era.


I have seen the beauty of the changing colours the ebbing and rising tides, and the different geologies and geographies of this land. I have had local maple syrup from a variety of regions, lobster, scallops, perch, venison, chicken, bannock and bison, corn, wheat, apples, pears, squash, pumpkin, a variety of dairy, egg, and cheese products. I enjoyed several locally produced ales with my meals and my meals and snacks reminded me of the abundance of resources we have.

I have seen the homeless, the addicted, the afflicted, the ignored, the despised, the removed, and the ones who have lost all hope. It reminded me of how unwilling we appear to be to share our abundance, and I should probably count myself in the number of those who could share more than I do.

I have attended the baptism of a three-week-old infant and conversed with a 106-year-old man in a long-term care facility. I have attended a birthday, a graduation, a funeral, a dedication and visited a hospital. I have also worshipped in churches, outdoors, in a synagogue, and in a mosque. In each situation, I have found learning with joy and learning with concern.

I went to an agricultural fair and saw the wonder of what can be accomplished when humanity works with other speices. Determined faces struggled to accomplish the best possible results before showing their produce and animals, and there was pride on the part of some stock who showed off by plumping feathers, raising their heads, or simply striking a pose. I saw delight in the eyes of those for whom so much of this was new.

In an other area of the Fair there were screams of joy and fear. The midway held such excitement, and there were tears because one more ride wasn’t possible and the ice cream got dropped.

I have seen cities whose buildings blot out the sky and cities that blend with their surroundings. I’ve seen industrial hubs and transportation hubs. I have experienced kindness and generosity, as well as rudeness and contempt.

I have experienced sorrow and celebration, grief and gratitude. I have been to a graduation where I saw a myriad of diverse national “special occasion” clothing and I was amazed and awed. I was unable to approach people and ask permission to photograph, but I tingled at all the colours that were so enlivening and lent so much joy to the occasion. I have been amazed at what I have encountered, and I have been so thankful.

While all of this has been happening I have joked and said my body has begun to hate me. My eating habits, my sleeping habits, and my exercise habits keep changing, sometimes on a daily basis. I get bloated and dehydrated, go hungry and hurry when I do get to eat and sometimes overeat. Even this has been a time of reflection.

I thought of those whose routines are non-routines because of constant change and the need to leave unsafe places. They could be unsafe places because of natural occurrences, perhaps natural occurrences resulting from the way we have changed our climates. Or they could be unsafe places because of the bombs and artillery that humans tend to lob at one another, or unsafe places because of persecution for no reason other than being who one is.

These five very rushed, very eventful, very demanding weeks have been good for learning, experiencing and relating. But I will be glad to get back to my nice boring home life for the next several months. I am glad to have the freedom and ability to get back to my nice boring home life for the next several months.

0

Colour, Warmth, Noise, Quiet, Animals, Crafts, Friends, Food… The Thanksgiving List Goes On

|

Last weekend I returned home from a research trip to Nova Scotia. I was so tired I collapsed and did almost nothing all weekend. I didn’t get any writing done at all.

This week I’m not quite as exhausted, but it has been a very hectic week in a very different way. The Norfolk County Fair is taking place. It was the first time I attended and I enjoyed all of it. It is one of the more interactive agricultural fairs I’ve attended, and there was so much fun and learning. I am always amazed when I see the animals the various crops, the role of the farmer and the hard work that is done to ensure that there is food for humanity to enjoy. I am so thankful to the Creator and to them all, and I pray that we can find ways to ensure that food is shared equitably.

On Thursday a very dear friend kindly came to visit me for Thanksgiving. Spending Thanksgiving together has been a tradition for us for the past eleven years, although when I was in Toronto, she only had to walk over three blocks. Now we have to make arrangements with her group home workers to figure out how she’s going to get here, but we do it, thanks to the workers’ help. After discussing it we both agree it is worth the struggle. She also thinks she can learn to ride the GO train to the nearest station by herself, and so our learning programme will commence this weekend as I accompany her home on the train.

She and I went to the fair for three days (we volunteered at a booth for a couple of them) and had a great time wandering around the fair, exploring the sights, sounds, crafts and talent on our off time.

We loved watching the sheep get a pedicure and shear. There were times when I’d say she was actually enjoying herself. I thought it was somewhat like a spa day.

We both marvelled at the beauty and delicacy of some of the animals and the beauty and strength of others. We loved the various demonstrations and the patience with which everyone explained things so that we could understand. It was a place of so much kindness blended with a great deal of enthusiasm.

We were in awe of God’s nature and the way that gifted farmers work with that nature. As we learned, we each decided we feel sorry for mother llamas. They’re pregnant for 340 days to have a child. That’s just a bit too long for my liking.

Church this morning had a very warm and loving feeling to it. It was decorated simply but beautifully and it was packed. Our postulant, Janice, preached the sermon and it was absolutely superb. She discussed the beauty and joy of giving to others and told a story that showed when we give what may seem frivolous it can often result in giving complete joy, sometimes for surprising reasons. I was struck by her words. I think of how often funding for various programmes and individuals is dependent on what the funder thinks is important rather than what will give joy, hope, purpose and inspiration to the recipient. That type of funding day is lessening, but is not yet gone. The message, the inspiration and the comfort offered in both the sermon and the service made me forget to take any pictures of the decorating.

Following church, we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with good friends, again at the fair. I don’t know whether we’d wish to do this every year. However, this year, while I’m living in the midst of chaos, with one more week of it to go, it was nice to have dinner prepared. We concluded our last time at the fair with me standing in the rain, watching my friend have one more ride in the Midway. (I can’t do most midway rides since my head injury.)

We had laughter and activity, exploring and learning, wonder and kindness, flavour and calories We also had so much more. We both said that we have lots for which we are Thankful.