A quotation to make you go Hmmmm ...

You can't stop
your heart from loving,
really - it's like
standing out there
in the ocean
yelling at the
waves to stop.

- Sue Monk Kidd "The Mermaid Chair"

Biking with Thing 2 ...

This summer I retrieved from one of those claw games in the mall, a plush doll of Thing 2 ... He took up permanent residence in the pocket on my back pack ... He has hung out there (literally) since July ... Now when I go biking, he watches my back and keeps me company ...

The downside is that when I go into Chipperfields (the real one) I am now being called Thing 1 by some of the staff ... NICE ! Thanks girls !!

But, he is also something that seems to catch you attention, particularly when you come behind me on the road ... you notice his bright red costume and his neon blue hair ... and so far I haven't been run down. So, I'll assume it's working ...

Today Thing 2 and I did a major bike ride out and across the dam several times ... We went out and across the dam twice, then around the buffalo compound. We then took a pause at Chippefields' for a coffee, before going out and going around the dam two more times, then around the buffalo compound AGAIN, before going out past the elementary school and all the way out to Mohawk before coming back into town ... My legs and knees were SCREAMIN by the time I turned the corner and started heading into town ... It was then that I saw the train coming down off the cut to the west of town ... it was a LONG, LONG train with four engines ... I raced to the level crossing to get there before the train ... I likely didn't have to race, but it felt good to push myself that little bit more ...

Then Thing 2 and I headed for home for a rest ... It was a good way to waste a couple of hours in the sunshine ... we saw lots of ducks, lots of small birds, we spotted the blue birds again and we saw a musk rat wandering along the river ... The sunshine was glorious and the colours on the hills were spectacular ... It was a splendid autumn day ...

If my legs can take it - maybe in a little while I'll go out and go across the dam again ... We'll have to see ... For now Thing 2 is tired and wants to rest ...

Word of the Day ...

Today's word of the day is:
WRANGY.

Wrangy is defined in the Urban Dictionary as:
Someone who is constantly hyper, high-strung, energetic and/or eccentric.

Usage:
When you don't get fed on time, you start to become wrangy. You start to become very irritable and anxiety-prone.

When I think of wrangy, aside from my children, I think of Taz from the Warner Brothers' cartoons ... In the case of my children being wrangy - well, some days the similarities between they and Taz is frightening ...

Pet Peeve of the Day ...

I'm very pleased that I had the opportunity to learn how to drive with a driver's education programme. Our instructors were great - they taught us well ... they laid the foundation that has kept me safe on the high-ways and bi-ways I have travelled in the over 21 years since I was given that little piece of paper by the Ontario Government and set free on the roads ...

I have had my moments ... a couple of unexpected trips into the ditch (my fault - usually driving too fast for the conditions), and an unexpected collisions with a couple of birds and a deer ... but otherwise, (knock wood) I've been a safe driver and have had no difficulties. I'm a lead foot, but thanks to my driver instructors back at ole Stratford Central, I'm a good driver ...

So, today's pet peeve is directed at the IDIOTS on the road who have no understanding of basic rules of the road ... For example - you can make a right turn on a red ONLY when it is SAFE to do so - doing it into oncoming traffic is not only unsafe, it is STUPID.

But my real pet peeve today is what I witness over and over and over while driving around Brandon. I wish this could be read by the yahoos who habitually run amber lights - but given how they drive, I doubt they can read, and I further doubt that they can operate a computer either ...

So, in the vain hope that maybe one of those IDIOTS who keep running amber lights, thereby putting the rest of us at risk, MIGHT have this read to them ... I offer this as my pet peeve of the day:

If you open the Manitoba Driver's hand book (click on the title to read this yourself) to page 25, you will find this remarkable entry:

An amber light (that's the YELLOW ONE), is a warning that the light is going to turn red, slow down and stop - NEVER ACCELERATE TO "MAKE THE LIGHT". If you are already in the intersection when the light turns amber, continue through.

So, when I'm waiting to make a left hand turn, let's say in front of the Wendy's on Park and 18th, and some bonehead in a red and grey Ford F-series Pick Up truck burns out of the Dairy Queen parking lot to the west and rockets through the AMBER light as I'm about to turn to clear the intersection, you are NOT only putting yourself at risk, but you are putting me and my family at risk too. So - to that brain dead moron - THANK YOU. You've allowed me to show my children why driving is a privilege NOT a right ... Your license should be taken away until you read and comprehend the words in the Driver's Manual ...

For the rest of us - let's drive safe ...

A Cool Quotation ...

We were in a diner near the Emory campus, eating breakfast in a booth by the window. He said,

"I hardly know anything about you, but I love you,"

and from that moment his commitment had been unyielding.

- Sue Monk Kidd in The Mermaid Chair

Overheard in our kitchen ...

Beetle: "I'm only washing dishes on the holidays!"

Dad: "Which holidays?"

Beetle: "Religious holidays?"

Dad: "It's a good thing we're universalists when it comes to faith, cause tomorrow is Rosh Hashanah."

Beetle: "What's that?"

Dad: "The Jewish New Year?"

Beetle: "But we're not Jewish!"

Dad: "But if you're only going to wash the dishes on a holiday, we're going to have to get one of the faith calendars that tell us which days are which and when they are. Then we can make sure we observe ALL the Holy Days of All the world religions."

Beetle: "Why?"

Dad: "Because you'll be doing the dishes ALL the time ..."

Beetle: "But that's not fair !!!"

Dad: " Faith can be like that sometimes ..."

Moderation: What's in a word ??

I had a comment left on my entry about cheezies yesterday that got me thinking ... I was asked what's moderation ... (Tyra's blog is one of my regular visits - to check it out just click on the title of this entry)

As I reflected on her question, I realized that I can best answer that by sharing some stories from my experience that illustrate what is NOT moderation ...

Story 1: My Friend Ge. Introduced me to sushi, and not long after he and I discovered that in Vancouver there were wonderful all you can eat sushi restaurants. When he came to visit we planned on atleast one dinner per visit to such a place ... At one restaurant, we ate and ate and ate ... at the end of our visit the waitress gave us a bill that listed all that the two of us had consumed. It was a cash register reciept that read "6 pieces salmon roll, 6 pieces california roll" and so on ... The reciept (I'm not really proud of this) was over three feet long !! It was HUGE ... we had pigged back enormous amounts of fish ... I still feel that because of us somewhere a stock of fish got wiped out to fill our plates ... It was an example of what is NOT moderation ...

Story 2: When I headed off to University and was living away from home I can remember my first grocery shop ... I picked up the usual student fair of Kraft Dinner, canned pasta, and so on - then in the cookie aisle I got the biggest bag of Oreos I could find (this was long before we'd heard of things like trans-fats) and I took the stuff home. That night for supper I sat down in front of the tv with some work from class and with a large glass of milk began to eat the ENTIRE bag of oreos ... They were good, I was happy and an hour later I wanted to BARF ... I was sick as a dog ... It was an example of what is NOT moderation ...

Story 3: Again when I was a University student and living in residence where we cooked out own meals ... we discovered a Chinese All U Can Eat place across town that was cheap, good and filling ... We would try to make a weekly trip to it. On a students' budget, we could get enough to eat so that we could cruise a couple of days eating lightly ... There was ALWAYS a gang of us going, and we always ate way, way, way too much ... But one night as we waited to be seated, an enormous man was making his way out of the restaurant. He had to weight in excess of 600 pounds - he was the biggest person I've ever seen - he was HUGE!!!! And he could only walk about three steps, then he would hold his side and moan: "oooooohhhhhh ..." then he would take three more steps and repeat ... The third time he stopped he said, "Oooooooohhhhhhh, I ate way too much ... OOOoooooohhhhhh." We were shocked and horrified ... How much would a man THAT big have to eat to overeat asked Harry our floor mate from Hong Kong?? Clearly this was an example of what is NOT moderation ... I should mention that later Harry cooked himself a 5 lb chicken with a good pound of potatoes, stuffing and all the fixings and ATE the ENTIRE meal in one sitting and spent the next 24 hours moaning and holding HIS tummy complaining he ate too much ... We took great delight in asking him - "How much would YOU have to eat to over eat??" He was NOT amused ... But we were ...

MY point here though - is simply this: We live in a world of abundance, but we have crafted a society of greed. We can not simply have one oreo and enjoy it - we have to grab a handful and suck them back ... We can not simply have a cold beer in the back yard on a summer's day - we have to drain the 12 pack ... we can't take a single chocolate out of the box and tuck it away for later, or share it with a friend - we have to empty the box ...

It's a learned behaviour - and it's a bad behaviour. We need to relearn moderation. It is not a case of "where one is good, six are better" it's a case of "one is good ... two is a treat ..."

I remember getting Christmas fudge at my Grandmother's at the holidays. I could (and sometimes did) eat lots - but as I grew I realized the work that went into it, and the effort she put into having it for Christmas gatherings in our family, so I learned to savour it ... The last of her fudge I ever had came several years ago before she died, when a tiny package arrived one day in our mail - in it were nine pieces of carefully wrapped fudge she had sent form Ontario to BC ... I ate one at a time and truly savoured it ... to me Moderation (one piece at a time - enjoyed and savoured) was key ...

One last story - when I was 16 we had spent all day cross country skiing with our church youth group - we stopped for dinner before heading home ... My friend Darren and I went back to the buffet innumerous times ... finally the owner came out and said - "you two !! No more !! You two!! No more!! You have enough." We said - "But it's all you can eat?" and he replied - "Not for you, you eat enough ... NO MORE !!" After six or seven plates he may have had a point ...

My definition of moderation would be this: If you don't get your money's worth at an All U Can Eat Restaurant - THAT'S MODERATION!!

And that perhaps is the best definition we can find !!!

Rx North ... The Bubble has burst ...

I don't want this to sound like an "I told you so ..." note, but today the front page of the Brandon paper is announcing that Minnedosa is taking a HUGE economic hit ... Our gravy train ride on the back of RxNorth and Mediplan Internet Pharmacy has come to a screeching end ...

Yesterday in the wild and whacky world of Internet Pharmacy's Andrew Stempler, the CEO and founder of the RxNorth/Mediplan empire sold off the Minnedosa portion of his company, and lay off notices were handed out ... Jobs suddenly evaporated ... lives were suddenly altered ... and the economic landscape of Minnedosa and area has been radically transformed.

The gravy train has just dried up ... and sadly, no one really seemed prepared for that inevitability ...

I recall a conversation with one of our folks who is supposed to be encouraging economic development in the Minnedosa area a couple of years ago about getting ready for the moment (like this one) when Mediplan closes up. The response was - "oh no, Mediplan is committed to Minnedosa for 10 to 12 years ... it's not a problem." I cringed ...

Today after less then 5 years ... we are about to witness some dramatic and painful changes to our community ... we will lose families ... we will lose funding to various community events and happenings ... we will hurt deeply ...

And today there is no one to step into the gap ...

I hope that in the coming weeks our elected officials and the folks responsible for the promotion and economic development in our town are putting in long hours trying to bring new businesses and new opportunities to our little town.

With the new Ethanol plant rising on our western margins, we could and should be encouraging spin off and value added businesses like trucking companies and companies that can use the by-products.

With the pool of talent that is about to ebb away from our community we could be seeking out some other internet company to consider setting up something like a call centre.

Right now, one dream has come crashing to the ground ... we need visionaries and dreamers who have the courage to bring new dreams into reality ... There are no limits ...

For now though - Thanks Andrew for everything. It's been a helluva ride. You've done lots for Minnedosa, and though I for one knew it couldn't and wouldn't last, I do appreciate what you've done for this little town in the last five years. We'll be sorry to see you and your business go ... But thanks for everything.

I won't end this by saying - "I told you so ..." Today I don't have to ... today we can only reel from the shock of this ...

From a Dad to his Daughters ...

I was looking something up today on the net, and discovered, much to my sadness that the author of one of my favourite pieces of "feminist" poetry had died. It's a piece that I read often and say as a prayer for my daughters ... it's a piece written by a woman of the Iroqouis people, that embraces many of the hopes and dreams and aspirations we have for our daughters ...

Charlotte Tall Mountain died in June after a battle with cancer - she was only 64 ... this is one of her beautiful and reflective pieces ... I say it as a prayer for Ms. H and Beetle often, and for the beautiful young women what I meet everyday who are going to go out into the world and make a HUGE difference ...

Thanks for your words Charlotte, and thanks to those young women who make these words real:

For Love of the World by Charlotte Tall Mountain

For the love of a tree,
she went out on a limb.

For the love of the sea,
she rocked the boat.

For the love of the earth,
she dug deeper.

For the love of community,
she mended fences.

For the love of the stars,
she let her light shine.

For the love of spirit,
she nurtured her soul.

For the love of a good time,
she sowed seeds of happiness.

For the love of the Goddess,
she drew down the moon.

For the love of nature,
she made compost.

For the love of a good meal,
she gave thanks.

For the love of family,
she reconciled differences.

For the love of creativity,
she entertained new possibilities.

For the love of her enemies,
she suspended judgment.

For the love of herself,
she acknowledged her worth.

And the world was richer for her...


Hey Ms. H, and Beetle
and all the wonderful young women in the world:
Go and make a difference !!!

Just Had To ...

I know they're not good for me ... and they are kind of disgusting ... the orange colour of your fingers afterwards is sort of gross ... But today I JUST HAD TO ...

I came home for lunch and found a partial bag of cheezies on the counter left over from Ms H's b-day party this weekend ... and I had to have some ...

It wasn't that I needed them ... It wasn't that I craved them ... I just saw them and JUST HAD TO ... I happily munched on a bowlful of cheezies ...

BUT, it got me thinking - sometimes we need to just have something for the sake of just having them ... be it chips, cheezies, nutella, chocolate chips, cookies, ice cream ... whatever !!!

Cravings can be okay ... in moderation all things are okay ...Moderation is key ...

Right now, I have to go and clean my orange fingers ...

Be Strong ...

Abuse is the
weapon
of
the weak.

- Lynne Truss

From the Lips of the Mahatma ... # 2 ...

It is a bad outlook for
the world if the spirit
of violence takes
hold of the mass mind.
Ultimately it destroys
the race ...


Non-cooperation with evil
is a sacred duty ...

What is really important ??

Three things in human life
are important.
The first is to be kind.
The second is to be kind.
And the third is to be kind.

- Henry James

Further Thoughts on Fast Food ...

Aside from saying - WHY? When thinking about Fast Food's role in our lives ... One has only to consider the spiralling rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and so on, and the proliferation of fast food outlets along almost every street and highway across the land ... Can we NOT see the interconnectedness of these things????

If you eat crap day after day after day ... you're gonna get sick ... and you're gonna have big health problems ... Yet, our media is filled with advertisements for dozens and dozens of these restaurants (I dare to use that word - perhaps 'feed outlets' is more appropriate) ... and our children are exposed over and over to those commericals that tell them to overeat on the crap that they offer ... It's sad ... It's disgusting ... It's also symptomatic of what is wrong with our culture ... It's the ME generation running wild ...

I found a quotation from a book on Fast Food (the sequel to Fast Food Nation) entitled Chew on This ... The author Schlosser has a point. Dare we listen??

Meals were more then way to fill your belly. They were a way to enjoy conversation, family and friendship. They weren't something rushed and soon forgotten. They were meant to bring people together ...

Such meals can happen at home ... in a restaurant where we linger over the food ... or anywhere else we remember the reason is not to consume fuel, but to feed our minds, our bodies AND our souls ... Instead of supersizing those fries, maybe we need to supersize the conversation we share over the meal ...

It's a good place to begin ...

From the lips of the Mahatma ...

Strength does not come
from physical capacity.

It comes from
indomitable will.

- M.K Gandhi

A Quotation to make you wonder ...

Nighttime is for dreaming ...

... for signs to appear.

- Wayson Choy, The Jade Peony

Prayers for One of Our Own ...

Tonight I was having a coffee at Chipperfields(the Real Chipperfields) and as I was about to leave I noticed the mother of Minnedosa's own Scott Collen coming in. Lots of people come and go in Chipperfields, but I noticed mom's arrival because her son is one of the wounded now being treated in Canada after the horrific bombing that claimed the lives of 4 Canadian Soldiers, while leaving 8 men to be flown home for medical treatment.

Scott Collen is a member of the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based at CFB Shilo. Scott and his family call Minnedosa home ...Scott is a husband, a father, a son, a brother and a friend to many ...

Scott is a soldier, but more importantly, Scott is a man who was born and raised in Minnedosa, and who proudly came home when the 2nd Battalion of the PPCLI were moved to Shilo a couple of years ago.

In Scott's honour, and in honour of his fellow soldiers many of us tied yellow ribbon up when he and his troop mates shipped out ... we have prayed for him and all of the men and women who are serving in the Canadian Military ...

Tonight I heard from the trembling voice of a mom who watched her son unloaded from a military transport and taken to a hospital room how fortunate she feels that despite his horrible injuries, he's alive and he's home ... Others have not been so lucky ...

But tonight, I felt the urge to post this note on all of my blogs and ask all of those who read my words (I have to wonder about you all - but that's for another day ...) to remember Scott in your prayers tonight and tomorrow and in the coming days. Scott is simply lucky to be alive ... he is severely wounded, and he was within 12 feet of the bomber who killed 4 other Canadian Soldiers ... Tonight Scott and his family need our prayers:

Remember Scott as he continues his recovery and faces surgeries and rehab.
Remember his wife Pam and their three children.
Remember their extended families.
Remember the others who were wounded.
Remember the other families who have lost loved ones.
Remember the soldiers Scott and the others have served with who are still there ...
Remember all our soldiers ...
And Remember the families of all our soldiers ...

We are at war ... it's not pretty ... and today I learned first hand how ugly it can be ...

So tonight I say a prayer for Scott and his recovery of Mind, Body and Spirit ... Be strong, be well and get home to Minnedosa soon. And to Pam, the kids and all of your family members - we're praying for you too ...

Overheard at our Supper Table ...

By way of prefacing this - Noahkila is a great kid, we love him alot - but the boy WON'T eat fruit and is very particular about which vegetables will ACTUALLY make it to his belly ... If the only thing left on the planet to eat was fruit, like a banana, he would sooner die, then eat it ...
SO, having said this - tonight his 7 year old sister hit the proverbial nail on the head:

Noahkila: Today in Home Ec, we made shish-kebobs.

Mom: Really?

Noahkila: Yup, with steak, and red pepper and onion.

Dad: Red Pepper?

Noahkila: And Onion.

Mom: Did you eat it?

Noahkila: Yup. All of it, even the onion !!

Beetle and Dad look at each other with expressions of shock tempered with horror ...

Dad: Oh Oh. It's the end of the world. Noahkila ate red pepper ... we better write this down ...

Beetle: Actually, it will be the end of the world when Noahkila eats FRUIT.

Dad: Oh yeah. Good point.

Out of the mouths of little sisters ...

We DO love you son ... but one day make your old man happy and eat a pear ... or a plum or something !! PLEASE !!??

Three little birds ... part two ...

Today, I was sitting in the Tanner's Crossing Park on Main St (Train Park - where the locomotive and caboose sit), and watching the traffic pass on Main Street's bridge, and the water flow by in the river when suddenly about 2 metres from me, three western blue birds landed in the grass ...

They were beautiful ... the blue was rich and lovely ... the red of their breasts stood out .. they were beautiful visitors, and I can say that was the first and the closest look I've had of Western Blue Birds within the town of Minnedosa. I've seen them on fences on roadsides up near the park, but I've never seen them in town, and I've never been THIS close to them before ... It was a beautiful moment ...

A Fine Day for a Bike Ride ...

The weather was beautiful ... the sun was shining, the air was warm .. it was a fabulous autumn day !

M suggested that we go for a bike ride at Riding Mountain National Park this morning after the kids got off to school ... having nothing else planned for my day off, I said sure ... We made it, after getting the van loaded, stopping for gas and a fill of transmission fluid following an unexpected stop in the middle of the street in front of the post office when shifting from R to D resulted in NOTHING !!!

We drove to Lake Audi, waved to the Bison sitting in the grass at the south end of the compound, and continued on to the parking lot for the Central and Strathclair trails ... Today we decided to head west towards Whitewater to see if we could reach and find the old POW camp site that was there during World War Two ...

The ride was easy and lovely ... the trail (not the one in the picture - that's one from last year on the road east out of the Bison compound) was an easy pedal ... we saw more flickers then you could flick a stick at, a dozen or more grouse, lots and lots of small birds, but the highlight was stopping to listen to the crashing of a large animal somewhere off the trail. It sounded like something rubbing its antlers against branches and brush, and sure enough - we spied, about 15 metres away, a moose with a full rack of antlers heading deeper into the woods - it was AWESOME.

After an hour, we were thinking about turning around when over the next rise I saw the marker post for our destination !!!! We made it to Whitewater !!! We had pedaled the 10 kms and barely broke a sweat !!!

So, we rode into the campsite - another 100 metres, and explored a bit before lunch. We found the cement foundations that are all that remains of the old POW camp where 60 years ago Nazi soldiers from German battlefields were interned until the end of the war ... AND, we even found one of the infamous dug out canoes that the soldiers had constructed and left behind !!! I was thrilled - this is one of the places in Manitoba I've wanted to get to, and today we made it ...

Then we had a lovely lunch in the sunshine. As we ate, a huge V of geese flew overhead noisily, as they made their way south ... Then it was time to pedal back ...

For some reason the pedal out took less time and was easier then the pedal in ... Along the way we saw more grouse, and a whack of Whiskey Jacks (Grey Jays), who noisily protested our presence on the trail ...

Then about 3 hours after we started we arrived back at the van and loaded up the bikes and headed back home to Minnedosa - we had pedaled atleast 20.2 kms round trip (that's 12.5 miles to my non-metric readers) ... on the way back through the Bison compound the Bison were sitting and standing right alongside the road - I took what I hope will be some good pictures ... It was a good way to spend an Autumn Day ...

A Beautiful Autumn Day ...

It's officially fall ... The season of Autumn has begun and is now a couple of days old ...

Autumn is a season of preparation ... we prepare ourselves for the cold and snow of winter ... we prepare our gardens for next year by harvesting the crops, clearing the debris, removing the remnants of this year's growth as we look forward to the turning of the seasons and the arrival of spring ... we bundle up and wait ...
I like Autumn ... I like the colours ... the turning of the season ... the longer nights and the chill that comes in the evening when the frost falls ... It's a good season, full of vibrancy and life's fullness ... It's lazier then the busy activities of summer, it's warmer then the hunkering down of winter, and it's calmer then then wet excitement of spring ... Autumn is a time of contraction and withdrawing in preparation for tomorrow ... It's a good season ...

Yesterday Beetle and I went for a bike ride out to see the Bison by the lake ... on the way we saw ducks, pausinng on their flight south, sand pipers with their bright yellow feet feeding along the river bank, a musk rat swimming lazy circles in the river waiting for us to pass by, and a flicker flashing its feathery white spot in the sun ... The leaves are turning rich golds and oranges ... the air had a chill ... the sun was still warm on our backs ... It was a beautiful autumn day ... one to be savoured, one to be enjoyed ...

Today the sun came up and the sky is blue, and inspite of predictions of rain later in the day ... it would seem that another beautiful autumn day is unfolding ... winter will come soon enough - right now, I want to stand in the sun and just enjoy the day ... and as the Hebrew prayer says - Dayenu ... Dayenu ... that would have been enough ... but God's blessings continue to pour forth ...

Have a wonderful day ...

National Day of Remembrance ...

Today, they remember the 730 names inscribed on the

Canadian Police and Peace Officer's Memorial in Ottawa.

Today they will remember those who have fallen

in place with names like

Spiritwood,

Mayerthorpe,

Spruce Grove,

Russell,

Cape Dorset

and dozens of other places

where Men and Women in Blue

have answered the last roll call,

and who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The circumstances of their sacrifice

are less important than the reality

that their lives ended in service to their country.

Today our Nation will pause to remember,

but some of us ... will simply NEVER forget.

Today we remember the 730 ...

For if we fail to remember them,

who will be left to remember but their families,

and we are ALL family.

They are Heroes in Life not Death ...

WE SURVIVED !!!

Secret to a successful Overnight Birthday party for a 10 year old girl -

Take:
6 dvd to watch ...
5 girls hyped and excited ...
4 large pizzas (and 4 bags of chips) ...
3 servings of chocolate milk
2 cases of pop
1 very overjoyed Birthday girl ...

... mix it all together and let run amock overnight ... then add extra sugar ... some cake ... and hang on ...

Some how, we've survived ... and everyone is going to bed early ...

Happy Birthday Ms. H ... Welcome to being 10 !!!!!!!!!!

Lest We Forget ...

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place;

and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn,

saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved,

and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,

though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

Today at CFB Trenton four flag draped caskets were brought home and given to the care of grieving families ...

Tomorrow in Ottawa there will be a Memorial Service on the banks of the Rideau River where grieving families will remember the fallen officers whose names are inscribed there ...

This weekend is a time of remembrance and sorrow for those of us who know the loss of one who died in the service of our country, whether they were in Blue, Green or the Red Serge ...

Today we weep ... Today we remember ...

In Ontario, the Honour Roll for fallen Ontario Provincial Police officers has the words:

"Lest We Forget:

`Remember our fallen members and their memory,

if we forget,

who but their family will remember,

after all we are all family.'"

Today, and tomorrow and in the coming days as we remember the fallen ... we are all family ...

Today we weep ... today we remember ...

Lest We Forget !!

Ten Years ago today ...

Ten years ago today, we were in the Hospital in Campbell River BC ... before the afternoon was out, we'd welcomed a new daughter into our midst ... The picture I wish I could post here (without a scanner I just can't) is one that shows a very big smile on Noahkila's face as he holds his newborn sister ... It's a picture we haul out from time to time to remind him that he was once an adoring brother ...

A lot has changed ... we've moved twice from Bella Coola to Langely and on to Minnedosa ... we've welcomed another little sister ... we've gained and lost pets ... our lives have rolled on ... But one thing has remained constant - our unfettered love for our children.

Ms H. can make you scream and cry and laugh ... she's a royal pain some days and a wonderful child in the next breath ... Today she has turned 10 ... Last night she and her friends had a sleep over wherein alot of sleeping was missed ... but they had fun.

Live your life with the kind of rambuncitiousness and passion you filled the house with last night ... Live your life knowing we love you ...

Happy Birthday Ms. H !!!!!

Wise Words from a Man of Wonder ...

In the preface of a book of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's writings, it is observed that our age is one where men know more and more about less and less ...

When I read that, it took me back to a moment in a class back in my University days when one of my class mates made the following observation:

In University, we learn more and more about less and less until we have learned absolutely everything there is to know about NOTHING at all ... Then they give us a PhD and send us out to teach it ...

Hmm, maybe Rabbi Heschel had it right when he said simply:

I asked for wonder ...

Maybe wonder and awe is all we need ...

Strange things you can discover in a graveyard ...

If you drive into the Cemetary in nearby Neepawa, just past the enormous black marker that says "De'ath" you will encounter a delicate stone sculpture sitting atop an old grave marker ... local lore tells us that this delicate sculpture gave rise to the title of a book by the late author Margaret Laurence. Though the real sculpture isn't an angel, she will forever be known to Laurence fans as The Stone Angel ...

If you venture further into the quiet cemetary, on a rise over looking the river valley and the golf course across the river, you will find where Margaret and her parents lie not that far from The Stone Angel that Ms. Laurence made famous to Canadian Literature fans ... But I recent something new about the Riverside Cemertary in Neepawa ...

Among the permenant "residents" in this cemetary, is a gentleman named Lewis Hickman who had the misfortune of simply being in the wrong place at the worst possible time, thereby finding himself amongst the 1 517 souls that perished on April 14th 1912 in the North Atlantic when the RMS Titanic struck an ice berg and sank ...

Lewis and his brother Leonard (Leonard was a resident of Neepawa) were crossing the Atlantic as passengers on that ill-fated vessel. Leonard had convinced his brother to join the waves of immigration that were opening up the Canadian west. The two brothers were amongst those who perished that night in 1912.

Later, amongst the 328 bodies that were recovered, the 256th body recovered was identified as Leonard Hickman and thanks to the generousity of a fraternal lodge Leonard belonged to, was shipped to far off Neepawa for burial.

The body arrived in the small prairie town just moments before the service, and when the casket was opened the error was realized. The man in the casket was clearly NOT Leonard, but the service continued anyway ... Later the deceased was identified as Leonard's older brother Lewis and the marker was erected with the proper name.

So, today on the Canadian Prairie, in the Riverside Cemetary of Neepawa not far from both the Stone Angel and Ms. Laurence's earthly remains, stands a simple marker that commemorates one of the victims of the RMS Titanic that thousands of kilometres away slipped under the icy waters of the North Atlantic ... The Canadian Prairie is about as far removed from the place where that mythic ship now rests on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean ... yet, the two places are forever linked ...

The Cathedral of The Human Spirit ...

I a Robert Fulghum book I've been reading recently, he made mention of keeping the living flame with the cathedral of the human spirit ... it caused me to pause and say: "Hmmm ..."

What is this Cathedral of the Human Spirit?

Where do we find it?

How do we care for it?

I spent some time reflecting on it:

It is built with the stones of our lives ... stones piled in love, stones dropped in frustration, stones gathered and cast aside ...

It is built one moment at a time ...

It is built of our memories and our wounds ...

It is mortared with our tears and our blood ...

It is built of our achievements and our set backs ...

It is built of our broken hearts and skinned knees ...

It is built of our celebrations and our sorrows ...

It is mortared with our sweat and our love ...

It is built of our joys and our frustrations...

It is built of our angers and our happiness ...

It is built of one day at a time ... one moment ... one experience at a time ...

It is mortared with our emotions and our relationships ...

Some are lofty and filled with life ... ringing with music throughout their vast open spaces ...

Some are small and low ... dark, enclosed places that are secluded and quiet ...

Some are ornate ... some are plain ...

All are unfinished ... a work in progress ...

They are where we find meaning and where we build our meanings ...

They are our sanctuary and our refuge, our home and our haven ...

The Cathedral of the Human Spirit are the places where our souls sing, our heart dances, and where we create and recreate our reality from our dreams and visions ...

The Cathedral of the Human Spirit is the place that holds our sacred flame of life ...

... the place that warms our hearts and illumines our soul ...

Have you visited yours lately?

What WERE we thinkin' ?????????

Our seven year old, Beetle just got her first Book Order for the year ... It's caused us to wonder - "what the heck were we thinking?" when we ordered it ...

One of the books is a book of jokes ...

Tonight we're being "regaled" by her trying to tell us jokes ... She either stops too soon ... leaving us scratching our heads because the joke makes no sense ... Or she starts laughing and forgets to tell us the punch line ...

May the gods have mercy on us ... Why we bought Beetle a joke book is simply beyond us now ...

But we WILL pay for our sins for A L--O--N--G time to come ...

WHAT WERE WE THINKING ??????

A Moment of Wondrous YES !!!!!!!!!!!

We can never sneer at the stars, mock the dawn or scoff at the totality of being ...

Sublime grandeur evokes unhesitating, unflinching awe. Away from the immense, cloistered in our own concepts, we may scorn and revile EVERYTHING.

But standing between earth and sky, we are silenced by the sight ...

- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Pet Peeve of the day ...

So, I'm driving home from taking our van in for

a service at the Toyota Dealer in Brandon

... it's nice day ... it's kind of sunny ...

I got the tunes playing

... I've set the cruise control at 115 (It's a 100 zone) ...

Then ZOOM ... there's some guy on my bumper ...

He's come out of no where ... going like a bat outta hell ...

He pulls out to pass me - IN TO oncoming traffic ...

and he hammers by me and the car I'm following like we're standing still ...

My Pet Peeve for the day is this:

guys (and it's seldom if ever a female driver) going like stink

for no apparent reason

AND

passing when is simply isn't safe to do so,

thereby putting me and others at risk.

This leads me to the question:

What the H--- Were You Thinking Buddy ??

Oh Wait ... that's the problem ...

nimrods like that aren't thinking ...

I'm a lead foot ... I admit it ... I drive too fast,

and I've had my share of speeding tickets

... but I also use my common sense and brain when I'm driving ...

My question is - WHY DOESN'T EVERYBODY ?????

OUR Boys Are Coming Home ...

There's a special group of men coming home today ... They're making the flight from Germany back to Canada ... They ARE the wounded in the recent suicide attack in Afghanistan ... They're coming home to heal ... They're coming home ...

Today their families are coming to join them ... to stand by their bedside and express their love and gratitude and their sorrow ... For the families who will later today see their Heroes, that moment will be twinged with sadness ... Others are not so lucky ... Others are still fearing the next headline ... Others are getting ready to bury thier husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and friends ...

The wounded have a long road ahead of them ...

The families of the wounded and the dead have a long road ahead of them ...

We as a people, as a nation have a long road ahead of them ...

Today, pause and say a prayer:
A prayer of thanksgiving for those coming home today ...
A prayer for thier healing ...
A prayer for their families ...
A prayer for all of us ...
And say a prayer for the dead ... and for their families ...
We may oppose the war, but when the wounded are our family and friends ... when the dead are our family and friends ... it's personal ... and all we can do is weep AND prayer ...

One day, may humanity finally hear a whisper of PEACE and may we finally listen ...

Get Well Boys !!! And welcome home ...

A binterong, a binterong ... my kingdom for a binterong ...

It is the year 2000 ... Dad and Noahkila are travelling from Manitoba to British Columbia ... They have just spent a couple of weeks in Minnedosa starting to unpack the house, and get things set up while Mom and the girls are getting ready for the big move to the Prairies ... Noahkila is six, and has watched more then his fair share of natue and animal shows on televsion. He has become a repository of all manner of knowledge about animals, both modern and ancient ...

Got a question about dinosaurs? Ask him ...
Got a question about any kind of animal? Ask him ...
His knowledge, even at 6 is broad and impressive ... BUT, once in awhile he is WRONG. And sometimes it's worth remembering that moment and reminding him of it ...

So, Dad and Noahkila are driving along Hwy 16 somewhere east of Edmonton when an animal is spotted in the brush along the side of the road. It was in all likelihood a dog ... But to Noahkila's wondrous eyes it is far more exotic:
"It's a Binterong !!" exclaimed Noahkila excitedly.
"A what?" replied Dad.
"A BINTERONG !!" replied Noahkila, still excited.
"What's a Binterong?" asked Dad.
"It's a small nocturnal animal that looks like a cat, but it bigger." answered Noahkila.
"There are no Binterongs in Canada," answered Dad, feeling pretty certain but having an inkling of doubt dancing around his mind.
"Yes, there are," replied Noahkila, "they are a small nocturnal mammal."
"I'm pretty sure there are no Binterongs in Canada," repeated Dad, "It was a dog."
"It wasn't a dog," returned Noahkila, "It was a Binterong."

"It was a Dog."

"It was a Binterong."

"It was a dog."

"It was a Binterong."

(and so it went for quite sometime ...)

Finally Dad waved the white flag ... "Whatever, believe what you will. It was a DOG." Said Dad.
"Binterong," muttered Noahkila ... as he fell into silence.

A couple of weeks later we were in Port Hardy just hanging out as our time to move to Minnedosa drew nearer, one afternoon one of the Kratt's Brother's shows was playing on CBC ... suddenly they announced that the animal they were going to have a visit from was a BINTERONG !!

"A Binterong???" exclaimed Dad ... and the entire household fell silent as we watched ...

It turns out that Binterongs are indeed nocturmal, they are small animals, they look kind of like a big cat ... BUT ... they are native to Southeast Asia, NOT western Canada.

"Hah !!" said Dad feeling vindicated.

Noahkila was non-plussed about the whole thing. His reply was a simple: "Well, what I SAW WAS a Binterong." he said with great certainty, "it probably escaped from a Zoo ..."

"Drat," muttered Dad ...

To this day though, one of the joys when we're driving is to suddenly point out the window and say "Hey Noahkila !! A Binterong !!!"
His reply is a dry "Ha ha ... very funny ..."

And he still insists that what he saw was a Binterong ...

Picking Party Stuff ...

There are moments when, as a parent I laugh, but then I also worry about what the future has in store for us ... Today had one of those moments.

Ms. H and I were looking for a pinata for her 10th Birtday party ... we went down the aisle at the store and found the pinatas ... There was a wide assortment of pinatas ... Ms. H saw the Dora the Explorer pinata and with great glee said:

"OH Dora the Explorer ... that would be fun to beat the crap out of ... I HATE Dora ..." The demonic-like laugh didn't help ...
I could only say ... "oh oh ..."

Just to put minds at ease ... we left with Sponge Bob instead ... I think it was a fine choice ...

I saw a soldier today ...

I saw a soldier today ...
He was grocery shopping like the rest of us ...
He was wearing his green combat uniform and beret ...
He was just walking through the store ...

But to see him, brought tears to my eyes ...

I wanted to stop him ...
I wanted to shake his hand ...
I wanted to say "Thank You," ...
I wanted to tell him I'm sorry for the latest losses he and his comrades are feeling ...
I wanted to offer him my support and a prayer ...
I wanted to speak words of encouragement ...

I wanted to ... I should have ...
But I couldn't ... I only had tears in my eyes ... I turned away ...

Had I spoken to him today, I know I would have wept ...
the words would have caught in my throat ...

I wanted to ... I should have ...

But instead I offered a smile, and I nodded my head ...
and I silently said a prayer for him and for all our soldiers ...
especially those who are coming home wounded and broken in the coming hours ...

I saw a soldier today ... and there were simply no words that I could say ...
Except two:

THANK YOU.

A Prairie Sunrise Kind of day ...

After yesterday's melancholy day ...

today has started with a beautiful sunrise (I borrowed this pic) ...

It's a day filled with potential and possibilities ...

It has the making of a good day ...

And that is more then enough sometimes.

DAYENU !!!

L'Chaim !!

Coming Home ...

Thoughts and prayers today for the wounded soldiers and their families ... As they are treated for their wounds ... as they make their way home ... as their partners and children and families wait ...

Be with them God ... give them support and strength and courage ...

May they, and we rise up like with wings of eagles and may we keep them in our prayers as they continue on the long journey to healing and wholeness ...

And may we remember them, long after the headlines have faded ... May we remember and never forget their sacrifice ...

Just Had to Do It ...

This was just too darned cute to pass up ...

Sometimes we need something cute ...

Sometimes we just need a hug ...

Sometimes we just need to know we're not alone in the world ...

Dare to Dream ...

It is said that Tommy Douglas

(The Greatest Canadian and the father of Medicare)

once proclaimed:

"Dream no small dreams ..."

Today it came to me

that what we sometimes have to be about is this:

There ARE no small dreams,

only small-minded dreamers ...

--------------------------

... if you're going to dream - dream big ...

... then work hard to make them happen ...

Today ...

Today was a melancholy day ... not a sad day ... just very melancholy ...

It could be because I've had more then my fair share of technological failures and frustrations today ... they didn't help the mood ... but I think it was more then that ...

This afternoon I had the opportunity to just sit in my office and ponder what it is about today that lead to such a feeling of melancholy ... Why had this day gotten so off the tracks?
There are a myriad of possible answers ...
-lingering frustration over almost losing my cel phone last night
- not being able to find ANOTHER mail key for the OTHER group I'm involved in
- grappling with issues of life
- struggling a bit as I ease back into life at work ...

It could have been any one of those issues, or it could be a number of them together, or it could have been any number of any other issues that I haven't thought of yet ... BUT, as I sat in my office I had a revelation of sorts:

Over the past couple of days I've been sorting and reorganizing my library in my office ... it is something I've wanted to do since the fire, but circumstances have prevented it until now ...

As I sorted and reorganized and moved the books I reflected on how fortunate I am to have had my library and the contents of my office survive the fire of February 12th relatively unscathed, but then a wave of grief washed over me ... a deep grief at what we've lost ...

As I picked up my books and moved them I knew in my heart how MUCH MORE we lost that day in February and even though I didn't feel it consciously, I felt it in my heart and my soul wept ...

Today is a melancholy day ... inspite of the sun and the warmth and the beauty of the day ... it was a melancholy day, and some days that's okay ...

Tomorrow will be better ... and even today wasn't all bad either ...

Oops ... Yesterday was NOT a good day ...

Yesterday was a day of Oops ... moments ...
It started when I went to the Post Office, and the woman behind the counter asked me about the mail box for a community group I'm involved in ...

I said "I can't find the key, but when I do I'll come and get the mail ..."

"Oh," she said, "the keys are IN the box ..." She then went and got me the keys and the mail ... much to the delight of a couple of people waiting to deal with their mail ... I said - "the only thing worse then being a doofus, is being a doofus with people watching ..."

Then later on in the day (a day that was otherwise okay) I came back from a late night bike ride home from a meeting and a stop in the office, only to find a couple of hours later that my cel phone was missing ... I searched all over the house to no avail. So then I decided to set off for the Office and see if I left it there ...

I came out the drive way (about two hours after I got home) and found my cel phone still lying in the middle of the road at the end of the block ... I guess there is a couple of good things about living in a small town: no traffic to drive over it and no one out walking to just pick it up and take it ... The other bonus is - it's still works ...

I'm hopeful today will be a better day ...

One of my pet peeves ...

I'm not a rabid anti-smoking activist ... Though I like the non-smoking legislation that has rendered all public buildings smoke free in Manitoba, I also believe that people make choices: good, bad or indifferent.

If people want to smoke, that's fine by me, just do it somewhere away from me please ...

But it ticks me off when I pull up somewhere - on a street, in a parking lot - wherever: and I find a pile of cigarette butts that some doofus has dumped out of his/her car ashtray on the ground ... It's beyond disgusting ... it's unsightly and it's just plain rude.

It just bugs the day lights out of me ... it's such a stupid thing to do ...

Too Close to home ...

When I heard the news about the soldiers killed and wounded in Afghanistan yesterday a knot formed in my stomach ... I had no idea why ...

Today I found out ... One of those wounded, now wending his way home via hospitals in Afghanistan, Germany and Canada is a neighbour ... the father of one of my son's best friends ...

He was wounded handing out candy to children ... Children like the three who wait with fear and apprehension for his return ... Children like those who weep today for four more who will not be coming home ...

I do not support this war ... there are no victors in war ... only victims ... today I learned that our community has been one of the victims ...

The yellow ribbons in our yard, and those around our town remind all of us that our soldiers are in very real danger, even when they are handing out candy to children and food to civilians ... The yellow ribbons remind us that the wounded and the dead are not just statistics - they are very real people ... and today they became people I know and like ... This one is JUST too close to home ...

My prayers remain for our soldiers ... all of them ... and their families ...

What if ...

Last night I was reading a piece by Robert Fulghum in which he described Communion as something far more then just the sacrament celebrated by the Christian Church. He talked of the leisure by which the bread (everyday food) and wine (special aged and prepared food) are enjoyed over laughter, conversation and companionship. To him, communion is NOT a matter of scarfing back the bread and the wine and rushing back out the door - it's a case of tasting, savouring and enjoying. So it got me thinking ... What if we banned Fast Food?

I don't mean - what if we banned the food itself, but what if we banned the FAST element of the food?

No more drive thrus?
No more restaurants with 10 minute parking limits?
No more rushing in and grabbing a burger and rushing out?
No more just scarfing back the burger alone and overeating ?

What if we again took joy in the preparation and presentation of food?
What if we again sat around the table as friend and family and enjoyed each others' company?
What if we dared to take time to eat ... to make each meal an act of human communion?
What if we again made the gift of food something HOLY and SACRED rather then see it as fuel?

What if ... What if we dared to live our lives like food was a gift from God?
Makes you wonder how different the world could be ...

(By the way - those aren't MY kids ... just thought I should clarify that)

Daring to take wing ...

Standing blinking in the sun ...
we take a breath ...
the light overwhelming after all these years ...

Too long have we hidden ...
Too long have we feared ...
Too long have we denied ...

Standing blinking in the sun ...
the light is warm and welcoming ...
Our wings unfurl ...
Untested ... unproven ...
Too long have they lain unused ...

Standing blinking in the sun ...
the sky is open and blue ...
the possibilities are simply endless ...
Our wings unfurl ...
The breeze catches them ...
a tingle of excitement passes over us ...

Do we dare?
Can we fly ?
Shall we rise into the wind and dance amongst the clouds?

Standing blinking in the sun ...
after too many months in the darkness ...
the open sky invites us ...
the glorious sun welcomes us ...
our unfolding wings beckon us ...

Fly ... dare to fly ...
Be free ... soar ... twirl ...
Dance amongst the clouds ... reach for the stars ...
Dare to be bold ... dare to fly ...
Unfurl your wings and claim your dreams ...

Standing blinking in the sun ...
we need only dare to dream to take flight ...
We have the wings ... we have the dream ...
Dare only to be bold ... dare only to fly ...

(by me ... today ... may it be true for all of you ... )

A Prayer for our Soldiers and Their Families ...

I have no qualms saying that I am not an avid supporter of the war in Afghanistan, nor the presence of our soldiers in that place ... If truth be told, I doubt there are many soldiers or their families who really want this war either ...

But having said that, I am mindful that each of those soldiers are REAL flesh and blood people ... they have lives and families and circles back home, here in Canada ... There are real people, many of them young children praying for thier safety and their safe return ... As four more caskets make thier way home ... as our politicians posture in front of the cameras trying to make political hay out of the latests deaths, Let us not lose sight of one simple undeniable fact:

The fallen are real people ... who lived and breathed, who saw sunsets glow ...

Today instead of arguing if the troops should be there or not, let's say a prayer for the families of the fallen, and a prayer for the families of those serving, and Let's remember to pray for our soldiers and the civilians of Afghanistan who only want one thing: PEACE. Not a peace that is an absence of war, but a lasting and just peace ...

We may oppose the war, but we must remember that it is our neighbours, our friends, and our family who are putting themselves on the line ... The least we can do is support them, and pray for them ...

To the Soldiers in Afghanistan:

Come Home Safe ... Come Home Soon

We're proud of you and what you're about ...

A Story to Warm Even the Coldest Heart ...

I was reading the news online today and I came across a little story line that caused me pause ...

It was about a man and woman - a brother and sister who were reunited after over 60 years of NOT knowing that one another existed ... both are survivors of the Holocaust or Shoah, and both believed the other had died ...

Thanks to the work of the Yad Vashem: The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Israel, a series of coincidences lead to the long lost brother and sister being reunited ... Their parents have passed on, as have a number of siblings, but there is one other brother still alive ...

I read the story and searched out more about it and it brought tears to my eyes ... It's easy to speak of resurrection ... It is a mind blowing moment when at a time like this - you see it really happening ...

The story of Hilda Shlick (Glasberg) and Simon Glasberg being reunited 65 years after they were seperated by the Shoah is a tremendous one ...

I'm blatantly going to borrow from the Yad Vashem site, because it tells the WHOLE story of how this reunion happened ... If you doubt the existence of miracles - read on:


Reunion of Hilda Shlick (Glasberg) and Simon Glasberg
Hilda Shlick (nee Glasberg) was born in 1931 in Chernowitz, Romania. Her immediate family was comprised of her two parents, four brothers and three sisters.

In 1941, when the Nazis invaded Northern Bukovina, the family was separated. Hilda escaped to Uzbekistan with her older sister Bertha, who took her under her wing. The rest of the family remained in Romania. Bertha, who was many years older than her younger sister, posed as Hilda’s mother. Bertha's husband was an officer in the Red Army who stayed in Romania and was killed during the war. Bertha's daughter Klara also died and Bertha re-married to a Jew from Estonia. After the war Bertha relocated to Estonia along with her second husband and Hilda. Bertha died in 1970 and was buried in Estonia.

All her life Hilda believed that the remainder of her immediate family that had stayed behind in Romania, was murdered in the Holocaust. Hilda married Elye Itshok Shlick and they had two children, Zali and Hertha. In 1998 Hilda immigrated to Israel following in the footsteps of her son Zali's family, who have been living in Israel since 1991. Hilda’s daughter, Hertha, currently resides in the U.S.

During the course of a family discussion several months ago, Hilda’s grandchildren, Benny and David Shlick, learned that their grandmother’s maiden name was Glasberg. In light of the new information, they conducted a search online on the Central Database of Shoah Victims Names' (www.yadvashem.org), in order to find out more about their grandmother's family. Until that time, they believed that their grandmother’s entire family had been killed in Romania during the Holocaust. To their surprise, when they entered the name Hilda Glasberg, their grandmother’s maiden name, they found a Page of Testimony submitted in her name. They learned that Karol Weiner was the person who submitted the Page of Testimony in 1999, where he stated that Hilda was his sister who had perished. They also found out that the name of their grandmother’s mother was Henia Weiner.

Accordingly, David began to conduct additional, more extensive searches. Through the Website of the Montreal Burial Society and online forums of survivors of Chernowitz, he was able to track down Karol Weiner’s son, Dr. Eric Weiner. Karol died in 1999, (the same year that he submitted the Page of Testimony). As a result of subsequent correspondence between David Shlick and Dr. Eric Weiner the entire picture became clear: Hilda Shlick's (nee Glasberg) immediate family, including her parents and siblings, that remained in Romania survived the Holocaust.

- Hilda’s parents, Henia and Bentsion Glasberg lived until the ages of 98 and 92. They died in the 1980s in Montreal, Canada.

- Hilda’s sister Bertha died in 1970 and is buried in Estonia.

- Hilda’s sister Pepi's fate remains unknown.

- Hilda’s brother Karol Weiner died in 1999 in Montreal.

- Hilda’s brother Eddie Glasberg died in 2004 in Montreal.

- Hilda’s brother Mark Glasberg currently lives in Ottawa, Canada, his health is ailing. His son Irwin lives with his family in Israel.

- Hilda’s brother Simon Glasberg currently lives in Montreal, Canada and arrived in Israel a few days ago to meet his sister.

All of the siblings have children and grandchildren who live in Canada, Israel and the United States. Mark and Simon came to Israel immediately following the Holocaust and fought during the Israel Independence War. During the 1950s they immigrated to Canada, following their older brother Karol Weiner, who had already settled there.

For more information visit the Yad Vashem site - just click on the title or click below ...
http://www.yadvashem.org/