Some random thoughts that came to me today ...

This morning I decided that I wanted to attend a worship service ... Not feeling particularly welcomed in ANY United Church around me, I drove to the Congregation where I was welcomed in with open arms during Holy Week this past year, and where I have been made to feel part, not only of the congregation but of the family ... even though it requires a commitment of time, fuel and a bit of a drive, I decided they were worth it ...

I wasn't disappointed ...

As I sat in the pew person after person came and said - "Good to see you back ..." and spoke warm words of welcome ... they were more hugs and handshakes amongst the small cluster of people that I can EVER remember experiencing outside of M's family Church in BC ...

The service itself left me with much to think about ...

The Epistle reading was from Romans:

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honour.

Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute (you), bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all.
If possible, on your part, live at peace with all.
Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
Rather, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."
Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.

The first thought I had came fromt he passage about not looking for revenge ... "huh ..." I thought, "guess I need to just let God deal with the nasty brutish people who have tried to distrupt and destroy my life ..."

Then I thought about the command to bless those who would curse me and entrust them into God's keeping ... as hard as it is ... I'll try ... knowing that God will reward behaviour according to his scale of justice and the ability of folks to own thier baggage ...

During the service the Preacher asked if this congregation was welcoming enough, and if it was a place of love and acceptance, particularly of the stranger who arrives on their doorstep unannounced ... I smiled and realized the answer from my experience of them was a resounding - "ABSOLUTELY !!!" They LIVE thier faith - they don't just haul it out for appearances once a week like their United Church cousins up the road ... This group welcome in ALL who come, and make them feel like they belong ... they're not perfect, but they're trying ...

Then the challenge to say the words - "Hi," as we live out our welcome reminded me that the message fromTim Huff's book Bent Hope, that has really stuck with me was the one about SEEING the street people as PEOPLE first and foremost ... The preacher today said the simple words - "Hi, how are you ?" can have a HUGE difference in people's lives ... I heard the exact same sentiment two days ago when I was speaking with a youth worker who deals with kids who would otherwise be on the street ... the act of saying "Hi, how are you ?" to a complete strangeron the street may have the effect of making that kid feel like a human being because someone took 3 seconds to make eye contact, offer a smile and speak four simple words ... Could it be THAT simple ?? Having heard it now three times in a week - I dare to say - IT not only CAN be that simple - IT IS THAT SIMPLE !!!

And finally as I began my drive home I thought about one of the images offered by the preacher this morning ... she said our faith is a three sided triangle of God, Others, and our selves ... we regard each equally, but in faith God comes first, then service to others, and finally (though NOT least of all) our care of self ... as I about the preacher's call to live the Gospel by serving God, Others and our Selves and wondered if it is a coincidence that Gospel's first three letters are G ... O ... and S ... God, Others Self ...

Given that I refuse to believe in coincidences any more ... I decided the spelling of Gospel is simply a reminder of our call to LIVE OUR faith ... and I continued on with the thought - "MAY IT BE SO LORD, MAY IT BE SO !!!!"

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Dust Bunnies and Laptops DON'T mix ...

Over the last couple of weeks I've been having my laptop suddenly shut down for no apparent reason ... I've ran every scan imaginable and checked for viruses, spy ware and ad-ware ... and still it continued to just shut down without warning ...

Last night as I was lying in bed sweltering in the un-godly humidity that came AFTER a thunderstorm, the thought occurred to me ... "I wonder if it is overheating ..."

So this morning fueled by a cup of Fair Trade Coffee (Level Ground's Awasa), I took a set of tiny screw drivers and opened the access port for the cooling fan ... As I pulled the plastic free and revealed the fan the only words to escape my lips were - "OH MY GOD !!!!"

There were dust bunnies snuggled in against the blades of the fan, around the exhaust opening and most ominiously - there was a thick layer of dust (a bunny on steroids) covering the fins for cooling the hard drive ...

Taking the can of aerosol duster, I rousted the bunnies from their warm hide-aways ... then I removed the cover on the fan itself and extracted more dust than I want to think about ...

Now several hours later, I have been using my computer and have experienced exactly ZERO mysterious shut downs ... obviously the rendering the dust bunnies homeless has been a good thing for my lap top ... AND my patience !!
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It AIN'T Great Cinema ...

... but for hanging out on a Friday night with nothing better to do - you really can't beat back to back Japanese Godzilla films !!

Noahkila and I are watching a Godzilla double bill dvd that I picked up months and months ago in a clearance bin for the whooping sticker price of $2.99, and tonight we're enjoying both features ... it isn't great cinema, but it's just plain fun.

WHY ????

Today on cbc.ca there was a story about police nabbing a suspect in the theft of 65 newspaper boxes in and around Winnipeg ... The original story about the theft ran in April (Click here to read it) and today's is about the Police finally catching two suspects and arresting them (Click HERE for that story).

All of which simply begs the question - WHY ???

Why would you steal 65 newspaper boxes in the first place?? BUT THEN, after stealing THAT many whyc would keep them ALL in one place?? AND why would you leave the papers in some of them???

Usually you want to hide your tracks and the evidence ... to provide the police with more than just circumstantial evidence for the investigation borders on the ludicrious ... The police (thought they may appreciate it) really shouldn't be aided by the suspect themselves ...

This one really does need to make a "Dumb Criminal" category somewhere ...

A Taste of Heaven in a Cup ...

This afternoon Ms H. and Beetle showed up at my office and we went out for a mid-afternoon Tea Break along with my co-worker. After running a couple of errands for work, we went to a new dessert coffee shop in the down town mall ... the girls ordered decadent chocolate desserts while I ordered a peach-ginger strudel along with a LARGE cup of black coffee from Green Bean Coffee Importers located just north of Winnipeg ...

I've mused about Derryl and his start up company back in February before I became a person non-grata at a coffee shop I once frequented ... his coffee was very good, and roasted in small batches, and was and IS simply delicious ... but over the last six months I've had to resort to a variety of other Fair Trade and premium coffees from other sources ... but today it was like coming home ...

I savoured the coffee from the first sip to the last drop ... it was a delight ... and it was like having a taste of heaven in a cup ... I'll definitely be back ...

Um ...

I had the following comment left on the blog today under the posting about listening to the crickets ...

Man you know how to hold a grudge against an entire town. Not everyone in Minnedosa wanted you to leave. Don't put Minnedosa over as a hell-hole because some of the people that live there screwed you over.

I have to confess, I'm not sure how or where the author of the comment drew the conclusion from THAT particular posting that I bear a grudge against an entire town ... listening to the crickets that night and musing on them had NOTHING to do with Minnedosa, except that I simply don't remember hearing them when I lived there ... and it was a sound that I hadn't missed until I heard it AGAIN ...

But having said THAT ... I still weep and grieve over what Minnedosa is and has done to me ... I LOVED that town ... from the first time I saw it back in the fall of 1994 when M, a very young Noahkila and I were driving east down the Yellowhead and looked up the valley from the highway out by the Grain elevator and we BOTH said - "wow, that town looks pretty, we'll have to come back to visit some time ..." all the way through to the first day I was toured around the town by one of the members of the search committee ... I fell in love with Minnedosa ...

I've wanted to be part of improving and making that town more than it is, and what it COULD be ... I tried in spite of EVERYTHING to share my enthusiasm for the community that it is and that it could be ... BUT ...

Those who didn't want me to leave were overwhelmed by those who did ... and I do NOT believe that the numerical power and strength was on the side of those who wanted to see the back side of me ... I think fear and complacency set in, and too many good people chose to do NOTHING for fear of offending their neighbours ... and so I became the sacrificial lamb ... or the scape goat ... or whatever term you chose to use ...

Do I bear a grudge ?? ... yeah, I guess I do ... but after death threats, the abandonment of people I called friends, the slashing of my van tire, shots at my house AND my van, the savage brutality of anonymous calls to Childrens' Aid accusing me of BEATING my children, the destruction of my reputation, the accusations of a dozen or more outrageous and TOTALLY UN-TRUE rumours, and the inability and UNWILLINGNESS of ANYONE to take these things seriously and STAND UP WITH ME TO SAY - ENOUGH!!!!! ... I think I have reason to bear a grudge ...

Minnedosa stripped me of much ... and couldn't offer even the slightest "Thank You" for anything that I did that was positive ... the simple fact that following the fire of February 12th 2006, the Board of Minnedosa United Church fell all over itself to thank the people involved in ALL manner of help and assistance following the fire ... but at NO POINT was there a public "thanks" offered to me ... I heard it repeatedly from the Congregation members and from people in town who said it over and over - but I NEVER heard it, nor felt it offered officially by the Board or its members ... THEN when I called them on it, they said - "you're paid staff, we shouldn't have to thank you"

The funny thing is ... following a leave in the summer of 2006, I sat in the back of the Sanctuary on my first Sunday back and listened as the fill in (who was paid) was offered lavish thanks for "All that HE did for us over the summer." And at a concert in Minnedosa the Board Chair had previously thanked the Organist and the Secretary for "all they've done" ... and all the while, the two words I wish I could have heard remained absent ...

So do I hold a grudge ??? I guess I do ... and for good reason ...

There are many good people in Minnedosa, and many I miss dearly ... but unfortunately my memoreis and my experience of the community are shaped, not by them, but by the ones who were hypocritical, toxic, brutish, nasty and just plain savage ...

I wanted to be part of Minnedosa becoming a fabulous community ... and instead my family and I were rejected from the day we arrived ... the fact that Noahkila was in Brandon for exactly 3 hours before he was invited to his first Birthday party, after 8 years of kids gladly coming to his parties, but never reciprocating spoke volumes ... Minnedosa is NOT the Valley Paradise it thinks itself to be, and my conversations on Sunday with two other who have experienced its brutality, simply deepened my sadness that too many good people are letting the nasty people triumph ...

I'm sorry for my grudge ... and I'm sorry I feel the way I do ... but after 8 years of trying to give my best to Minnedosa, only to be rejected the way I was ... it will take time to heal ... There are many good people in Minnedosa, and that is perhaps the saddest part of this whole mess ... it could have been very different had the good people stood tall and strong and not ran away in fear ...

As a wise man said - "the only thing needed for the triumph of evil, is for people of good faith to do nothing ..." Today, looking back, Minnedosa is proof of that ... and that fact alone makes me weep ...

Stumbling over history ...

Today the Rotary club of which I am proudly a member held its meeting out in the Officers' Mess at CFB Shilo. Following the tour of the facilities utilized by the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, we were given a fine lunch in the Officers' Mess, where we encountered to astounding pieces of Canadian History (amongst MANY spread throughout CFB Shilo).

The first was the 300+ year old table that carried the body of General James Wolfe back to England following his death from wounds received on the Plains of Abraham in 1759.

Originally a table on a British Warship, it would be transferred to the Citadel in Quebec following the ship's return to North America in 1860, and the table would remain in the possession of the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery since their formation in 1871.

The other piece of Canadiana was a copy of Lt. Colonel John McRae's somewhat well known poem - "In Flanders Fields" that was penned in battle in 1915, and published in Punch along with drawings by McRae's friend "Dinky" Morrison. The framed picture of the drawings and the poem hangs on the wall of the Officers' Mess just outside the room housing General Wolfe's table ...
Both serve as a reminder that our history as a people and a nation has never been far removed from the battles that have been fought and won by our troops. Troops who have, since the founding of Canada, come from small rural communities who sent their young men and women to serve, and many of them paid the ultimate sacrifice ...

Lest We Forget.

A reminder of battles half a world away ...

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As part of our day, the Rotarians were taken on a tour of

the facilities used by the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

Their Commanding Officer,

who had just returned from Afghanistan a few days ago,

spoke proudly of his Regiment,

His Soldiers,

Their tradition,

and their service to Canadians and Afghanis.

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Each piece of equipment was a reminder

that half a world away,

our soldiers continue to fight ...

Along the way,

the pictures hung in a place of remembrance

honoured:

Sgt Nichola Goddard

who died in battle on May 16th 2006

and

Capt. Jefferson Francis

who died in Afghanistan on July 4th 2007

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The danger of being TOO literal in our reading of Scripture ...

I remember the day that a now departed family friend shared with me his favourite verse of the Bible ... with a sly grin he shared verse 15 of Psalm 104 that reads "And wine that maketh glad the heart of man" ... he cited it as proof that God was NOT against drinking, just drinking to excess ...

This revelation also stands as the first of many surprising scriptural references that helped to challenge my understanding of the Bible and what it actually says. It is too easy to say - "the Bible says ..." and latch on a few key verses that support our argument, rather than opening the pages of the Bible and reading it as the astounding, life altering document that it is ...

I do not approach the Bible as a document that can be read literally either. I take it very seriously, and spend much time in reflection and prayer when I read it, either for personal reasons, or for professional reasons. The very act of preaching for me is a privlege that I savour and enjoy and engage in very humbly. To stand before a group of people and share reflections and inspiration from the Holy Scriptures is a task one can not take lightly ...

Repeatedly along this journey, I have been surprised by passages of Scripture that say remarkable and surprising things ... This week I encountered just such a verse while reading Tim Huff's Bent Hope. In the book he cites a passage from Proverbs that could be used by folks like me to counter the contention by many that they will NOT give money to panhandlers because "they might use it to buy alcohol instead of food ..."

The passage in Proverbs reads simply and eloquently:

"Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more."

When I read this, I paused and thought - "Hmmm ..." then looked it up myself to find it's context and if it ACTUALLY said THAT.

It does say it. And the context is an oracle to a King telling him the rich and powerful to avoid strong drink lest they forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of the afflicted ... it then counsels them to instead LET the poor and those in distress to partake of strong drink so they may forget for a moment ...

While, I'm not advocating we give panhandlers access to alcohol (there are TOO many problems associated with that), I do think Huff's contention that this verse advocates COMPASSION and CARING in regards to our attitudes and approach to the poor and afflicted is on the mark.

Too often we sit in our place of simple complacency and use tired old statements to justify our inaction, when what is needed is simple care undergirded by compassion ... to walk past a street person and to see them as an irritant or an obstruction in our way, or WORSE - to NOT see them at all, is NOT a faith response.

Today as I reflect on Huff's book (a process that will continue for quite some time ...), I can't help but think about the old Celtic Blessing - "may you see the face of Christ in the face of everyone you meet ..." Even walking the streets of a city like Brandon, you encounter people who cause you to pause and wonder - "could this be Him?" and if we take that reflection seriously, simply waling by is NOT an option ...

Taking our faith calling seriously demands action.

Taking our Scripture seriously demands action.

And taking our Scripture LITERALLY may rob us of the ability to even think - "they may use the money to buy booze", because the passage in Proverbs calls us to COMPASSION not judgement.

On a drive with Ms H ...

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Just some pictures from a drive out into the country

that Ms H. and I took today ... the harvest is fast approaching,

a beautiful late summer afternoon,

my one wish:

that these pictures do justice to scenes we experienced !!

!

A bug's life ...

Some bees working industriously

in a field of sunflowers ...

... I wonder if they were thinking:

"SO many flowers, SO little time!!"

There are no coincidences ...

Tolle says that when you are attune to your life purpose and you have begun to free yourself from the pain body and the ego it feeds, life begins to have NO COINCIDENCES, but rather things happen because they happen ...

Today I preached at a church and in the crowd was a pilgrim who has shared a similar journey to mine in the same place, just seperated by a few decades ... after the service we went out for lunch and I was given words of encouragement, and I was blessed by the wisdom of one who has stood in the place of nastiness and rejection that I once stood in ...

His presence at a service far from home the very day that I came to guest preach was no coincidence ... it was the cosmose preparing me to pass from one layer to another (as Deida has spoken of, and I have mused on previously) ... and today the sermon I delivered and the lunch I shared marked that transition ... these things happen because they are meant to happen ... and today I'm very very thankful.
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For the first time in 13 months ...

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For the first time since my suspension in July of 2007,
I was invited today to preach in a pulpit
within
a
UNITED CHURCH,
and
it
felt
wonderful.
(To read my sermon click here)

Some of my musings ...

Today I was cleaning off my desk and sorting through a variety of reports, books, articles and other assorted items that have been part of the white drift that ebbs and flows across my workspace ...

.

As I sorted, pitched and recycled, I found the articles I've written for the local weekly paper in Brandon called "The Wheat City Journal" and thought - I should post some links to these on my blog ...

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So, with no further delay ... here they are in chronological order from when they began:

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May 2008 - Bread is the Building Block of Life

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June 2008 - How Important is that Single Little Penny?

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July 2008 - Two Unique Conversations about Homelessness

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August 2008 - Summer Can be a Long Season

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Enjoy ... and let mw know what you think ...

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91, 92, & 93

Sgt. Shawn Allen Eade, Cpl. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden, Sapper Stephan John Stock

with the 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton,

the latest soliders to die in Afghanistan.

Lest We Forget.

(For the the CBC Story click here)

Reflections on reading on a rainy morning ...

My day began in the quiet coolness of an early morning rain ... the sound of the falling droplets floated through my open window ... the breeze that followed, carrying the sound brought a coolness that has been absent for too many days ...

Rising I greeted the day with my feline boarders, stretched out on the linoleum floor of the hallway, no doubt enjoying the comfort that came with the break in the heat ...

Making coffee, then walking the dogs between showers in the pre-dawn darkness, the day began quietly, peacefully ...

Pouring my coffee and settling in on the kitchen chair with CBC playing in the background, the rest of the house slept in the twilight of a rainy summer morning ... my day began with coffee, quietness, reading, and time to just enjoy the start of a day that was not overwhelmed with a stifling heat ... enjoying my coffee (Fair Trade of course - 454 Blend from Kicking Horse)

I then started my day by reading a book I was given yesterday ... a book that has left me weeping, breathless and laughing ... a book that speaks of hope in the most unlikely of places ... its words roll through me ... the images are etched in my heart and soul ... and in time I shall share the power of this work ... but today, in the silence broken only by the soft snoring of my feline friends I am letting the words settle in to my thinking as they will help to guide my life professionally and personally ...

I can't think of a better way of to start the day ...
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Don't Mess with Librarians ...

(This one is for Linda and Lisa - two of my favourite librarians ... and friends I missed dearly!)

Tonight checking the news sites, I found a story about what might happen if you cross your local librarian ... on CBC.ca there is a story about a woman in Wisconsin being handcuffed and taken to jail for unpaid library fines ... The headline - "Woman cuffed, booked for not paying library fines" leaves little to the imagination ...

Turns out the two overdue books (fined at $30) cost her a criminal charge, the embarassment of being handcuffed and taken to jail AND $172 to be freed.

Just goes to show - don't mess with your local librarians - underneath their smiling exterior may lurk a cold hard law and order heart ...

I've always tried to keep my librarians as friends ... and I'm glad I did.

(for the record - I miss the Minnedosa Library ... and its staff !!)

91 ... 92 ... 93

No Names yet ...

... just the tragic details that 3 Canadian Soldiers

died today in Afghanistan.

Thoughts and prayers for their families,

and for their comrades,

and for all those in Uniform serving our nation.

At the going down of the sun,

and in the morning,

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Lest we forget.

Tonight ...

Tonight, lying in (or rather ON) my bed in the heat, with the windows wide open and a gusty breeze blowing through the room, I listened to the sounds of the night in my new neighbourhood ...

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There was nothing untoward to be heard ... but then I realized that there was a very familiar sound that has been absent from my hearing for far far too long ... The gentle "creek-creek-creek" of the humble field cricket was floating through my window from the backyard ...

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It's been a LLLLLOOOONNNNGGGGG time since I've heard the call of the cricket much less been lulled asleep by it ... it's funny the difference a mere 50 kms can make ... I don't remember EVER hearing a cricket in Minnedosa ... and I didn't miss it until I heard it again ...

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Environmental Round-Up ...

Last night while a cool breeze blew through the open windows of my bedroom, and the moon left soft shadows across the floor and the bed, I got up and walked out to the kitchen to get a drink of water ... As I have done a million times before, and will do a million times again, I turned the tap, let the water run for a moment, then filled a glass with the cold, clear water that gushed forth in abundance ...

I seldom thought about what a gift a simple glass of water can be ... Last night though, as I stood looking out my kitchen window into the moonlit darkness, I thought of a friend who celebrated the move from a tiny small home that had only a cold water tap in the kitchen, to a modern apartment that had hot water on demand.

This friend, we will call him Stanley, lived with his partner in the tiny house for over 50 years ... each week when they needed hot water, they would haul out enormous multi-gallon pots that would be filled with water then heated on the stove. Baths meant repeated filling of the pots and hauling them from the kitchen into the bathroom ...

With a smile, he acknowledged that it is this effort that kept him fit and trim !!! Given he was a dimuinutive yet very hale and hearty 80 year old at the time, it is hard to argue that point ... but when the time came for him to reluctantly leave his little house and move into a small apartment in a modern apartment block, the one thing he looked forward to was hot water available at the turn of a tap ...

Weeks after his relocation, I bumped into Stanley on the street and asked how his move was and if he had settled in ... His answer came in an enormous smile and the whispered confession:

"You know, in my first week I had a shower every morning and a bath every night. AND once in a while I just turn the tap to let the hot water flow ... JUST TO SEE IT ..." he grinned as he added, "it's SO nice not to have the bother of all the pots and the stove ... just turn the tap !! It's like a miracle !!"

I could only offer a heart-felt - "You've earned that privilege my friend!!"

Last night I thought of Stanley and turned the hot water tap "just to see it."

When I returned to my bed and laid there watching the branches of the trees and bushes in my backyard dance in the wind under the waning moon, I thought about what a gift many of the things we take for granted really are, and I began to wonder whether we approach life with an attitude of appreciation and gratitude for the blessings and bounty we enjoy so blithely, or whether we've just come to take ALL these things for granted with nary a thought about our place in the world, and our impact upon it ...

Those thoughts were still rolling around within me this morning when I checked out the news sites and found a number of troubling stories that served as a reminder that perhaps we're NOT doing a very good job of living mindfully and gently upon this planet ...

The first story was that of two mouthed fish being found near the Alberta Tar-sands.

Then came the revelation that plastic is NOT the most numerous item washing up on Canadian shores - cigarette butts are.

And finally came the story from CBC.ca about the City of London banning the sale of bottled water within its facilities ... as I read THIS story, I couldn't help but think of the abundance of water conveniently available within each home and household in Canada ... In the wake of the Walkerton and Battleford tragedies though, and with the encouragement of the multi-national corporations, we've come to believe that our tap water is LESS THAN SAFE, when repeatedly we hear that nothing could be further from the truth.

The recent propensity of people in the West to pay MORE for a litre of water than they do for a litre of gasoline, and to do it without thinking nor complaining, is an absurdity ... The tap water in our cities and towns is safe (with some exceptions), available and INEXPENSIVE, and yet people keep reaching for bottled water that serves to drain aquifers, create mountains of plastic waste, and costs way more than it should ...

Personally, I say - "three cheers for the City of London" maybe other municipalities need to follow suit, and like the "No Smoking" policies that were once unheard of, it only takes a few communities to say "enough" to start a societal revolution ...

This summer we stopped in a community that lacked a "no smoking" by-law, my kids commented on how much the restaurant stunk, and we didn't linger for long ... as we left I commented on how that was normal when I was their age, and they wrinkled their noses and said - "that would have been gross"

They're right ... the world changes by degree, and perhaps the banning of bottled water in communities with a safe, secure and cheap supply of water on tap is the logical and appropriate first step ... hopefully our municipal leaders have the courage to listen to their people, the environment and NOT the multinationals who are interested only in profit !!

One can only hope !!

Quotations from Kingsolver ...

From her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, some thoughts of Barbara Kingsolver worth considering:

"Eaters must understand that eating takes place inescapably in the world, that it is inescapably an agricultural act, and that how we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used ..." - Wendell Berry.

The Urban US middle class appears more specifically concerned about exploiting Asian factory workers (Kingsolver commenting on the attitudes towards domestic US farmers who supply food to the American kitchen table)

... and commenting on the inability of a local organic growers' cooperative to sell their tomatoes in neighbouring stores who are importing Californian grown tomatoes trucked ACROSS the country Kingsolver writes: "... pallets of organic tomatoes from Californian had begun coming in just a few dollars cheaper. It's hard to believe, given the amount of truck fuel involved, but transportation is tax deductable for the corporations, so we tax payers paid for that shipping. The Californian growers only needed the economics of scale on their side, a cheap army of pickers and customer who would reliably opt for the lower prices ..."

The local organically grown tomatoes had to be given away to poor and needy families because the stores wouldn't buy them ... a disaster on many levels ...

(stay tuned - more to come ...)

Food rant continues ...

I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's new book: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" about her family taking a year to eat mindfully, choosing to consume food available locally or in their gardens, and things that have been grown themselves and preserved, rather than just picking up what is available from the local grocery store ...

It is a powerful read - enjoyable, informative and provocative in the best possible ways ... along with suggestions for gardening there are recipes, serving types, and more than just a little social commentary about how and what we eat ... Like the book "Don't Eat this Book" Kingsolver's work offers a strong critique of modern food consumption ...

Today I read an article online over at CommonDreams.org about the response, or more accurately - the LACK of response from the G8 Nations to the need for a Food Policy - the ironic image of the leaders sitting down to an 8 course, 18 dish gourmet meal on the heels of their announcement that they should reduce unnecessary food consumption is sadly laughable, but typical of our societal blindness ... our actions and our words are disconnected ...

An article linked by a friend's Facebook profile today reminds us that the transportation of ALL the food globally not only has the impact from the over consumption of fossil fuels to move those tomatoes across a continent, or those bananas around the world ... there is a GREAT DEAL of PLASTIC involved in our lifestyle choices as well ... the plastic wrapping on the organic California tomatoes has to end up somewhere ... and the plastic that held the pallets of canned pineapple from Taiwan together while being offloaded on the docks all has to go somewhere, and research is showing it is ending up in the oceans where it wreaks havoc in the environment ...

Yet we blithely continue on pretending everything is okay, and our tiny contribution multiplied a BILLION fold does NOTHING to the planet ...

Oh, were it the case ...

Reading Kingsolver's book has caused me pause. I am even more committed to creating a garden in my backyard next year - a garden that WILL be filled with veggies to be eaten, preserved and stored for the subsequent seasons ... moreover, I will in the coming days endeavour to be a conscientious shopper, paying attention to the source for my fruits, veggies, meats and other food products with the same zealous concern and commitment that is poured into my coffee mug each morning ... It is inconsistent for our coffee to be organic fair trade, while our eggs and tomatoes are the products of an industrial food complex that robs us of too much ...

I believe we are on the verge of a food revolution ... we will no longer believe it is OKAY to have strawberries in December because they can be flown in from somewhere, but we will begin to return to our figurative and literal roots ... we will again begin to enjoy food grown in season, and food that is grown locally ... The era of cheap shipping, and tasteless pseudo-food is quickly waning ... soon backyard victory gardens will return, and we will ALL be mindful consumers, savouring locally grown, freshly picked foods over the plastic-like crap our multi-nationals have convinced us to consume ...

Maybe the prophets of old were right when they mused about people sitting under their vineyards and savouring the fruits of their own labours ... as they say - all things old become new again ... and food should be foremost amongst them ...

Food Rant ...

You've been warned ... this is the first of several pending rants about poverty, housing, food and homelessness in the Brandon area ...

Yesterday I went down to the local Food Bank - Samaritan House Ministries to get the low down on the current situation being faced by the vulnerable and at risk population in Brandon ... the news was grim ...

The supply of fresh veggies, usually something that sits for a few days before being taken, are vanishing as fast as they can be laid out on the table. Beets, beans, cucumbers, - YOU NAME IT - folks are snapping up whatever gets placed out as quickly as they can - something the staff and volunteers have never witnessed before ...

There is a wait list for hampers forming with people calling in a day or two early to MAKE SURE THEIR NAMES ARE ON THE LIST !!! Again something staff and volunteers simply don't recall ...

Families that haven't used the Food Bank since 2006 are showing up for assistance ...

The Soup Kitchen is seeing a marked increase in the number of meals being served, with around 180 meals a day being offered to those who come looking for help ...

And perhaps most ominous of all - supplies are quickly dwindling ... 16 banana boxes FULL of canned baked beans went out over the last week and the trickle coming in will NOT replenish that loss ...

Some time was spent yesterday trying to ascertain "WHY?" this is happening now ... it is earlier in the summer than usual, and it is arriving with an intensity that is worrisome ...

Is it fuel prices?
Rental Prices?
Food prices?
Income levels?

No one is really sure ... the only certainty is that helping the poor, the vulnerable and the at risk remains a growth industry, and today in Brandon it is definitely growing ... and that is NOT GOOD.

There are no easy solutions. Today what is needed is awareness by everyone from volunteers through to our political leadership ... what is needed is an awareness that spurns ALL OF US into action ... action that includes donating cash and food and time ... action that includes talking about the problem and NOT envisioning it as something that is not happening here (I've heard THAT too often - and I've heard it from Church people who refuse to acknowledge that poverty exists in their safe little community) ... action that includes changing our thoughts and perspectives on economics and on our purchasing power ... and action that includes TAKING THE ISSUE OF POVERTY SERIOUSLY.

As Gandhi once said - "be the change you seek" ... no one deserves to be poor, or hungry ... and in a country as rich and as affluent as Canada, we need to stop the tired stereo types and start helping those who are simply caught up in an economic maelstrom ...

We each need to ask ourselves two simple questions (thanks to the Rabbi Hillel):

If not me, then who?
If not now, then when?

The answers are ALL about action ...

Two out of three ain't bad ...

Noahkila got back from his Dinosaur/Science Camp at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller Alberta, and a hike with his Godmother to the Burgess Shale near Field in Yoho National Park ... Ms H went to and returned from Camp Wannakumbac in Riding Mountain National Park, and now wee Beetle is there for her week of camping ...



Two of three are here in my tiny little house ... but I miss Beetle as much as I missed each of them in turn, and missed them ALL when they were off visiting M's family in BC ... on Wednesday night we will all be back home and getting ready for the start of school in a few short days ...



Summer has been a busy and tiring time, filled with change and transition ... but the one constant that has gotten us through is EACH OTHER ... the gift of family !!!

The power of story ... the power of memory ...

Today over at The Laughing Pastor, Blake posted an eloquent musing on the power of story ... in the midst of his posting he commented on the impact the story Good Night Moon had and still has over him ... a deep connection from childhood ...

As I read his posting and thought about the power of story for humanity and for myself, I thought of my favourite book as a child ...

The Monster at the End of This Book, starring lovable, furry old Grover was my ALL time favourite book as a young child ... when I was a toddler I had EVERYONE read it to me ... and even into my teens I would sit down and read it (and I'll admit to sometimes doing it in Grover's voice) for myself ... and as my now grown cousins came on the scene, I would read it to them ...

I SIMPLY LOVED THAT SILLY BOOK ...

and years later when I became an adult one of the first childrens' books that made its way into Noahkila's hands was The Monster at the End of This Book !!!

What came to mind today though was not my personal enjoyment of the book, but rather and afternoon in Bella Coola when my youngest maternal uncle came for a visit ...

"Would you like me to read you a story?" asked Uncle B.

Noahkila LOVED having stories read to him, so he eagerly agreed and brought Uncle B a copy of "The Monster at the End of This Book."

Uncle B looked at it and said, "Uh uh," and tossed the book on the couch across the room, "I read that to you DAD enough for you and HIM !!!"

We laughed, and Noahkila happily had Uncle B read him a selection of other stories ... later in the afternoon, Uncle B relented though and DID read the Grover story to his wee grand-nephew !!

But there is and can be no disputing the truth of his statement - he did read it to me enough for Myself, Noahkila, and likely Noahkila's children and grandchildren ... but rest assured when Noahkila becomes a father, one of the first gifts for my wee grandchild will be a copy of "The Monster at the End of This Book" and Grandpa will happily read it to him or her, complete with the required voices ...

Such is the power of stories ... thanks Blake for the reminder ...

Chloe on catnip ...

.

Ms H. purchased a large tub of dried cat nip recently,

and has been spreading it liberally throughout the house,

ensuring that each of the three cats

recieves their own PILE

of cat nip.

Today on the upstairs landing between the bedrooms,

the old matriarch Chloe

found, claimed and enjoyed

her pile.

Contented does not do justice to her attitude.
.

.

She'll be "down" later to eat her fill from the food dish.

Looking back ... looking forward ...

I began yesterday rising early and driving up to a camp at Riding Mountain National Park where a group of young people brought together for a leadership training camp were readying themselves to head home ... we arrived and after coffee and refreshments began the task of loading the kids and their stuff up for their respective drives into the four directions ...

There were many tears as these young people said good bye to friends, who a week earlier were strangers ... the success of the RYLA programme shines forth in these moments, when we send back to their communities young men and women who are ready to take on leadership roles in their schools and communities, and use the newly acquired skills and friendships to assist them in this ...

My van load of kids was quiet for the first twenty minutes or so ... the soft sound of sobbing and the whispered - "STOP CRYING!! You're making me cry!!"

The rest of the three hour trip was filled with laughter and giggles as they recalled their camp and had their last conversations before departing with their parents in Winnipeg ...

In Winnipeg, Ms H and I had a chance after dropping the kids off, to hit a couple of stores and pick up some needed things for the new house ... a compost bin first and foremost ... we DO have to start planning for these gardens !!!

The drive home was quiet, with Ms H sleeping most of the way ... I think she is still catching up from her time at camp ...

In the evening though my life took an unexpected turn ... a provocative employment offer was put before me ... and my horoscope brought a smile to my face and a laughing - "OH I WISH !!" escaped my lips ...

Last night I went for a very very long walk under the full moon and offered all of the aspects of my life up to God and the cosmos with the simple prayer - "Guide me to where you want me to be God ..." I'll entrust it all into God's hands, and see what happens ... for now though, I can look back on a great day filled with laughter and fun and the whisper of HOPE ...

Oh and the horoscope??
It read:

A romantic quest you began long ago now has some extremely interesting developments. You thought you gave up on a dream, but embers have been glowing in your heart all of these years inextinguishably.

Haven't seen any hint of it yet ... but one just never knows ... that's what hope is ALL about!!

What were they thinking ???

Moving into the "BIG" city requires us to pick up after our dogs when they go for walks ... with plastic grocery bags and anathema, we have opted to purchase biodegradable doggy bags from the local pet supply store ... They are "extra long" for obvious reasons, and in packages of 80 for about four dollars, they are reasonably priced ... my only complaint though:

WHY ARE THEY BABY POWDER SCENTED ????

Do we really need the dog's daily offerings enfused with the "refreshing scent" of baby powder for the three minute walk back to the garbage can ???

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS !!!

I KNOW that you either LOVE Adam Sandler movies or hate them ... there doesn't seem to be any middle ground ... I am one of those who LOVE Sandler films ... From Happy Gilmour, The Waterboy thru Big Daddy and Mr Deeds, they are simply fun ... silly ... and in my opinion hilarious ... I wasn't impressed with Punch Drunk Love ... but it wasn't trying to be a comedy ...

Tonight I popped on I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ... and I LOVED IT !!! The film was fluffy and typical Sandler-esque ... but it was fun, with an important message about same sex marriage, acceptance and at the end of the day - LOVE.

It was fun ... and the take on Canada was apt.

In my film rating, it's definitely two thumbs up - but NOT a cinematic masterpiece - just a fun film !!

My brother ... and his story ...

Every once in a while this blogger universe throws a curve that can leave you chuckling and realizing that the world isn't as big a place as we sometimes fear it is ...

Yesterday I signed on to The Laughing Pastor and discovered that Pastor Blake had posted an article about his relationship with a Muslim employee at his Church in Texas ... His posting came on the tail of my postings about Syed's visit to Brandon ...

Blake managed to put into words the feelings I had rolling around within me, but hadn't been able to say ... his comment about Christians and Muslims spending more time listening to each other the world could be come a different place ...

I can't help but wonder if the Spirit is at work in our world ... Blake down in Texas and I up in Manitoba, both reflect on Muslims who have touched our lives with humour, grace and faith ...

Tonight I feel like Samuel crouched in the dark following Eli's instruction ... I wait to say the words - "Speak Lord, your servant is listening ..."

Tonight I think the Spirit is speaking ... I wonder if we really DO dare to listen ... ???

A gift of peace over lunch ...

Today for lunch The Brandon Rotary Club hosted Syed Soharwardy as their guest speaker. Syed along with Hassaan, Yasir, and Haris, came and shared reflections on his journey and answered some questions from the assembled group.

Along the way he commented that he believes that:

- we live in a very blessed country with strong feelings of meaning and harmony no matter where you are, and that Canadians have been blessed by God/Allah with understanding, tolerance and a caring acceptance of others, even those who are different

- we live in a great nation

- the greatest cause of violence is the simple lack of communication - between parents, between parents and children, and between people

- that if we are to have an end to violence we must begin with peace in our home that comes from peace in our hearts, and the peace in our homes will create peace in our communities, and peace in our communities will create peace in our world - between nations and people, and it all depends upon peace in our hearts

- the biggest single cause of violence in our world is ignorance and ILLITERACY - he noted that many in our world act from hate because they are unable to experience the fullness of life offered through literacy ... I commented to a fellow Rotarian that Syed's view fits well with the emphasis of Rotary International on Literacy ...

In the tradition of sharing a meal - a custom that unites all of humanity - Syed and his team came and sat at table with The Brandon Rotary Club and shared his experiences, and offered his wisdom and humour, and continued on his walk westward - promoting the cause of non-violence with each step.

And I for one am glad that along the way he stopped long enough to form a new friendship - one I will cherish ... I wished the men well on their journey and left them with the offer of a place to stay if they happen back this way again ... I hope they do ...

In the meantime - for more on Syed, and his journey and the cause of Stopping Violence - check out some of the links below:

The CBC story that started this ALL (click here)

The web page of the Multi-faith walk against violence (click here)

The web page of Syed's group Muslims against Terrorism (click here)

Journeying ...

Every once in a while you meet someone who leaves an indelible impression upon you ... in memorials I have often used a reading from Jacob the Baker by Noah benShea that tells of a proud and arrogant man coming to the humble and quiet Jacob in his bakery.

The man says - "Jacob, I want my life to leave an impression on others ..."

Jacob continues working preparing his bread and says, "All life leaves an impression ... for we are God's finger prints ..."

Like all good rabbinic stories, we don't know what the man did with the lesson, nor do we know what others will do with it, we can only use the lesson to reflect on it for ourselves and consider how we will LIVE out the lesson ...

For me, I frequently think about the HOW of my life leaving impressions on others ... Taking the role of being God's presence in the world is an awesome responsibility - one I've always taken seriously. I have been far from perfect, and I've made more than my share of mistakes, but my heart has always been yearning to leave a good and faithful impression on others, even in those moments when my enthusiasm has gotten ahead of myself ...

This past week I was both blessed and privileged to meet a gentleman who has embodied in a very real way the concept of being God's finger print in the world ...

Syed Soharwardy is a gentle soft spoken man with a steely resolve, a gentle humour and a deep faith-filled wisdom that he willingly shares with anyone who takes the time to stop and talk with him, or even better, to walk along the side of the highway with him ...

Yesterday morning, I very briefly accompanied him as he began his daily walk ... we chatted briefly before I bid him well for the day and we departed ... watching him walk along the margin of the Trans Canada Hwy left me with the realization that my life is better for having shared, even briefly, in this remarkable man's journey ...

Syed is not looking for money ... he is not looking for fame ... he is looking for like minded people who share is abhorrence of violence, and who, like him want to see our world become a better place with more than just an absence of conflict and violence ... in the fullest spirit of Shalom/Salaam/Peace, Syed seeks a God given peace that surpasses all understanding, and transforms our world into the place, God willing it could and should be ...

One step at a time, this gentle man is doing his part ... and he is inspiring others to do the same ...

Thanks for stopping by Syed ... it was good to meet you ... and it was a joy and a treat to host you and Hassaan, Yassir and Haris in my home ... Go with God !!

.

90

Master Corporal Erin Doyle

on his third tour of Afghanistan

serving with the 3rd Battalion of the PPCLI,

died in a firefight today

Thoughts and prayers for his family,

his circle of friends,

and for his comrades.

Lest We Forget.

Last night - Brandon Remembered ...

a large crowd gathered on the steps of City Hall,

and remembered a young man who died a tragic death,

with love and care,

Tim McLean

was honoured,

and remembered,

and

mourned.