Appreciation

This is the summer of my “Farewell Tour” – and No, it’s not the least bit like Cher’s. While I’m mostly holding the fort at the office while my colleagues take advantage of all the summer's reunion/camping opportunities, I do bob in for a day from time to time. I like to see the people and enjoy a bit of a conversation. ( I like conversations and think they are very important!)

You may also remember that there have been many occasions to come together to memorialize some of those we’ll be missing as our community goes forward. On one of those occasions I reminded us all via our blog that it’s important to let people know how much we appreciate them while we still have the chance.

Now this last point is the one I’m going to talk about today. I’m realizing as I’m out and about talking to folks just how often those folks have been expressing appreciation to me. They’re taking the time to say it out loud, in a few nicely-thought- out words, some of the things they’ve appreciated about me! While this was not what I expected and certainly not what I was “asking for” it has been lovely, nonetheless. I’ve most certainly noticed for years and years how most people do like to get positive feedback. People thrive on being told what they do that others like and appreciate about them. It’s part of the glue that binds our communities together. And you know, it feels darned nice to receive it too! Thank you.

When we started our “What’s the Good Word” blog, we established a philosophy of “good news,” of sharing some of the many, many things worthy of celebration going on in our particular faith community. It was a deliberate attempt to affect the tone of the conversation among our members and friends, in our congregations and out there on the margins and fringes.

Oh yes, there will always be something to complain about. (I confess; I can have a pretty good time in that camp as well.) But at the risk of being maudlin, we’re just so much better when we’re celebrating our positives. As Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: “a man is what he thinks about all day long.”

So once again, let me say how very much I appreciate the expressions of appreciation I’ve been hearing, observing, receiving from so many of you out there. The best ones may be the specifics e.g. “I used that blog post in an offertory” or “I really like that you suggest books that are exactly right for me” or “thanks for letting everyone know about our achievement; it helped us meet our goals.” I love hearing them too. “Good job, kiddo. You really cleaned up those dishes in quick order tonight. Thanks.” And “Thanks so much for insisting folks use the microphone; I normally have a hard time hearing the whole discussion.”

See what I mean? Appreciation is the glue that binds us together; it’s the oil that keeps this machine humming.

Appreciation posted by Marion

Tuna

The pattern of our lives intersects with the lives of others in a grand matrix we seldom realize or even stop to think about. As an example of what I mean, this morning I opened a can of Cloverleaf tuna to make a sandwich for my lunch, and for some reason, thought to glance at the label. Product of Thailand. Interesting. I bet the fish whose body now occupies that little can never knew she was a product of Thailand!

Who were the fishermen (fisherpersons?) whose work brought me this can of tuna? Where do they live? Given that Thailand now imports (due to overfishing in Thai waters) much of the tuna they can and export, they may well have been Indonesian, Taiwanese, Malaysian or Papua New Guinean workers; I will never know, and yet we are connected by this fish!

Okay, I know a meditation on a tuna fish will be a little over the top for some of you, but work with me here, okay?

Now back to the fishers. Whoever they are and wherever they may be from, do those fisher people live in a house or apartment? Do they live in a city or in a fishing village somewhere? What does a Thai or Malaysian fishing village even look like, and how many thousands of people live there? Do they enjoy the luxuries I assume are necessary and take for granted; things like electricity, hot and cold running water, or in-door plumbing? Do the fishermen have families? Do they have children? Boys? Girls? If so, do those children go to school? Are they well fed and clothed? Are they loved and cared for? Do they live in secure neighbourhoods or dangerous, violent ones? And what are their dreams for the future?

Wherever the fishers are from, they probably took their catch to Phuket in Thailand for processing. Who were the dock workers who unloaded those fish? And the woman in the cannery who packed the tuna into that little can, who is she? What is her life like? Is she well and happy? Does she have dreams? Does she ever wonder about the person who will eventually open this can and eat this fish? Probably not.

And yet her life and mine have connected. Think of all the people whose lives are touched by this one little fish. In New York or Los Angeles are the office workers who processed the orders for so many thousand cases of canned tuna. Out on the sea somewhere half way around the world are fishers from whatever country who sail in a trawler or hopefully a long-line fishing boat to catch the fish. In Phuket are factory workers who process and store it, then ship it to exotic places like Canada. After briefly touching dozens if not hundreds of lives, the tuna at last arrives at the Zehrs store in Woodstock, ON where it finally comes to me.

As I eat my lunch today, as I say a silent prayer of gratitude for this food, may I also remember the fishermen and their families, the cannery workers, the office clerk, the truck driver, the shelf stockers; all the people whose lives and labour have been touched and blessed by this one tuna fish. On some unseen level, their lives have intersected with mine. We are connected, and despite our different circumstances, somehow we are really all part of the same unseen whole. I have been blessed by their lives and labour. I am grateful.

May they and you be well and happy, and may we each know that we are blessed today.

Posted by Carman

Washing

I was recently a bystander to a conversation about hand washing. It began with one of the parties commenting upon a sign in a restaurant reminding employees to wash hands before returning to work. Of course, the conversation took a couple of predictable turns around the idea of a need to enforce those rules and whose job it is anyway, and just how very poor many people are (at least the folks these conversationalists observe personally) at washing their hands.

Then the whole thing took an interesting sideways turn, from washing hands before eating, to offering thanks at meals! Do you know that people who say grace, or who pause to give thanks in some way before eating actually have better digestion than those who don't?

Are you more likely to wash your hands or to say a prayer before eating? A little informal survey indicated it was about fifty/fifty. But all agreed that a pause to feel thankful is as important as washing hands.

We often write about a need to slow down, to pace ourselves, to take time to be appreciative. And yet, we also realize that more often than not, we're too rushed, too busy, too preoccupied. Perhaps we need to put up a mental sign that reminds us to wash hands, take time to be grateful, slow down.

You may recall as I do, during one of our regular pandemic scares, being told to be sure to wash hands often and thoroughly. Sing "Happy Birthday" to yourself to ensure you've washed long enough. That's what they teach you in kindergarten. Instead of that, let's all begin to move to a state of prayerful gratitude "for what we are about to receive." Whether or not you speak an audible grace before meals, you can think thoughts of blessing while you wash your hands.

Blessed

In a New York Minute, Everything Can Change. – The Eagles

Last week several of us had a powerful reminder of just how quickly things can change. A car accident happened on one of our camp grounds, leaving a vehicle laying upside down in a ditch. All of the occupants crawled out, and while there were many scrapes and bruises, we quickly realized how blessed we were that no one was killed. We knew it could easily have been otherwise, and many prayers of gratitude were offered that night and in the days that followed.

The risk of sudden change was also brought home to me by the news stories of several children drowning in Ontario swimming pools. For the parents and families of those children, everything suddenly changed, and the world would never be the same again. While I did not know any of those who lost their lives, or their families, I had a very fresh picture in my mind of about 90 people happily swimming and playing in the brand new swimming pool at Ziontario. Each one had a great time, and thanks in part to the vigilance of the lifeguards, no accident occurred. Praise God!

In reflecting on these incidents, I thought of all the hours of work that went into getting ready for the reunion. First there was the careful planning by the reunion staff and the hours and hours of preparation. Second there were the months of hard work by the Ziontario board and others to build a pool and have it ready on time, plus make other improvements to the facilities. Third there were the many prayers that were offered for the blessing of that community.

All of this could not anticipate or avert a quick sequence of events or a series of spontaneous decisions that almost led to tragedy. Some things just can’t be planned for. Some events cannot be foreseen. Despite our best efforts, mistakes will still be made.

And yet, person after person on the grounds the next morning told me, “We were blessed; we were blessed.” And we were blessed. A crumpled van can be replaced; a person cannot.

As I reflect on this, I realize how important every aspect of this story is. It is important to plan and prepare. It is important to build and improve. And perhaps most important of all, it is important to pray. So let us continue to make careful preparations and plans, but let us also continue to pray. And when we know ourselves to be blessed, let us offer our prayers of gratitude. And when the event is over and the blessing counted, let us share that sacred story with others.

Posted by Carman

Celebrate

Here is a random list of things I celebrate about my Canada:

Bears I love that we occasionally have bears in the area, most recently reported in Kitchener Waterloo. It means we haven’t totally urbanized our environment.

Ottawa Having lived and worked in and around Ottawa I love the nation’s capital; I still feel annoyance when the media uses “Ottawa” as a synonym for the federal government, usually when they’ve done some dumb thing.

Big Canoe I thrill at the recent tv ads for Chi-Cheemaun, the ferry to Manitoulin Island between Tobermory and West Bay Mouth. Reminds me of the next thing I celebrate.

Islands Have I told you I love an island? Mantioulin, Pelee Island, Baffin island, Prince Edward Island, Vancouver Island, Thousand Islands, 30 000 Islands—there, every coast covered, and then some. I love islands.

The Sun Parlor Even though I was born there and loved being on the same latitude as California, I needed to move on where I could have more access to the next thing I celebrate.

Trees and rocks and rocks and trees That reminds me I also celebrate the Arrogant Worms, and the Barenaked Ladies and Great Big Sea. Let me also squeeze in Leonard Cohen, kd lang and Diana Krall.

Turkeys and geese I’m so glad the wild turkeys are back. I love seeing flocks of them in the fields as I drive up to Proton, or over to Stratford. I also like stopping my car to let families of Canada geese walk across Wellington Street to the Speed River.

Women’s Soccer team who take a back seat to no one! And for whom no Canadian needs to apologize during the Women’s World Cup, whenever it happens, if the media would even report it. Canadians don’t need to select a second choice when the women play soccer.

Curling I won’t discuss this further. I celebrate curling.

Used book stores I love them all wherever I find them. Great places to connect with Canadian authors worth celebrating too: Alice Munro, Robert Munsch, the Margarets, Atwood and Laurence, Mordecai Richler, Carol Shields, Roch Carrier, Tom King, Patrick Lane, Ian Brown, Timothy Findlay, Jane Urquhart, Alistair McLeod, Ann-Marie Mcdonald, and on, and on—some native born, some adopted.

Q and Vinyl Café and Eleanor Wachtel and many other CBC radio folks and programs I celebrate you all!

My list goes on, but Blog space is limited. Feel free to use the Comment space to add what YOU celebrate on this Canada Day 2010.

Posted by Marion

Canada Day

Somehow Canada Day feels a little different to me this year. A year ago, Joan and I took a couple of days off and went to our nation’s capital to mark the occasion. Despite the rain, we had a wonderful time. It was great to be “on the hill” with our red shirts on along with about a million of our closest friends, listening to concerts by the likes of Sarah McLaughlin and others. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering around Majors Hill Park looking at different exhibits or acts, and visiting the bookstores and restaurants in Byward Market. We even watched the fabled RCMP musical ride! It is a great way to spend Canada day, and we decided it is something every Canadian should do at least once in their lifetime.

Since then, a lot has happened. The winter Olympics was a wonderful success, even if Canadian pride was somewhat over the top at times. With a record metal count and our hockey teams winning gold, most if not all of us felt a great glow of pride in our young nation.

Perhaps it is the recent events at the G-20 Summit in Toronto that has tempered my enthusiasm this year. The apparent infiltration of well organized and thoughtful protest marches by those bent on ‘disruption by destruction’ is not something we are used to seeing on our streets. The enormous amount of money spent on security seemed absurd until the riots proved it necessary. The fact that our largest city was reduced to a police state for a weekend is extremely troubling. I suppose it points to how much we take Canadian civility and freedom for granted, and reminds us once again how easily it can all be changed. We were reminded that Canadians are not immune to the problems of the world.

Or perhaps it is the fact that a member of our extended family, a soldier, is now on duty in Afghanistan that has my enthusiasm quieted; the constant reminder that our country is still at war. I have to admit that I hold my breath a little now whenever the news tells of another Canadian soldier who has died. I worry a little more, for him and for his wife and children.

Despite these sobering realities, there is still much to celebrate and even more to be thankful for. After all, we live in a country with enormously diverse beauty and people who reflect the best of culture from around the globe. Further, we still live in one of the absolute best countries on the planet. In fact, the last United Nations Human Development Report listed only Norway, Australia and Iceland above Canada in its ranking of 182 countries and the quality of life of their citizens. Is it any wonder we sing with pride, Oh Canada, our home and native land!

So Happy 143rd Birthday, Canada!
May your grace and diversity continue to be a source of pride, and may we never take your abundant blessings for granted.

Posted by Carman

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving; the very word conjures up images and memories! For some, it means a crowded table laden with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, squash and steaming vegetables followed by pumpkin pie and other delectable treats. For others the word evokes memories of trips to Grandma’s house, there to meet with aunts, uncles, cousins and more. For those who are now the grandparents, the word may be synonymous with homecoming; when the children and their children assemble for a wonderful day of family reunion and celebration. For all of these things, we may be very grateful indeed as we celebrate this warm and wonderful time of year.

Thanksgiving. The word has a wonderful structure, being made up of two words: thanks and giving. It is almost as if the two words have grown together, and been together so long that we hardly notice anymore. But isn’t that structure indicative of the way it should be? Shouldn’t thanks and giving naturally go together? Doesn’t giving somehow naturally grow out of being thankful?

Thanksgiving. What if there were no tables laden with food, no family visits, no squeals of delighted children greeting their cousins and playing together? It’s a different image isn’t it? Sad and lonely somehow.

This Thanksgiving, may we be truly thankful for all those blessings and memories we cherish, and may we also be giving, to those who do not have so much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.