Posted on September 14, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with 2 comments

Universite Sainte Anne – Church Point

 

Simplicity.

Noun . “ A thing that is plain, natural or easy to understand.”

I think most of us have a habit of making life more complicated than it really is. Over the past several days, I noticed several things that made me realize that keeping things simple is indeed a worthy goal.

It all started with a harmless report from a radiologist. Like so many of us seniors, I have some pain issues. I had coffee with a friend last week who has had serious pain issues most of her life. Understanding anyone else’s pain is impossible just as it is for them to understand ours. I digress. I have chronic pain in my back and my neck. My wife says that she has a constant pain in her arse that started about 35 years ago!

I had some x-rays done last week. I’m not much on medical jargon but it didn’t take me long to understand the overall conclusion. The radiologist could have written one line instead of an gospel by simply stating, “ You’re getting old and your body is wearing out.”

And then there was Hurricane Irma. Confession. I got sucked into the vortex of CNN. I have watched maybe 2 hours of television since my return from India in early May. When I heard that the hurricane was barrelling down on the west coast of Florida and would likely hit our former time share, I couldn’t resist and turned on the television. I sat there for hours and hours listening to the same thing over and over again, watching reporters lashed by rain and buffeted by the winds. Oh my , how they like to create drama.

Yes. It’s important to get the message out but the ten million people who really needed this information were in the dark. The rest of us were just paying for the advertisers. In my mind, all of this sound and fury could have been captured succinctly in one press release: “ A big hurricane is coming. There will be high winds, heavy rain, storm surges, power outages and flooding. Be safe. “

If you are a Catholic, I am certain that you have sat through one too many long winded homilies. Yes, learning about scripture is helpful to give us context. But some priests get carried away. I remember going to a midnight mass in Cape Breton a long time ago. The priest preached for 35 minutes. A few guys left before he finished. The Three Wise Men?!

I attended a mass the other day. The priest spoke for approximately three minutes. His message was very simple. “Be kind to your neighbor. “ At the end of the day, you have to believe that this is what the journey is all about.

Lentil soup. Lentils, carrots, onions, broth and some spices. Throw them in a pot and simmer for 25 minutes. A simple yet nutritious and tasty meal. I made some the other day. These cool days are definitely “ soup days.”

I hadn’t seen Barb Stegemann in several years. Barb is a local girl who has taken her entrepreneurial skills and turned them into a highly successful business, “ The 7 Virtues.”  Her company “ source (s) fair market natural essential oils from nations rebuilding after war or strife. “ Barb was invited by the Hadhad family to speak at the grand opening of their new chocolate factory last weekend. She only spoke for a few minutes. Her message was simple yet profound. “ The provinces with the most cultural diversity are the strongest economically.”

I should take my own advice. I realize that this was a long winded piece… with a simple message!

I could just as easily have embraced the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid.

Have a great weekend.

 

 

Posted on August 24, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with 3 comments

Trapped

 

Whoosh!

In case you missed it, that’s the sound of the summer passing by. I would like to register a complaint with the authorities ( Mother Nature )  that summer travels much faster than the posted speed limits. Whatever happened to those “ lazy, hazy , crazy days of summer…” ? Just up ahead, on the horizon, is the opening of school for another year. And the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition.

Ah, the “ Fall Fair.”

Next to Christmas and perhaps Halloween, nothing got the excitement level as high to a child than the anticipation of the Fall Fair. We would have to forego a few shows at the Capitol Theatre ( .37 cents ) and save up a couple of bucks in order to be able to afford to make the trek up to the Exhibition grounds.

As youngsters, many of us made a beeline for the merry go round as the first stop. This would be immediately followed by a trip to the cotton candy and candy apple stand. It wasn’t hard to find. You just had to look for the place where the wasps were hovering. Watching the cotton candy machine spin and twirl, creating the pink mouth watering treat was magical. If you were bold and had the stomach for it, you would follow up with a candy apple. You would recklessly attack it until you discovered that this was a sure fire way of removing a filling!

As you got older, you became more adventurous and tackled the Tilt a Whirl and the Ferris Wheel. Some of us were afraid of heights and the first trip on the Ferris Wheel was stomach churning, especially during the loading when you were sitting at the very top of the wheel and some dare devil ( arsehole ! )  sitting beside you would start rocking the seat.

As a teenager you went to the Fair to see if you catch site of a girl that you fancied. You may also have played the crown and anchor for the first time… and possibly had a nip of booze behind one of the barns.

When we were first married, we lived at the Lorentchia Housing Coop which abuts the Exhibition grounds. Back then, the tractor pull was held a few feet away from the fence that separated the two properties. Some evenings, it was very difficult getting a baby to sleep with the roar of the tractors. And the dust churned up by this activity could leave a clothesline of laundry needing to be washed again.

Eventually in adulthood, you came to appreciate the real purpose of the Exhibition. At least one of your children was in 4H and you came to realize the importance of agriculture to our community and province. These days, the first place I head to is the barns to see animals, arts and crafts and the wonderful bounties of nature.

Of course, none of this would happen without an army of long time volunteers. I was chatting with someone the other day who told me that he has been using a week of his vacation for the past 25 years to help out at the Ex.

I plan to attend the E.N.S.E. this year and would encourage you to do the same. Check out their Facebook page at Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition.

Maybe we can meet and have a cotton candy and sit on the merry go round for old time’s sake.

And take out your false teeth before plunging into a candy apple!!!

Have a great weekend.

 

Posted on August 17, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

John Ponnya and Sister Archana Das

 

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of one of my friends from the leprosy colony in Kannyakumari, India. John Ponnya died on Wednesday, August 16^th.

I met John for the first time on December 31st. 2016 when I attended a New Year’s Eve morning mass at the leprosy community. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous going there the first time as I had many preconceived notions. The Sisters assured me that there were no more active cases of leprosy.

That first trip there was a bit of a jarring experience but not uncomfortable… if that makes any sense. It didn’t take long to detect the warmth in these people and I was made to feel welcome from the first time I stepped on the premises. Over the ensuing months, I was a frequent visitor.

I learned a lot from people like John. Despite the enormous obstacles he faced, spending much of his life pushing himself around on a ground level platform, he always had a smile on his face. And even though neither of us understood a word the other said, we became friends just by spending time together.

Here is John’s life story that I posted several months ago.

https://www.week45.com/faces-in-the-crowd-johns-journey/

The Daughters of Mary established the leprosy colony over 25 years ago. They built it with their own hands and with the help of local youths. They continue to support this community on a daily basis with free electricity, running water, medical aid, education and, from time to time, food. Cuts in government funding have severely hampered the efforts of the Sisters,who also operate a number of orphanages, homes for mentally ill women and an old age home.

 I continue to work with the Sisters to raise money to help them to achieve some level of sustainability. I plan to go back to Kannyakumari next January. There is an account set up at the East Coast Credit Union ( Bergengren ) called “Investment India.” You can also contribute by way of e-transfer at investmentindia2017@gmail.com

Rest in peace, John.