TNEL Day 22: Spring!

I know I've had several spring-related thank-you's so far in this series but this morning I really felt it. After dropping Jonathan off I had an errand on campus so I walked there, enjoying the warm sun on my face. There were just the barest patches of snow to be seen in the shadier spots. I could wear my shoes, a lighter coat, and no hat. I saw snowdrops several times along the way and saw lots of geese making their way north. Spring is a beautiful time of year and I look forward to all it has to offer.

TNEL Day 21: Below the surface

Yesterday Allison was working on a school project in which she had to design a T-shirt with a slogan that was meaningful to her. I was impressed with her thoughtful reflections. She chose the slogan "Everything happens for a reason" and stated that although she often feels "weird and different," there must be a good reason that she is the way she is. She commented that even when bad things happen like doing badly on a test, there might be a good reason that it happened -- maybe to encourage her to study harder -- and that people should try to look positively at the bad things in their life. Allison is not always the easiest person to communicate with, but I'm thankful that every now and then we get a little peek below the surface and see just how she is maturing and coping with life in her own unique way.

TNEL Day 20: Faithful friendship

I'm very thankful for my good friend Lori, whose birthday it is today. I met Lori on one of my first days on Queen's campus in September of 1986. We were classmates and shared an office during our Master's degree programs, and we have been friends ever since. Our lives intersect at many points: we're in the same writers' group and book study group, we're both part of a small worship group that meets monthly, we're working together on a project for the Queen's Writing Centre ... in fact, we often jokingly say that we have to stay friends because if we didn't, our entire lives would fall apart! Lori's a talented writer and teacher and most of all a beautiful person, inside and out. We've enjoyed thousands of coffee dates, catching up on our lives, talking about faith and books and writing and everything else under the sun. Here's to many, many more. (photo Ray Vos)

TNEL Day 19: Small world

I'm thankful for 2 reminders I had yesterday of our small world. In church we had a missions week and the focus yesterday was on a small village in Ecuador, Santo Domingo de Onzole, which our church is supporting. The villagers are descendants of African slaves who fled from Colombia. They are totally ignored by the Ecuadorian government and are also discriminated against because they are black. In church we watched a video of some of the villagers talking about what they like about their community but also the struggles they have (no infrastructure, poor education so kids have to board at a school in another town, etc.). The presenter talked about how amazed the people of the village are to know that in Canada there's a church that cares about them and whose youth group is having a 30-hour fast to raise money for them. For me the video was the best part because we got to hear the people's own perspective on their life, their joys and struggles, etc. Then later in the afternoon a girl came to the door trying to raise money & awareness for Amnesty International. She spoke with passion about AI's work on behalf of prisoners of conscience and said how encouraging it is for these prisoners to know that people all over the world care about their plight and are actively trying to help them. Both of these things made me think of the words by poet John Donne: No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

TNEL Day 18: Our neighbourhood

We've lived in our current house for nearly 11 years now, and we hope we never have to move. Our street is a wonderful little hidden jewel -- a circle drive that gets mostly local traffic and that has a nice little park right in the middle. It was created as postwar housing so the homes are (mostly) small and similar. But houses and parks are one thing; people are another. And we have great neighbours. There are at least 8 homes on the street that we'd have no hesitation going to if we needed help. (And we have: I've knocked on a neighbour's door at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday to ask for help with a dysfunctional sump pump -- and he still speaks to me! :-) At least once a year we have a neighbourhood party, and it seems there's always at least one "new" person comes out to that, even if they've lived on the street for years -- guess they just can't resist the friendly atmosphere. It's a great place to live, and we hope we're here for many more years to come.