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Monday, March 29, 2021

Special Good Friday observances during a pandemic

This second Holy Week during pandemic times seems a bit more organized than last year's. The world community has a better sense of how the corona virus spreads, and with vaccinations becoming more available, it feels like we are moving one step at a time toward the bright end of the tunnel. But we still can't gather together for Easter events like we used to, and I don't think AHS will allow anyone in our churches to sing the Exsultet Proclamation -- the wonderful song exulting in Christ's triumph over death. Not yet, especially with variant cases on the rise.

But I fully intend to sing and celebrate this weekend, even if it's only at home. And I invite you to join me in the two usual ecumenical Good Friday opportunities I like to share each year.

The first is the 41st Annual Edmonton Outdoor Way of the Cross, my favourite ecumenical event of the year. Last year, it was hurriedly switched from outdoor walk to video format when health restrictions came into effect. The organizing committee learned many things about making socially distanced videos on busy streets in the inner city, not least of which was that the video camera microphone picked up city noise more easily than the voices of the presenters! 

This year, aware that our ecumenical community still wouldn't be able to gather for the traditional inner city walk, the committee had a bit more time to plan a different approach toward sharing social justice topics of concern and the ways that Christ walks in solidarity with us as we work for change. The 2021 video will premiere at 10 am on Good Friday morning, and its theme is "From Fear and Fatigue to Hope and Action: Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me." It will also be available to watch on the Good Friday Outdoor Way of the Cross Edmonton website and on the Facebook Page, but the video below should work at 10 am on Friday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo8IhrqjSkE


The second event is the Ecumenical Good Friday Prayer Around the Cross, a musical and meditative space that will feature scripture, silence, and the songs of the Taizé community. When we were able to gather, this was my other favourite ecumenical event of the year, usually held in the lovely chapel at Providence Renewal Centre with a good-sized crowd. This year's comes to you from my home -- I am very grateful that the Brothers of the Community of Taizé have given me permission to broadcast their music and style of prayer to those who have prayed with our Taizé musicians' group here in Edmonton in the past. The prayer begins at 7 pm April 2nd and will last about an hour. It can be found on the Taizé Prayer in Edmonton and Area Facebook Page, and if you click this link, it should take you directly to the event livestream itself:
 

For those unable to participate during the livestream, a video will be made available on the Facebook Page for viewing when the livestream concludes.

All are welcome to both online events, and the beauty of it all is that people with internet access can join us from almost anywhere that internet access is available, so it's not just us locals who get to enjoy them. Feel free to share this post with others and spread the word.

Come, sing and pray with me... and have a blessed Easter!

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Crucify him! Crucify him!

Today's reflection is brought to you by 
Mark 15: 12-14.

You know, 
O God, 
that we hear it more often than we realize.

"Lock her up!" Crucify him!

"Addicts don't deserve safe injection sites." Crucify him!

"White lives matter more." Crucify him!

"The trans/gay agenda is a threat to family life." Crucify him!

And we say and think it more often than we realize, 
in different words, 
every time we judge someone else, 
forgetting that they are your image and likeness
and that you love them 
just as much as you love us.

Forgive us and help us to change.

+Amen

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Get ready for carts!

I've been falling down on the job when it comes to sharing news about those three important Rs and waste reduction lately... my Master Composter/Recycler hat got put on a shelf for a lot of this past pandemic year as it's hard to get out and volunteer when we're not supposed to be meeting in person... and I haven't been a very motivated moodler, either...

But lately, there's lots happening for Edmontonians when it comes to how we deal with the garbage that our living produces. I'd like to note that even, maybe especially with the changes that are coming, it's still incredibly important that we reduce, reuse and recycle as much as we can, with an emphasis on reducing. 

The pandemic has helped us reduce our waste in many ways because it's more challenging to safely go shopping, and many of us are learning that we can live just as well with less. I'd like to think that once COVID passes us by, we won't be off on a consumerism binge, but will continue to swap, share and keep our waste to a dull roar. Maybe we can go back to refilling our containers, carrying our travel mugs, and using our reusable everything (I've been trying to do those things as much as possible anyway, but it's definitely been more of a challenge thanks to the corona virus).

I'm excited to share a couple of videos today about Edmonton's new Waste Strategy, which is beginning its roll out this month. Our city rested on its laurels a bit too long while some of the municipalities around us already adopted garbage and green carts, but we're finally catching up, and it's a good thing! It means that our waste collectors will be able to use automated trucks rather than having to lift thousands of bags of garbage each day, saving their sore muscles. 

It also means thousands of tons of organic waste can be diverted from the landfill and turned into compost, and I hope it also means that more people will Go Bagless, that is, stop collecting grass clippings and choose to mulch for the sake of healthier lawns. And hey, if home owners are sorting things into their green carts anyway, it only takes a phone call or text for a Master Composter/Recycler volunteer like me to pay a socially-distanced visit and help set up a compost bin with the contents of a green cart. That compost will do wonders for your lawn or garden patches!

It's all good, really, it will just take a bit of getting used to. So if you haven't heard much about the new carts, and would like to learn more, consider attending an online cart rollout session so you know what's up. Have a peek at the short videos below. And if you want some hands-on help or you have questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment in the box below -- I'd be happy to help. That's what Master Composter/Recyclers are for!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVIZNF4WT_4




Thursday, March 18, 2021

11,550 days -- A tribute to Vivien

That's how long I knew her. 11,550 days. I know the date that I met my mother-in-law because it was the same day that I met my life partner. I remember Vivien meeting me at the door of her home with a big smile and a hug, even though she had never seen me before. I didn't expect her to be so tiny, barely reaching my chin, but soon realized that her small frame held vast amounts of energy.

We met because my best friend was marrying Vivien's third son, and Vivien was holding a wedding shower for Sue. As Sue's maid of honour, I was expected to be there to note down the gifts given and to help with hostessing. It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and I don't remember very much about it, other than meeting Vivien, her husband, Louis, and their second son, Lee, who is now the most important person in my life.

Mothers-in-law have some sort of reputation for causing trouble, but somehow she and I connected like magnets on fridges (she had lots of those, to hold up grandkids' art). Mom, as I was soon to call Vivien, had a deep, deep faith in God. She watched morning mass on TV every day that she couldn't attend in person, and surrounded herself with handwritten prayers jotted on small pieces of paper. She cooked up storms of food, shared dozens (if not hundreds) of recipes, usually with copious notes in the margins, and dispensed equal amounts of prayers, hugs, and cookies whenever she and Dad came to visit their kids in Edmonton. 

Vivien's 65th birthday
Vivien was a wonderful grandma who loved to read to her grandkids, play with playdough and Legos, or help little fingers to decorate cookies and cakes. She organized Easter Egg hunts in her back yard, baked many birthday treats, and never failed to ask, "how are the kids?" when we phoned her. She kept Canada Post in business, never forgetting to send a birthday or anniversary card, enclosing generous monetary gifts. She camped with us and sang with us and loved us well. She was a force of nature, and I'm pretty sure she's already prayed us all into heaven.

Somewhere around her 80th birthday, she tripped off a curb in a grocery store parking lot and fractured her pelvis. (We teased her that the wind had finally managed to blow her over!) After four days in hospital, she checked herself out because her food allergies were causing more problems than the fracture. 

Unfortunately, that was the beginning of a long slow decline -- during which, she still found the capacity to do good. She sponsored a younger sister of one of her home caregivers to come to Canada and assist her full time, with a two year contract leading toward permanent residency. Mom rarely did things for herself unless they helped others, too. Many of our Christmas gifts were purchased from organizations that supported the less fortunate, or came in the form of donations to charities on our behalf. 

Five-year-old Vivien
I probably didn't properly appreciate my mother-in-law until my children grew up and we had more time to chat without their small hands pulling her away to some activity or other. That's when I learned more about Vivien's life -- how she had grown up singing daily Mass in a small Cape Breton town, gone to college to learn "proper" French, and been a Home Economics circuit teacher -- moving every few days to teach at two different rural Cape Breton schools.

In 1959, Vivien's friend, Mary, found a newspaper ad inviting young people to work at the Banff Springs Hotel for the summer, and the two decided to apply for a Western Canada adventure that, for Vivien, lasted the rest of her life. She was thrilled to be working in Banff for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip's visit that year, proven by a blurry motorcade photograph of the couple, and her lifelong love for the Royals. She never missed the Queen's Christmas message, and if Elizabeth II showed up on TV, Mom always commented on her elegance. 

As a young woman, Vivien herself was very stylish, and people often commented on the sharp outfits she sewed for herself. She loved to tell the story of how she first saw her future husband at a dance, wearing bright orange pants, and how she immediately told Mary that he was the man she was going to marry. Mary replied, "You'd better do something to fix his sense of style!"

Stylish lady
After the couple's first child arrived, Vivien's teaching career ended, and she immersed herself in being a mother (of five, eventually) and a farm wife, teaching herself to keep the books for the family's farm operation. She also designed and oversaw the construction of one of the family's homes. 

One by one, her kids headed to Edmonton for university, and she supported them with her prayers from afar. She was so proud of all her children and grandchildren (and one wee great-grandchild) and always looked forward to having visitors. Living on the prairies, she often commented on how much she missed being around water, and I will always remember how happy she was when we camped together near the shore in Waterton Lakes National Park.

She loved music, especially anything Celtic, and I have fond memories of Mom dancing in the living room with my kids. After receiving a palliative diagnosis in January, she was delighted when two of those grandchildren made a special trip, ukuleles in tow, to sing for Grandma, masks on. At a previous concert, before covid restrictions prevented indoor visits, she had them give their entire performance twice!

Vivien had her share of sorrows and struggles, carrying many of them in silence, turning them over to God daily. During our last visit with her the weekend before she died, she shared them in a whisper, and then fell into a deep sleep, from which it seemed no one could wake her. Not knowing what to do, we played her favourite hymns sung by fellow Nova Scotian, Anne Murray, spoke to her quietly, and shed many tears, thinking she was leaving us. However, after several hours, during my husband's vigil shift, she woke up, looked at him and whispered, "Lee, go to bed! It's late!"

Watching Mom's energy dwindle over the last few years has been a source of sadness for her whole family. With Dad being a man of few words, she was usually the one to carry our long-distance phone conversations, but over the last six months, her voice became weaker and weaker, though she usually managed to at least sign off with her trademark, "Love to you all." 

But at the end of a call the night before she died, she barely managed to whisper, "Love you." We told her we loved her too, as always. The next afternoon, we received the news that she had peacefully slipped away to be with the God in whom she entrusted all her cares. We miss her very much, but we know that she's pulling on God's apron strings for us, the family members and friends she left behind. That, or cooking with God in heaven's big, beautiful kitchen!

Vivien, Mom, you were a good woman, generous and strong, a friend, confidante, and support to many, including me, and a brilliant example of faith, hope and love. I am so blessed that you were my mother-in-law. I have no doubt that you are being celebrated in heaven with all the holy souls, and I look forward to meeting you again. Maybe then we'll finally have time to bake your famous apple turnovers together...

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Bloom

Today I am planting peppers and herbs, so this little film that just arrived in my inbox seems like it needs to be shared. Enjoy!

https://vimeo.com/29865151