Encampment stories

The start of this year has been brutal for our homeless sisters and brothers in Edmonton. Not that life isn't brutal for them all year round, but for the last few weeks, it's been particularly bad as the Edmonton Police Service and City of Edmonton cleanup crews decided, in the days before Christmas, to demolish larger encampments that homeless folks pulled together so they could stay warm within their communities. 

As soon as the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness became aware of the EPS and City plans, ECOHH put out a call for people to stand in solidarity with the folks on the street and to witness the process. A list of the encampments and the dates they would be torn down appeared on the ECOHH website so that concerned citizens could be present to support the communities, and document the process for the public to see. We stood in early morning darkness with people who were losing their only homes, feeling helpless with them, taking pictures, and assisting with moving their valued possessions away before the crews arrived and trashed everything. 

Billy-Bob at church

Pastor Quinn and I helped Gary last week. Gary had a decent tent covered with a couple of triple-layered tarps, two camping cots with pillows and sleeping bags for him and his girlfriend, a dog bed for his 14-year-old dog (Billy-Bob), a cooler, hibachi, and bins full of tinned goods, clothes, and blankets. We did what we could to sort items and get them out of the tent and onto a couple of rolling carts before workers in white hazmat suits came to throw everything into a garbage truck crusher. Billy-Bob, a little black and white pug who sometimes comes to ICPM Sunday services with Gary, burrowed into a pile of sleeping bags while we worked -- and let me know that I was a stranger when I brought him his breakfast kibble. Cute pooch, bad temper! But that's how he's survived this long on the streets. 

As the city trucks moved down the street toward us, the pressure was on. We managed to fold up the tent and pile it onto a cart, but Gary could only move one cart at a time. Running out of time before an appointment, I walked toward the LRT, and ended up following Gary as he pushed his most important cart to the next block, where he started setting up all over again. I don't know if he managed to collect two other carts before the crews tossed all his stuff.

Quinn helps Gary take down his tarp

A block further south on my walk to the train, people from previous encampment demolitions were in the process of rebuilding. See the pallet platform under the tarp in the foreground? Smart folks don't sleep on the ground if they can help it. They probably got the pallets at the bottle depot four blocks away. Imagine the effort just to move them four blocks without a vehicle. Yesterday when I walked past, there were three tents huddled together on those pallets.

These people have no where to go, no matter what you hear Jason Nixon (Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services for the Alberta Government) saying about investing millions in shelter beds. Shelter beds are not, and never will be the answer. 

Why not? 

Imagine having to leave little Billy-Bob on the street to fend for himself (as I write, it's -31 C with windchill making it feel like -43). Pets are not allowed in shelters...
Imagine having to separate from your partner and sleep in a room with many other noisy people of your gender. There aren't enough spaces for couples...
Imagine having no place to store your possessions so that they aren't stolen as you sleep, and trying to stay awake so you can protect them...
Imagine being kicked out every morning to wander around looking for warm places to wait until you can go back in the evening... 
Imagine saying the wrong thing, as a friend of mine did, and having a mob beat you up...
Imagine being an introvert forced into a room of cots with too many other people, or having a mental health challenge that makes overstimulation overwhelming... 
Imagine being separated from family and friends from your community, people who support and care for each other in ways that shelter staff can't...

Of course, Jason Nixon is clueless about these things. And his government chooses to ignore the true costs of homelessness. They've handed over tax-payer money to employ hundreds of police and cleanup crew people to demolish camps over and over again these last years, not paying attention to the fact that it would cost far less to provide homeless people with proper spaces to live, good healthcare, safe consumption sites that can help them with their addictions, and other necessary services that those of us with homes take for granted because we can afford to care for ourselves.

Government is so stuck in the way they've always done things, they refuse to consider other options. It would be a lot easier and more fiscally responsible if these little encampment communities were offered places where they could not only survive, but thrive together. Like Halifax's ice fishing homes at City Hall. Or Kitchener's Better Tent City. Or better yet, actual affordable housing units with social service providers onsite, like the one Homeward Trust is building just a few blocks from where I live. 

On Tuesday, I spent an hour with some of the folks living in the eight tents at the encampment that was demolished yesterday. We stood around the fire watching Chad chop wood with the dullest hatchet I've ever seen, swapping stories, and enjoying Big Man's attempts to entertain the youngsters with magic tricks (though he kept dropping the loonie because his hands were too cold). He asked, "What do you see when you look around this place?" 

A young mom who brought her teenage daughters to spend the day in solidarity with the campers said simply, "I see people trying to survive together."

The Edmonton Police Service go on and on about weapons and gangs and safety issues to stoke public fear. The media eats that up. But for all I know, my neighbours down the block might have knives and guns and drugs in their basements, and EPS is not sweeping us out of our homes into these freezing temperatures. Imagine the uproar if they did!

Yesterday, Big Man and a few others were arrested. I haven't heard the actual reasons for the arrests, but perhaps it was "obstructing police officers" by refusing to leave their tent homes, perhaps something more. Other than that, we've heard only vague references to fires and unsafe propane tanks (how else do you keep warm without electricity?), gang activity (were there any arrests related to that?), weapons and drugs (did I miss hearing about charges actually being laid?) 

The bottom line is that most people living in encampments are "people trying to survive together" when they can't afford high priced housing in our cities. If they had homes like my friends and I do, these issues would disappear.

To all Edmontonians who are afraid and feel that encampments shouldn't exist, I say, get to know your homeless neighbours. A lot of them are simply people who need us to see them and work with them toward solutions that actually work, one person at a time.

On Tuesday afternoon, my MLA came for coffee to talk about homelessness -- I wrote him a letter and he responded with an in-person visit because he's worried about people freezing, too. I asked him what grassroots folks who care can do when our government keeps ignoring the problem, and he said, "Keep writing letters. Keep making noise. Keep telling your government that we're not doing enough. The more, the better."

Up until 30 years ago, our governments invested in social housing. They have a lot of catching up to do for ignoring the need for the last 30 years. We need to remind them of their responsibility to "people over profit," especially with so many immigrants who need homes coming from around the globe due to climate-related challenges or war in their homelands. Homelessness is an issue across Canada and around the world. And those of us with roofs over our heads can speak up for those who don't.

Yesterday, I stood with Quinn at the table where we pass out winterwear to folks downtown. A woman came to me wearing a jacket with a thin lining. "Do you have a warm coat?" she asked. Quinn said, "Yes, I'll get one." She stood with me, shivering like crazy, tears rolling down her cheeks, until I asked if I could wrap my arms around her to warm her, and she said, "Oh yes." And the moment I did, she began to sob until Quinn returned with the coat five minutes later.

It's so hard out there. Please, friends, write a letter to your elected representatives today. Or even better, phone. 

Simply remind them that housing is a human right and that government needs to ensure that everyone has a home. Even a one-sentence letter/phone call packs a punch. 

Believe it.

Sunday reflection on compassion and solidarity

This Sunday reflection comes out of a conversation this morning with my friend, Jim, who told me about two young orphans from Cameroon who helped him to pass out water bottles in the inner city this week. Where the young ones come from, no one is left to fend for themselves as our homeless people do in Canada... their Cameroon community, though considered poor by our standards, gave them homes and raised funds for them to come to Edmonton, where they have new family and community...

Listening to the news this week, I was very aware of the many ways that our Christian judgments of "who is worthy" and "who is not worthy" have created many dangers for our family members who are homeless, dealing with addictions and mental health issues, our immigrants, refugees, trans people and others in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and the many BIPOC Canadians who live here. Basically, people who do not look like me or choose to live or love differently than I do are facing dangers I don't have to face... and so I pray:

O Christ,

please change our hearts.

We are so quick to judge, 

and our judgments divide us from one another.

You came to show us

how to stand 

in radical solidarity

with every person.

From the rich young man

to the most impoverished leper,

centurions, prostitutes, tax collectors,

no matter their circumstances,

you loved everyone.

You love us all.

If we are your disciples,

if we are to follow you

in spirit and truth,

we must

also stand 

in radical solidarity

with every person,

recognizing that all people are

our kin,

whether we agree with the way they live

or not.

Help us to be as loving and supportive as possible

even of those we don't understand.

Help us to recognize

how our privilege blinds us

to the needs of those around us.

Remove our hearts of stone, of apathy

and give us your heart of compassion and

solidarity.

+Amen.

Sunday Reflection: Palm Sunday 2020

Today's reflection is brought to you by Philippians 2:6-11.

Jesus,
God,
you show us what true humility is.

You
of all people,
could have been a big shot,
but you chose to live
an ordinary life
with extraordinary love for all.

You emptied yourself
of all ego
and showed us
how to be servants
of love,
even dying the worst death imaginable
in solidarity
with those who hunger
for truth and justice
but are denied.

God raised you
after you showed us
that only by walking through
valleys of death
do we truly learn to live.

You
are above all
and your name
bows us low
no matter where we are.

Help us to live through
our valleys of death
and to reach out
to those who struggle
as best we are able.

We confess that you
are our tender God
and our glorious brother.

Be with us
this Holy Week
and in the weeks and months ahead.

Show us,
in the fullness of time,
that our actions are
enough.

+Amen.

* * * * * * *

It's strange to have Palm Sunday without the usual ritual, and togetherness. But this year, it's what a lot of us are called to do. Though I wish there was some work I could undertake to help the world cope with this coronavirus, as I'm not in healthcare or essential services fields, I have to recognize that my main work is to stay home, pray, and check in with family and friends while social distancing.

So this morning, I cut some Canadian palm branches (from the juniper evergreens under my bedroom window) and attended Palm Sunday mass via FaceBook. Then I put pieces of my virtually blessed juniper all around the house, as I have done every other year with palms imported from the southern U.S. When that was done, Lee and I walked a block to our elderly neighbour, Lidia, and fastened a small Canadian palm branch to her front steps to mark Holy Week, wishing her a happy Palm Sunday through her screen door and blowing kisses.

It's the best we can do, and it is enough.

Remember that whatever you do these days to show kindness to others -- whether a small gesture of solidarity, a donation to an organization that helps those struggling at this time, a smile, a prayer, or simply staying put to prevent this virus from spreading more quickly -- is enough. 

Christ is walking with us through our lonesome valley.

Peace to you all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85BvT5X6WSo

A revolution of hope and tenderness

Tenderness is the word my best friend and I chose as our focus for 2017, and I'm delighted to see Pope Francis choosing it as a theme for his TED talk, too. He also uses a lot of other words I love, like hope, solidarity and inclusion, and reminds us of the story of the Good Samaritan as a model for each one of us to care for the suffering among us.

"...a tiny flicker of light that feeds on hope is enough to shatter the shield of darkness. 

A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you."

"...tenderness is the path of the strongest, most courageous men and women."

There are so many good lines in this TED talk that you might want to listen to the whole thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36zrJfAFcuc

If you do nothing else for yourself today, have a listen to this man,
and join the revolution of tenderness!

Listening to voices of love

I'm not a crowd counter, but I would guess that more than 4000 people gathered near the steps of the Alberta Legislature on Monday night, and thousands more continue to gather in other cities and towns across Canada to stand in solidarity with our grieving Muslim communities. Six of our Muslim brothers in Quebec City, members of our human family -- a computer programmer, a university professor, a pharmacist's aide, a Hallal shop keeper and two newcomers to Canada who were fathers and husbands and brothers and uncles and friends -- died when a university student shot them after their evening prayers on Sunday night.

It's not much of a stretch to link the events in Quebec to the fear and lies being spread by certain politicians in our midst who are focused on closing our borders to immigrants and refugees. It hurts to listen to them create undue fear and insult those who simply want to live in peace and security by insinuating that they are terrorists -- to the point that I'm finding it harder to listen to the news for all the political lies and finger-pointing we have to wade through to get to the real stories of families who are often fleeing terrible situations for a better life with us here. Perhaps you've seen this list from the American Centre for Disease Control already, the point being that terrorism is a poor excuse for closing borders:

Such stupid excuses to close borders are enough to make anyone lose heart. Thankfully, a friend of mine from work was doing a Toastmasters presentation last night and she reminded me why I need to continue to pay attention. We spent some time chatting about how a book called Becoming Human dragged her from her home in Aleppo, Syria, nine years ago to come to Canada and join L'Arche, a community that helps people with and without disabilities to belong with and to each other. She reminded me of the L'Arche dream to "build a world where everyone belongs," and in the process, she put the heart back into me. I realized that shutting out the world only allows the wrong rhetoric to gain strength. I need to be aware and to refute it every chance I get. Even with these moodlings.

I'm not sure how we can convince those who are living in fear of immigrants and refugees to believe that everyone belongs -- except to invite them into relationship and to treat them with such tenderness that their fear is banished. It takes time and effort, but most Muslim members of our human family seem to be more than willing to show us the way, laying down their own anger and anxiety to reach out and invite us in to be with them in peace and to pray with them. On my way home from work, I pass a mosque that has thrown up a sign since the shooting inviting passersby to get to know Islam. They are living proof of the words spoken by one Muslim man to our mayor: "We Muslims hear whispers of hate, but we just listen to voices of love."

Every single person on the planet is called to listen to voices of love and to build a world where everyone belongs. So what will you do to help?

Unity at the YEG Women's March on Washington

The Edmonton version of the Women's March on Washington was a foggy, somewhat chilly event for all those who chose to stand in solidarity for the sake of women's rights. But the passion of the speakers, the spirit of the crowd, and the importance of what we were there for kept us all warm.

It wasn't lost on me that my family and I were standing in the shadow of a statue that honours the many orders of religious women who established the healthcare, education and social welfare systems of our province. I'm willing to bet that a few of those religious women were present in the crowd, standing up for human rights in the form of women's rights, just as they always have.

It also wasn't lost on me that the Women's March fell in the middle of the Week for Christian Unity. In some ways, I wish it was the week for World Unity, unity not only in a religious sect that has divided itself into different churches, but a week for the overall unity of humanity. Sometimes I think we Christians are too focused on ourselves, and miss the bigger picture that God intended the whole world to work together in all spheres, not just our religion!

That aside, I took the opportunity to stroll around the grounds of the Alberta Legislature, and was deeply moved by the people, young and not-so-young, who came together to voice their support for women all over the globe. In a world inundated with social media, we know more than we ever have about the abuse, inequality, injustice, discrimination, ignorance and violence directed at half of the human race. As one of my favourite placards, carried by a young boy, stated, "When half of us are held back, none of us succeed."

As I wandered back through the crowd to return to my family members, I looked into the faces of the people gathered and suddenly, my eyes filled with tears. It's good to know, in a world that has had more than its share of nastiness lately, that there are people who refuse to be bystanders when it comes to important human issues. Thousands packed up their families or met their friends and came out on a chilly day to cheer on the speakers, including a young Muslim woman who was harrassed for wearing a hijab. She gave an impassioned speech which reminded all present, "The moment you were born was not when you came from your mother's womb; it was the first moment you stood up against injustice."

And that's what most of the people (other than a few hecklers whom the security guards banished from the area) were doing yesterday -- standing up against injustice, marching for kindness' sake. As always, though, the challenge is to turn the goodwill of events like this into action for good: to support organizations that help women leave situations where they live with domestic violence, to give to causes that shore up women's health, education, and employment, to insist upon equality for women in our goverments, workplaces, communities, and churches.

Women are making inroads into many traditionally masculine fields, but they pay high prices for it. My friend Ruth has had to let go of her place in the larger Catholic community for following her God given vocation and being one of the best Catholic priests I know (yes, you read that right). Our premier and other female government members are sexually harassed by online trolls simply because their views don't fit with the trolls' views. Do men in politics get sexually harassed? Rarely. Something's gotta give.

Women "hold up half the sky," as the Raging Grannies noted in one of their songs (or was it a rap?) and yes, men hold up the other half. But what is considered to be women's work is too often denigrated by our partriarchal world, and it's past time to acknowledge that though we may have different gifts or talents, the work of all people, female, male, or LGBTQ, is equally important. Generally speaking, in our society, women are expected to take on the roles that give comfort: to raise and feed families, to care for the sick and elderly, to offer hospitality. Women fight for peace. Women educate children. Women are about tenderness, trust, forgiveness and wisdom. I'm not saying that men can't also be and do these things, but until we have a society that gives women and men equal opportunities and equal pay in every field, this kind of duality will divide rather than unite us.

What men traditionally do, and what women traditionally do, and our LGBTQ family members do, all humans do. Let's be united in our support for one another, no matter the gender involved.

We'll be fine

Call me an optimist. I won't argue. It's much better than all the doom and gloom I'm finding on the internet today. Sure, things didn't turn out the way a lot of people (including me) expected or hoped. So now it seems there's a lot of depression, fear or anger taking the wheel because it's too easy to imagine worst case scenarios. The building of walls. The decimation of our climate. The proliferation of nuclear arms. In other words, the end of our world as we know it.

But who is really in charge? The spirit of the world's people. And no matter how decisive an election victory, it's the will of the people that leaders must obey, or they find themselves thrown over in a hurry. The non-violent power of the people is incredibly strong. Remember...

- the suffragettes who got women the vote?
- The Resistance in World War II?
- Ghandi's work for the independence of India?
- Rosa Parks and the March on Washington?
- The nuclear disarmament movements of the 80s?
- "People Power" in the Philippines taking down Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship?
- The Polish Solidarity movement?
- Nelson Mandela and the end of Apartheid?
- The dismantling of the Berlin Wall?
- The Occupy Movement?
- Idle no more?
- The Paris Climate agreements?
- Click here to see where I found most of these great events and even more.

We human beings are a work in progress, we are more than our elected leaders, and we are the ones who call them to be better than they even know they can be. And, bottom line, every single one of us, leaders included, are brothers and sisters, beloved children of God, so dissing one another is never helpful. Instead, we need to love one another, to stand up for each other, and to remember that it's not "us against them."

It's only ever us.

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #4... The immense and urgent challenge

sidewalk chalk art

The fact that Pope Francis has penned an encyclical letter about the ecological crises facing our planet is good news to all those who have been fighting long and hard for the environment -- and not such great news for those who are getting rich by exploiting its resources -- though the fact that Francis is finally speaking up is good news for all living beings, whether or not they understand how important clean air, soil, and water is for our existence. My husband came home from work last week saying, "Some of our big corporations are concerned that Francis could affect their bottom line." But if the real bottom line is an environment that supports life, I'm not so worried about those big corporations' profits as long as their employees receive a living wage.

Paragraphs 13-16 of Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home (the full text of which can be accessed by clicking here) are Francis' call to everyone on earth to recognize "the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face." Indeed, it's no small thing to slow climate change, clean the oceans, or regrow a rain forest. In fact, it's going to require us all to get involved.

In late 2006, my own uneasiness about the direction our planet was headed pushed me to attend a weekend retreat on Simplicity and Non-violence, led by Mark A. Burch, an author, educator and group facilitator of courses on Voluntary Simplicity. During the retreat, we spent a lot of time discussing the violence that is found beyond domestic abuse, anarchy, or warfare -- the violence that comes from our lives as consumers.

I already knew that species were facing extinction, people were starving, glaciers were melting, and our planet was in trouble, but the retreat made it clear that things were worse than I realized and that my own lifestyle was a contributing factor. My eyes were opened to the injustice and violence that is built into the consumer culture within which my society exists.

For example, I had no idea that my morning coffee was being produced by a large corporation that employed poor farming practices (violence to the soil) including the use of toxic chemical pesticides (violence to air, water, and small beings) and that said corporation kept its workers living below the poverty line (violence to human beings). And that was only one example. By the end of the second day of the retreat, I felt as though I was carrying twin bowling balls of guilt and worry in my lungs.

Wise woman and activist Vandana Shiva says, "Whenever we engage in consumption or production patterns which take more than we need, we are engaging in violence." Now there's something to think about. Over-consumption is pretty much built into our way of life in North America and pits us against the well-being of our sister, Mother Earth.

When I told Mark about the bowling balls in my lungs, he explained that the way to get rid of them was to do the right things -- to become more aware of the impacts my life is having on the earth and all its inhabitants, and to become mindful of the ways a change in my behaviour can make a difference. I can buy fair trade coffee, or give up coffee altogether and drink mint tea that is grown in my own garden. In other words, I can live simply, so that others can simply live. I can opt out of consumerism, and opt into care for the planet and its creatures. Of course, this can mean sacrificing personal comfort and convenience for the good of all, but the common good has to be the bottom line of every choice I make in my life.

And this is what Pope Francis is calling us to in these last few paragraphs of the introduction and the rest of his letter. He sees that our young people "wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded." And he calls EVERYONE (not just papal encyclical readers) to join in dialogue and action because we all rely on the earth's environment, and we are all part of the problem -- and its solution.

Francis' appeal to us is clear: "Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity. (my emphasis) ... All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents."

It reminds me of how my friend Mark shared with retreat participants his understanding of the purpose of life. The bumper sticker adage, "He who has the most toys, wins" is about as far off the mark as the Sun is from Neptune. Rather, the purpose of life, its true meaning, is found where a person's passion and her or his abilities intersect with the needs of the world. Such meaning is rooted in unselfishness rather than personal ego trips. And it is this that Pope Francis is calling us toward with Laudato Si. The ecological and social challenges of our planet can seem overwhelming, but if we all work together out of love for our common home and each other, there is hope.

Next week, we'll be getting into the nitty gritty of chapter one. In the meantime, a few questions to ponder:

Where am I in denial about how my living standards affect creation/my brothers and sisters across the globe?
How can I face up to my part in my planet's ecological and social struggles rather than living in resignation or indifference?
In what ways am I willing to sacrifice my comfort and convenience if it helps the earth and all its inhabitants?
What is one small thing I can do to make a difference today?

*******

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: #5... What's under the carpet?

A prayer from ThinkFast

Click on this image to go to
the Share Lent page...

This weekend, a group of youth including our three daughters attended a Share Lent (Development and Peace/Caritas Internationalis) ThinkFast at which they played and prayed and haven't eaten since 9:30 yesterday morning. We've actually fasted as a family, and will break our fast in two hours or so at morning mass at our parish. We've experienced something about hunger even as we learned a lot about its causes, food production, and Development and Peace/Caritas Internationalis' partners in the developing world, and we raised some funds to for projects led by the people in their own countries rather than by well-meaning but often misinformed aid workers. The more I learn, the more I understand that it is better to help people work for themselves than it is for outsiders to come in and bring our idea of what aid looks like. The people in the developing world know what they need better than any outsider could!

Today, I'm posting the prayer with which we began and will end our ThinkFast.

Thank you for the smile of the child:

eyes bright, belly full, licking

the last caked crumbs from his spoon.

Thank you for the pride of the woman:

arms spread, palms stretched, heavy

with her first year's harvest.

Thank you for the joy of the man:

coming home to his family's future 

with fair payment for his crops.

Thank you for the love

of the neighbour:

seeing another's need, sharing

from the little she owns.

Thank you for the hope that we share:

determination that all should enjoy

the richness of your harvest.

AMEN.

Sticking with the prophets

For every new dollar generated in Canada since 1999, 66 cents of that dollar has gone to the wealthiest 20% of families. For every new dollar in real wealth generated in Canada since 1999, the upper middle class captured 23 cents, while the bottom 60 percent of families had to settle for the last dime.

-- David McDonald in Outrageous Fortune: Documenting Canada's Wealth Gap, p.5. 

(Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, April 2014)

I woke up this morning to my usual radio show announcing that the wealthiest 86 individuals and families in Canada have the same net worth as the poorest 34% of Canadians -- and it was enough to make me want to cover my head with a pillow. But I got up and looked up the report above (click on its title and you can see it for yourself) because I wanted to know how it was possible. After reading bar graphs compiled from Stats Canada information and skimming the rest of the report, my heart was heavier than ever. Knowing that those wealthy 86 could buy all of the privately held assets of several Atlantic Provinces and still have billions to spare (p.10-11) isn't something to brag about in my books. Basically, it means that too many people are living below the poverty line while too few are living the high life. What about solidarity and equity?

The report goes on to recommend closing loopholes that allow the very wealthy to avoid paying taxes on capital gains and increasing income tax in the higher tax brackets. But my recommendation would be that every one of those top 86 wealthiest families and individuals could meet and hang out with someone like Maria, a client who came into the Clothing Room when I was volunteering there last week.

Maria and I hit it off right away because, of course, we both have the same name. She hadn't been into SSVP's clothing room for over a year, and she came because she and her man had defaulted on rent and been kicked out of their apartment. Because all their possessions had been left behind, she stopped at Sobey's to get a few grocery bags to bring to SSVP to fill with clothes... and while at Sobey's, she spotted five gorgeous roses that she "just had to buy." As I helped her find things she needed, I noticed the floral package and commented on it, and she said, "I just needed something pretty today, so I bought them." She opened the package so I could see her roses: white, yellow, coral, pink and red, and I oohed and ahhed appropriately, and called another volunteer to have a look. 

That's when Maria decided to give the flowers to me. "No one appreciates them at my rooming house. They all judge me for buying flowers. They don't understand how I need beauty. So you have them." I protested that they were hers, that her rooming house needed beauty too, but she was insistent... and how long does a person protest a gift before insulting the giver? I gave her a hug and found a vase for the roses, setting them out on the registration desk for everyone to enjoy. "They look nice there," she said, stopping to smell them before taking her bags of clothes and heading out the door. "Be sure to enjoy them."

The top 86 wealthiest Canadians could use some people like Maria in their lives. Her generosity even in her poverty is a sign that we shouldn't hoard what we have, but share it to the best of our ability. She reminded me that relationship is more important than possessions, and that though wealth is often a wedge that divides people, solidarity and love are the glue that hold us together as a human family. 

Wisdom, Truth and Reconciliation (Day 4): Remembering the Children

There's another full day of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission today. Events can be found by clicking here. This evening around 6 p.m. there will be a gathering of people at the Shaw Conference Centre who will walk in solidarity (as I understand it) to the Alberta Legislature to wrap up the TRC. All are welcome.

For today, I close with the prayer with which our volunteer training began on Thursday morning, which I think originated with Anglican Church leaders on the 2008 Remembering the Children tour across Canada....

Remembering the Children

God of our Ancestors,
who holds the spirits of our grandmothers and grandfathers
and the spirits of our grandchildren,
Remembering the Children,
we now pledge ourselves to speak the Truth,
and with our hearts and our souls
to act upon the Truth we have heard
of the injustices lived,
of the sufferings inflicted,
of the tears cried,
of the misguided intentions imposed,
and of the power of prejudice and racism
which were allowed to smother the sounds and laughter of
the forgotten children.
Hear our cries of lament
for what was allowed to happen,
and for what will never be.
In speaking and hearing and acting upon the Truth
may we as individuals and as a nation
 meet the hope of a new beginning.
Great Creator God
 who desires that all creation live in harmony and peace,
Remembering the Children
we dare to dream of a Path of Reconciliation
where apology from the heart leads to healing of the heart
and the chance of restoring the circle,
where justice walks with all,
where respect leads to true partnership,
where the power to change comes from each heart.
Hear our prayer of hope,
and guide this country of Canada
on a new and different path.
Amen.

Click here to see Day 1...
Click here to see Day 2...
Click here to see Day 3...

Wisdom, Truth and Reconciliation (Day 3)

Day 3 was my day to volunteer, so I didn't get to listen to very many sessions. But there were experiences worth remembering...

... a man whose painful past made many of us cry... and add our tissues to the collection for the sacred fire...

... a woman who said, "I forgive my abusers, not because they deserve my forgiveness, but because I deserve to be free of the pain and hatred. I am free!...

... Terry Lusty, whose poems I appreciated yesterday, telling me that once he became a teacher, he taught in a First Nations school that burned down, and it was forced to relocate to an old Residential School... he never thought he'd have to enter a Residential School again, and here he had to teach in one. It must have been difficult beyond imagining... I wish I had asked him how it was for him...

... two women chuckling at class pictures they found in the archives (where I was volunteering) over the expressions on their faces, and the faces of their friends...

... looking around the tables at the archives area where so many people were poring over photo albums and feeling it was, in a way, like a big family reunion... except for the pain...

Click here to see Day 1...
Click here to see Day 2...
Click here to see Day 4...

Wisdom, Truth and Reconciliation (Day 2)

Today's moodlings from the Truth and Reconciliation commission...

... how beautifully our First Nations sisters and brothers lead prayer... rather than imposing their words, they invite everyone gathered to pray, and then stand away from the microphone to talk to Creator for a moment in their own language, allowing all to do the same...

... on a survivor's wall... "I am 72 years old, and still hurting. I need help"...
Another survivor wrote: "Don't just say sorry. You's also need to ask us for forgiveness"...

... the story of a young boy who was called ugly by the authorities at his residential school, and the abuse he suffered not only at their hands, but at the hands of other children who scapegoated him, though he was one of them. Imagine being 8 years old and forced to wade through the 3-hole lavatory pit in search of a handkerchief that a nun insisted you had used as toilet paper, though you knew full well that someone had stolen it from you...

... Emcee Stan Wesley leading the crowd in stomping our feet to make it sound like a herd of buffalo running through the convention hall, out the doors and down the river valley...

... the prayer by First Nations poet Terry Lusty that appears in today's Edmonton Sun newspaper...

... the story of a young girl whose 13-year-old brother was beaten to death by a nun. Now a woman in her seventies, his sister just wanted his story, and his name to be known. Michael Antoine...

... the story of another young boy who had hated and wanted to kill an abusive priest for over 50 years, but upon meeting his abuser at a funeral, the survivor apologized for his hatred instead, and realized that he was further along the road to reconciliation than the perpetrator of his abuse...

... the taped voice of a cancer-ridden and dying Jack Layton, former NDP leader of Canada, sharing the story of how his grandparents only survived their first winter in Canada through the kindness of New Brunswick Mi'kmaq  people living nearby who showed the newcomers where to find the sweet potatoes and how to live off the land... and Jack's undying commitment to the healing of First Nations people. His son, Mike Layton, brought the recording to the Edmonton TRC from Toronto...

... the post-traumatic stress flashbacks still suffered by survivors...

... the wisdom of parents who told their children, "We didn't give you up; they took you away"...

... the care of the people in the red and white vests who pass through the listening crowds with glasses of water, boxes of facial tissues, and paper bags to save the tear-filled tissues so that all tears are honoured by burning in the sacred fire that is carefully tended outside...

... the decision of many survivors to let go of bitterness and anger in favour of forgiveness...

... the mention of two good Catholic priests who accepted the hurt and anger of two survivors and created a safe place where their healing process began...

... the 2000+ prayer shawls made so that people who have to speak or hear difficult things can wrap themselves in courage...

... the long road ahead... and the challenge of reconciliation...

... and so much more. I encourage you to attend either in person at the Shaw Conference Centre in downtown Edmonton, or to follow online by clicking here for daytime broadcasts.

Here's a mini-documentary by Wab Kinew, one of today's honorary witnesses at the Edmonton TRC...

Click here to see Day 1...

Click here to see Day 3...

Click here to see Day 4...

Wisdom, Truth and Reconciliation (Day 1)

Seven flames in the logo represent the seven sacred teachings:
love, respect, courage, honesty, humility, truth and wisdom
(on the volunteer t-shirt, which also says "It Matters to Me.")

"In order to educate the [Aboriginal]children properly we must separate them from their families. Some people may say that this is hard but if we want to civilize them we must do that."

-- Hector Langevin, 

Public Works Minister of Canada, 1883

Wisdom. There wasn't much of it around when it comes to Canada's dealings with First Nations people in the past. But Wisdom is the theme of the final leg of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which is taking place here in Edmonton for the next three days.

I'm attending sessions at the Commission hosted at the Shaw Conference Centre in downtown Edmonton (on Treaty 6 Lands) not just as a volunteer, but as a Canadian who has grown up with First Nations friends. My friends' families were affected by the Indian Residential Schools which took aboriginal children as young as five years of age from their parents in an effort to turn them into Canadians according to the misguided colonial (and racist) version of what it meant to be Canadian. The stories told by many residential school survivors about loneliness, abuse, neglect and the destruction of their families and culture are devastating -- and something all Canadians need to understand. Most First Nations people have had a very, very, very bad rap since the first schools were opened well over a hundred years ago (the last one closed in 1996), and many of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are suffering now because of the pain their parents and grandparents still carry.

These days of Truth and Reconciliation are a step in the long journey toward healing. Today, thousands of people converged to begin four days of sharing stories, listening to and supporting one another, and offering or working toward forgiveness. There were many moving moments, and I'd like to share a few impressions/experiences from the point of view of one who stands in solidarity and support...

...waiting for my daughters outside the conference centre with a survivor named Ted as he had a smoke. He told me that if his residential school had been anything like the private sports academy up the road, there would be plenty of First Nations NHL players. "We were every bit as athletic, and there were lots of us in the junior leagues, but by the time we came of age, we had too many problems from the past following us." Ted has come a long way in his healing -- it was clear in the way he talked with me,  the light in his eyes, and the number of people who lit up when they saw him and came to greet him...

... chuckling with a man from Onion Lake when he asked my daughter for help to turn off his cell phone. Seems we both need teens to help us understand technology...

... the heartbeat of the drums during the Grand Entry procession...

... weeping with the man from Onion Lake as an Honour Song was sung for Residential School Survivors...

... a panel of five youth sharing their hopes for reconciliation and the change it can bring to relationships between all Canadians...

... a young non-aboriginal woman expressing the shame she felt when she first heard about Indian Residential schools, and her complicit shock and silence... for which many of us feel bad...

... Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of the TRC, encouraging First Nations and other youth listening to the youth panel discussions to discover the answers to four important questions:
Where do I come from? (Discover your creation stories and the meaning of your name/clan)
Where am I going? (Discover relationship with the Spirit world that will welcome you one day)
Why am I here? (Discover what am I called to do for family and community) and
Who am I? (Discover and take my rightful place in creation with both pride and humility)...

... having the privilege of hearing the sharing of five survivors and intergenerational survivors who courageously told stories of how the Residential School experience affected them and their loved ones...

... sharing the moments above with my kids and halls full of people who want to see healing in our country...

If you are interested in the TRC but unable to attend, some of the proceedings are being broadcast live -- click here for daytime broadcasts. To learn more about events in Edmonton, check here. And to learn more about the Residential School experience in Canada, here's a link to an interim report called They Came for the Children.

I'll be moodling more on this subject over the next three days...

Click here to see Day 2...
Click here to see Day 3...
Click here to see Day 4...

Simple Suggestion #156... Eat mindfully, part II

After re-reading Simple Suggestion #113... Eat mindfully, I've decided I need to take another kick at it. The first time around, last Lent, I only briefly, at the very end, mentioned eating as an exercise in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who don't have enough to eat. But after a weekend at a THINKfast, during which we didn't eat for 25 hours, in solidarity with people in the global south, you could say I've rethought the afterthought status I gave that reason to eat mindfully.

On Saturday afternoon, as our stomachs began to notice the fact that we didn't eat lunch, we watched "A New Leaf" -- a documentary about the food crisis in Niger in 2012, and about how the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace partner Caritas Niger worked to alleviate hunger in the Sahel region when the crops failed due to climate change. Other factors like locusts and military unrest also can cause food shortages for the people, who become desperate and sometimes sell necessary possessions, homes, or land to buy the food they once produced -- at jacked-up prices. Organizations like CFB and CCODP work to help the farmers receive fair treatment in times of food crises, and have also been instrumental in helping them to learn farming practices that are more drought tolerant. There is much hope!

Ever since watching the documentary, I have an image in my head of families lined up, waiting for a 50lb bag of millet, a jug of oil, and a small bag of beans for feeding their family through the hungry times, along with the memory of the young women playing clapping games as they grind their millet... here's a short clip that at one point shows their grinding pestils bouncing as they work and play at the same time. (If you ever have the opportunity to see "A New Leaf," I'd recommend it. I'm hoping the full version will be available online sometime soon, because it's worth watching.)

By late afternoon on Saturday, we were all chilled and feeling a serious lack of energy. Of course, we had a variety of clear juices to drink if we wanted, but I stuck with tea, cut my insulin levels down to almost nothing, and managed just fine. When we came home late that evening and I walked into my kitchen, I was struck by how much food we have in our house -- crackers and bread in the breadbox, a stocked fridge and pantry -- while Nana, the beautiful and smiling young woman wearing green, eats from the same sacks of millet and beans for months on end, as do many subsistence farmers in the global south.

On the other hand, in North America, we've come to think that it's important, even necessary, to have a huge variety of food cooked in a huge variety of ways using a huge variety of techniques and seasonings. But is it really? How much we take for granted! How blessed, how fortunate, how spoiled are we! And how important it is to realize that... and, perhaps, to simplify, and to share our blessings and good fortune with others.

Suddenly, in my books, my brothers and sisters in need are the main reason to be mindful of the food I consume, as well as the value of the land that produces the goodness that sustains me. Solidarity is a powerful thing, because it means that we can't take our meals for granted. If we are living in Voluntary Simplicity, taking things for granted isn't an option.

On the weekend, our THINKfast raised $2000 for projects like the one in the documentary, and now I want to do more... in gratitude for every mouthful that sustains me.

So, today's challenge, should you choose to accept it, is  to think about what you eat, consider what other people in the world may (or may not) be eating, be grateful, and find a concrete way to show that gratitude.

Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Simple Suggestion #155... Support human dignity

Lent is the time of year when the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace invites us to live in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the global south -- or the developing world, if you prefer. As someone who does her best to practice Voluntary Simplicity, I see this as an objective that is right in line with simple living. Life in the developed world has become so materially consumptive that we could learn a lot from the simplicity with which people in the developing world live.

That's not to say that life in the global south is an ideal we want to emulate in all respects. There is so much hardship, disease, and difficulty in some places that I'm sure I wouldn't know how to cope. But in many of those places, there is also a stronger sense of community than we experience in most North American cities. We tend to think of our wealthy lifestyles as having much to offer the poor, but I suspect the poor have more things of value to teach us than we have to teach them when it comes to looking after each other.

So this weekend, our family is taking part in a Development and Peace ThinkFast, a 25 hour period of fasting (no food) that is packed with activities and education about life in the developing world. We will fast in support of D&P's partnerships with programs that promote human dignity in countries in the global south, we will raise funds for those programs, and we will learn about the needs of different communities in different places across the globe.

I really love D&P's emphasis on Human Dignity this year. I had never thought about it before, but for as long as I remember, I don't recall seeing a forlorn or impoverished-looking person in their advertising, posters, and brochures. Unlike some agencies that try to guilt people into giving by presenting pitiful pictures of the needy, D&P prefers to promote their cause with the joyful faces of people whose human dignity has been served by partnerships between people in the developed world and people in the global south who are working to lift themselves, their families and their communities out of poverty. Look at the gorgeous girls above, and you'll see what I mean. They are an example of what happens when a development organization provides assistance by working with a community rather than parachuting in to do 'for,' and flying out again without being sure that their assistance has made a lasting difference.

Even if Lent has no meaning in your life, perhaps now is a good time to give some thought to supporting an organization that works for positive change from the grassroots, or to learn about a community in the developing world and what you can do to strengthen it. Even contributing to an agency that helps local homeless people would be an excellent choice, simply because an important part of Voluntary Simplicity is showing solidarity with those who have less than we do, and offering our friendship in whatever way we can. Most of us in North America have more than enough to share during Lent... and the rest of the year, too.

What's your favourite way to support human dignity in the global south -- or nearby?

For more information about Development and Peace and its initiatives, click here.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Bowling for Brazil

January has almost flown, and I can hardly believe that it's already that time of year when our L'Arche Edmonton community gathers to raise funds for our partners in solidarity. Our Annual Bowl-a-thon is this Saturday, and my three girls and I are the K-team. We'll collect pledges and bowl two games with our L'Arche friends, with all monies going to L'Arche communities in South America and the Caribbean. So if you want to sponsor wonderful work being done by, with and for our developmentally disabled brothers and sisters in Brazil, Haiti and other communities in the South, we'll happily take your money! And even if you have no money to spare, we know we're in for a good time. Being a lousy bowler with an uncontrollable hook, I must say that I LOVE bowling with friends who don't worry about who wins or loses, and who cheer enthusiastically with every pin that falls! If you're in the neighbourhood of the Bonnie Doon Bowling Lanes on Saturday, February 2nd at 1:30 p.m., come join the fun!

P.S. I love this shot of Deena in her bowling shoes. I just wish you could see the smile on her face.

A Family Day that lasts for weeks

My inbox at work lately has been inundated with greetings from L'Arche communities around the world: Belgium, Cleveland OH, Brazil, Saint John NB and Wolfville NS, New Zealand, Tacoma WA, France, and the Philippines (who sent us the adjacent Ark picture). The reason? October 1st each year, L'Arche communities celebrate Family Day. And by the fact that emails are still arriving, our Family Day lasts more than 24 hours. In fact, we're actually celebrating this week.

L'Arche (French for "The Ark) was founded in 1964 in Trosly-Breuil, France, so that people with disabilities could live in a family setting rather than institutions. It didn't take long for his ideas to spread, and within two years, similar homes began in India, England and Canada, homes where it is understood that people who are often rejected and despised by the world have much to teach us about life and love.

Today, there are 137 L'Arche communities all over the globe, and we celebrate Family Day each October because, as our Charter says,

Home life is at the heart of a L'Arche Community. The different members of a community are called to be one body. They live, work, pray and celebrate together, sharing their joys and their suffering and forgiving each other, as in a family. They have a simple life-style, which gives priority to relationships. 

The same sense of communion unites the various communities throughout the world. Bound together by solidarity and mutual commitment, they form a world-wide family.

On Friday evening, our L'Arche family in Edmonton is gathering to celebrate our world-wide family by holding a Solidarity Fundraiser for our sister communities in Central and South America. The evening features a cornucopia of international dishes prepared by our assistants, who come from all over. There will be entertainment (I'm hearing rumours of a Psy ("dress classy, dance cheesy") performance from our Koreans, which will undoubtedly be a big hit as our community loves to dance!) and the food can't be beat. So if you would like to meet our L'Arche family, join us at St. Thomas D'Aquin Church (8410 89 St) at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 19th. Tickets are $10, with all proceeds going to L'Arche in Central and South America.

Please join us if you're in the neighbourhood!

Simple Suggestion #19... Swap clothes with friends

This morning, my eldest daughter arrived at the breakfast table in a shirt I'd never seen before. "It's Julie's," she told me. Julie is a girlfriend who lives down the back alley. Julie and Christina are forever swapping clothing, the beauty of which is that each girl passes along familiar items she's grown tired of and receives "new-to-her" clothes that satisfy her need for novelty.

It's a rather brilliant idea, if you ask me. Who among us doesn't get tired of the same old same old? The odd "new" thing in our lives brings a welcome change, but does it have to be brand new? Changing our wardrobes with every season is quite a bit too much, though the fashion industry loves and demands constant shoppers. Our closets, even if they're walk-in (which they shouldn't be, if we're living in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the developing world) can only hold so much, and it's not terribly responsible to own more than we can use. So sharing or exchanging clothing items rather than indulging in materialism is a wise choice, not only for our wallets, but for a world that has to work harder and harder to provide our life's needs. If the fashion industry slows down because we are satisfied with sharing, that's a good thing for the planet.

So if you have any friends of a similar size, why not organize a clothing swap? And if that's not an option, why not check out second hand stores? Reusing and recycling clothing reduces waste -- and can be a lot of fun. Just ask Christina and Julie.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Living simply, sustainably, and in solidarity with the poor

The above phrase jumped out at me a while back from something I was reading, and today it's back in my mind, as my husband sent me an article from the Globe and Mail entitled "Wikileaks reveals imminent Saudi Oil Peak."

Good old Wikileaks! (That with my tongue firmly in my cheek. Honestly, who ever heard of it before last April?) Actually, I am sickened by the way Wikileaks put information out there without considering the safety of anyone connected to the countries involved in its reports. Even rogue media outlets need to care about peoples' lives! At the same time, I can't help feeling that we need some alternative media that will put out the stories that our mainstream media avoid discussing in depth. A lot of big news outlets have to appease big advertizers that don't have humanity's best interests at heart, so they gloss over the serious issues that our world is facing when they should be challenging the world to deeper thinking.

Peak oil is one of those issues. If, as Wikileaks suggests, we are already well past the point where we are starting to run out of oil, humanity is soon going to have to make a huge shift in its thinking, a shift that we probably should have made fifty years ago (but everyone was so in love with our rising standard of living after World War II that to suggest something like voluntary simplicity was akin to being a communist).

So here we are, having reached peak oil, and instead of jumping deeper into consumerism and taking last minute trips to the Caribbean before we can't afford it, we need to hit reverse and do as the title of this moodling suggests (I've since found this phrase in several social justice documents). It's well past time to live justly. North Americans make up a large portion of the wealthy 12 percent of the world population who are using up 80% of the world's resources. If everyone lived like we do, the planet would never recover.

So what if we 12% stopped stuffing our lives with that 80% and started living simply, sustainably, and in solidarity with the other 88% who are living with 20% of the earth's resources? What if we reduced our consumption to our 12% or maybe even a bit less? What would that look like? And could we be happy with less than 12%?

Of course we could, but like shifting our thinking around the Peak Oil issue, shifting our thinking around choosing to live more simply is a huge challenge for many of us. First of all, we would have to get our brains around the idea that markets and economies cannot grow endlessly because things that grow endlessly are often carcinogenic. We would need to learn the meaning of the word "sufficient" and practice living it, aware that too much of anything good is still too much. We would have to eradicate the "Joneses" from our thinking entirely, and be satisfied with what we have, rather than continue clearing out our closets, tossing our technologies and renovating our homes in order to "keep up." Maybe we would turn off the TV or the internet and find better uses for our time, get more exercise, grow more of our own food, cook more from scratch, have more conversations, make more music, meet more neighbours and have more face time with family and friends.

I've gotten carried away... but I'm just thinking about a book I once found at the library, the name of which escapes me. It was a book of pictures of people from all over the world, and what they owned. There was a picture of a large family from a developing country in Africa, sitting in front of a mud hut on a blanket with dishes and pots, bags of rice and beans, a small pile of clothing, and huge smiles all around. There was also a picture of a small family from North America with a large home and tons of belongings spilled along their driveway, but they didn't look as happy as the family from Africa. And then there was a picture of a family from Saudi Arabia that had to be taken from such a great distance to fit in their mansion and limousines and stuff that you couldn't see their faces at all. I wish I could remember the name of that book. It was a good one. I'll find it again.

Personally, I think living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters all over the world is the only way to go, and it's probably more fun, if you really think about it. If we've reached peak oil, perhaps we'll all rediscover the joys of living simply sooner than later. At least, I hope it can work out that way.

(P.S. That book is called Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Mendel (1994, Sierra Club Books, ISBN 9780871564375)