שנה טובה ומתוקה Shana Tova Umetukah

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

- William Arthur Ward

Shana Tova Umetukah to all my friends who celebrate Rosh Hashana. May this be a year of rich blessings for you and a year of peace, growth and love for us all.

Returned

"I don't need to worry about identity theft because no one wants to be me." - Jay London

I had dinner with Jacob a week and a half ago. He was upset that a few days before, his messenger bag had been stolen while he was playing a game with some of his friends in a public park near the university. Apparently the kids had put their bags under a tree next to the playing field. A few moments later, some of the bags were gone. While Jacob's loss was not as significant as some of the others, he did lose the Ray Ban sunglasses he bought while we were in England in June. At a price equivalent to about $300, the glasses were the most expensive purchase Jacob ever made for himself. His bag also contained about $100 in gift cards that Jacob had received for his birthday. The fortunate thing, is that the bag didn't contain his laptop, wallet or phone. One of the girls lost all of those things.

After the kids were robbed, they went to the police to make a report. But the police told them not to hold out much hope of seeing their things again. Jacob was hoping that at the very least, his messenger bag would be found and returned. He had ordered it specially from an American company called Think Geek and the canvas bag was imprinted with the geeky slogan "Bag of Holding" on the front. He loved the bag. After a week he checked with the police. Nothing had been turned in.

When he told me this story over dinner, he was still stinging. I told him he could of course, replace the messenger bag and it's contents but he said he would not. The messenger bag would be expensive to replace because the shipping and customs costs alone are high. He would never again spend so much money on a pair of sunglasses. When I got home that night from Guelph, I went on-line and ordered a new messenger bag from Think Geek. He was thrilled when I sent him a note to let him know. The messenger bag arrived just three days later and yes, the price was terrible because of the shipping and customs costs but I really didn't care. I intended to fill the pockets with the gift cards he had lost before he comes home for Thanksgiving. Merv offered to replace his glasses. I'm glad we didn't get around to doing those things yet because yesterday, Jacob got his bag back, complete with glasses, gift cards and Canadian Tire money.

He ran into one of the girls who had been robbed at the same time as he had. She asked if he had gotten his bag back as she got hers back a couple of days before. Her wallet, money, phone and all possessions were in the bag intact. Someone found the bags, went through her wallet and found her student I.D. So they took the bags to the campus police who contacted her and returned her bag. Jacob's bag didn't have any I.D. in it so they didn't contact him. He went to campus police and described his bag. In a matter of a couple of minutes, he had it back. The bag was full of muddy clothes and so was dirty inside. Other than that, everything was as he left it.

The mystery of where the bags have been for two weeks will probably never be solved. Jacob is happy and I'm happy for him. There is a very expensive "Bag of Holding" sitting in its packaging on his bed. I trust he'll find a use for it. I doubt he'll ever leave it under a tree again.

Working With Wood

"I like to work a lot with wood. I make furniture that falls apart. I also sew."
- Tim Conway

Before heading to the lake to spend a couple of days with Cath and Geraldine, I headed to Queen Street to buy some new jewelry making supplies. I didn't really have anything in mind before I left. For the last year I've been doing a lot of work with pearls but my interest in the stones has been waning of late. I didn't have any sense of what the next draw would be. I didn't expect it to be wood but it is the wooden beads that attracted me.

There is something about the feel of polished wood in my hands that I find soothing. I haven't worked in wood before so it was a fresh experience that unleashed some new ideas. My first three wood pieces are all quite whimsical. But I've been thinking about doing something different - perhaps mixing wood with some elegant polished stones and sterling pieces.

Merv is away for a few days so I plan to take my beads to bed and play with them a little.

Ten Years Later

"I was stricken by news and television pictures coming from the United States this morning. It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault upon thousands of innocent people. There can be no cause or grievance that could ever justify such unspeakable violence. Indeed, such an attack is an assault not only on the targets but an offense against the freedom and rights of all civilized nations."
- Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien , September 11, 2001

Ten years ago today, the world was still reeling from the events of three days earlier when the United States was attacked by terrorists. I remember asking myself when watching television coverage of the attack, when the first day would come that the attacks were not part of the morning news coverage. By my account, it came two years later. Over the years, the words "nine-eleven" became a statement in-and-of themselves.

Along with much of the rest of the world, I held my breath last weekend in concern about another attack on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States. And like everyone else, I exhaled a sigh of relief when the day passed without incident. Ceremonies honouring the victims of the attacks were held all over the world. The newspapers were filled with stories of the attacks. TV network programming schedules were full of specials and news coverage about nine-eleven. But apart from a few moments of coverage on the six o'clock news, I didn't watch any of it. I scanned the front page stories in the newspaper but didn't delve deeper.

Failure to immerse myself in the events of remembrance activities is not a reflection of my remembrance. It is merely a reflection of how I chose to remember. I place no value judgements around how others did that. I like to think everyone did it in the way that worked best for them. What worked best for me was to immerse myself in service to a cause greater than myself. It happened that the Weekend to End Women's Cancers ran on September 11 this year. So on the 10th anniversary of that day, I worked at that event.

I was pleased to see on the news that night that Prime Minister Harper declared September 11 a National Day of Service in Canada. It happens to fall in my belief system that service to causes greater than ourselves, one another and society is an affirmation that love is greater than hate and kind acts trump evil deeds. And at least in my view, that seems like a great way to honour those who were lost on September 11.

Life in The Pink

Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose

When you kiss me heaven sighs
And tho I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose

When you press me to your heart
I’m in a world apart
A world where roses bloom

And when you speak...angels sing from above
Everyday words seem...to turn into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose

- Lyrics to La Vie En Rose

My calf and arm muscles are aching this morning after two days spent crewing at The Weekend to End Women's Cancers. This was the ninth year the event has been held in Toronto in support of Princess Margaret Hospital and the ninth year I have participated. With my walking days behind me, I have now turned my attention to supporting the walkers who make the brutally long 60k - 2 day journey on the weekend after Labour Day each year. The event seems to be suffering a little from waning interest and perhaps some pink ribbon fatigue. The $9.4 million raised this year is just more than half the amount that was raised when I made my first walk in 2004 in what was then known as The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. Increased corporate sponsorship, though, has well compensated for some of those diminished walker funds. Last year Shoppers Drug Mart took over as title sponsor of the event. While that is wonderful, in many ways that sponsorship has changed the feel of the event. For example, our hydration station on the first day of this weekend was located in the parking lot of an very busy Shoppers Drug Mart instead of in a peaceful park where we would normally be located. Shoppers Drug Mart sponsorship signs were unceremoniously plastered on the canapes of our station in dominance of the signs we had lovingly crafted in support of our theme La Vie En Rose. Our working crew was small - much smaller than normal because Shoppers provided some crew for the first day but they were clearly not interested in the work of the event and in the main limited their activities to standing on the sidewalk handing out charms and stickers. But charms and stickers are hardly the heart of what we provided. By the time the walkers had arrived at our first day hydration station, they had already walked 27k and still had nearly 8 to go before the end of the day. It was hot. They were tired and dehydrated and many of them didn't have the energy or dexterity left in their swollen hands to pour themselves a bit of water or uncap a Powerade bottle.

Of all the years I have participated in the event as a worker not a walker (5 times working, 4 times walking), I found this time to be the least personally satisfying. Sunday was a better day than Saturday. We were just our small crew of eight and were situated in a lovely park. We all worked like crazy to serve the walkers who at that point were less than 4k from crossing the finish line. There were lots of hugs and opportunities to speak to people, to encourage them, to really serve them.

Next year, my dear friends Nancy and Aivars are going to walk. They are so much at the heart of our crew that I don't know if we will be able to continue as a crew team without them. Our crew captain Maurice has declared that he won't be back next year. I can captain but I will need to find someone to drive the truck. Any volunteers?

September

“I love September, especially when we're in it.” - Willie Stargell

It's already the ninth of September. Jacob has been back in Guelph for nearly a week and the air of the mornings have the smell and feel of autumn. Tomorrow I will, for the ninth time, participate in the Weekend to End Women's Cancers. My days of walking the 60K route are done. I don't even have my lost toenails back from last year's walk. But I will work on the crew to support the walkers and I know from experience that is hard, but important work too.

This year our crew chose the theme "La Vie En Rose" for the pit stop we will run. Dressing for the event seemed it would be easy when it was chosen but it wasn't quite as simple as I had anticipated. Who knew it was going to be so hard to find berets? At the beginning, my quest was to buy pink berets for our team. But after months of looking, I decided I'd live with black or blue if I could find them at a reasonable price. Even that seemed it wasn't going to happen. But one last try this morning resulted in the purchase of four cream berets for me, my sisters and my friend Nancy. And just to sweeten the deal, they were on sale. I also bought short fingerless pink net gloves to complete my ensemble of pink and white striped shirt worn with a flared black skirt, fishnet stockings and a small pink scarf. Not that I anticipate the skirt and fishnets will last long before I trade them for runners and jeans. They'll be fun for the team photo though.

If you happen to be driving through the city this weekend and you pass the walkers, please honk and wave. Even the small gestures of support mean so much in helping people continue along the way. And of course, there is still time to donate if you are so inclined. You can do that by going to www.endcancer.ca.

Just Breathe

"The most profound statements are often said in silence."
- Lynn Johnston

Not a single word was spoken by any of us from the time we left our driveway until the time we pulled into the driveway at Jacob's house in Guelph. Sometimes there are no words. When we got on the 401 this morning, the traffic was moving with real efficiency. I watched the signs along the highway whizzing by with angst-producing speed. Mississauga. Oakville. Georgetown. Halton Hills. Wellington County. With each sign the knot in my stomach tightened. By the time we passed the Halton Hills sign I was reminding myself to breathe.

It is all so silly. Why am I still feeling this way? He is in his third year. There have been many goodbyes and many hellos. Am I ever going to get over this feeling? Isn't it supposed to get easier each time? We carried his things into the house. Merv helped him to set up his room while I unpacked the groceries I had bought. We kissed him goodbye and got in the car to drive home. And in the noise filled silence, I reminded myself to breathe.

Such Sweet Sorrow

"Beware of parting! The true sadness is not in the pain of the parting; it is in the when and the how you are to meet again with the face about to vanish from your view." - Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer

Jacob is upstairs packing. I am downstairs trying to pretend it isn't happening. Labour Day weekend - time for him to go. I could swear he got home only last week. A few hours ago we picked Jono up and went down to the Distillery for a farewell family dinner. Jono is terribly jet-lagged from his trip to Hawaii so he wanted to go home right after dinner. We had a nice time but dinner was short. We were all a bit sad when we dropped him off. The next time we see one another will be Thanksgiving. Five weeks feels like a long time from now.

Jacob wants to go to Guelph in the morning tomorrow. He has volunteered to help the first-year engineering students to get oriented to the faculty. He's working every day from Sunday through Wednesday and is required to attend an orientation team meeting tomorrow. It is generous of him to volunteer his time to help the new students. Generous but not surprising. I remember that he was very grateful to those who helped him get oriented two years ago. He's big on paying it forward. I, of course, am extremely proud.

So we will take him to Guelph in the morning and return to a very quiet house. Tomorrow evening we will dine with Brian and Geraldine. I'm hoping the predicted rain will hold off long enough for us to dine on a patio. Ger spotted a limoncello bellini on the menu at a downtown restaurant and we both want to give it a try. Transitions seem easier to get through after a bellini or two.