Written by a parent for parents of children with epilepsy, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders,
learning disabilities and other special and additional needs.
I love the quiet of snow, the silence buffeted by all that flakey, freezing white; I am drawn in by that cocoon of pillowy coldness. I just want to fill up my bird feeders, make some popcorn, put on my jammies and watch a great movie.…The shoveling can happen later. Staying inside is what it’s all about!
When I was a little girl though, the sight of the snow made me want to get bundled up in my snowsuit, force my double socked feet into my boots and waddle outside. Of course I would be back inside five minutes later to go to the bathroom and have to peel it all off and then get suited up all over again. And forget it if I slipped outside and fell; I was there until some kindly soul helped me up (usually a brother). Then it was all about being outside! Winters in Montreal felt endless; the snow drifts were as high as the roof!
Now as an old lady, and living in B.C., I am quite happy to be just a witness to the wonderful whiteness outdoors. A slip on the ice years ago and the resulting fracture has made me leery of icy sidewalks and uncleared walkways; it’s safer indoors. And it’s infinitely, completely and utterly much more beautiful outside in the lovely, pure white snow. The shoveling can wait!
Our eldest daughter was walking two dogs when one of them, her mini Irish doodle Stella had an interaction with another off leash dog. This caused our daughter to drop her leash and for Stella to take off down the street, dragging it as she went. Our daughter had a small injury on her hand but she and the dog's owner ran off to find her. Stella ran down a busy street and turned the corner and kept running. Then she turned another corner and kept going. Eventually apparently she crossed the street and scratched at the door where another of our daughter's dog sitting friends lived. Unbeknownst to all of us, this little Bichon-Shih Tzu cross named Meisha let her owner know that Stella was at the door and they let her in. Meanwhile our daughter had called me on the phone, out of breath and with her hand bleeding. She and the other dog’s owner continued to look for Stella. I ran out of our house and while she secured the third dog, a cute little mini Bernadoodle named Buddy, I started to track Stella using the Apple tag on her collar. I was also hollering Stella at the top of my lungs, having what a friend wittily described as a "Tennessee Williams" moment. Eventually Meisha's human ran out to the end of her driveway to let me know that Stella was safely in her house. All the dogs were reunited with their people and all was well. To make a short story tedious, we did have to find a local and available tetanus shot (Safeway has them) and our daughter was late for work. There were however several valuable lessons to be learned from all this running, panting and shouting:
1. Praying is important and should be done even if at the same time you are running like an idiot down the street with one eye on your iPhone and one eye on the road, shouting your dog's name. Multitasking at its best!
2. Never underestimate the ability of dogs, no matter how cute and small, to help us humans look after them. Perhaps they actually look after us?!
3. In times of need, dogs never forget a friend even if its been months since they've last seen one another. Perhaps we could learn a lesson from our pets in this regard!?
4. Technology is great but in the end, in this case anyway, success was achieved as a result of plain old-fashioned neighbourliness and friendship. Oh, and don't forget prayer!
White Rock Anglican Church celebrates a century of faith and community
White Rock parish balances tradition with inclusivity, offering resources and connection for all
Holy Trinity has long been known for its commitment to Anglican liturgy, offering worship grounded in tradition, scripture, reason and community connection. Photo courtesy of The Church of the Holy Trinity.
Holy Trinity Anglican Church in White Rock stands as both a spiritual and community hub, with a rich 100-year history with a forward-looking approach that welcomes people from all walks of life. With its robust liturgical practices and community outreach programs, the church is a vibrant centre of connection in White Rock.
“Our church is active and growing,” says The Rev. Joseph Dirbas, rector of Holy Trinity. “We’re doing a lot to connect with the community and expand our programs, especially for children, youth and families. It’s exciting to see how much we can do together.”
“We’re doing a lot to connect with the community and expand our programs, especially for children, youth and families. It’s exciting to see how much we can do together," says The Rev. Joseph Dirbas, rector of Holy Trinity. Photo courtesy of The Church of the Holy Trinity.
Music at the heart of worship
One of the church’s notable recent steps has been hiring a music director to elevate Holy Trinity’s music ministry. This new director leads the choir, prepares anthems and performs special pieces, including solos, during services.
“It’s a big step in making music a more central part of our worship and community events,” says Dirbas, noting the new music director, Maria Golas, is also a member of the Vancouver Chamber Choir, bringing added expertise to the role.
Tradition meet progress
Holy Trinity has long been known for its commitment to Anglican liturgy, offering worship grounded in tradition, scripture, reason and community connection. However, the church is socially progressive, welcoming members of the LGBTQ+ community and others who may have felt excluded elsewhere.
“We host many events like neighbourhood gatherings, a monthly Evensong service, and even a Christmas Market coming up on Nov. 30,” says The Rev. Joseph Dirbas, rector of Holy Trinity. Photo courtesy of The Church of the Holy Trinity.
“We balance being liturgically traditional with being inclusive and socially progressive,” Dirbas says. “People can come and be accepted as they are while learning about scripture and discipleship. We engage deeply with the community and strive to embody Christ’s example of loving all people.”
Beyond Sunday services, Holy Trinity Anglican Church opens its doors to the broader community. It hosts an array of activities such as yoga classes, Seniors Lunches, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, food bank collections and Bible studies.
“We host many events like neighbourhood gatherings, a monthly Evensong service, and even a Christmas Market coming up on Nov. 30,” Dirbas says. “It’s all part of living out our mission statement: “In Christ, we are a growing community, welcoming others to join us on our faith journey."
The church is also a local resource hub that provides support for homeless individuals and families. “We share our space with Sources because it’s about putting the gospel into action,” Dirbas explains. “We respect the dignity of all people and want to share the joy and love of Christ with everyone.”
Dirbas, who immigrated to Canada with his wife – a fellow Anglican priest – and their five children in late 2021, feels deeply connected to Holy Trinity’s mission. “I love seeing the gospel put into action,” he says. “It’s a joy to guide this community, working together to live out our faith and make a difference.”
I remember a Christmas when I lived in Louisiana and I was gifted with a beautiful nativity set. It was ceramic and a copy of the one owned by my mother-in-law who was a lovely and generous woman. Hers was painted and vibrant in its colours and detail. I opted for the unpainted white version which has been with me every Christmas since I have been an adult. It has always been my favourite I suppose because we have travelled many miles together over many, many years. As a “cradle Anglican” the Christmas story is not new to me. I do not remember seeing a nativity scene in my family’s home when I was a child however. Since the acquisition of my very own nativity set, they have become a favourite of mine; a way of recognizing the true message of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong; I like the Santas and the snowmen, the carols and the candy canes, the stockings and the snowflakes. It is a wonderful time of year for me and I love it all. However I do find that the nativity reminds us all of the why behind this time of year: the reason for the season, keeping the Christ in Christmas, if you will.
I remember that when our eldest was a toddler how important it was to me to find a durable, unbreakable nativity scene that our daughter could play and engage with, and in turn learn the story of the baby Jesus. And I did find one; mostly cloth but simple and colourful and one that she now cherishes and I take great pleasure in displaying every December.
Our church is doing a display of our parishioners’ nativity scenes. They will be on display during our Christmas Market at the end of the month. I am really looking forward to it and can’t wait to see all the variety and diversity of the many representations of the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. This story truly is what Christmas is all about.
We are blessed with two wonderful, smart, caring, considerate daughters. They are adults now but there are still moments when looking at them that I catch a glimpse of the fun and fantastically funny little people they were once upon a time about two decades ago. And as much as I loved our lives when they were fresh on the planet, I also love knowing these two amazing, incredible and kind young women, right here, right now. And I would not change that for anything. It never fails to amaze me however, how much we are ourselves our whole life through. And I am astonished at how much we forever look like ourselves as well. The essence of who we are is always there. I can look at my eldest daughter’s hands and still see the little tiny hands that they used to be twenty years ago. And they're still busy, active, hard-working hands. Sometimes my youngest daughter will give a laugh that reminds me of the giggles we heard from her when she was a little girl; she's still mischievous. These young women are the same as they always were but different too; grown up. Sometimes I miss those little voices, those tiny hands and small feet. Life seemed simpler then; our problems were easier, the world a bit safer. Our daughters were there with us always and we could hold them. Now they are out in the world every day and it’s harder to protect them, even if we could. Life is that story; the growing up, the moving out, the moving on, the ebb and flow of human existence. And amongst it all is that beautiful crazy lovely funny thing we call parenthood. What a blessing!
They say that taking a dog for a walk is like handing a new book to a human being: a fresh world to discover. According to The Washington Post a dog hanging out only in the backyard is like reading the same book, over and over again. With my family away, I have the keys to the library; I am in charge of the reading list!
Walking anywhere is good for you and walking a couple of dogs makes it even better. The fact that I am getting our pooches out for a sizeable stroll at least twice a day is making a difference to how I feel physically and mentally. I was expecting the exercise to improve my physical health but did not realize how much it would help me mentally. This time of year is not my favourite; the cold and gray depresses me. My garden is winding down and sunshine is hard to find. But getting out of the house early, the earlier the better, is really making a difference.
And it goes without saying: the dogs love it. Now that I know that every walk is a new book, I am challenging myself to take them on a different walk every single time. At this point I can say that I have been successful but of course there will come a day when we will run out of new options. Eventually though the old trails will smell a little differently. And by then I’m hoping that they won’t remember that they’ve already read this one.
One of the benefits of family is meeting their friends and sometimes getting to know one or two of them quite well. We recently had the pleasure of hosting a friend of our younger daughter, a young man who I'd like to think has now also become a friend of ours. Circumstances had created the need for alternate living arrangements and we were able to provide that for several months. It's not easy to fall into a family and find a way to navigate all the ins and outs of group life in a family that's not yours. Our young friend found a way to do that without infringing on anyone's space or privacy and actually found a way to contribute. Whether by cutting the grass or reorganizing a cupboard, taking out garbage or walking the dogs, he found a strategy for adding to our summer rather than diminishing it in any way.
It can be challenging to be a good guest but he was up for the challenge and in fact, exceeded my expectations. We experienced the death of a young family member this summer and our friend was exceptional in his ability to empathize, to support, to listen and to understand. I felt heard; I think we all did and his recognition of our collective grief and sadness was a gift he shared generously. As any grumpy old lady would, I have sometimes wondered about the younger generations and their values. This young man filled me with hope and made me glad that we had space to share...thanks buddy. We miss you already!
