Thanks

     An English cousin whom I had never met before recently completed an across Canada trip in six weeks ending up on the West Coast. We had the pleasure of his company for a few days and I realized how much I regretted not spending more time in England. All my relatives with the exception of my immediate family live there and I see them almost never. It is the fate of most immigrants I suspect and one that makes me sad. However I do have the blessing of much family here: parents, siblings and their children and their children too now. And not to be taken for granted is the blessing of my husband's family, now my family too: many siblings with many children and their many children too....
     Of course there are no Thanksgiving dinners served in Britain and that is too bad. Turkey dinner is my very favourite meal accompanied of course by very un-British cranberry sauce (the more the better) and whatever else may be served as long as there is gravy (again, the more the better). And while this post seems to be about food, it really isn't.
     It is in fact about what I am grateful for and though the list seems short it is wide. I am thankful for family, health, the freedom to vote and worship and travel where we want...life is good here.  And while my English cousin has a great life in his home country I think we have it even better here. I am not talking about turkey dinner now but the beauty and abundance of our nation; the sheer size of it, the diversity of its people and its various landscapes defy description, at least by me. When my parents left England over 60 years ago, I am sure they did not know what lay ahead of them except perhaps something more. And that something more is exactly what I am so thankful for today.

"Calm, Cushion, Call" Part 2

"Calm, Cushion, Call" Part 1

     An athlete at one of the Special Olympic sports our eldest participates in had a seizure tonight. It was short and apparently not unusual. The circumstances of this person's health issue is quite different from our daughter's; this athlete has non-epileptic seizures brought on by a cardiac condition. The result however is the same. Like any seizure, some degree of first-aid knowledge was needed, care had to be taken, play need to be temporarily diverted and timing had to happen. And like a well-oiled machine, the Special Olympics coaching staff took care of it. Everyone had a role to play and they played it. I ended up attending as well just because I was close by. My experience with our daughter's epilepsy has left me aware of how seizures can affect those around them. I really was not needed but I stayed close, if only to witness the superb organization of the coaching staff and to learn yet again that seizures are common, even non-epileptic ones, if we pay attention.
     The most important piece though is knowing what to do if someone is having a seizure. London bus driver Vic Hamilton is part of the "Calm, cushion and call" campaign currently running in the U.K. If you can remember nothing else these three C's will help you to take care of someone who is having a seizure:
1. Stay CALM and you will be helpful.
2. CUSHION the person's head to keep them safe.
3. For any seizure over five minutes, CALL 9-1-1.
Thank you!

Theatre

     Live theatre can be an amazing experience. The right play with talented actors and a gifted director can be life changing. This was the case when I saw "Our Town" the other night, presented in the new Black Box Theatre of Peninsula Productions. A simple stage, a few props, an intimate venue, wise words: it was magical.
     "Our Town" is a classic play about a few lives over different periods of time in the town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. And although the play was set over a hundred years ago in an American town, its message is timeless. Do any of us recognize the value of our lives and the people in it every day? Do we always take a breath and see others, really see them and feel their import in our world? The simple truths of Thornton Wilder's beautiful play are even truer now than they were then. Do any of us take the time to really look around us and appreciate the ordinary days? And there are other elements too: love, family, community and of course grief. When the Stage Manager is asked if anyone ever recognizes the value of life while living they reply "No. The saints and poets, maybe--- they do some."
     I am always amazed by how affecting live theatre can be but this was a special night that I will never forget. Wilder's play and the performance of these incredible actors made me laugh and cry. I highly recommend you see it. And meanwhile, please take time to smell the heliotrope....

Camp 2

     For several years our eldest daughter has had the privilege of attending Zajac Ranch for Children. For those of you who don't know, it is an amazing place where kids of any age, with any disability or any medical issue are cared for and welcome. Having a daughter with epilepsy has been stressful but we have never worried about her at Zajac Ranch. In fact it was one of the few places where our daughter could be without us and we would feel confident. The camp counsellors, the nursing and administrative staff are all so in tune with children who need extra care. And while there the kids can swim, kayak, climb high ropes, ride horses, do crafts and archery, sing, dance and just be kids at camp. What a special place!
     We have been extra blessed by having the kind folks at The Center for Epilepsy and Seizure Education in B.C. help with our daughter's camp fees. Not only have these nice people given us encouragement to participate in Purple Day events, giving us seizure information brochures and other educational items to hand out but they have made it financially possible for our daughter to attend camp. We are so appreciative!
    As you can imagine there are not many benefits to having epilepsy but getting to know the generous people at Zajac Ranch and ESEBC are definite advantages. They are caring, compassionate folks who love children and want to see disabled kids have all the fun that typical kids do. They now have opened the camp to young adults with disabilities. And so our daughter arrived home today, tired but happy and full of stories of all the fun she had and the new people she met this week. It is a gift that she will carry with her always: happy memories of summer camp.... Thank you!

Photo Credit: Camp Zajac

Pray

     Religion and politics, two of the three topics we don't discuss because things will get heated or awkward or both and then what? However I would like to tell you that I am a big believer in the power of prayer. Of course prayer is different things to different people. Depending on your religion it can mean meditation, contemplation, supplication or hymns. There is empirical evidence which shows that a positive attitude, an uplifted focus on what you want, a release of that desire into the universe is more likely to be realised than a negative, unspoken or hidden one. Prayer can assist with mental and physical health as well. Clay Routledge wrote at length about this topic in the National Review published in April of last year.
     Part of the reason I believe in prayer is that my most fervent prayers have been answered. From the times when I was in trouble as a teenager to anaphylaxis and near death as a young adult, to the times I grieved multiple miscarriages and then for my daughters to be born and in good health my prayers have been granted. Since then for almost two decades I have daily prayed for the health and safety of our daughters, one of whom has epilepsy but who is now about two and a half years seizure free. My prayers for them and others have not stopped and probably never will. Prayer increases a sense of hope in my life and hope is a substance in short supply some days.
     Don't get me wrong, not all my prayers have been answered. All I know is that the big ones have been. And for that I am truly and perpetually grateful. And that is the other reason I pray: to express thanks for all the blessings in my life which have been so many!

"Prayer is, at root, simply paying attention to God." Dr. Ralph Martin

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/what-prayer-is-good-for-and-the-evidence-for-it/

Drive

    Every once in a while I am ashamed of my species. Actually that happens quite often but that's a rant for another day. One of our daughters is learning to drive which means that my husband and I are being driven around our neighbourhood as often as possible by a new but enthusiastic and careful driver. I am saddened to report the number of times that she has been tailgated and/or sworn at for doing the speed limit. We have an L on our car which means that a learning driver is operating the vehicle. We live in a rural area which is close to a busy suburb but relatively quiet. The speed limit is 60 km per hour and she is going 60 or slightly over. Did I mention that we have an L on our car? I am shocked that people would take the time to pull around the vehicle, roll down the window and yell "F#&k you!" to a teenager while she is attempting this new, difficult and potentially dangerous task. I really am appalled.
    The driving courtesy that we experienced in places like Australia and Scotland was so exceptional. My husband felt like a new driver, driving an unfamiliar car on new roads, on the opposite side of the street in the seemingly wrong side of the car. But people were kind, courteous and patient, no matter how many times that we went around the roundabout. Why does it seem as if Canadian drivers are getting ruder and more impatient? Maybe our city is getting more crowded and our roads busier. Or perhaps I am just getting to be an old lady, one embarrassed by human beings who are giving the rest of us a bad name....