It's Only Words

Have you ever noticed how some words sound like they should mean something other than what they actually mean? For example: Yemen. It is the name of a country, but doesn't "yemen" sound like it should be an expression of excellence, as in "That song is totally yemen!"? Another example is the name of former U.S. Secretary of State Condalisa Rice. Now tell me, doesn't that name sound like a swear? Imagine it: you accidentally hit your thumb with a hammer and you yell out "CON-DA LE-E-E-SA RICE!!!" And what about Israel's Benjamin Nentanyahu? Doesn't "Nentanyahu" sound like a medical term for plugged sinuses? I can hear my doctor telling me to "take this prescription until it is finished and your sinuses should feel better. And don't worry - Nentanyahu is not contagious". Another misguided word is ramekin. A ramekin is a small dish, but really sounds like it should be something an Egyptian soldier would wear into battle. A wife runs after her husband who is leaving to fight the enemy and she yells to him "Akhem, don't forgot to wear your ramekin - it could save your life". And why is Corsica the name of a country when it clearly should be the name of a dance? C'mon, everybody, grab a partner and let's Corsica! Words which are too much fun to be taken seriously . . . it's a good thing!

The Front Porch

One of the many things I love about grand old houses is the front porch. I love driving in older sections of the city just to see the beautiful homes there. Most of them have a huge front porch or veranda. I can almost see the lumber baron (most of the beautiful old homes in my city were built by lumber barons) and his family sitting on a Sunday afternoon enjoying tea and lemonade and visiting with people walking by on the street. Front porches conger up images an era long gone. Some more modern homes also have front verandas and their occupants use them a lot. I know a couple who own a thirty-year old house with a small front porch. They have a bistro table and a couple chairs on it and often sit there and enjoy their coffee. The first time I sat on the front porch with my friend, I felt transported back in time where life was a little slower and neighbors looked out for each other. As my friend and I sat and visited, neighbors passed by and stopped to talk . He knew the names of all the kids in his neighborhood and of all his neighbors. He said he met most of them while sitting on his front porch! Compare that to my house with its back deck where the only people you ever see might be your "across the back"neighbor. I think every house should have a front porch so that we truly become neighborhoods again and know and take care of each other. Front porches and vibrant neighborhoods . . . it's a good thing!

The Need to Help

It seems lately that every time you open up a newspaper, especially the weeklies, there is a story of yet one more community fundraiser, at which people rally together to raise money to send one of their own MS sufferers to receive the Liberation Treatment. People living with MS are overwhelmed as their communities put on fund-raising events and local halls fill with attendees. Incredible amounts of money are being raised and handed over in the hope that this new treatment will give people back their lives. I am amazed at the generosity shown by people across our province. Perhaps it is because so many of us have friends and family who suffer from MS. Perhaps it is simply because we believe that everyone deserves to have the best life possible. There is no doubt that our province is inhabited by people with a social conscious that never allows them to ignore a person in need. I think this social conscious and our belief in the greater good is what makes our province so unique. We are descendants of people who had to work together and take care of each other through long cold winters and hot unpredictable summers. The "need to help" must be in our genes! Helping each other because it's the right thing to do . . . it's a good thing!

Lana

In my job, I often advocate for people who are having problems with government agencies. There are far too many times when the rules are so rigid that I can't help the people who need it the most. The other day, I was feeling very discouraged when once again I had to deliver bad news. This time it was to a young single mom for whom I could find was no solution to her problem, knowing that she and her young child would soon find themselves on the street with no where to live. I was feeling very sad, thinking about the many people I have not been able to help, when I suddenly remembered Lana. I had been working at this job for a few short years when Lana walked into my office in tears. She was about to lose her student loan because she had missed too many days of school. She was going to university to become a social worker. Lana was a single mother who had found herself in an abusive relationship. Things got so bad that she feared for her life. She took her baby and moved out. It took time to get her life back into order. In the upheaval, she was forced to miss many days of school, however managed to keep up with her assignments. Then, just as she was feeling that she was back in control of her life, she received a letter informing her that her student loan was being revoked. She phoned Student Loans Office and explained why she had missed so much school and that she had managed to keep up with her assignments, but they told her there was nothing they could do. When Lana walked into our office, she was desperate and she was terrified. She knew that getting her education was the only way to ensure a solid future for her and her child, and now that was being taken away from her. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but I really admired this young girl, so I worked hard on her case. After a week of going through several layers of bureaucracy and repeating Lana's story and pleading on her behalf, and just when I thought it was hopeless, I got a call that Lana's case had been reconsidered and they would restore her funding. Lana was so happy when I told her that I knew it had been worth all the effort. Lana thanked me and told me how grateful she was. I said my usual "just doing my job, you don't have to thank me", but I was so happy for her. Lana left my office that day and I went on to other cases and projects at work. Days turned into months and months into years. Some three years after Lana's funding had been restored, I got a phone call. The caller said, "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Lana. Three years ago you helped me with my Student Loan problem. I'm just calling to thank you and to tell you that today is my convocation. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Thank you". Sometimes, even if you don't win them all, the ones that you do win make it all worthwhile. Knowing that the Lana's of the world are going to be ok . . . it's a good thing!

A Beautiful Day In Saskatchewan

Where else but in Saskatchewan can November bring temperatures of -20 or +14? The beauty of living in a part of the world where -20 is common for several months each year, is how much we appreciate an unexpected 14 degree day in one of our normally cold months. I am one of the first people to complain about cold weather, and go on about how much I hate snow, and question why I stay here in the first place. But without that cold, miserable weather, how would we appreciate the nice days? Just think, if you lived in California or Florida, you would not truly appreciate the great weather because that would be the norm. Here in Saskatchewan, we are so grateful for beautiful days because we know it can be so much worse. While I would enjoy a nice mild winter, I know I will appreciate those days so much more if they follow a week or two of -30 weather! Loving where you live, even during the cold days, because you know they help you appreciate the nice days . . . it's a good thing!

Brought To Tears . . By Canadian Tire?

I have been known to shed a tear during a sad movie. I've cried my way through more than one chick-flick. One thing I have never done is to be driven to tears by a commerical - until today. Canadian Tire has a new commercial wherein an elderly mother is looking out the window and sadly comments to her adult daughter that her children (the mother's) used to love to decorate the big tree outside in the front yard every Christmas. Then she comments on how she wishes she would see her sons more often. The daughter replies that the boys are busy and then says to her mother that they should go into town. The mother, looking very lonely as they drive away, stares out of the vehicle at the tree. While they are away, her sons and their families drive up and haul out lights and decorations (in Canadian Tire bags, of course) and decorate the tree. Just as the mother and daughter drive into the drive-way, the lights are turned on and the sons and grand-children pour out of the house. That short one-minute ad had me in tears this morning. (I'm in tears just writing about it!) I don't know what it is exactly that gets me about this commercial. Maybe it's because I love Christmas with all the decorations, family gatherings and presents. Maybe it is because I am the mother of boys. Maybe it is because my own elderly mother just said good-bye to her son who is moving far away. If the intention of the advertiser was to create a "chick-flick" type of emotion, they have succeeded! Well done, Canadian Tire! Appreciating a great commercial and maybe even shedding a tear or two over it . . . it's a good thing!

Halloween Done Right

Thank God for people like Ed and Pat. Everything they do, they do well! They are incredible hosts, have a beautiful front and back yard, Ed is a fascinating story teller who loves politics and history, and Pat creates magic in her kitchen. And they do holidays like no one else! Yesterday was Halloween and they did not let their neighborhood down. Their home and yard was decorated with ghosts, pumpkins and monsters. This incredible couple put many hours of work into their yard of horror. Little trick or treaters squeal with delight at the many ghouls along the sidewalk to the front door. Spooky music drifts through the air. Everywhere you look there are orange lights, ghosts, skeletons and Halloween ornaments. They bring so much pleasure to their little guests. What is even more incredible is that by nine or ten o'clock at night, they take down their decorations to save them from vandals so that they will have them for next year's Halloween creation. They do all this for no other reason than to bring joy to the trick or treaters who gather up enough courage to walk through their yard and knock on their door. The world really needs more people like Pat and Ed. Having friends who are truly "good people" . . . it's a good thing!