Our first reaction was, “Are you joking?” No, she wasn’t joking. They must have noticed us engaged in rather lively conversation and for whatever kind reason, decided to pay for our flights and food. We were very pleasantly flummoxed and maybe a bit humbled by the fact that we haven’t done much of this for others. Having experienced it, delighted and challenged us. We could pay it forward and do the same. So, whoever you are out there, thank you for your generosity. Smuggler’s Trail. Great place, and so are the staff and so are the people who go there.
A trio of us went to a new pub yesterday evening and completely enjoyed the flight. Of beer, that is. Smuggler's Trail has been around for a couple of years in north Langley and the vibe of the place is fun, cozy, easy going, with great pub food. The Trivia game going on the background was a bit of a distraction but not enough to keep us from our lively conversation about just about everything. G has just bought a handy coupon book which has a coupon for Smugglers and he asked the waiter about settling the bill. She came over to the table to tell us that a group of young men, about five 20 somethings, sitting in the patio opposite us, had paid the bill for us.
Our first reaction was, “Are you joking?” No, she wasn’t joking. They must have noticed us engaged in rather lively conversation and for whatever kind reason, decided to pay for our flights and food. We were very pleasantly flummoxed and maybe a bit humbled by the fact that we haven’t done much of this for others. Having experienced it, delighted and challenged us. We could pay it forward and do the same. So, whoever you are out there, thank you for your generosity. Smuggler’s Trail. Great place, and so are the staff and so are the people who go there.
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A couple of weeks ago we saw this print in a shop window in LaConner, WA. “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” It carries some of the same sentiment as the Zulu word Ubuntu, 'I am what I am because of who we all are.’ However, it seems more layered to me or evocative. In the original Irish it is “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.” “The word for word translation is ‘we live in each other’s shadow’,” says Irish author and poet Pádraig Ó Tuama. “But there is a beautiful ambivalence to this proverb thrown up by an island culture. The ambiguity lies in the word scáth which can mean either shadow and shade or shelter and protection.” John Donne captured it in his well known sermon, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” Everything in our universe is connected to everything else. Even the small insignificant actions impact others for good and ill. The climate crisis only brings this matter close, but this idea of our shared humanity has always been true. Sadly, Western individualism celebrates the opposite to our great peril, great loneliness and social sadness. We had our first rain showers this morning, and it was a steady, gentle rain until noon. Our last measurable precipitation was on June 15, making that 128 days with no rainfall. The curious thing was, that even with this rather gentle, much needed rain, there were puddles of water almost immediately. Like the earth didn’t recognize what this was, resisting the water. In fact, the ground is so hard and dry making it more difficult for the moisture to penetrate. I was thinking that this makes for a rather good metaphor. Just like the thirsty ground needs and even wants the rain, it cannot receive it. Humans can be like that when someone reaches out to them in tenderness, kindness, and love. The initial reaction might be to refuse or rebuff it. Only the persistent, gentle showers will slowly open the pores of the earth so the moisture goes where it needs to. Our hearts also slowly yield to the tenderness someone shows to us, softening us just like rain does the dry earth. I've spent a good amount of time over the last few weeks renovating our little old pole barn. It's always had a dirt floor, so I've poured a cement one and today I finished the renovation of the old chicken coop. The chickens have been in a temporary coop while the new one was under construction. The ribbon cutting was just before lunch and curious as they are, they all joined in for what looked like the open house event. But as the twilight was setting in, do you think they could find their way back into the new coop? They were anxiously milling around the old entrance which I had covered over with board, nervously wondering where they were going to put up for the night. By the way, it's just as challenging to herd chickens as it is cats. But just as the last of the light was fading, they were finding their spots on the new roost. Quite a sight. Like a newly formed choir getting ready to sing, they were quietly clucking and murmuring, finding a comfortable spot. Our big new rooster wasn't ruling the roost and didn't even make it to the top. He seemed happy enough with where he landed. Chickens at roost make rather comforting sounds as they settle in for the shortening days and lengthening nights. Peter Block, John McKnight, and Walter Brueggemann partnered to write An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture, a thin little book which inspires us to rethink how we live in relation to the consumer culture. I love everything by Brueggemann. This was a great little read from some of our contemporary prophets. "Economic systems based on competition, scarcity, and acquisitiveness have become more than a question of economics; they have become the kingdom within which we dwell. That way of thinking invades our social order, our ways of being together, and what we value. It replicates the kingdom of ancient Egypt, Pharaoh’s kingdom. It produces a consumer culture that centralizes wealth and power and leaves the rest wanting what the beneficiaries of the system have. We invite you to a journey of departure from this consumer culture. We ask you to imagine an alternative set of economic beliefs that have the capacity to evoke a culture where poverty, violence, and shrinking well-being are not inevitable—a culture in which the social order produces enough for all. . . . This departure into another kingdom might be closer to the reality of our nature and what works best for our humanity. . . ." Our next-door neighbors’ 98 year old father and very elderly mother came to live on the same property with two of the daughters a couple of weeks ago. The old folks were living in an apartment alone in Surrey with the daughters driving some distance and visiting every day and the longer things went on, the more miserable the old Peruvian couple were becoming. We met up with them a couple a month ago and we both thought it would not last too long this way. The family decided it was time for a change, so they made this rather big move. Now new neighbors for us. After moving in, the couple would come by to watch our chickens and one of the daughters had the idea of getting a chicken coop and a small flock for her parents. Over the last couple of weeks, I helped to build a little coop and chicken run, bought some new hens and found a lovely big rooster. Now when I drive by, I can see lawn chairs next to the coop and have observed the old couple watching their hens and their beautiful rooster. This 98 year old chicken farmer has a whole new lease on life. What a delight to see. The old gentleman looks kind dapper in his suit and cast-off tie. Another reason to get up in the morning, to the crowing of a rooster. The Peace of Wild Things When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Wendell Berry Bob Joseph on his blog for Indigenous Corporate Training writes about how easily we slip into using colloquialisms that are old, tired and downright offensive. Confession time. I have used any number of these words and phrases. I want to do better. Let’s work at this together and you can call me out if you catch me at any of these. In the book Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples Joseph lists a number of expressions that we need to get rid of from our speech. 1. Rain dance This is an ancient ceremonial dance for many cultures who perform the dance in the belief it will bring rain and keep their harvest safe. 2. Circle the wagons "Circle the wagons" translates to the savages are coming and is not an appropriate or respectful term to use in any situation. 3. Low man on the totem pole Totem poles are very sacred items to the people who carve and display them. In some Indigenous communities, being low on the totem pole is actually a higher honour than being on the top. 4. Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians A very good friend helped us with this expression. He tells a story about a meeting he attended in the course of his consulting work with a large organization. The organization had many people from many different departments working on a relationship-building initiative. During the meeting, it became evident that direction was lacking. Our friend then said, “We have a problem. It seems to me that we have too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.” He said it was perhaps the most embarrassing moment of his life. The silence went on forever. If it were not for his good relationship in the community he may not have survived the event. As it was, that moment became a long-running joke around the multi-party table, with the Indigenous representatives taking every opportunity to remind him of the “Indian Chief surplus problem”. Needless to say, such expressions no longer have a place in his business vocabulary. 5. Indian Summer The inference is that all Indians are late and that an Indian Summer is a late summer. Many people in response have said, “But I use this phrase in the highest respect as a beautiful time of year.” Remember it may not be your intention to offend anyone but the phrase has a history and by using this term you may have a negative impact on the people that you are trying to work with. 6. Indian Time Again, the inference is that all Indians are late. Keep in mind that you may hear this being used by Indigenous Peoples but don’t let this use lull you into thinking it is okay to use this term. This is an example of stereotyping and the use of stereotypes between members of the same group is different than the use of stereotypes between members of different groups, whatever the group’s dynamics (i.e. race, culture, nation, sport, or gender). 7. Pow Wow “We need to get together and have a pow wow to discuss this.” A pow wow can be a significant community event and the everyday reference to it may annoy some members of the community. Ugh!!!! Don't you just hate it when something really good gets co-opted for something not good at all. Like a Canadian flag on a hockey stick or a really good word like Abide. Thanksgetting? Really?
The creator is a generous provider, and the good creation is a daily reminder of that goodness, generosity and abundance. Only a few short months ago, when the rains of May became the steady rains of June and I was planting corn for the third time, I was thinking what a disaster this garden growing season was going to be. Well, it was anything but. Yes, the tomatoes came late, but they are still coming in abundance. The beans were not late. We started eating our pole beans on July 21 and we had them for dinner this evening, as slender and tasty as the first ones with still more to come. Our sunflowers are enormous, some reaching 15’ high. Potatoes were disappointing but cabbage is there in spades as are the squash. Our basil is on its third growth after two harvests. Yes, things seem to be falling over every which way this late in the season but there is more than enough. Why the fretting? The garden is reminder of one of my all-time favorite sermons by Walter Brueggemann The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity . If we could only learn to trust that there will always be enough, we would not have to live with the fear of scarcity and resort to hording and building ever bigger storage containers for all our stuff. There is and always has been enough for all. |
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