November 14, 2013 · 5:52 am

Music and Memories

From youth to old age 

There is a crashing of keys on the piano.  The gifted musician plays with a skill and a vigor which captures the attention of all of us.  Music pours out, most of it from the early forties when we were young and full of life.  We know the songs, all of them.  I danced to them with the man who later became my husband, and the memories pour back.  A lifetime has passed with the highs and lows that are inevitable.  The music and the memories blend into a wonderful mixture.  Then, with a flourish, he plunges into his final piece.  “I’ll Be Seeing You,” he announces.

Suddenly I am no longer in my Vancouver Lodge on a chilly November day, but back in Calgary on a warm September morning, whose calm is shattered by the rousing music of a military band, and the sound of marching troops.

“Mom, look!  They’re heading for the cenotaph in the park.  What’s going on?”

“Canada must have declared war,”whispers our trembling mother. “Over and over again – Why does this have to be?  Oh, God help us.”    Continue reading →

10 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as ,

November 2, 2013 · 5:04 pm

Home is Where the Heart Is

The breakfast hour at the Manor is almost over.  Our usual latecomer crowd lingers over coffee, laughing and visiting.  The conversation covers everything from the antics in the Senate – in the very “Chamber of Sober Second Thought” – to an email picture of a new great-grandchild.

Tentatively, a woman approaches our table.  “May I join you?”

“Of course,” comes a chorus of voices.  “Are you new here?”

“Yes, my name is Marie.  I moved in last night, or at least my kids moved me in!  They worked so hard.  This is all so . . . different.  Tell me, do you like it here?”    Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as ,

October 15, 2013 · 2:06 pm

Autumn Leaves

What’s going on?  A yellow leaf floats gently by, guided by a light breeze.  It can’t be … fall already?  Summer has been so short.  A gust of air, and I watch another leaf fall.  This one lands on my head.  Lifting it down, I marvel at its fall dress.  A bit of green is still showing, but the rest is streaked with orange, yellow, and brown.  It flaunts its beauty unapologetically, as if to say “Look at me, see what wonders change can bring.”

Sinking down on my bench, I look up at the tree.  It is ablaze with leaves in full colour, waiting for their appointed time to fall.  With shock I realize that autumn isn’t on its way, it is fully here.  The seasons have changed without my noticing.   Continue reading →

16 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as ,

September 11, 2013 · 5:13 pm

On the Road Again

Word arrived yesterday: we are moving again.  It is early spring and only a skiff of snow remains.  There was lots in Grande Prairie in October when Ralph had his first birthday.  Then shortly after that we moved here to McLennan.

This is a very interesting town.  It is a major railway maintenance centre.  The population is close to a fifty/fifty split between French and “Anglos” (the latter covering anyone NOT French).  Many of the French people work in the railway shops, or in one way or another for the Catholic Church.  A block away from our house is an imposing, very large cathedral.  Close to it are clustered several buildings, a Catholic Separate School, and residences for students, teachers, priests, and nuns.

The Anglos make up the merchants, professionals, owners of small businesses and municipal workers.  Sometimes it seems to me like two separate towns living very close to one another.  The seismic crew and their families are welcomed warmly by both factions.  We found our little old rental house in an area mainly French, not surprising as we are so close to the cathedral and the schools.  However it is convenient for us, too: our tiny United Church is two blocks away.  Sometimes the bells ringing in the cathedral almost down out our singing, but we persist.  Thank heavens for the Mission and Service part of the national government  of our church.  Its subsidy keeps our small church going.   Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Seismic Life - The Womens' View

Tagged as , , , , ,

August 23, 2013 · 7:36 am

The Challenge of Change

The weekend arrives.  After breakfast I settle into my big chair, hot coffee at hand, to address my favourite task.  The international weekend newspaper booklet is my link to the far-flung world.  It’s not noted for detailed news, but for quick and objective summaries of activities which occur around the globe.  Skimming through, my attention is caught and held by the report of a long-standing, scientific study that has been under way for years.  

This must be a joke, I think.  Such a research project is impossible.  What reliable organization would sponsor the idea, and where would they get the people to volunteer?    Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as , ,

August 9, 2013 · 8:21 am

Plans and Bumps

The second of two installments

We near Calgary and turn off the highway onto the Stoney Trail bypass that crosses a high bridge over the river valley, and ends at the TransCanada Highway.  Valley Ridge Lodge, the seniors’ residence where Sheldon and I lived for five years, is a stone’s throw away.

Arriving at the Lodge is a homecoming indeed, just the thing to ease the yearning in my heart.

“Marjorie!  Are you moving back?”

“We miss you.  Did you miss us?”

The trip from the front door to my second-floor guest suite takes almost an hour.  I sink on the bed, exhausted.  Ralph leaves for his nearby Bed and Breakfast.

“I’ll see you after supper, Mom.  We should talk about tomorrow’s coffee party.”    Continue reading →

8 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as , , ,

July 22, 2013 · 3:48 pm

Plans and Bumps

The first of two installments

The sudden howling of the wind, and the torrential downpour of rain spiced with hail seizes our attention.  Visiting interrupted, the five of us push back our chairs and rush to the window to watch in amazement.

“Was this forecast?” I demand.  Having just arrived in Edmonton, I feel it’s a fair question.  My friends deny any previous knowledge of this wild weather.  Our host hurries into the next room and turns on the radio, TV and computer.  All sources blare forth the same message.

“Tornado Warning!”  Seek shelter immediately.  Do not leave your present location until an ‘All Clear’ is issued.”

My tablemates and I stand at the window, watching the swirling gusts of wind pick up anything loose and fling it aloft.  A child’s jacket, a large cardboard box, and a garden tool all fly by.  We watch with sympathy as a crow, battered by the wild wind, struggles to escape the storm’s grasp.  My mind protests, “This is my vacation.”   Continue reading →

10 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as , , ,

June 7, 2013 · 12:12 pm

Spring For a Prairie Child

The sun’s rays are pouring down.  Warm breezes blow against my face, tossing my hair into my eyes.  I run down to the east corner of the house, and look out across the prairies.

The winter has been long, the snow piled high.  None left now, well, almost none.  A few traces remain under the dense lilac bush which guards that house corner.  Spring is here, it really is.  A meadowlark sits on a fence post singing its heart out.  The smells, the sounds, the sights – I am so happy.     Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Poetry, Prairie Childhood

Tagged as ,

May 23, 2013 · 8:12 am

The Wisdom of the Wise

“The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of the ages,
may be preserved by quotation.”

Isaac D’israeli, an Englishman who lived from 1766 to 1848, was a respected literary essayist.  His belief, given above, has weathered well.  In 2013 we turn to the online Proverbs of the World and read,

“These sagacious sayings are the distilled wisdom of the ages.  Their lessons are as relevant today, as when first heard hundreds and sometimes thousands of years ago.”

We need help today.  We struggle to accept, enjoy and handle our modern lives, sometimes against overwhelming odds.  We could benefit from the mentoring of experienced guides.  Are the problems we face now so different from those in the past?  Is it possible to tap into ancient wisdom?    Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under This & That

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 28, 2013 · 8:26 am

My Lament

I lost my friend
    did I tell you?
        She died.

An ache gnaws my heart, persistent, sadly reminds.

She walked early, loving
    morning light
        early walkers
            fresh crisp air.

Late afternoon for me
    light warm golden
        from the setting sun
            late walkers with dogs.

So many topics we explored – politics, ethics, food, multicultural relations
religions international and personal
the priceless value of family, friends, and strangers
and finally
what our remaining future holds.

We spoke our minds
    bared our fears
        our joys
            our questions.

In the end, no world problems solved
    no personal stances altered, just
        two souls lovingly understanding
            one another.

For both, the end hovers in sight
    the final battle cannot be won
        in our hands only the skirmishes before the end
            our fight to make our last days good.

Our challenges?
    Her failing heart
        my dementia
            trivial things like that.

I point to the extra years she has already squeezed from this heart
    why not more?
She claims dementia must be fast to beat my declining pool of years
    why not this?

Then we look into one another’s eyes
    laugh
        clasp hands
            sit close together
                and remember.

I lost a friend
    did I tell you?
         She died.

Dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth MacLeod, an outstanding person, loved by all.

14 Comments

Filed under Poetry

Tagged as , ,