Fulfilling my duty as a Canadian citizen

Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

His words stopped me in my tracks and immediately made me feel sick to my stomach. This was real. I needed to take this matter seriously. 

Just over a year ago I received a questionnaire in the mail summoning me to fill out the information because my name was chosen to be considered for jury duty. By law I was compelled to proceed and mail in this questionnaire to the Attorney General. I didn't give it much thought until I received another summons in the mail in August.

This letter told me my name had been selected to potentially sit on a jury and I was to appear in court in October. I was actually sort of excited about this new adventure. Thankfully, my employers would still pay my salary if I was chosen to sit on the jury so I really had no worries. I was very interested to see how this process worked.  I imagined the case would be a "simple" one. I couldn't have been more wrong!

The day arrived and I showed up at court bumping into a former colleague of mine.  We made fast friends with other potential jurors and were enjoying our time in the waiting room.  We weighed the pros and cons of sitting on this jury should we be chosen. Finally the judge addressed all of us potential jurors  to explain how this process would work. I liked this judge.  First, he summoned into the court room those who had reasons for not serving on the jury. He was fair and compassionate. After this process was complete he began to explain the details of the case. It was at this point where I felt sick to my stomach. The "simple" case turned out to be a murder trial of a two year old child. I was in shock. Now I was torn. Part of me still wanted to see how our Canadian justice system worked yet I was scared to be chosen as I know I would see and hear horrendous details of this case.  

We were finally summoned to enter the court room. To my surprise, the accused was sitting with his lawyer front and centre. Another shock wave impacted my preparations for this duty-the most unnerving for me. I forgot that the accused is technically "innocent until proven guilty." I also didn't know that the accused has the right to help select the jurors for his case. My insides knotted even more as I looked the accused directly in the eye.I already had made up my mind he was guilty!  How could I be impartial if I was selected?

One by one, the court officer pulled jurors' numbers out of a drum and asked them to come to the front of the court room to stand before the judge, the lawyers and the accused. My name was never drawn. Relief filled my soul. However, I must admit I was disappointed. 

I followed the 6 week trial in the paper.  The accused was charged with first degree murder and two counts of assault. I am thankful our justice system did its job. I am thankful that little innocent boy 's family has some closure to this unspeakable tragedy. I am saddened to think this precious child's life was cut short by a senseless act.  I am thankful that I fulfilled my duty as a Canadian citizen so that precious, innocent boy 's voice was heard loud and clear. May he rest in peace and may his family find peace and hope again. 

Working Together + Mutual Respect+ Quality Singing+ An Important Cause+Humour= A Beautiful Gift Received

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened to and contemplated the beautiful 

sounds being emitted from two very special people, husband and wife team 

October 2012
Regent Theatre
Oshawa, ON
Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida

Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida.  They performed in my hometown for a special cause sponsored by Ontario Shores Imagine Arts Festival, "Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness."  I believe these musicians have an incredible gift, not only in their ability to write songs that reach the deepest part of our souls, but also in their cohesiveness as a husband and wife team. 

     I heard Chantal speak before about her experience with a loved one living through a mental illness at the Imagine Arts Festival a couple of years ago.  She was/is trying to help break the stigma associated with mental illness. Her interview was incredible. She was articulate, funny and honest. I was grateful for her candor as I have a loved one who struggles with a mental illness and was encouraged to know that I am not alone in this battle. 

     But what struck me the most at this October 2012 concert was Chantal's and Raine's interaction with each other. I LOVED how they worked together. They bantered back and forth in such a humourous, natural way. They had the utmost respect for one another as artists and spouses.  They were humble, honest, vulnerable, transparent and funny. And let's not forget both are incredible singer/songwriters!

      In addition, I LOVE their passion for justice. I remember reading an article or watching a TV show a while back( Oops, I forget the details!) about Chantal and Raine taking their children on a humanitarian trip to Africa I believe. (It could have been Central America! You'll have to excuse my memory loss! I'll blame it on my age!) I do remember the image of one of the natives holding the Maida's young child. You could clearly see the joy and love for this child on the face of this precious African.  I LOVED that the Maidas allowed their children to experience the love from this African community and they were not afraid to let these people hold and love on their children! 

    We received a beautiful gift this night from two beautiful human beings living out their passions. Thank you Chantal and Raine for allowing us the privilege of experiencing you in this incredible venue. I pray you continue to keep your marriage alive! Thank you for your transparency and thank you for sharing your talent. My life is richer!

   

Courage

What is the depth of your soul saying to you? Is it crying out for solace? Or is it at peace? You know that secret  place.  At the core of who you are. The real you. Masquerading as authenticity. The place nobody can touch.  Painful.  The place you want to ignore but it eventually finds you. Necessary to go there in order to find freedom. Freedom. Relief. Sweet relief. Soothing salve. What is the depth of your soul saying to you? Be honest. Risk. Listen. Freedom, peace, transparency and credibility await. You are courage.

State of our Youth

Robot, Grade 8 Science Project, May 2012

In all my years of working with teenagers, I have never been more concerned as I am now. Don't get me wrong, I am not a hater of teenagers.  They have been my passion for years and my career has been centered around these fine human beings. But I just don't like the trend I see happening!

I know part of the development of adolescents is their strive towards independence and thus exerting a sense of entitlement. However, the sense of entitlement I see around me now is ridiculous, for lack of a better word! The majority of teenagers I connect with on a daily basis have no sense of the concept of looking out for the interest of others, especially adults.They are extremely self absorbed.

 I think one of the reasons could be my generation is overcompensating for the mantra voiced by our parents, "children are to be seen and not heard."  I feel this generation has been given too much of a voice. There needs to be a better balance.

 Teenagers today have nothing to look forward to in adulthood. They are receiving every privilege and technological gadget now instead of gradually incorporating these into their lives. I believe teenagers think we are all on the same peer level thus they should be entitled to the same privileges as adults.  They are not mature enough to handle some adult things, in my opinion.

In addition, they have no concept of exhibiting good old fashioned  manners towards others, including adults. Some of you reading this post may disagree with me and that is okay. But, this trend I see happening upsets me and makes me very sad. I wonder how this generation will evolve. They will be the ones looking after us in the nursing homes! What will that look like?

One area that is very disconcerting for me is their apathy towards learning and our education system. I see this apathy on a daily basis in my job. We are basically bribing kids to learn and do their homework. If they don't feel like doing work then they won't budge. They have a lack of interest in learning. Of course I must stress again I am generalizing here. But it is something I see more frequently than in the past generations of teenagers I had the privilege of working with. There is no motivation to work. Many have no motivation to get jobs or earn their own money (I know in our economy right now it is difficult to find jobs). Of course I can guess the reasons why this trend is happening but what will this look like in the future?

How do we reach them? How do we connect with them? How will they connect with others? Is growing up with technology/social networking causing them to lose the ability to communicate in person with each other? Are they losing the ability to think for themselves and problem solve? What will their spiritual journey look like?

Once again, I stress I am not a hater of teenagers. I still love working with this fine group. There are many things I love about this generation. I love their honesty. It is refreshing.  I always know where I stand on any issue! I respect teenagers and thus do receive respect in return.   I am constantly learning.  Anytime I have a computer/cell phone/social network question, I just have to turn to them and they have solved my problem! I love their fearless creativity and individuality. I love their lack of spiritual hypocrisy.  I love their acceptance of every human being. I love their open dialogue about spiritual matters.

However, I have to ask myself, is my generation to blame for these wandering souls who seem lost and in need of more clear direction in their life journey? Have we responsibly offered this generation a better world for their future?

The Hand of God

I love singing. I sing in the choir at my church. I sing in one of our worship bands. I sing with my dad. I love hearing people sing.  I love hearing the way harmonies work together to form this incredible sound. Great harmonies make my heart sing. Interesting, as I pen this post I hear the birds singing beautiful harmonies outside my window! I love that sound! But rarely do I sing solo. So I was hesitant when I was asked to be the special music for a Ladies Retreat at my parent's church at the weekend! After mulling and praying it over, I agreed then set out to find some songs to sing. I love how God prompts us, for in the end it turned out that the songs I chose fit with the speaker's theme, "The Hand of God." I truly experienced what I call a "God moment" when I sang and I give all the praise to Him. As I said, I am not a soloist and was nervous, but God used me and for that I am grateful. I felt the prayers of my friends every step of the way. In addition, the speaker's message was a wonderful reminder to me of how I have seen the hand of God on my life every step of the way!

"So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

(PS  I chose this picture of the hand of a child I took in our church nursery to represent this verse because to me this shows God's attributes as well. I know we usually think of a strong, adult hand upholding us however, I love the innocence of this hand... the calmness, the purity, the love, the trust, the softness of it. A baby's hand grasps tightly to our fingers and it is difficult to let go. God grasps tightly to us and never lets us go!)

How to win the Battle

  "The Lord will fight for you. All you need to do is stand still. Be still and know that I am God."

(Exodus 14:14)

My friend over at Feathers of Inspiration posted this verse one day on her blog. I couldn't believe how timely it was for me to read it that particular day. I needed the encouragement.  Standing still in the middle of a battle is difficult to do but wise advice. As I have mentioned, I  moved back home with my folks and then we all moved house. It has been the most stressful time in my life and the longest move ever! Packing up seniors is a slow process and change has been difficult for them at this stage in their life. Thus making it difficult on me!  I have had to cling to this verse daily! It is hard for me to be still. I am a natural peacemaker so want to try to resolve things on my own, which results in more stress (and me being miserable to live with)! God has reminded me that He will fight for me. I just need to be and let Him do the rest. After this difficult transition I know without a doubt He is God. I know without a doubt He is my stronghold. I know without a doubt God is greater. I know without a doubt He fights me me. I know without a doubt God, who is Peace, bestows peace daily on my restless, hurting soul. Remember...God will fight for you too. All you need to do is stand still! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(My Grandma's old, dilapidated farmhouse in Northern Ireland
still has this lucky horseshoe over the entrance way! , July 2008)


May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,

and all your heart might desire.

(Irish Blessing)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

New Beginnings

"New feet within my garden go, 

New fingers stir the sod;

A troubadour upon the elm

Betrays the solitude.

New children play upon the green,

New weary sleep below;

And still the pensive spring returns, 

And still the punctual snow!"

(Emily Dickinson)

Spring is in the air which to me symbolizes new beginnings, an opportunity to start afresh. It is high time I began blogging again. I have missed it. I didn't purposely set out to stop blogging, I just allowed life to get in the way! In addition, I moved 2 weeks ago but it actually was a two month ordeal! As many of you know, I decided to move back with my folks to help them out with their health issues, etc. So we have all moved to a bigger space. It has been the most stressful time of my life. Have any of you moved Seniors? It presented many challenges I didn't expect. But, with the help of many of my AMAZING friends, we are here and settling in to our new digs. I am loving the new place but know it will take another month to get everything sorted! Here's to new beginnings and putting my creative energy to good use once again. See you soon!