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Writer's pictureLynda Shadbolt

A Community of Love

Tuesday, May 30, 2017


I always take notes, scribble quotes and write ideas down in my journals, and every once in a while I go back and re-read them. I often don’t remember the details of the lecture or discussion but  I recognize that I was inspired to write the idea down for future contemplation.  I recently read a quote in one of my books  that said  “under a microscope of love, everything can be healed.” It kind of jumped off the page at me. I have always been curious about how we create families of love, communities of love and ultimately a planet of love.

Like everyone I was devastated when I heard about the bombing of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.  Sometimes it’s hard to hold the hope and be positive when such terrible things happen.  But they do.   And then instead of sinking into despair I just start looking for little examples of love and goodness in the world and focus on those.  And I check myself about how I am living and what I am doing every day and whether it is contributing to love or fear or other ways of being.  Loving families and communities happen 1 person at a time.    I’m writing this article from beautiful downtown Toronto where I am on an urban adventure (sitting at a café eating a big yummy brownie) and I have been reminded again and again how grateful I am to live in a community/ county of love.  Every day people in our county  are supporting each other.  This weekend I visited the Holland Bloorview Kid's Rehabilitation Centre to visit Rowan Pettinella who is a 6 year old boy from Haliburton (and his moms Jane and Karen) and my daughter Madeline visited her friend Ryan Prentice who is a 17 year old boy from Minden.  Rowan and Ryan are neighbours on the third floor of the centre.   Both of these boys are getting expert care and both are making really great progress.  It was really wonderful to be able to spend some time with them.   They are both surrounded by so much love.   I arrived bearing a gift for Rowan from one of his friends. Rowan is an avid bird watcher and reader.  The gift is a  book called Jo the Crow. It is  the story of a local Haliburton family who saves an injured crow,   adopts it and the subsequent adventures that come with living with a crow.  My favourite story is when the crow follows the family one night and fly’s into an open window to sit with them  in the restaurant where they were having dinner.  Only in Haliburton can this happen!   This book has great pictures and features some of our dearly loved community members.  I think we need a copy of this book in our library!  I think the book is a well kept secret and Rowan was the perfect person to dig the book out for.  He laughed and we all laughed.    A small gift sent with so much love made such a big difference.   We are a community of love.

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