Tuesday, February 21, 2017
The sky is blue. The sun is shining. The air is warm. It’s an incredible Canadian winter day. As I write this article I sit looking out at an enormous snow woman that my daughter and her friends just finished building. She is anatomically bodacious with a fancy bun and a photocopied face of Kim Kardashian. They are currently working on a large sea serpent for the front lawn. I love watching them laugh their heads off and be creative and enjoy each other’s company. My husband is in the back yard tending to the outdoor fire pit and is hanging out with his buddies. A group of us just went for a long snowshoe in the woods out back. The shadows that have been created by the sun are breath taking.
I feel like this weekend is just the medicine that the doctor ordered for everyone. I don’t know if it is just me who has felt tired and drained for the past few months from world events, the lack of sun and the death of Stuart McLean or if I pick up the energy of the global community. It is probably a combination of both. I think we all feel the weight of the world at times. We might not even realize how much it impacts us, in so many ways, but it does. And I am sure our kids feel the weight of our worry at times. And so I am grateful for the Family Day weekend and the opportunities that come our way for us to relax, rest, play, be creative, be active, read a good book and do whatever fills our soul.
I know that many volunteers worked hard to make Frost Fest happen in Haliburton and I am sure it was lots of fun. I loved seeing the pictures of the oval and the outdoor curling rink. My family and I are visiting good friends who live just outside of Ottawa. We spent Saturday skating on the canal with thousands of other people of all ages. We ate Beaver Tails and played tag and took goofy pictures at the all the stands. And then we cooked together and ate good food. The older I get the more I realize that is these small adventures with good friends that make up a rich life. And these adventures give us all good stories to tell all year long. I, like many Canadians, was devastated to hear about the passing of Stuart. He joined our country together with his stories that really represented every day people living ordinary lives. He focused on the humour and was light hearted. I spent many Sunday’s of my life listening to the Vinyl Café. I was introduced to so much good music from Stuart. I know he believed in the essential goodness of the world and in people. He always had hope for this planet.
As I sit here feeling very grateful on this Sunday for my family and friends and the sun and the snow I just smile and think about the stories we will tell about this weekend. Thank you Stuart for the inspiration to keep telling our stories and looking for the goodness. It is all around us.