LIFE, AND FAITH, AND HOMELESSNESS (with new details)

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I am a spiritual/religious person. You also know that I don't talk much about that in this blog.

But life, and faith, and challenge sometimes step up and smack me in the face, and well, I have to deal with that. I'm not one to evade life.

I noted recently that Occupy Saskatoon had been somehow "adopted" by a group of homeless people. They slept in our tents, and ate our food, and (when they were comfortable with it) joined in our discussions. It was never "we-they"; it was "us."

We had planned to end our occupation of Friendship Park this weekend. We had made our point, as far as the occupation had gone, and were moving to the next phase of our activity.

BUT!

What to do about the homeless living among us, eating our food, sleeping in our tents?

Well, no, we simply could not abandon them. They were part of the group; their issues, their concerns were among those which we were raising.

So after many days and nights discussions, we worked out a plan. All of us. Together.

Those who wanted and needed a relatively safe and comfortable place to stay will be staying. Those who stay will devise a process for living together, eating together, and the like. We who move away will continue to support them. As a group, we have money and other resources; that's part of the overall community make-up.

Where this goes next is a bit of a puzzle. The campers will work out their life one day at a time. Those who are not campers will offer what support they can. We are all in this together.

This all reminded me of a story. A story about deep caring.

Then the King will say, . . . "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." . . . Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." 
                 ~ Matthew 25: 34, 37 - 40.

OK. Here endeth the first reading.

Blessings and Bear hugs, friends. Thanks for hanging in with me.


FOOTNOTE

I got a call from the police today. The Sergeant for this division, wanting to know what we'll be doing next, about those who are sleeping out in the park. Was I surprised by the call? Frankly, initially yes (didn't think they would be calling me), but on second thought, no. So we're having a chat with his boss, the Inspector ("Captain" for you Americans), on our turf tomorrow night. I have an entirely "not good" feeling about this development. And I'm not the only member of our group feels that way. But the police are being nice about this situation (a very Canadian way of doing things). It's a kind of, "Let's sort this out over tea, shall we?" invitation to chat. I like tea, but I'm thoroughly prepared to be "not amused."

I'll keep you posted. This gets to be more "fun" at every turn. Except I really do not feel like laughing.

XENA (A - Z CHALLENGE)

 Xena (pronounced: ZEE-nah) is a village about a half hour east of River City.

That's not quite true. The last building there was demolished in the 1970s. So it's a ghost village, or a vacant site. But the name is still on the road signs.

Oh, how sadly fallen.

Xena, in its day, was on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (now the Canadian National Railway — except it's owned by Americans, like most other things here).

Grand Trunk had a habit of naming town sites alphabetically, as the rail line snaked across the central part of the Canadian prairies. There were towns like Raymore, Semans, Tate, Undora, Venn, Watrous, Xena, Young, Zelma, Allan, Bradwell, and Clavet. Then you come to Saskatoon, which existed before the railway got there.

For me, the interesting thing is that I've been in most of those places. Can't remember when for Tate and Udora, but I remember the rest. Sometimes a church service, or a burial after a Memorial Service, or travelling through the countryside on my way to a meeting.

But like Xena, there are lots ghost towns around here. Little places that thrived for half a century or more, then just faded away, as people moved to larger centres. They're like little east-coast fishing villages described by the late Stan Rogers:
Old houses stand empty
old nets hung to dry
are blown away,
lost, and forgotten.

Have you ever lived in a community which eventually disappeared, like Xena? Or have you passed through ghost towns? If so, what do you remember of the places?

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Also brought to you by the letter X:
• x-ray
• xylophone
• xanthan
• xenon
• Xerxes

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: X for the Spot

MORE CHANGES, INCLUDING DISASTER

I'll start with the simple.

I decided, at the end of my last post, to "try to get myself looking presentable." As if such a thing were possible.

But, by pre-arrangement, I am using a picture of me snapped by Genie's daughter, Holly, at Paris and Beyond. Now this is a good picture!

But there are bigger things than me. Much bigger.

One of my first discoveries, upon waking, was that Japan had experienced of a massive earthquake and tidal wave (tsunami).  I saw the pictures of the tsunami hitting village and city alike, rolling over and sweeping away everything that stood before it.

I remember a reporter picking a porcelain doll out of the detritus at the Sendai airport. There was wreckage from  all over — construction materials to cars. And I wondered. Was this doll owned by some little girl? Is she alive or dead? Did she treasure this doll? Will it ever get back to her?

Perhaps the most frightening thing for me was the ongoing story of nuclear reactor failures, and the threat those failures pose — for Japan, and the rest of us. How big is the radioactive plume? How far will it spread? What will be the consequences of Japan's electrical industry? How will this affect other nuclear installations? (I've seen a story that Germany is shutting down any pre-1980 nuclear plants for inspection; there is question of whether any of these will reopen.) And what lies ahead for children, even un-born children, who were caught in the wrong place during this nuclear disaster?

It is said the Japanese people are both stoic and resilient. They will rebuild. At the cost of a few trillion dollars, perhaps.

DEPRESSION HURTS (3) Being Positive

Often, people who are depressed are told to "keep a positive attitude about life."

If only.

I'm reminded here of a little bit of repartee between John Wayne and Frank Shuster, of Canada's iconic comedy team of Wayne and Shuster. (Sadly, they're both dead; we could use their talents today!)

John:  Only fools are positive.
Frank:  Are you sure?
John:  I'm positive.

Well, so much for a positive outlook on life.

That said, however, I keep looking for positives in my life. Mostly, I force myself to do as much as I can every day. That's the bit about walking Sadie and cooking supper in my earlier blog piece about depression. Even if it's only chopping up some wood in our wood pile and lighting a fire, or cleaning up in the yard, or doing something in the house. My concentration isn't good enough to do some serious reading, and there are some things I want very much to read. (I really do enjoy reading.) It is far too easy for me to simply get up, feed Sadie and put her out, have something to eat, and collapse back into bed. Especially when every muscle in my body hurts, and I feel like I'm crawling through life. Literally crawling. As in going as fast as I can, and still losing the race with the tortoise.

The situation isn't helped when I sleep so poorly at night. My doctor has given me some medication to help with that. But it doesn't help. So we'll have to find something else. Otherwise, I'll keep getting up, going through my morning routine, and going back to bed until noon, then getting up for lunch, and trying to do some additional things in the afternoon, or into the evening.

It's not a great way to live, but "I'm doing the best that I can" for the time being. (Humble doesn't even register in my mind; humble, as in Mac Davis' song "O Lord, it's hard to be humble," with its line about "I'm doing the best that I can.") I would so much like to do more. But when simple tasks feel like they require moving a mountain, things are a bit challenging.

This morning's question: Will I make it to Church of Morning Worship today?

P.S.: Yes, I did make it to Morning Worship, and I'm glad I was there.

OH GIVE ME A HOME …

It doesn't have to be a "home on the range." It just needs to be a nice home —  reasonably clean, where taps, and lights, and things like that work properly. 

Sadly, there are a lot of people who don't have decent housing. 

So I put some thoughts together on my Bears Noting blog. It's a bit heavier thinking than I normally do here. But if you're concerned about how some of us live, take a peek. 

(And if you would care to comment, please leave your comment there.)

Hmmmm. . . . did somebody say something about unpopular beliefs and ideas?

TAKING RISKS — HOPEFULLY SURVIVING

Sonia (over at Gutsy Writer) got me thinking about this topic a few days ago. I had some questions for myself. 
  
What does it mean do take risks?
Why should I take risks?
What kinds of risks could/should/would I take?

I've taken a lot of risks in my life. Changing jobs; changing careers; moving across a country for work; walking into burning buildings with nothing more than an inch and a half (diameter) fire hose; getting married; having children; writing, broadcasting and blogging; upholding unpopular beliefs and ideas. In each case, these were things I did because I thought they were the right thing to do. A couple of those proved to be really bad (two were health destroying); the vast majority were good, and I'd do them again.

Even though I'm hitting retirement, I don't expect my attitude will change much. I'm probably a bit old for walking into burning buildings and having more children. I'll probably spend more time upholding unpopular ideas, in a time when democracy, human rights, co-operation, citizen action, and faith are all under attack, particularly in North America.
   
I'd love to have you come along. And if you're coming along, I really hope you will chat with me about what you and I are thinking.

Do we have a deal?

BEARS NOTING

Some time ago, I wrote/threatened/promised I would start publishing some of my "Moral Economy" Op-Ed columns on my Bears Noting blog. Next week, I am going to start doing that.

Chrome on the Range is my everyday, "fun, friends, and family" (and sometimes serious) blog. Bears Noting on the other hand, is deliberately set for "more serious stuff." While that may sound ominous, it will be OK; as long as I don't take myself too seriously. (When was the last time Bear did that?)

But I'll give you a "heads up" here when I'm adding to Bears Noting.

Next weeks piece will deal with political disenchantment in Canada, and some related thoughts.
√

CELEBRATING TWO NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Canadians celebrated our national holiday, Canada Day, just a few days ago. Today, it's the Americans turn to celebrate "Independence Day." So near -- yet so different -- those days.

On my "Bears Noting" blog, I decided to reflect a bit on the differences, our different national philosophies, and, particularly, our differences in health care. Both of those differences are quite significant.

Happy reading. And joyous celebrating!

IF SWINE 'FLU, WE'D HAVE A LEVEL 6 PANDEMIC BY NOW

I've just posted some more thoughts about the H1N1 influenza on my "Bears Noting" Blog.

The piece has to do with the safety of health care workers in a pandemic. And yes, I've raised some challenges. And, no, I don't have any more numbers -- I've been a bit busy in meetings, and reading and writing, particularly related to H1N1 influenza.

Ciao for niao.

IF SWINE FLU, DOES THAT MEAN PIGS REALLY CAN FLY? (2)

I'm moving all this work on A/H1N1 Influenza to my "Bears Noting" blog. That, after all, is my blog for "current news" and ethical developments.

I will be updating items on "Bears Noting" as I get information.

I have already received a bit of news from others. If you know about something that is happening in your region or country, and want to add it, please feel free to do so. That way we'll be able to keep each other informed of our experiences.

See you on "Bears Noting."

AN ITEM TO CONSIDER

Sometimes when you're trying to blog, life gets in the way. Sometimes when you're trying to live, a blog post gets in the way.

The following is an example of the latter.

It's a matter which Snowbrush raised on his blog, and to which (after considerable reflection) I responded.

You see the story unfold on my "Desert Epiphanies" site. That's the site where I do most of my spiritual reflection,

Now, I'll go back to the task that was at hand.

SHOPPING AND SPRING CLEANUP -- %^@[°›⁄

Well, the snow finally disappeared today, leaving behind a multitude of junk on our lawn -- bottles, cigarette buts, candy wrappers, cigarette packages, etc. Most, I think, are from the "customers" of our neighbours across the street. A far as we can tell (and by "we" I mean me and the other neighbours at this end of block), the folks across the street are dealing drugs. Aside from the garbage, we haven't really had any problem. In fact the father/grandfather/patriarch of the family and I have delightful chats we see each other on the street. Our City Councilor, however, is well aware of the situation, which may lead to some intervention on the part of the local constabulary. (Heavy on the MAY.) In the meantime, it's "Que shiraz, shiraz," as Wendy put it so delightfully.

Before I did that raking, thought, I had to pick up a few things at the grocery and some air filters for our forced air furnace. Which meant traveling to a multitude shops -- nobody has all the things you need in one place. I was gone for so long that G3 was beginning to be a bit concerned about what happened to me.

Anyhow, I got a bit of the front yard raked before my body gave out, and I lugged my "collection" to the big trash bin in the back lane. After that I came in, exhausted, and slept of about five hours (a common occurrence in many of my afternoons).

Perhaps in the next day or two I'll be able to finish raking the front lawn, and be able to turn my attention to the gardens (front and back) and my "Celtic Grove" -- my sanctuary space.

Hope spring is a joy for all of you, my mates. What are some of your favorite spring projects?