"For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes." - Dag Hammarskjold

Friday, November 29, 2013

the gratitude project assignment :: o'dane... evan...

Our ongoing series of essays from Grade 8 students from Broadview Public School here in Ottawa.  I had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Viner and Ms. Krochmalnek's classes just before our Canadian Thanksgiving, to talk to them about *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*. (Read more about that here.) Students were then given an assignment to interview a friend or family member about what they were grateful for, and to submit a short essay based on that interview.   I will be publishing a selection of these essays here on the blog over the next couple of weeks.  You will want to read these.  Seriously. These kids rock.

(Read Julia's essay here and Minseong and Judy's essays here.)

Now, introducing O'Dane and Evan...


Interviewer:  O’Dane
Interviewee:  My dad

I chose to interview my dad because he’s been in my life since i was born, i chose to do my dad because he has an interesting background that I’ve never heard before. An interesting fact about my dad is that he was a deep sea fisherman before he migrated to Canada.

Question:
What person are you most grateful for?

My dad chose his grandmother because when he was born, he was born in her hands, in her house.

Another reason he chose his grandmother that he is most grateful for is because she raised him from just a baby to an adult.
The last reason why he chose his grandmother is that she is very loving and kind, she was always be loving and kind to everyone she knew in every way possible.

I can relate to this because both my parents have done the same with me except the adult part yet. Both my parents are loving and caring and want to help in any way possible and have raised me till now.

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Interviewer:  Evan B.
Interviewee: David B.
I’ve known this person since I was born because he is my dad.
I thought it was a good idea to interview my dad because I wanted to know what he is most grateful for. My dad has been collecting bikes since the early 80’s and has a large collection of current and vintage bicycles.

Question: 
What life experience are you most grateful for?

Answer:
My dad is most grateful to have discovered cycling at a young age. Cycling has been the mechanism that has enabled many different positive aspects of his life.

He always enjoyed riding bikes when he was young and this led him to try racing and that in turn taught him about training, nutrition and how to be a bicycle mechanic.

My dad has travelled to many places all over the world because of different races he has travelled to. He has met many people from different countries because of cycling.


Conclusion:
Personally I’ve always liked riding my bike and it’s a great form of transportation cause you get a great workout from it and you can ride with your friends, also when you start riding it introduces you to a great community.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

the gratitude project assignment :: minseong... judy...

Our ongoing series of essays from Grade 8 students from Broadview Public School here in Ottawa.  I had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Viner and Ms. Krochmalnek's classes just before our Canadian Thanksgiving, to talk to them about *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*. (Read more about that here.) Students were then given an assignment to interview a friend or family member about what they were grateful for, and to submit a short essay based on that interview.   I will be publishing a selection of these essays here on the blog over the next couple of weeks.  You will want to read these.  Seriously. These kids rock.

(Read Julia's essay here.)

Now, introducing Minseong and Judy...

Interviewer:  Minseong K.
Interviewee: Tarik

Brief biography:  He is my French teacher.

I have known him for a 2 month now.
I choose him because he is a good guy talk to.

Question:  
What life experience are you most grateful for?

Answer: 
Learning how to cook

Reasons for his answer:
1. he got to learn about various cultures and discovered their food
2. he got a lot more creative then before
3. he thinks it is a great opportunity  to be a chef
4. HE LOVES COOKING!!!!

Conclusion:
Up on the responses, I think he loves cooking and I like cooking myself so I think he is cool with me and he is also a good cook because I have tasted his food before and I know that he works hard to be better and better so I think that is something that you can be grateful for...
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Interviewer:  Judy S.
Interviewee: Ghada

This person is my mother; I have known her my entire life.
I chose her because she is my inspiration and idol.
An interesting fact about her is that she has a strong personality and determination.

Question:
What decision are you most grateful for?

Answer:
The decision I am most grateful for is leaving Lebanon to come to Canada.
I feel like my kids are safer.
Better education.
Cosmopolitan atmosphere.
 
Reflection:
I can’t agree more with my mother. Bringing us here to Canada was a great decision. I’m so grateful for her decision. The political situation in the Middle East is so bad. A war might erupt any time, which means we could have been in great danger and lack of education.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

the gratitude project assignment :: julia...

Today, I am thrilled to present the first of several essays from Grade 8 students from Broadview Public School here in Ottawa.  I had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Viner and Ms. Krochmalnek's classes just before our Canadian Thanksgiving, to talk to them about *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*. (Read more about that here.) Students were then given an assignment to interview a friend or family member about what they were grateful for, and to submit a short essay based on that interview.   I will be publishing a selection of these essays here on the blog over the next couple of weeks.  You will want to read these.  Seriously. These kids rock.

Let's begin with Julia...


Interviewer:  Julia L.
Interviewee: My mother                                                                             
 
Bio: My mom Mariam, born here in Canada with a French and Lebanese background, is a 43 year old single mother and she is the single most spectacular person I have ever met. She is brave, caring, strong, loving and even though she has been through so much, she always manages to have a smile on her face. I think she is a very interesting person and has lots of great experiences and memories. I love her with all my heart.

Question: What life experience are you most grateful for?

Answer:

Example 1)

“Being a mother to my spectacular, bright, beautiful children.

I am grateful to have all of them in my life:

Adam - My brilliant, health, strong son. Who loves electronics and designing machines. He is very athletic and loves a good joke.

Julia - My determined, strong and ambitious eldest daughter. She loves animals, especially farm animals and is very busy with sports and music. I love the way she cares so much about others.

Rebecca - My artistic and imaginative youngest child. She loves nature and has a very special connection to the natural world. She is very beautiful and can paint like Vincent van Gogh.”

Example 2+3)

“My travels in Europe and my everlasting friendship:

I went to Belgium for 3 months, spent the winter in Northern Ireland, then went on to Scotland, England and France. I travelled with my best friend Janice from high school. I love history so I went to lots of old war rubble and castles and ancient houses. I met many interesting people just like me, traveling within a budget trying to make some memories. Me and my friend Janice were friends all through high school and after we got back from Europe I moved out to Alberta and we lost touch for 20 years. Now that I'm back here in Ottawa we are just as close as we were before. This just shows we were meant to be friends forever. :)”

Conclusion:

To be honest I thought all my mom’s examples would be cool stories from her travels in Europe, but to get that story out of her took a great deal of work. All she wanted her answer to be was motherhood, and her three kids. I chose her because she is a very interesting person so I thought she would give an interesting answer but she was stuck on the one example. She said “I could win all the money in the world, visit the coolest, most beautiful place on earth but nothing could make that first example change.” The life experience she is most grateful for is and will always be, being a mother. Out of every memory, every laugh and every moment she is most grateful for us. Me, my brother and my sister. I was a bit surprised when she told me that considering how stubborn, mischievous and expensive we are ;) 
 
Her second/third example took a lot of work to get out of her. I thought the fact that she worked all through high school to go on this trip and she actually did it all on her own was very cool. The fact that she went to all these countries so young with just a friend shows her independence and she made lots of good memories while doing it. My favorite part of her response is how she managed to stay friends with Janice for this long. After 18 years of separation they became friends just like that when we moved to Ottawa really shows me how people really can be “Best Friends Forever”.
 
I connect to this because my biggest fear of high school isn’t the homework, the mean teachers, or the bullies. I’m scared of me and my friends not being friends anymore and I know new is good but sometimes you just want old because sometimes old is better. I don't want to lose my friends and this story of my own mom and her best friend shows me how it is possible to keep your friends, and who knows maybe me and my current best friend will still be friends in 20 years.
 
Who knows?

Sunday, November 10, 2013

celebrating lives greatly full :: sasja nieukerk

Sasja Nieukerk is one of those women you meet... and you just know you'll never be quite the same.  I first met her through work and was struck by her humour, her enthusiasm and her appetite for life. Oh, and her smile.  Seriously one of the best ones out there! We have not worked together for many years now, and she lives on the other side of the country, yet we have managed to forge a friendship that is fed by the quality of the time we spend together if not the quantity.

Sasja has gone on to do great things professionally. And in her personal life, she remains active and engaged.  In more ways than one.  :-)  She has always been supportive of me and I am thrilled she accepted my invitation to participate in *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*. Thanks Saga - you rock!


What am I grateful for?

Spontaneous learning.

I love learning – can’t get enough of it. There’s lots of learning that I’ve planned and expected over the years, but somehow it’s the spontaneous learning that really takes hold - the learning I didn’t plan on, the discoveries I could not have predicted.  Late in 2012, I was surprised to discover that I was pregnant – this was not something Neil, my fiancĂ© and I had planned, in fact far from it. But well, those drugstore tests don’t lie! Our days and weeks cycled through shock, anger, crying (well ok, it was just me doing the crying), and then finally acceptance. Then lo and behold, even a little bit of excitement started to creep in. All our talk of “this isn’t the right time, we’re not ready for this yet, etc.” started to fall to the wayside. I had not ever really expected to want children – for 39 years I’ve been quite content without any – and yet I now held this precious little life inside me, and suddenly wanting it became supremely important.

So 2013 started with two big events: the first was telling my family the news on New Year’s Eve. The second was New Years Day, when I started bleeding profusely and ended up making the first of several trips to the emergency room. A week later, I’d lost the baby. It took months for my body to recover (my mother always said I had a habit of “go big or go home”), and even longer for my heart to heal. I don’t think I have ever been as depressed as I was through the early part of the year. Yet in the midst of it all, one thing had become crystal clear: I want a child. I wanted to share my life with Neil and create another life together. 

I should say that I would have been ok figuring that out without all the drama involved, but then again, that's how the learning was presented to me, and I am so immensely and intensely grateful for it. About as grateful as I am for the gift I received on my 40th birthday this August - another positive pregnancy test. Now 4 months into my pregnancy, there is no end to the things I am and will be grateful for over the upcoming months and years ahead!

Happy Halloween!
 
 

Sunday, November 3, 2013

celebrating lives greatly full :: richard rohr

If we are so blessed, once in a lifetime, a writer comes along that opens up a whole new world for us.  Or maybe, as in my case, gives the world we knew a whole new meaning. We see it with new eyes. This is what spiritual teacher and Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr, did for me.

I first encountered Fr. Richard's teachings about 10 years ago, thanks to a set of CDs that were in the library at my silent retreat house. I listened to his words... and there was no going back.  I knew instantly this was a voice that spoke to my heart. (Listen to this short talk on Prayer as a state of communion - you'll see what I mean.)


R. Rohr, seated on the right

A few years ago, I had Hubby drive me to Boston so that I could attend a week-long series of evening classes with Fr. Richard at Boston College.  A year later, I had the pleasure of attending a weekend workshop with him here in the Ottawa Valley.  Then just last February, I attended a conference in Chicago where he spoke, along with Fr. Lawrence Freeman (World Community for Christian Meditation). His teachings remain relevant and challenging. Inspired and inspiring.

You can imagine the joy and gratitude I felt when I received an email from Fr. Richard, accepting my invitation to share his gratitude on this blog!  I am so honoured to share this post from my teacher and spiritual mentor. 


My Long Gratitude

Richard Rohr

Of the many daily, totally gratuitous things I am grateful for, the things I too often take for granted, I think my long standing gratitude is for the gift of the Christian proclamation so early in life—but precisely in a way that kept growing and unfolding throughout my life.

Yes, I was grateful as a little Catholic boy in Kansas to be a part of such a warm and even insular community, as it was in the 1940s and 50s.  It gave me ground, security, and a foundational happiness in being itself.  Then I was grateful to be exposed by the
Franciscans in Ohio and Michigan to a huge world of ideas, philosophy, art, poetry, culture, and theology that made me aware of how catholic Catholic should be, and this gave me a foundational happiness in my mind.  Finally, I am grateful that my role allowed me to teach all over the world from my home here in New Mexico, to meet so many beautiful human beings, discover new depths of communion through many trials and stages, and this gave me a foundational happiness in my very heart and soul.

Now I am just grateful that being an ordinary man can be more than enough, and it allows me to name, enjoy, and tell others about what I have been given to see. The message of Christ is not finally about him at all (which he seems to be quite happy about, since that is the whole poiint!), but a liberating message about us, the movement of history, and in fact everything.  Now I have much and even everything to be grateful for, and even the inner and outer trials that got me here.