Celebration at VIU in Powell River - Sept. 22, 2008

Some events touch your heart and you know you will remember them for a long time. The ceremony in Powell River to celebrate Malaspina University College's transformation to a full university was that kind of event. What I remember most vividly was Chief Shawn Atleo speaking about why he accepted the opportunity to serve as the new university's first Chancellor. While he acknowledged the troubled past of the residential school system, he focussed on the way that his appointment heralded a new partnership in education for aboriginal people. Chief Atleo talked of his culture and of the role his parents played in encouraging him to continue his education and of the role the elders play in encouraging all young people to continue their education. Then, he made eye contact with one young woman in the audience who was studying to become a welder, and time seemed to stop as he spoke directly to her as if they were the only two in the room, as he encouraged her to continue on with determination and pride. Chief Atleo's eloquent speech inspired me that day - I think it inspired all of us.

Preserving Memories

As fall approaches, it brings back memories of cooking and preserving food with my grandmother. She vividly remembered the depression, so every year she made sure that she “put up” lots of food for the winter.

Pitting cherries, plums and peaches was messy, sticky work. By the end of each canning session, we would all look like multi-coloured modern art masterpieces. Apples were sorted, with the best ones stored to be tucked into school lunches and the gnarled ones peeled, cored, and turned into pies, each carefully wrapped in aluminum foil, covered with plastic then labeled with masking tape recording the date.

Produce from the garden turned into crinkly beet pickles cut with a zigzag blade, dilled beans crunchy and green, and circles of bread and butter pickles to put on sandwiches. And then there were my favourites - sweet mustard pickles with onions and green tomato relish.

One of the best parts of the fall was when “the aunties” came to visit from Winnipeg, because then we would cook big batches of perogies to put in the freezer. We made them with different fillings - potato and cottage cheese, sauerkraut and pork, and fruit perogies with plums and cherries inside. We had to pinch the edges very tightly so they wouldn’t split when they were boiled. Afterwards, we would fry the savoury ones with bacon and onions and serve them with sour cream. While we worked, the aunties filled Grandma in on all the news about people she knew back on the prairies and then told favourite family stories about when they were growing up.

At the time, I thought we were preserving food but now, looking back, I realize we were preserving memories.

Collaboration

Have spent this week listening to people's views in Powell River, Pender Harbour, Sechelt, Gibsons and Cowichan Bay. While there are many similarities in the issues identified - ferries, health care, affordable housing - each issue has had a common thread and also a specific twist that makes it unique. These unique aspects make addressing the issues effectively more complex but in acknowledging the uniqueness we make our bond with each other stronger.

Picking Blackberries at Dusk

We left our blackberry picking too late in the day and dusk was already starting to fall. We went out anyway, but it made it hard to see the blackberries in that low light amid the shadows.

It made me think that politics can be a bit like that. It's hard to see the real heart of the issues when they are obscured by the foliage of controversy and the shadows of misinformation. Sometimes you just need to bring a big flashlight to shine a light on them so you can see the whole thing clearly.