September 17, 2008
· Filed under Connections
I’m glad you dropped by. Please stay for a while and let me introduce myself.
If you’d like to connect, just send me an email and I’ll get back in touch as soon as possible.
After completing a B.Ed. at the University of British Columbia, I worked as a college instructor, YWCA program director and organizational consultant, specializing in teambuilding and training techniques.
Currently I work for the Community Arts Council of Vancouver and lead workshops on creativity and other topics.
I’m actively engaged in community matters through my housing co-op, the Unitarian Church and various arts, culture and environmental initiatives.
For eight years, I was the executive director of the Canadian Unitarian Council, during a period of major organizational change. That role required extensive travel, being away from home for half the year, in two-month periods of time. I had the opportunity to visit many parts of Canada, I might never have visited otherwise (including St. John’s, Newfoundland and Gimli, Manitoba) and also represented the organization at international conferences.
When I am at home in Vancouver, I feel like a little animal back in their natural habitat. I sometimes say that I have rainwater in my veins.
I enjoy the possibilities of electronic communication, so please drop me a note if you think we might collaborate on a project together.
January 8, 2010
· Filed under ABC's
According to the Wisdom of Lukas (4-year old grandson), you shouldn’t say “hate”. I think he’s probably right (and whoever told him that is too), but I do slip up. Lukas never misses a slip, though. He’s persistent. “Don’t say hate. That’s a bad word.”
In fact, whenever he’s caught me, I didn’t really *mean* hate – I probably meant something like: I’d rather not.
So I’m not convinced hate is never a good word, but being more precise with language is definitely a good idea.
Thanks, Lukie. I’m sure I’ve got a lot more to learn from you.
January 8, 2010
· Filed under ABC's, Words/Ideas/Books
I just finished reading Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood.
As a new year begins I’m torn between making ambitious new year’s resolutions, goals and objectives, strategies and tactics and, simply, following my country’s leader’s approach to just prorogue everything.
So the God’s Gardener’s approach of having depression a non-word and thinking it’s a natural rhythm to have “fallow periods” seems rather appealing.
The GG’s (not to be confused with the Governor General’s awards – which don’t go to those who prorogue/procrastinate!) do, however, feel that feeling fallow shouldn’t go on for too long.
Even here in Vancouver, the weather is cold – and, of course, wet – and while I turned over the compost and raked up some dead leaves, it’s a good time for feeling fallow.
December 22, 2009
· Filed under Words/Ideas/Books
Ever since my kids were small, I’ve enjoyed getting people involved in crafts at Christmas time. At potluck events, I offer: I’ll bring the craft!
For the past couple of years, I’ve assembled materials to have people create westcoast ornaments. I collect oyster shells on Hornby Island (aka “Magic Island) that already have holes in them. Then I take all sorts of stuff – lots of stuff – and people from aged 3 to 80 seem to enjoy it. Well, as Alexander Keith’s beer ads go: those who like it, like it a lot. I think it might not be everyone’s idea of a good time.
Here are some of the ones made in my housing co-op – We put them up in the hall each year and usually add a few by the time they go back in the box.
December 5, 2009
· Filed under Words/Ideas/Books
From Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
pages 18-19
In only one area did he (Charles’ father) allow [the children]some amount of leeway, and that was in religion. He raised the children as Unitarians. Unitarianism was a lenient Christian faith at the center of social reform in England. It was not very demanding about the specifics of belief. Charles’ grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, had made fun of Unitarianism, saying it was a “featherbed to catch a falling Christian.” Dr. Darwin liked to quote that saying, too. But being a Unitarian was good for many reasons. Unitarians did not stand out in society as heretics, but the faith was easy to live with if you felt uncomfortable with a more serious, stricter branch of Christianity.
December 2, 2009
· Filed under Quotations
Anne Michaels writes in her book Fugitive Pieces, “Make beauty necessary, make necessity beautiful”.
November 30, 2009
· Filed under NaNoWriMo
Well, it’s so drafty that I caught a cold while working on it, but I submitted over 50,000 words and got my “goodies”.
I wrote a “memoir” – that could become a novel, perhaps, some day. Anyhow after being a one-day novelist (as in, one day I’ll write a novel) from as early as Grade 7 when my friend Suzanne and I decided we’d write a Nancy Drew together, through ideas about mystery novels – usually in a series – I admire Sue Grafton making her way through the alphabet!
So this is the most # of words and time committed to creative writing, and it was, as expected, somewhat therapeutic to deconstruct my “dream job that turned into a nightmare” and try to figure out what “waking up” meant!
November 29, 2009
· Filed under Quotations
quotation from The Bishop’s Man
… And I remembered Father Roddie, the philosopher, and his words the week before my ordination. Nobody is perfect, not in this life; but we have to show, by example, how to manage imperfections.
But Father Roddie didn’t reveal to me the secret weapon for the management of imperfection. I had to learn that for myself. I had to learn about hypocrisy alone.
November 27, 2009
· Filed under Books
I’m at page 100 – after waiting several months from VPL – so better get going. I’m enjoying it. Nice writing; nice dialogue; interesting stories from the characters.
November 27, 2009
· Filed under NaNoWriMo
I have a friend that I get together most Fridays – usually for breakfast – today we went for lunch. We’ve known each other for, hum,more than 20 years. And during the 8-year dream/nightmare job she got to hear a lot about the joys and challenges of the job.
I asked her today: Did you see an arc in that story?
She at first described a curve from top to bottom to top and then said, “No, it was more like a rollercoaster. I remember the ups when you got staff and then when you had a presence here.” up and down.
My friend is also a manager of a non-profit organization, so was often helpful in a concrete way as well as full of empathy.
I remember my interview for the job and being asked: where do I get emotional support. I smiled and said: I’ve got a wide and supportive network of friends and family. There are literally dozens of people thinking about me right now.
I often remembered that and felt i needed every bit of that support in order to carry on at times.
I think it’s harder to write 50,000 words in a month for an extrovert. I recommend planning conversations – not instead of writing but to supplement, inspire, encourage writing. I am with the people that say: don’t show much to people though. (other than your blog, perhaps.)
230 words – they count!
November 26, 2009
· Filed under Religion
It’s OK to wish me MerryChristmas, and contrary to what I’ve heard people haven’t gotten thrown in jail for wishing other people Merry Christmas.
But maybe they have – I’d like to know more about the details if this is true.
Chrisitianity is still the dominent religion in Canada. I was told a while ago that Paganism was the fastest growing, but I think that’s from teeny tiny to itsy bitsy. Easier to double your numbers if you’re small, right?
Most of the Christians I know I meet at liberal religious conferences and interfaith activities. They seem not at all bent-out-of shape at being asked to consider the idea that not all people you meet on the street are Christians and might prefer a different greeting.
As a Unitarian, we rewrite the words of some of the songs – not a practice I particularl7 approve of – but that’s how we adjust.
Adjust we must.
Basically I don’t mind being wished Merry Christmas either as a pleasantry (I understand that when people say: How are you? they don’t really expect me to get into it at any length. I don’t mind too, if they recognize that they’re saying their word for “Happy Holidays” and I might say my own” Gud Yule” or “Sunny Solstice”. Is that offensive? Shouldn’t be it seems to me – we’re doing the good work of reaching across possible dividers of religious practice – using our own language but wishing each other well.
Peace and goodwill to all
