we searched for truth...

In our Native Cultures, the young and the old were traditionally seen as the most special people because they were the closest to Creator.

There is something incredibly special and unique and similar about these two groups of people. It's sad how often they get dismissed, ignored and left to the sidelines simply because they can't contribute to our society in the same way middle ages can.

In so many aspects of life, I look back to the way things used to be and long for those times where communities were made up of every generation and they lived in close-knit homes. Whether they were tribes or farming communities…there was a much more decent, integrated way of life than we chose to have here, now. Schools were smaller and so the older kids would help teach the younger ones. Responsibility was given to a much younger age and this phenomenon of "who am I?" wasn't so prevalent. Your community built identity into you.

There is a 90 year gap between Oma Penner and Mikayla. How amazing. We recorded them playing nursery rhymes together. Oma still remembered them! More and more I am cherishing the stories and the wisdom of our elderly.

A few nights ago I had a dream where my Grandma Klassen visited me. She has passed away so this was quite significant to me. In the dream she was younger and had dark black hair with radiant eyes. I had left Mika alone for a moment and came back to see her sitting on Grandma's lap. Grandma had a strength and confidence about her that I only caught glimpses of while she was here.

Thank you God for a lineage of loving Grandparents. We are blessed to know them and I pray that we would learn to respect and acknowledge them more and more. That we would become like little children once again, and see the wonder in their eyes. To have an open spirit and accepting heart.
Amen

These are some of the best ones. I love her expressions. I actually see a lot of me in her now.
She's 15.5 pounds and 26" long. Energetic as ever. Grabbing for everything. We are starting to think crawling thoughts and wondering where we're going to hide all the ground level stuff that could get her into trouble. If storage wasn't difficult before, it sure is now (what with a student wanting to share our space as well!).

Sometimes I feel a little manic and it isn't coffee induced. I get this surge or ideas and energy. I guess it's normal. But for me it comes and if I don't write it down or say what I'm thinking it will be gone in a split second. It happens more in the "ideas" realm as well as "musical" (when I was playing piano).
So here goes…

Projects I Would Love to Accomplish &
Dreams I Could See Happening by Me or Someone Else:

1. Starting an Arts Retreat (Renewal) Centre (this one has been lifelong)

I see this as a multi-arts fascility where music, visual art, media, language, drama, dance etc…are all taught, expressed and theraputically shared. It would be a place of retreat in the heart of the city. It would be accesible to anyone at anytime of the day. Workshops, classes, therapy sessions and free studio space and materials would be available as well as paid classes. This already exists in some forms but I would like to see the healing/rehabilitative side of the arts focused on more fully here. Ages? Supplies? Many questions as to the logistics of this but it is possible.

2. Starting a Creative Recycling Plant

I see this looking like a drop-off point where people bring everything they don't want. It would be sorted and then re-used creatively. Glass jars melted down or reused as garden jars or donated to a "Canning Centre" where fresh, local fruits and veggies were saved for the long winter (in mass) and given/sold to the public…basically doing the old thing in a new way. Or clothes were sorted, re-furbished and sold, shipped/given to the poor, or cut up and used as rags. Wood (which we often find in the dumpster) would be burned or built with. Magnets, technological junk, batteries etc…could also be dropped off here. This would be a mega centre for junk and people would volunteer a few hours (or more) a week in the exchange for things they wanted. Perhaps this could be called "The Exchange". Seriously there are so many things that we throw away that could be used and saved.
Something I discovered is that "mega" or "bigbox" has it's purpose (especially for mom's). Having one spot where everything is accesible is genious and it works. Now we just need to make it so that it is supportive to our environment rather than detrimental!

3. Write a Children's Book and Illustrate it

4. Go to a traumatized area of the world and help children express their feelings through art.

5. Live in the North End

6. Live in Community and help design/build an Off-The-Grid, Family-Friendly Housing Complex with shared garden/yard space!

7. Learn a million art forms

Book binding, leather mocassin making, beading, print making, metal-smithing, stainglass, painting, stretching canvas, caligraphy, woodcutting, sewing, embroidery, graffiti art (on my car in particular), just to name a few!

8. Learn how to make shampoo, soap, cleaning products (I know it's easy), candles, and other user-friendly things in life that may not exist in the next generation.

9. Learn how to compost efficiently and garden well.

10. Become an urban-farmer with my husband (or move to the country and try)
(am I sounding like I should join a commune of some sort here?)

Dreams take time. Learning a new skill takes a lifetime. Dedication and hard work. Making the time. Making the money. Trusting God. Living somewhere and being happy in whatever circumstance we happen to be in even if it isn't a dream. These are all part of life. I am hopeful.