Our Way In The Cold
There's a great deal of sadness, anger, and grief with the challenges around our more vulnerable neighbors here in the city. I feel sad, even just writing out the word neighbors. The word neighbor implies a relationship of acceptance and coexistence. The forced evacuation of these sites has proven that we have a lot of work ahead of us before we can say Edmonton is a neighborly city.
My TV Show Pitch
Dear television executive
I would like to pitch an idea for a new 45-a-50-minute reality-based show called "The Great Canadian Campfire."
We Went to Quebec Part II
We have a young family, so we had to be intentional about what we'd like to do and also leave room for rest and spontaneity on our trip to Quebec City.
We Went to Quebec
"Your French is better than my English." said the taxi driver to me as he drove my family to Jean Lesage Airport to catch our flight back to Edmonton. I hadn't put much thought into the quality of my French on our family trip to Quebec City, but I did feel a sense of gratitude for my parents' decision when I was five years old to put me in a French immersion school program.
Speechless
Those who change the world are the ones who are better at listening than talking
Campfires and Doritos
…Yes, people and bad ideas need to be challenged, but change can only happen if we can listen to one another. I'm not naive to how difficult a task this is- but nothing worthwhile is easy. We have to try. One campfire and one bag of Doritos at a time!
What Do We Owe?
If this is what it feels like to be a soldier thousands of kilometers away from home on a battlefield, then perhaps the question we should focus on isn't "What did they die for?" Instead, the more appropriate question Is, what do I owe them? How should I live, considering that many who of died? Life is precious.
A Better Story
When I've listened to a First Nations speaker, I will sometimes hear them speak of past events as if they are currently happening in the present. I started thinking about that years ago, and since then, it's helped me understand that not only did Canada commit genocide on the indigenous populations before and years after confederation, but that genocide is ongoing. That hurt is alive. The cries continue.