Try a little kindness...

A recent column published in the Saskatoon Express:

 You may have noticed that I've been away from my writing desk for a while.  Well, it is with encouragement from a lovely lady who reads my column, and our wonderful editor, Cam, that I’m back in the saddle. (It’s more of a standard gas-lift office chair, really.)

See, I fancy myself a writer of funny stories but, simply put, life just hasn't been funny for my family lately.  My wonderful mother, who I often reference in my writing, has suffered a devastating stroke.  We are quite a close-knit family and we are doing what families do; gathering, coping, loving and healing.  My Mom is one tough cookie and is determined to recover.

I shouldn't be surprised by her determination.  She knows of adversity. She is the daughter of a proud family who took a huge chance on this country called Canada.  Her parents came to Saskatchewan from Ukraine under circumstances that are unimaginable to me. Consequently, education became the biggest priority for their family and most of them went on to become teachers.

 Mom received her teaching certification at Teacher's College, and began her career in some very isolated one-room school houses.  She spoke about the 'Winter of the Blue Snow' where the huge snow drifts made it impossible to go anywhere.  She persevered, raised a family of five children and became an integral part of her small community.  In the early '80s, she decided she wanted to attend the University of Saskatchewan to obtain her full education degree.  She did just that and in the span of her career, made education a memorable experience for a whole bunch of Grade 3 kids from Leoville, Saskatchewan.

Above all, my mother is a woman who extends kindness and a smile to everyone she knows.  That kindness Mom has shared so generously throughout her life is coming back to her in so many ways.  More ways than I could have ever imagined. 
One example of many I have experienced was one particular day at work.  I'd received numerous well wishes for my mother and my whole family.  One dear lady came into my office, laid a card on my desk, said very few words and left.  I looked down at the card and it was addressed to "Tracy's Mom", a lady she had never even met.  What generosity of heart... It was a brilliant reminder to me that the smallest choices we make, specifically when we choose acts of kindness over indifference, create a positive ripple that is without measure. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that all of these small acts of kindness contribute to her strength and her recovery.

It's not as though this whole experience is without its funny moments... for example, a few weeks ago I was doing some left-handed writing exercises with Mom.  I gave her the pencil and encouraged her to just write any word that came to her.  She shrugged and wrote, "churk".  Well, we simultaneously dissolved into a fit of giggles at this wonderfully nonsensical word.  It was clear to both of us that she intended to write ‘church’, but it felt so great to laugh!  I've learned that the ability to laugh at yourself when you make a mistake is invaluable to moving forward.  
They say laughter is the best medicine, and I hope we are prescribed a lot more from here on!

In the Company of Women

What a week!  I've been madly off in all directions. Today, I am excited because several of the females in my clan are gathering at my house for the weekend.  We are the Kuzyk/Charbonneau women.  From French and Ukrainian descent, our blood runs thick with wit and perogies.  We will eat and laugh with much enthusiasm.  What, you ask, could be better?  Well this, of course:
The men will Go Away. 

You see, it's the Annual Ice Fishing trip for the men in my family.  They are off to do what men do. They will fish, they will drink beer, they will scratch, they will exchange tales of how they drove various things at high rates of speed...eeeyawn.    

My husband insists that his forays into the wilderness to hunt and fish are for my own good.  He no longer calls it Hunting or Fishing though, preferring to sell the trips to me as,"Getting Food for the Family".  He is very passionate about calling it this, making us sound like some clan of lost suburbanites foraging the land in our Ford F150 simply to stay alive.

 From what I've observed, obtaining this "free" food involves first making a number of curious investments.  Investments in things such as whiskey and very expensive cheddar... The investments sometimes have little or no return. Sacrificed to the Fishing Gods, the whiskey and cheese are never seen again, and the fact that there are no fish in their place doesn't seem abnormal in any way.  Anyway, off they go, and this time I'm hoping for a whole lotta walleye upon their return. 

Getting back to the women, once again I'm in high gear trying to get the house ready.  I adore my women guests, but somehow prep is easier when men come over.  Men are not the least bit helpful, therefore they stay out of the kitchen.  They may utter something like, "where do I put the empties?"  You hand them a plastic bag for the weekend and there ya go.  They don't have to see the state of the cupboards and fridge.  With women guests, my system of Everything Behind a Closed Door, is not foolproof.  They will inevitably be their wonderful selves and offer to put something away. At that moment I will become fully aware of just how many toast crumbs are in my cutlery drawer.  They will open the freezer and 6 months worth of frozen over-ripe bananas will rain down upon their feet.  "Whoops! Sorry! That's going to leave a mark.  Why don't we apply a frozen banana in a ziploc bag to take down the swelling. Gotta use those damn things for something." 

Anyhoo, next year at this time I am happy to report that the women's gathering will be somewhere hot and all-inclusive.  The men can have their fish & beer & cheese.  We'll have maids and beach chair service.  Ra cha cha.

My April Fool, back from fishing and all ready for hunting season with his new Cutco hunting knife.