Naturally Imperfect

Grocery stores in the Loblaws chain sell lower grades of fruits and vegetables at reduced prices in bags labelled "Naturally Imperfect". I can get apples, avocadoes, limes, sweet peppers and mushrooms in this packaging. I asked my daughter to pick up some grocery items including these peppers and mushrooms and she commented,

"Even produce gets judged!"

Our society is very judgemental, and opinions spread quickly on social media. Yet none of us would want to be singled out and scrutinized in the same way we scrutinize others. The world is full of naturally imperfect people, in fact, perfect people are simply mythical and nonexistent.

Our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has received a lot of hate from people who disagree with his governance. Expressed hatred like this comes from a place of arrogance and ignorance whether is it from political opponents or common citizens. Disagreements are inevitable but they can be discussed with civility and respect. I noted today that Justin and Sophie celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary.  Sophie wrote about their marriage relationship with great insight and wisdom. 

"You all know I keep things honest: long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways. They demand constant work, flexibility, compromise, sacrifice, devotion, patience, effort, and so much more. None of us are perfect and so there is no perfect relationship, but love is only true when it keeps you safe, sets you free, and makes you grow." 

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau

My naturally imperfect produce is just as useful and delicious as Grade A visually perfect fruit and vegetables. My human imperfections do not need to sideline my plans and purposes, in fact, I become more caring and compassionate as I view others from the perspective of my own weaknesses. 

Where do your dreams take you?

Nana with Miss P and Master A at Green Corners Farm 

Our four-year-old granddaughter is at that stage of development where she asks several hundred questions a day. Some require concrete answers and others are more philosophical. During our recent visit, she asked, 

"Nana, where do your dreams take you?"

 

She is convinced that her nighttime dreams take her out of her home to places far away. She told me that she sometimes visits a village in the jungle where there are lots of animals. She goes to a watermelon farm and a blueberry farm where she plays with an unnamed boy and a girl named Bola. Other places her dreams take her are sometimes scary, but she meets some nice people too. She cannot grasp the concept that dreams are involuntary brain images and emotions. Thankfully for her, the dreams always bring her back to her room before morning.

REM sleep dreams are common to everyone and can be very troubling, especially for children. Some cultures and faith traditions attach spiritual meaning to dreams, but my dreams have always been random and never predictive of future events. As a child, nighttime was very scary for me and I sometimes experienced night terrors. I had a great fear of intruders and was terrified of what might be under my bed. As a teenager coming home in the wee hours of the morning after babysitting for a neighbour, I broke my bed frame trying to jump on it from a distance as I endeavoured to avoid something grabbing my feet from under the bed. I was six or seven years old when a thief broke into our home in South Africa and the terror of that incident stayed with me for years, literally until I had children. After our twins were born I was never afraid of the dark again.

Trying to hold the light- Mexican sunset

Yesterday's Gospel reading at church was from Revelation 21 where it is written that the holy city Jerusalem "has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there."

Light can alleviate fear, especially fear associated with nightmares and night terrors. From a young age, we allowed our children to turn on a bedside lamp at their discretion if they were afraid or if they wanted to read a book. 

Little Miss P. will come to understand that sleep time dreams are not real and do not drag you unwillingly out the front door to places unknown. But I want her to have dreams and ambitions of her own that will give her purpose and fulfillment. When she is a little older were can discuss where dreams can really take you when you plan and work towards a future goal. 

Nature at its best and worst

Total Lunar Eclipse May 16, 2022, 12:12 AM

Last weekend, we drove to Ottawa ON just in time for the lunar eclipse. Sunday afternoon brought thunderstorms and heavy rain but the skies cleared by the time the eclipse started. Our daughter Becka took these hand-held pictures with my camera just as the eclipse was nearly complete. It is challenging to take a sharp photo of a darkened moon without a tripod but she had a very steady hand. The middle photo shows the city environment with the red moon in the sky. Becka woke me up just before midnight so I could go outside to see the event at its peak. 

Déjà vu

Jumping ahead six days to May 21...

A derecho, a long line of strong winds with heavy rain and thunderstorms raced across Ontario yesterday. The wind and rain hit our neighbourhood at noon and the same storm line hit Ottawa severely only 4 hours later. It takes about 5 hours to drive that distance on the highway, so that gives some idea of how quickly the storm moved. At least 5 people in our province were killed by falling trees including one death at a campground in our area. The picture above is on our city block. We had a similar storm last June that felled many trees in the city and yesterday, a boulevard tree fell on a house next door to a home that experienced the same misfortune the previous year. Our local airport recorded wind gusts as high as 130 km/hour as the storm raced by.

Did the eaglets survive??

I was concerned about the Bald Eagle nest in a nearby town and we drove out to check on it this afternoon. The pine tree that supports the eyrie is high on a riverbank and is vulnerable to winds from the west. The storm damage in this township was more severe than in our city and many trees were damaged or destroyed. The Bald Eagle nest appeared intact but the birds were not around. I know there were two eaglets in the nest last week but it appeared abandoned today. We saw a pair of adult Bald Eagles a few kilometres away in a tree and I snapped a picture as they flew off. It is unusual to see two eagles together during nesting time as they invariably take turns watching their young. 

Sadly, it is inevitable that many bird and squirrel nests were destroyed in yesterday's storms. I will check the eyrie again before declaring that the eaglets did not survive. Our daughter's home in Ottawa had some minor damage, but her friend's home was severely damaged by a fallen tree. Other families lost loved ones. Nature can be very harsh...

Bobolink, Red Fox, Savannah Sparrow

...but life goes on and most creatures demonstrate great resilience. Bobolinks sang their metallic songs, a fox ran through the rapidly growing grass and Savannah Sparrows perched on fence posts at the edge of a meadow. We saw a nice variety of birds following their normal springtime routines. We saw lots of people outdoors as they worked together cleaning up neighbourhoods and helping those in need. Sometimes nature at its worst brings out the best of "human nature".

Here By The Water...

Here by the Water

Music and Lyric by Jim Croegaert
© 1986 Rough Stones Music

Soft field of clover
Moon shining over the valley
Joining the song of the river
To the great giver of the great good

As it enfolds me
Somehow it holds me together
I realize I’ve been singing
Still it comes ringing
Clearer than clear

And here by the water
I’ll build an altar to praise Him
Out of the stones that I’ve found here
I’ll set them down here
Rough as they are
Knowing You can make them holy
Knowing You can make them holy
Knowing You can make them holy

I think how a yearning
Has kept on returning to move me
Down roads I’d never have chosen
Half the time frozen
Too numb to feel
I know it was stormy
I hope it was for me learning
Blood on the road wasn’t mine though
Someone that I know
Has walked here before

I left home early this morning, just as the sun was rising and drove to one of my favourite spots along the Nith River. There is a stony beach where the river curves and continues to move downstream and I find it easy to meditate and pray in this quiet spot. Every time I sit here I think of Jim Croegaert's song which I heard a few years ago as a cover by Steve Bell in his album Beyond a Shadow. I have listened to it hundreds of times and it is in "my favourites" playlist.

"And here by the water

I’ll build an altar to praise Him

Out of the stones that I’ve found here

I’ll set them down here

Rough as they are

Knowing You can make them holy"

Jim Croegaert explains that he wrote the song during a difficult time in his life. He walked to a riverbank and was inspired to write these words. 

Life is seldom perfect yet people can feel they are entitled to a trouble-free, stress-free existence. Prosperity teaching in the evangelical church has been damaging as those with illness and hardship are judged to have insufficient faith. Others who are successful often live proudly, storing up "God's blessings" for their own consumption. I watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye on Disney+ recently and while I never followed the Bakker's ministry on TV, I recognized the toxic message that was shared with sincere but gullible followers. More often, we offer circumstances over which we have no control and the broken pieces of our lives as an act of worship. 

This is the peaceful view to my right at 6:30 AM. Hundreds of swallows dip high in the air as they prepare for a new day of searching for flying insects. 

The Bald Eagle left its eaglets in the nest and quietly faced the rising sun.

A Grey Catbird gave a feline call and sang its robotic, metallic song before foraging for berries. 

And a Baltimore Oriole sang its unique song which was different than the song of its smaller cousin, the Orchard Oriole who was perched in the same area.

I was refreshed in this magnificent cathedral with the beautiful music and the assurance of care, compassion and provision that God offers even in difficult times.

Here is another cover of the song performed by David Wesley, a nurse in Eastern Ontario who also arranges and records songs in his spare time. 

Spring Explodes!

Trillium grandiflorum

Two weeks ago these trilliums were just buds ready and waiting for a warm day to burst into bloom. We have had summer-like temperatures the past couple of days and everything is finally opening and growing. I love walking through this local bush in May when trilliums bloom en masse on the slopes of the glacial landforms. 

May 11, 2020

Two years ago today we had a spring snowstorm after many flowers had started blooming. Late frosts and snow events are worrisome for fruit tree farmers but it is unlikely we will have that problem this year. Whether it is warm or cold, the ephemeral spring season is always short. With the summer-like forecast over the next few days, the trilliums will be done by the weekend for another year. 

Trout Lily, Dutchman's Britches, Violets, Jack-in-the-Pulpit (L-R, top to bottom)

Trout Lilies, Violets and Jack-in-the-Pulpits were everywhere in the bush as well. I found only one blooming Dutchman's Britches and the flowers were almost done. Once these flowers are finished, mosquitoes will be hatching and our woodland visits will be suspended until autumn. 

Blue Jay in a Black Walnut Tree

Most of the trees around our property are in leaf now. The Black Walnut is slow to open as is the Rose of Sharon shrub in my garden. A pair of Blue Jays appear to be preparing to nest nearby again this spring along with a pair of Northern Cardinals. The male birds are very vocal as they establish their territories.

I am so grateful for this little corner of planet Earth that we occupy where we live in peace and have no fear when exploring our natural areas. We have good friends and neighbours, jobs we enjoy and all the benefits of a free country. There is always something we could complain about, but today was all about beauty and the renewal the spring offers. May is a month worth repeating each year if that were possible. 

To Tell the Truth

Magnolia Perspective #1

I read two books in the past month about the same events in the life of a Christian mother, her son and her daughter who fled Iran in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution. They spent time in Dubai and then in a refugee camp in Italy before they were sponsored to come to America. Daniel Nayeri retold his story as a 12-year-old child who was adjusting to school while trying to assimilate into a new life in Oklahoma. Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) is written for older children but I found it a very compelling read. This week I read his sister's story. Dina Nayeri's book The Ungrateful Refugee; What Immigrants Never Tell You gives an account of the same escape from Iran along with other refugee stories. Dina is a few years older than her brother Daniel. She also has whiter skin and she remarks on the more favourable way she was treated at times because of her complexion. While they had the same experiences, their memories and impressions are quite different. Dina writes at the end of her book, 

"In the portions of this book about my own life, 

my accounts are true according to my memory and perspective."

I read an interview with Margaret Atwood in The Atlantic where she is quoted as saying,

"Mythology is everything that happened before you were born when your parents were gods and heroes. Legend is your life until approx age 7. History begins after that."

Magnolia Perspective #2

Childhood memories are often fragmented and disproportionate. The retelling of a story is often more real
than the actual event and time polishes the memory just as sharp glass is smoothed and rounded in time by moving sand and water. 

Our mother wrote and published a memoir a couple of years before she died. She was quite secretive when writing it and did not collaborate with anyone but Dad. Most of my siblings and I were very surprised when were read the family story as her memories were often quite different than ours. One of my brothers remarked that he would be suspicious of all autobiographies he read in the future. But another brother felt this was Mom's story written to her target audience and it was true to her memories in spite of the errors and omissions we noted. Mom was almost 80 when she wrote about events that spanned her lifetime.

Dina Nayeri writes that her family's refugee story dominated and validated their lives. Church groups who supported the family in America wanted to hear it retold over and over again even though the children preferred to move on. Daniel told his stories to his teacher and classmates who often disbelieved his account of events. He describes the difficulties he had separating legend from the truth in his young mind. 

I think about these things when I read the Bible too. The gospels were written decades after the events they describe and Christian apologists work hard to try and explain discrepancies in the four accounts. Other discrepancies are found throughout the Old Testament as well. While I believe the scriptures are inspired, inerrancy is harder to define. They were written from various historical and cultural perspectives and in different literary genres. Interpretation of scripture is decidedly challenging and prone to error, a fact that is illustrated by the many different Christian doctrines and denominations found in the past and present. The Jewish textual interpretation of scripture known as midrash is an example of rabbinical questioning of scriptural texts, providing answers in some cases, but leaving other questions unanswered. I have read some thought-provoking books and articles on these topics including Michael F. Bird's Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible to this article by Derek Vreeland called Why Biblical Inerrancy Doesn't Work.

Narcissus or Daffodil? It depends...

We are always checking stories at the hospital. A patient told us she was able to walk independently to the bathroom and to the kitchen to make her lunch. Her family told a much different story of a mother who had not walked in two years. Was the patient lying? I think not, as it was her perspective and reality even if she had not been at this functional level for a few years. Stories develop and are shared in different ways with different audiences.

I have come to accept my mother's memoirs as her own history. While I strive to write accurately as I blog, others may disagree with my versions of events past and present. My memories are inconsistent and prone to human error and my interpretation of life events may be different than what my siblings and children would describe.

I am still fairly skeptical about things I read as there are many deceitful, biased and misleading stories that are published and shared. But I am learning to listen to people's individual stories and respect their experiences as life-shaping events that are part of the big picture of their value and identity.