a perspective shift

As an aspiring gardener, I am not a fan of squirrels. They seem to take unholy delight in digging up bulbs, nipping the stems of flowers in half, taking a single bite out of nearly-ripe strawberries, scooping dirt from potted plants and flinging it around balconies. I’m a fairly chill person most of the time,…

Still here!

Hi team. I know it’s been a while since I last wrote here, and for that I apologize. Summer always seems to get away on me– I’m finding it hard to believe that we’re more than halfway through July! As things open up, regulations loosen, and the general anxiety around COVID seems to wane, we…

Azorean Stew

About a month ago I had a great chat with someone I didn’t know very well, while in the breakfast line-up at The Dale. This friend was in the mood to share about his life, which he did with both vulnerability and humour. He told me that he grew up on a beautiful island in…

Being Sarah’s Niece

My Aunt Sarah was a real gem. She passed away on Maundy Thursday, after a four year journey with ovarian cancer, and she is going to be SO missed. To be a niece of Aunt Sarah was a gift. She loved creating and sustaining traditions for us as a family, like getting all ten nieces…

Things I learned on leave

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently took a four week leave from The Dale, and then returned in a part time capacity for another two weeks. There were a number of factors that led to my need for some time off, most of which were actually unrelated to my work here. However,…

Hug delivery

It was the day that we learned of Ash’s death, a Sunday. Meg and I received the Dale’s food delivery from Second Harvest in the morning, then Erinn led our church service in the afternoon with back up from me and Olivia. Our friend Mike (who we hadn’t seen in many months) popped in before…

You made us feel like us

Hey Ash. I’m still finding it really hard to fathom that you’re not here anymore. You left really suddenly, and none of us saw it coming. There are SO many people who miss you, and are aching from your absence. The first time I met you was probably 8 or 9 years ago. You were…

Holding on with Letting Go

Two years ago I was in the throes of planning a Day of Lament for myself and fellow front line workers; an attempt to help us process (at least some of) the cumulative grief that comes from loving people who have hard lives, and then losing too many in too short a time. My dear…

Yay for community!

Today I am feeling just so grateful for the collective power of community, for a few specific reasons: The Dale started a GoFundMe just before Christmas, to help a community member pay for an essential surgery for his dear dog. Thanks to our amazing network of supporters, the full $2000 has been raised, and we’re…

Keep on Trucking

Hi all. A lot has happened since the last time I wrote here! On December 8th, The Dale and Christ Church St. James (CCSJ) teamed up for an afternoon of carolling and Christmas goodies/winter necessities in the parkette outside the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Center (PQWCHC). It was a snow globe-y kind of a…