Weather

Happy Monday everyone! Here in the resort town of Cobourg, it’s a bit of a rainy day, but we welcome the rain, as our lawns and plants have craved it for so long!

Weather is one of the topics that everyone has something to say about.  I worked for a company with major offices in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Houston.  They also have many minor offices in many states and provinces. So, what was the first thing we talked about at the beginning of every meeting?  The weather. It was something we all experience and either rave or complain about.

We knew that often whatever was hitting our colleagues in Alberta was likely headed to Ontario in some form.  When colleagues from Houston came to Toronto in the winter, they were often treated to weather that they never see in Texas.  Sometimes, our ice and snow storms can be pretty frightening.  I found Houston rather rainy the only time I made it down there.  I was expecting warm weather, since it was January, and got quite a surprise.

I have also noticed a bit of a shift in the seasons here in Ontario, since I was a kid.  It used to be that July was the really warm month and August was a bit cooler, but now, it stays quite warm through August and even into September.  Winter sometimes doesn’t really get started until some time in January and where we used to get a lot of snow every winter, when I was a kid, some years we get very little.  This past year, I think we used the snowblower only once all winter.  Mind you, that was probably because Cavan bought a brand new stage two snowblower and like taking an umbrella out on what is expected to be a rainy day, it was like insurance that the expected weather did not appear.

Oh well!  I guess that Mother Nature likes to keep us guessing.  I suppose that weather is like the stock market.  You can’t really control it.  You can make reasonable assumptions, but you will rarely be able to make definitive ones.

There is also el nino and el nina.  Sorry, I don’t have a Spanish keyboard.  El nino I believe is supposed to create a very hot summer and conversely, el nina a rather cool one.  The weather folks try to predict the weather around those, but it never seems to be quite right.

The study of the Earth and weather patterns must be quite interesting.  The weather folks even seem to be able to tell us the POP (probability of precipitation), but it’s still only a reasonable, educated guess.

So folks, wherever you are and whatever weather you are experiencing, I pray that you are all safe and enjoying summer, which, to me, is a time for relaxing and spending time with family.

God bless!

One God

Happy Sunday! As I look out at the lovely day here in the resort town of Cobourg, I am happy that I am blessed to live in a very peaceful place and wonder why there are so many non peaceful places in the world.

I went out on a limb in a blog some time ago about one God.  I am fascinated by religions and some time ago, I read a book called ‘A History of God’ by Karen Armstrong. The book speaks to three of the biggest religions in the world:  Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  What do they all have in common?  One God.  He may be called God, Yahweh, or Allah, but those three religions all agree that there is only one Creator.

There are many splinter groups that have broken away from each of them, I’m suppose, but at the core of each of those faiths, is, I’m sure; love God, love yourself and love one another.

So, how is it that we have gotten so far away from that, that we are out killing each other?  None of the faiths say to love only white folks, or dislike any other color of folks, or even dislike anyone who does not follow your own faith.  Why have we strayed away from the simple ‘love one another?’

In the Old Testament, Moses came down from the mountain with ten commandments that essentially further define the three that I mentioned and I wonder if the commandment that asks that we not ‘covet thy neighbor’s stuff’ has anything to do with it. Do people hate because of what others have, that they do not?

I think that may be part of it, but we know that prejudice is learned.  We are not born with it.  So, what kind of ignorance causes us to pass on prejudice to our children?  We are in the 21st century.  One of my daughters suggested to me that in a few years, there will be no prejudice against blacks.  I pray that would be so, but even though we have come a long way, we still have a very long way to go.

No matter what your heritage, there are always some ‘bad apples.’ There are some bad caucasians, look at Hitler! A huge example of someone actually trying to wipe out the Jews because he seemed to believe that they were the cause of some grief.  Wow.

I guess that I am really simplifying things and as my kids always say; I like to believe in unicorns and rainbows.  I want to believe the best in people.  I at least want to believe that it is possible.  At the end of the day, or perhaps at the end of our days here on Earth, who cares what color or religion anyone is?  We need to help each other, to be able to sustain the human race as a whole.  Let’s get it together folks!  There is enough food, shelter and water for all.  Let’s share!

This coming from a newly appointed chaplain for the Community Catholic Church of Canada.  Someone who wants to see harmony and peace in the world.  Call your god whatever you want, but I’m pretty sure that there was nothing said by Him that told any of us to go around killing each other.  Let us make peace.

Let’s make it happen!  God bless!

Birthday!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s a toasty one here at 29 degrees Celsius, which is 84 degrees Fahrenheit to my southern friends. I’m later than normal getting a blog out, but since it is my birthday, that is my topic!

I used to get rather depressed on my birthday.  Not so much because I was getting older, but because I didn’t feel that I had really accomplished anything yet.  I didn’t expect to create world peace, or cure cancer, but I had always hoped to really do something worthwhile.  Not that I knew what that was.

I’m not sure if my birthday isn’t bothering me because I am retired, or because I have started along a whole new path that will allow me to do some things that I think are really worthwhile.  IT wasn’t it.  I did enjoy most of the 35 years I focused my energies on it, but it didn’t seem to be my actual purpose in life.  Along the way, I raised two wonderful girls on my own (perhaps a challenging task, but still not it), did quite a bit for the MS Society of Canada, Scarborough Chapter (again, a worthy task, but still not it) and wrote and published four books (also a challenging task, but still not it).

Now, I am on the path to be a deacon and I think this might be it! As deacons, we can perform weddings, baptisms and funerals, but I truly believe that my calling is to work with seniors.  I have actually been in contact with Seniors for Seniors, which I am hoping to do some work with, perhaps this fall.  They have not yet reached out as far as Cobourg, but I have connected with them, in the hopes that they will.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that I can choose to study to be a priest after I am ordained a deacon, but I have not yet decided that yet.  I am leaning towards it, but I have a lot of soul searching to do yet. Deacon might be all I am called to do.  I’ll see.

So, folks, I just turned 58.  It’s not bothering me, and 30, 40 and 50 didn’t bother me, but I am wondering if 60 might bother me when I get there.  I guess that will partially depend on what I do over the next two years!  Right now, except for my course, I’m pretty much just trying to catch up on years of reading.  I was reading as fast as I could because I have over 100 of my friend Viv’s books and she is 90!  I was afraid that I wouldn’t get to read them if she passed away before I got through them, but she has now told me that whatever books I have when she’s gone I do not have to return to her family.  I’m still hoping that she’ll be around for another 10 years or so, and I might get through them by then, but you never know!

Well, everyone,I pray that you find your purpose in life, because the part before that just isn’t quite as satisfying.  God bless!

Long Weekend

Happy Monday!  It is rather warm again up here in the resort town of Cobourg, so I turned on the air conditioning again. I was sweating even before my workout began today!  It’s cooling down now.

Well, folks, today is a holiday for the US folks.  Independence Day.  Friday was Canada Day for those of us who live north of the 49th parallel.  As a user of Facebook, I was quite amused at the folks being interviewed, asked what Independence Day was about.  It seems that there are many who did not know that July 4th marks the anniversary of the US Independence from Britain.

Now, one of the questions was to name some of the founding fathers of the US.  Interestingly enough, even though I am Canadian, I not only knew what Independence Day celebrates, I also knew a few of the founding fathers.  I’ll bet that if you asked anyone in the US what Canada Day was about, they wouldn’t know.

I should point out that few of the interviewees even knew the year of independence and I’m guessing that not everyone knows the year of the Canadian confederation (the reason for Canada Day).  The US has been a country longer than Canada.  Since 1776, in fact (240 years old, if I have my math right).  Canada was established only in 1867, which means that next year, we celebrate 150 years as a country.

What does all of that mean to the average Joe on the street?  Today is a day off for most Americans (I’m sure the hospitals and a few other essential services still had folks at work).  It also meant that Friday was a day off for most Canadians (we also have essential services here, and some stores remain open anyway).  So, essentially, it meant a long weekend.

It’s sad to think that despite the patriotism felt by each country.  It mostly just means a day off.

I know that it is a good excuse for a party, including fireworks etc.

But we should remember what we are celebrating!  Be proud of your country, whichever side of the 49th parallel you are on, but remember what you are proud of, what you have accomplished over the years and what started it all.

May God bless both countries and may we continue to grow and prosper.