Posted on September 7, 2017 under Storytelling with 5 comments

Getting ready for the first day of school

 

Twas the night before school and all through the house,

No lunches were packed, I felt like a louse.

The kids were excited, my nerves were quite shot,

I should have been cooler, but the temperature was hot.

The trip for groceries was a disaster in waiting,

The meltdown was gruesome, the lineups frustrating.

The clothes we had ordered, hadn’t arrived,

My cheery demeanor was all quite contrived.

The children were quite cranky, which wasn’t that nice,

And that’s when we discovered, a case of head lice.

I drove to the pharmacy , to purchase a kit,

In order to eradicate the unwelcome nits.

Now glue sticks, now scissors, now markers and stencils,

On notebooks, and crayons and bright colored pencils.

And what will I send for lunch on day one?

I haven’t a clue, maybe cheese in a bun.

A sleepless night, and a great deal of fuss.

Will they be on time to catch the bus?

You wave them off, with a tear in your eyes.

How day 1 will go is one big surprise.

Your exhaustion is total, there’s no way to fake it,

But you still drive to school just to be certain they make it.

The journey has started, it’s just me and you.

But what will you pack for their lunch on day 2?

 

 

 

Posted on September 4, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Merlin James – India

 

It’s a small world after all.

The population of India is approximately 1.325  ( 1,350,000,000 ) billion people. Out of this staggering number, two women were chosen to come to Antigonish to attend the Global Change Leaders Program. ( GCLP ) And I know one of these women. What are the odds of this happening?

According to the Coady Institute website the GCLP “enables women from developing countries to strengthen their leadership capacities in order to contribute to innovation and change in their organizations and communities.”

Like many Antigonishers, I have tended to take the Coady for granted most of my life. Every year since I was a child, I have watched people from all over the world come to our home town. We’re generally a friendly lot and say hello when seeing a participant on the Main. But not many of us truly appreciate the impact that the Coady Institute has abroad. Arguably, The Coady is better known in far flung places like India and Africa than in our own back yard.

My friend, Merlin ( pictured above ) from Kannykumari, India has just completed the 7 week Leadership course and because of her, I have a slightly better appreciation for the amazing things that happen right here on the campus of St.F.X University. I have spent time with the participants showing them this part of our beautiful province, sharing meals with them and even singing some songs. These women are leaders in their communities back home. They are well educated, motivated and caring individuals.

Having a mini United Nations right in our back yard is, simply put, amazing. What other small town anywhere on the planet can claim to have the best and the brightest from Chile, Bolivia, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Lesotho, Rwanda, Viet Nam, Nepal, Indonesia, Tajikistan,Bangladesh , Morocco , The Phillipines and India all under one roof, sharing knowledge and experience? They bring a global perspective and it is so interesting to hear their stories. Hopefully they have taken a bit of Antigonish back home with them.

I’m working on a story. A pair of sneakers has gone missing. No, we don’t think our 92 year old neighbor ran off with them! Do you find that as you age, things go missing more often? Or that you meet someone on the street that you know , haven’t seen in a while and have trouble remembering their name?  How about heading to another part of your house to get something and then forgetting what it was. I think it’s called aging.

The story is about forgetfulness. I just have to remember to write it!

Hope you have a great Labour Day holiday. The rhythm of life will resume later this week with the start of school and another academic year at St.F.X. Sadly summer is in the rear view mirror but our Falls can be every bit as spectacular.

Have a great day and enjoy your week.

P.S. I am often asked what “P.D.” stands for. My father, Peter Donald  ( P.D. ) MacDonald died 40 years ago yesterday. Back when there were very large families, you needed something to distinguish one MacDonald from the other. We became known as the “ P.D.’s ” We miss dad. He was a quiet, honest, hard working man and one of the first managers of the Bergengren Credit Union.