"Within your heart, keep one still secret spot where dreams may go."
~Louise Driscoll
dream of flying into the sky
dream of being free
dream of letting go
~Jessica
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Brooklyn's DREAM Picture
"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."
~Pamela Vaull Starr
You may be confused as to how "coffee" can be related to Dreams. But to me coffee is my dream. My dream is to open up a coffee shop. The line "for stars lie hidden in your soul" in my quote really stuck out to me. Because a dream doesn't just appear one day. It lies deep in your soul for a long time, and only shows itself to you when it wants to. And when you take hold of it, you can't get it out of your mind. That's what happened to me with the coffee shop idea. It would come to my mind every now and then, but I never thought I could. But then I realized as long as I want to do this, I can do this. So I will. ~Brooklyn
Sunday, May 15, 2011
God is Present
I know I have blogged about the book "Divine Nobodies" by Jim Palmer before, but I was sharing a story with the adult Sunday school class this morning ('favorite' would not be the right word to describe it - maybe the most 'impactful' story in the book) and want to share part of it again. I couldn't make it through this paragraph without tears (p. 144):
"Somewhere over the Atlantic, forty thousand feet above the earth, these nice thoughts about God gave way to disturbing images I wish I could forget from my trip. Now the question, where was God today? tortured me. Today a ten-year-old girl is being strapped down tight to a bed and brutally and repeatedly raped. God is present. Today an eight-year-old emaciated boy is covered with a cardboard box and left to die. Slowly he slips into unconsciousness. God is present. Today a young mom of three wails in bed as her skeletal body writhes with the unrelenting agony of AIDS. God is present. Still, I grew angry. Why was God pushing these horrors in my face? I was emotionally spent and wanted to go home to my world. God could have that world; that was his deal, he's God; I didn't live in that world.
Or did I?"
"Somewhere over the Atlantic, forty thousand feet above the earth, these nice thoughts about God gave way to disturbing images I wish I could forget from my trip. Now the question, where was God today? tortured me. Today a ten-year-old girl is being strapped down tight to a bed and brutally and repeatedly raped. God is present. Today an eight-year-old emaciated boy is covered with a cardboard box and left to die. Slowly he slips into unconsciousness. God is present. Today a young mom of three wails in bed as her skeletal body writhes with the unrelenting agony of AIDS. God is present. Still, I grew angry. Why was God pushing these horrors in my face? I was emotionally spent and wanted to go home to my world. God could have that world; that was his deal, he's God; I didn't live in that world.
Or did I?"
Saturday, May 14, 2011
World Fair Trade Day
Head to www.wftday.org for more information about Fair Trade events happening right around the globe.
Friday, May 13, 2011
DREAM Details
The final photography exhibit for my injustice/photography class is actually an art auction. The theme is DREAM and it's happening May 24 at the Border Land School Division Office. From 7 - 8 p.m. you will have a chance to view all the photos, do some silent bidding (there are 5 8x10 prints, matted & framed to 11x14 - bids will start at $50 and these pictures will be featured next week so be sure to check them out), buy tickets for the rainbow auction ($1 for 1 ticket, $2 for 3 tickets or $5 for 10 tickets - there are 8 5x7 framed prints, pictured below) and get your picture taken in our 'photo booth' (automatic prints are $1 each). At 8 p.m. the prizes will be awarded. There is no admission. Refreshments will be served. And the best part - ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE GOING TO 'BUILD A VILLAGE'. Bring your chequebook and your change to support this local charity and to encourage these young photographers! If you'd like to see the pictures before May 24, they will be on display from May 16 - 21 in the mall, across from IGA.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Screwed
So I love my new car and we get along pretty well. The only issues I've had so far has been with the tires. My front passenger tire keeps losing air (sometimes faster than other times), but I deal with it. Since I've been driving into Winnipeg more lately, I've been extra vigilant and am checking the pressure and filling it as necessary. This afternoon I was running around doing some errands before starting work at 4 p.m. My last stop was around 3 p.m. - I wanted to pick up some Fair Trade flowers for my first day at Ten Thousand Villages this Saturday (it being World Fair Trade Day). I park my car and go to enter the florist, when I hear this hissing sound. I look around and realize that it's coming from my front passenger tire, and it won't stop. Thankfully there was a Domo on the same lot and so I went to ask if there were any tire shops close by. Miracle upon miracle, there was one a block away! Domo didn't have any air to fill my now flat tire, so I head over to the shop on foot.
Sometimes I wonder about my life: how do I get myself into all these scraps all the time? Anyway, the guy at the shop was so great. He actually sent one of his workers (yeah Jon!) to go and fill my tire. Jon told me I better drive fast, given how quickly the air just escaped from my tire. Tire full, I ripped it down the block back to the shop where a screw was discovered. In a matter of minutes, my tire was patched up and only $22.40 later, I was on my way and made it to work on time. Sometimes you get screwed, sometimes you don't!!
Here's my shout-out to T-Mac Auto Services! - check them out at 337 Ferry Road.
Sometimes I wonder about my life: how do I get myself into all these scraps all the time? Anyway, the guy at the shop was so great. He actually sent one of his workers (yeah Jon!) to go and fill my tire. Jon told me I better drive fast, given how quickly the air just escaped from my tire. Tire full, I ripped it down the block back to the shop where a screw was discovered. In a matter of minutes, my tire was patched up and only $22.40 later, I was on my way and made it to work on time. Sometimes you get screwed, sometimes you don't!!
Here's my shout-out to T-Mac Auto Services! - check them out at 337 Ferry Road.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A Matter of Days
It's amazing how life can change in a matter of days. . .
Last weekend I had a Jolica table set up at the Morden Craft and Quilt show. To save some gas money and time, I stayed at my friend Elaine's place from Friday until Saturday. In catching up with her, she mentioned that the Ten Thousand Villages in Winkler was looking for a manager. I volunteered at the store when I lived in Morden a few years ago and I'm currently volunteering in the Altona store. For those of you who don't know, it's a Fair Trade store (www.tenthousandvillages.ca) under the NGO of MCC (canada.mcc.org). Anyway, I told I would check it out after I was finished in Morden.
I went the the TTV website and the job was listed, but the deadline for applications was May 1. I thought I would email them just to make sure. On Monday morning I got a reply that I could still apply; by the afternoon they called to set up an interview; and on Wednesday I went in for an interview. I was offered the job and I took it - I'm starting this Saturday for World Fair Trade Day. Please come and check out the new store especially if you haven't been there yet (725 Main Street Unit B). There will be Fair Trade treats, draws and a chance to meet the new manager!
P.S. - Thanks again Elaine!
Last weekend I had a Jolica table set up at the Morden Craft and Quilt show. To save some gas money and time, I stayed at my friend Elaine's place from Friday until Saturday. In catching up with her, she mentioned that the Ten Thousand Villages in Winkler was looking for a manager. I volunteered at the store when I lived in Morden a few years ago and I'm currently volunteering in the Altona store. For those of you who don't know, it's a Fair Trade store (www.tenthousandvillages.ca) under the NGO of MCC (canada.mcc.org). Anyway, I told I would check it out after I was finished in Morden.
I went the the TTV website and the job was listed, but the deadline for applications was May 1. I thought I would email them just to make sure. On Monday morning I got a reply that I could still apply; by the afternoon they called to set up an interview; and on Wednesday I went in for an interview. I was offered the job and I took it - I'm starting this Saturday for World Fair Trade Day. Please come and check out the new store especially if you haven't been there yet (725 Main Street Unit B). There will be Fair Trade treats, draws and a chance to meet the new manager!
P.S. - Thanks again Elaine!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Final Selections
Tonight was the last formal class for my photography/injustice students. Final selections were made for our art auction, happening May 24 (more details to follow, so stay posted!). Invitations were put together and Lori, one of our local news reporters, stopped by for an interview. I don't know where the time went - the class flew by SO quickly. Tuesday nights have definitely been a highlight for me as of late and I'm going to miss getting together with these fantastic young women to talk photography and injustice.
Monday, May 9, 2011
My Name in Arabic
So not only are Monday nights with the Hopes & Dreams crew a time for them to learn, the evenings are also a chance for me to learn. Tonight, I discovered my name in Arabic (at least that's what Wafaa told me - she's only in grade 1, but I have to trust her Arabic since it's better than mine!).
Sunday, May 8, 2011
This week: DYEing 4 Change
Just a reminder that the Manitoba Association of Women's Shelters (MAWS) has a unique event happening from May 8 - 14: DYEing 4 Change. There are more details at their website www.dyeingforchange.com but the basic idea is that women have a special relationship with their hairdresser. One in four women experience some type of abuse in their lifetime and many never report it to police or go to shelter but they will be more likely to talk with someone they trust, like their hairdresser.
Salons can get involved in a variety of ways. They can donate a % of sales, donate their tips and/or collect donations from their customers to support this worthy event and cause. "Snip it. Streak it. Style it." Whatever you do, don't be Silent about it.
Salons can get involved in a variety of ways. They can donate a % of sales, donate their tips and/or collect donations from their customers to support this worthy event and cause. "Snip it. Streak it. Style it." Whatever you do, don't be Silent about it.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
I Feel Like a Bird
I received this email from Parnters (www.partnersworld.ca):
I cannot get the sewing machine out of my head. The woman sitting on the floor in front of me is poor. She has no shoes. She has walked for four days to talk to me. She comes from one of the most oppressed areas in the world. How come she had a sewing machine?
"It was a gift from my husband," she says. "Where is the sewing machine now?" I ask. "It’s still where he put it when he hid it." "Aren’t you going to get it?" "I can’t." Of course she cannot. Bringing the sewing machine back from under the bushes and branches in the jungle will be like ripping up a wound that is still painful.
It happened January a year ago. The day was cold and crisp. Saw Mya Htoo was out hunting in the jungle. Naw Muu Wah was busy in the house. With six children to care for she rarely had a quiet moment.
Saw Mya Htoo’s eyes were always on the lookout, for animals, for plants to eat—and for the enemy. On this day he spotted the enemy first. From the hill where he was standing he saw them coming walking. Quickly Saw Mya Htoo took his gun and shot it in the air. He had to alert the village somehow, and he was too far away to run there and warn them. He was the person responsible for the radio and always carried it with him. The other person responsible was the village teacher. They did not leave the radios on all the time in order to save batteries. The shot did not have the desired effect. The old gun jammed and the shot just sounded like a little puff in the air.
Then he looked over in the other direction and noticed the village over there, one that was a lot closer, had picked up on his attempt. Quickly the villagers fired off one of the village mortars, and this time the sound was impossible to ignore. Within seconds he got a call from the teacher who asked what was happening. "Hurry! Get the people out of the village. The enemy is coming!" was all Saw Mya Htoo needed to say before he hung up and started running. On his way back to the village he met his neighbors, all of them running with whatever they were able to carry. They looked serious and afraid.
He met his wife and kids too. "Hurry! Run the fastest you can," he told them. He made it into their house, grabbed the sewing machine and ran back into the jungle. With the sewing machine tucked away he decided he may have enough time to run back once more to get some more rice. He knew from experience that whatever was left in their house would be destroyed or stolen. He also knew that they would need much food while in hiding in the jungle.
He got a bag of rice and he told her to run the fastest she could. He would catch up. But he never did. As he came around the corner of his house the soldiers entered the village. Without hesitating they shot him dead. Then they lit the village on fire.
In the jungle sat Naw Muu Wah with her six kids, the youngest only one year old. They were terrified and shaking. The oldest daughter had caught up with them and she told them the news they did not want to hear: "I think they shot daddy." They had shot after her too.
"You know what I feel like?" Naw Muu Wah asks me. "I feel like I am a bird that is not allowed to fly."
"Do you ever consider taking the children and moving to a refugee camp?" "Never. I will not give them that victory."
"All my life they have been chasing us. They have done a lot to my family. They killed my husband, my brother, my uncle, my cousin, my brother in law and my father." "Do you know why the Burma Army come and attack you," I ask. The answer is so sad: "We don’t have any idea. The Burma Army never speak to us or tell us anything."
We sit in silence. We both are mothers. We both love our husbands. We both have dreams and fears. We both have a sense of humor and like beauty. We both want a day off to do whatever we want. We both sit in the same room. But our lives are as different as lives can be. I think it is unfair.
Oddny Gumaer
Co-founder, Partners Relief & Development
I cannot get the sewing machine out of my head. The woman sitting on the floor in front of me is poor. She has no shoes. She has walked for four days to talk to me. She comes from one of the most oppressed areas in the world. How come she had a sewing machine?
"It was a gift from my husband," she says. "Where is the sewing machine now?" I ask. "It’s still where he put it when he hid it." "Aren’t you going to get it?" "I can’t." Of course she cannot. Bringing the sewing machine back from under the bushes and branches in the jungle will be like ripping up a wound that is still painful.
It happened January a year ago. The day was cold and crisp. Saw Mya Htoo was out hunting in the jungle. Naw Muu Wah was busy in the house. With six children to care for she rarely had a quiet moment.
Saw Mya Htoo’s eyes were always on the lookout, for animals, for plants to eat—and for the enemy. On this day he spotted the enemy first. From the hill where he was standing he saw them coming walking. Quickly Saw Mya Htoo took his gun and shot it in the air. He had to alert the village somehow, and he was too far away to run there and warn them. He was the person responsible for the radio and always carried it with him. The other person responsible was the village teacher. They did not leave the radios on all the time in order to save batteries. The shot did not have the desired effect. The old gun jammed and the shot just sounded like a little puff in the air.
Then he looked over in the other direction and noticed the village over there, one that was a lot closer, had picked up on his attempt. Quickly the villagers fired off one of the village mortars, and this time the sound was impossible to ignore. Within seconds he got a call from the teacher who asked what was happening. "Hurry! Get the people out of the village. The enemy is coming!" was all Saw Mya Htoo needed to say before he hung up and started running. On his way back to the village he met his neighbors, all of them running with whatever they were able to carry. They looked serious and afraid.
He met his wife and kids too. "Hurry! Run the fastest you can," he told them. He made it into their house, grabbed the sewing machine and ran back into the jungle. With the sewing machine tucked away he decided he may have enough time to run back once more to get some more rice. He knew from experience that whatever was left in their house would be destroyed or stolen. He also knew that they would need much food while in hiding in the jungle.
He got a bag of rice and he told her to run the fastest she could. He would catch up. But he never did. As he came around the corner of his house the soldiers entered the village. Without hesitating they shot him dead. Then they lit the village on fire.
In the jungle sat Naw Muu Wah with her six kids, the youngest only one year old. They were terrified and shaking. The oldest daughter had caught up with them and she told them the news they did not want to hear: "I think they shot daddy." They had shot after her too.
"You know what I feel like?" Naw Muu Wah asks me. "I feel like I am a bird that is not allowed to fly."
"Do you ever consider taking the children and moving to a refugee camp?" "Never. I will not give them that victory."
"All my life they have been chasing us. They have done a lot to my family. They killed my husband, my brother, my uncle, my cousin, my brother in law and my father." "Do you know why the Burma Army come and attack you," I ask. The answer is so sad: "We don’t have any idea. The Burma Army never speak to us or tell us anything."
We sit in silence. We both are mothers. We both love our husbands. We both have dreams and fears. We both have a sense of humor and like beauty. We both want a day off to do whatever we want. We both sit in the same room. But our lives are as different as lives can be. I think it is unfair.
Oddny Gumaer
Co-founder, Partners Relief & Development
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Sylvan
I know that my blogging has been a bit sporadic and I think that may be the case more this month. I just started a tutoring job at Sylvan in Winnipeg and in order to justify the amount of gas I'm putting into my car, I've arranged to take shifts Wednesday and Thursday with the intent of staying in the city Wednesday nights (I think it's called couch-surfing!).
Be reassured that I'm still here (that is, I'm still blogging) and I certainly invite your comments and any other great tidbits regarding anything to do with injustice - I love to share with those who take a regular interest in my blog. Thanks again for reading and checking what's new - I appreciate it!
Be reassured that I'm still here (that is, I'm still blogging) and I certainly invite your comments and any other great tidbits regarding anything to do with injustice - I love to share with those who take a regular interest in my blog. Thanks again for reading and checking what's new - I appreciate it!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Hopes & Dreams
I will be spending Monday nights for May and June with a group called Hopes & Dreams. Basically it is an opportunity for people from our community to welcome and support the new refugees and immigrants that have moved here. It's about getting to know one another and it's a great place to practice English/play Charades (depending if you're new or old to the community!).
Monday, May 2, 2011
Please Vote
Please get out and vote today! Exercise your right (which is not a right in every country) and take an active part in choosing those who will lead our country. Don't wait for others or make lame excuses - just go vote!
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