Celebration Times

We just finished two of my favourite holidays, Valentine’s Day and Family Day.  Two days to celebrate love and togetherness.  I can get on board with that.  I just wonder who decided to put them so close on the calendar.  Why not spread the love throughout the year?

I know some holidays are anniversaries of historic dates – like Canada Day and Remembrance Day – that shouldn’t be changed, but why do we have to stick to dates chosen centuries ago for strange reasons?

Like Halloween.  I’d rather not pretend that spirits have easier access to the mortal world on October 31^st and choose a bright, warm day for a dress-up party so we don’t need to fit costumes over snowsuits.

A few extra holidays would also be nice, like in January.  New Years hardly counts.  It’s more a day to recover from the night before and mourn the end of the holiday season.  We need a “We Made It Through January Day” at the end of the month.

It would make more sense and foster national unity if all the provinces celebrated holidays on the same day and everyone had the option of taking those days off work.

I’m glad we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time rather than as a kickoff to the Christmas season.  And even though Jesus wasn’t born on December 25^th, I think observing His birthday then is a nice way to end the year.

It sure is great to have so many things to celebrate!

The Cost of Democracy

(I'm a few months late posting this one!)

It’s been almost a month since we watched the US presidential election with interest.  I thought Governor Romney would have made a fine president.  I believe he has unique business experience and education that could have helped America at this time.

But the majority chose to re-elect President Obama, who also has many great presidential qualities.  I hope his policies and promises will improve circumstances for our neighbours to the south (though I’ve been enjoying the exchange rate the past few years).

Our democratic system allows us to elect those who share our ideas on what government should be doing (or not doing) for the people.  We research, we campaign, we argue, we vote, we wait…  Then we mourn or rejoice.

What comes next is the part I don’t like:  the mud-slinging and criticism.  If they lost, why kick them while they’re down?  If they won, they are now elected officials deserving our support.

I’ve been disappointed at some of the phrases used to describe the election and Mitt Romney, like “crushing defeat” and “cloudy future”.  The swing state percentages were very close, and being only 3 million out of 120 million (roughly) away from winning the popular vote doesn’t sound like a “crushing defeat” to me.  And if someone of retirement age who is independently wealthy and surrounded by a large and loving family has a “cloudy future” then what does that say for the rest of us?

Governor Romney spent a lot of time, money, and energy to give Americans a choice on the ballot.  That alone is worthy of praise, not scorn.

Whether American or Canadian, we should thank all who run in municipal, provincial, and federal elections – including those who lose.  If we don’t, we may find the cost of democracy is that no decent candidates will want to run in the future.

Now Is The Time

This past week marked two years since my mom was hit by a car while crossing a street in Lethbridge.  Yes, she waited for the light to turn green and she was in a crosswalk; nevertheless, a car ran straight into her.

She doesn’t remember much except lying on the ground for a long time while emergency workers assessed her injuries.  She required surgery to set a broken leg with metal plates and pins.

That wasn’t a phone call I was expecting.  Fortunately, by the time I was notified, the news “Mom was hit by a car” was followed with “but she’s alive and came through surgery okay.”

Times like this make me refocus.  What’s most important to me?  My relationships.  Does my behaviour reflect this?  Am I quick to apologize, to forgive, to spend time, to say “I love you”?  Sometimes when those phone calls come, it’s too late to go back and change things.  Now is the time.

As for driving, let’s slow down, shoulder check, put away the cell phone, and invest in sunglasses.  And pedestrians, even when you have the right of way, make sure the cars around you are stopping before you cross.  Make eye-contact with drivers to ensure they’ve seen you.

My mom endured painful physiotherapy, did her exercises faithfully, limped around on crutches for awhile, and her leg healed.  But the strain on her knee took its toll and a few months later she required knee replacement surgery and more rehabilitation.  Now she’s up and about, but the accident caused permanent nerve damage and she’ll never be the same.

Still, when I think of how that phone call two years ago could have gone, I am thankful my mom is still with us.  Who are you thankful for?  Now is the time to tell them.

Ghosts and Goblins or Gratitude

The boxes of candy treats have been in stores for a month. Why do they put them out so early? So I will buy them thinking I’m ahead of the game, eat them all, and have to buy more?

Now that the decorations and masks have joined the lollipops and bubble gum, I can no longer ignore the fact that Halloween is on its way. Still, I try to avoid the aisles where the mini chocolate bars tantalize me and gruesome masks peer out over the tops of leering skeletons.

No, I’m not a fan of Halloween. I don’t mind happy Halloween, but I don’t like scary, disgusting Halloween.

When I take my children trick-or-treating, there are some houses they are afraid to go near. One year a live spirit drifted back and forth on a front porch; other yards have zombies coming out of graves.

Isn’t Halloween mainly for children? Why do we want to scare them so? It should be a time for our wee ones to get creative and dress up in fun costumes, have some treats, and play some games – not a time to stock up on enough nightmare material to last the coming year.

I like Halloween better now that the fall time change takes place in November. Things aren’t quite so scary in the daylight.

At least for the next week I will try to push thoughts of Halloween out of my mind and concentrate on a holiday I can fully appreciate: Thanksgiving. The autumn harvest decorations are so much more pleasant than the Halloween ones, cheerful and rustic, reminding us of our plentiful blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!