acceptance

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Dawson City

Good Day Brave Hearts

The celebration begins.  June 21 is a special day for the Indigenous People of Canada.  The longest day of the year marks the first day of summer and is celebrated by all of us, in one way or another.

From that mountain top hike to enjoy  the view, to the joy of  just  being outside in the sunshine for a long summers day, the summer solstice is a celebration of light, sun, earth and summertime.  It’s a day to be outside.  A day that is given to us to enjoy the light.  Enjoy the sun, the sunshine and  celebrate the beginning of summer.

The warm summer sun washes us and frees us of the chill of winter.  Our clothing is light and we shed the winter coat of down, fur, or layers that protect us all winter long.  We can swim in the warm lakes and bask in the warm sun.  Sun worshippers are we.

Add to the joy of just another summer solstice, the longest day of the year is also a celebration of Indigenous Peoples, who also long to enjoy the warm summer sunshine, to feel the warm summer breeze and to cast off the cold, winter’s night that is always too long.  The sun is rising and in some parts of our world it will not set at all.  With thanks, we celebrate this new light show.  Gone are the Northern Lights, now it’s only the sun, for twenty four hours a day.  We are nearly at the Arctic Circle.

This beautiful little town of Dawson City is a gem in the Yukon.  A bright and prosperous mining town, still selling nuggets of gold and revelling in the gold rush days.  It’s a place of history, of champions, of people who made a living in a harsh reality that was the gold rush.   It was not an easy place to be.  The history of this divine place is of hardship, strife, difficulty and doom  It’s also a history of fantastic fortune, of fun and folly and of clever enterprise.  It’s a brilliant story, way up in the north.  A booming small town, still gold rush rich, it oozes the gold rush days.  Fine buildings in immaculate condition, brightly painted and artistically designed.  This was a place of privilege and so it goes.  There’s still gold in those hills.

Exploring Dawson City in the Yukon (The heart of the Klondike Gold Rush)! – YouTube

The other rich, is the people.  A fine and determined group of settlers who wouldn’t leave this place, and a fine and determined group of Indigenous people who already belonged to it.  They belong to the land, it is theirs, it belongs to us.  The age old right of occupancy, of who fits in and where.  The right of the Indigenous clans to keep what’s theirs, the right of the settlers to occupy for prosperity.  It’s what needs are.  There is gold here, we stay.

The celebration is of fine minds, of people who care for this awesome and inspiring place.  It’s a celebration of music, of stories, of plays, fun and food.  It’s a day long celebration of praise for the people.  It’s a day of necessity.  Take the day, enjoy the music, indulge in the goodness of this day.  A day for praise, for harmony, for joy.  It instills the self worth that is necessary. We are one, we are whole, we are a people.

Joy to us, for this great day of celebration.  It’s a fine day, for fine people.  Happy are we, for the joy that it gives us. Happy are we for the celebration.  Happy are we for the summer solstice and for Indigenous Peoples Day.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 26, 2023

 

The Weather Outside is Frightful
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The Weather Outside is Frightful

Hail Brave hearts

Brave the snow.  It’s wintery Christmas outside and the warm glow of Christmas inside.  It’s the happiest time of the year!

 

Frank Sinatra – Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Official Music Video) – YouTube

The dear birth that gives us so much joy.  The angels, the choirs, the carols, heartwarming stories, this season is a gift. It’s a gift of love, of charity, of goodwill.  The joy that fills our hearts this season, blessed child.  The Adoration.  The gift that never stops giving.

Oh most beautiful life, oh blessed savior, come to us.  In our prayers there is hope in our minds there is light.  Shine brightly.  Shine for all of us, this holiday season.

The warm cozy fire, is a Canadian tradition.  Hot chocolate, sweet treats, candy and cookies.  The smell of a Christmas dinner baking in the oven.  All of the good things of the home.

Its an exciting time of friends, family, parties and laughter, new recipes to try:

Peppermint truffles

1 package of candy canes, ground. divided in half

1 package of cream cheese softened

2 heaping tablespoons of icing sugar

2 heaping tablespoons of flour

1 package of white chocolate melted

Cream the cream cheese in a bowl, add half of the ground candy canes, sugar and flour.  Mix together,  form into one inch balls.  Dip the balls into the melted chocolate and then coat with the remaining ground candy canes.  They’re ready to eat.

The joy of the season is upon us, good eats, good company, good treats.

Traditional Christmas Carols – YouTube

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 23, 2022

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Pandemic Bliss

Hail Brave hearts

Joy to you, with this awful isolation. Joy to you, to overcome perils. The hardship of disease brings a new life of solitude and self exploration. Change and be healthy. All obstacles can be overcome. This is a time to refresh, rejuvenate, recharge and become new. Take advantage of this crisis and the gift that it gives us, we may never pass this way again.

Look forward to those long days of learning a new skill, or to improve the old ones. The time that it takes to reinvent and refurbish a dowdy room or area. Plant a new garden, try new seeds, adventure into the known by unexplored worlds outside your doorstep. A chance to be a tourist in your own country. Those old familiar trails, which should be vacant, are full of Canadians travelling. We climb a familiar scramble to a peak just outside of town. Usually this one is lightly travelled, since it’s somewhat obscure, but today it’s full of people. The parking lot is full, the trail is full. It’s unusual to see this.

The earnest quest for adventure takes us to new destinations annually.  We strive to fulfill the ambition of discovery, of learning, of knowledge of this world and the fabulous fortune that it holds for us.  The fortune of personal development, of personal achievement, of conquering new lands by tourism, adventure, eco tourism and insightful gain.  The path to follow is new to each of us.  A daring land of plenty to explore just outside out borders.  The world is full of wonder and grateful hearts eagerly plundered the wilds of this planet, always seeking more.  Our human endevour is to know it all.  Each step on an unknown path is the thrill and excitement of discovery.  So many kilometers to travel, so many peaks to climb, the essential fun filled holiday is a yearly dream come true.

Now to the reality of disease and pandemic perish.  Open your parks and swing on the swings, stay home and build new dreams.  The fortunate can venture into the wilds of Canadian parks and enjoy the stimulation of an adventure in this awesome land.  So many kilometers to travel, so many paths to walk.  The never ending landscape of discovery in this fine land, became the national dream of Canadian holiday seekers this year.  Back to action packed fun, wherever it may be.  What is new to us is old to us, but new again.  Every square kilometer travelled?  Oh such awesome human to have done so much.  So much time to explore, so much money to spend, so much curiosity and initiative.  It’s immense.  It’s WOW!  What a fortune to spend.  Especially in other lands.  

Work and work and work, you mighty relentless souls.  Build your estates, compound it annually and spend and spend and spend it all, frolicking around the world.  Have a good time, enjoy yourselves, squander it all away.  Until this mighty pandemic hit, now it’s a Canadian holiday you say?  We’ll buy ourselves a trailer now and pay the camping fees and praise ourselves immensely for surviving the disease.

As we open up this country with caution to continue to  wear our masks, we breath for the days of flu season and to put the pandemic in our past.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

September 2, 2020

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Happy Birthday to Us

Good Day Brave hearts

A Happy Canada Day to you.

Today we celebrate the birthday of this great country. A village from the forest. A dream of national identity. A work of unity of life and lifestyle in a land so vast and diverse. The land, the people, the projects, all individually styled for an outcome of diversity and praises for all of it. The great land with its majestic mountains, it’s sweeping prairie, it’s thousands of lakes, it’s forests, it’s tundra, it’s landscapes so unique and awesome. The great land, filled with great people, great places, great adventure and great belonging.

Fill your cup, with the endless opportunity of Canada! The opportunity for exploration is immense, with so much enjoy. We are the second largest country in the world and have so much to see and to discover. The valuable history of sharing and caring for each other. The widespread plains of homesteaders striving to build a country from sea to shining sea. The great north, so wild and free.

This is our Canada. A vast and brilliant home to us. A place of nurturing our spirits, of learning, of wisdom. This is the country that we made ourselves, from our skills, our intelligence, our passions, and our sense of community. We built this. We chose this. We collectively decided that this is the Canada that we want, that we love and that is our home. We made this place special to us, ourselves.

This fabulous world of the wilderness and the great wild, is home for us. We save it because we adore it. It speaks to us, to adventure, to explore, to challenge ourselves to be smart, educated, strong and daring. This great land calls us to retain ancestral roots which tie us to a past time of athletic adventure, community and ingenuity. It calls us to the present, of eco tourism, the food supply, the great cities. It calls us to our future, to retain it all, to be proud, to learn from each other and to share our knowledge with each other. It calls us. Each and every Canadian, to do our duty of care for this great nation. This great country that we call our home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDluztBSaBc

It is with great pleasure that we celebrate this birthday. 133 years of a community of people spread out over a vast countryside of unique places to live in and to visit. The differences in cultures, in heritage, in ties that bind us. We are not all the same, but we are. We are all different, but we are one. We are all diverse, but we are the same. This is how we choose to be. Individual, healthy, strong, with a courage to be culturally diverse and still be united. To live together in multicultural unity. This is our goal and one of our freedoms. Respect for each other and for the intellect that brings us peace and opportunity under a flag that flies so freely.

Happy Birthday Canada. May our dreams remain alive. May our hopes be fulfilled. May our way of life survive us. May we be filled with the glory of this great nation. Happy Birthday, Canada. May you live forever!

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

Canada Day, 2020

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Mother Dearest

Hail You Awesome Human

It’s a day for mothers. To remember them, to honor them and to celebrate the great joy of mothers.

The gift of comfort, of compassion and caring, the gift of time and love. The devotion of raising an offspring.  The wonder of creation and the joy of living.  Gifts.  These are gifts to us and to all of the living creatures on this magnificent planet.

And as all mothers do, it’s nurture and care.  Care or us, almighty great planet.  Care for us oh great divine.  Your powers are almighty and immense.  The spellbinding beauty, the magnificence of the creativity, the countless opportunity for learning and exploration.  Praises to you, oh great mother.  You and you alone in this cold and obscure universe.  You and you alone, so warm and fragile, so brilliant and inventive.  The fabulous great planet,  spinning its magical web of life and living, for all of us to enjoy.

The secrets of motherhood are to guide their offspring wisely.  Guide them to safety, guide them to security, help them to build a future on a strong, solid past.  The secrets of mothers is a love neverending, love eternally,  love with all of your heart.   

The joy of an offspring, so tender and tiny.  A cherished blessing from God.  The pride of their accomplishments, so few and so many.  They are yours.  They are from the great divine.  They are special.  That is a child.

Mothers everywhere, large and small, human and animal, raise their offspring dutifully, no matter what they are, or what they will become.  With praises and encouragement, with devotion and protection the babies are the center of our lives.  As they grow, we delight in their play, their growth and their childhood ways.  This is the devotion of mothers, to give encouragement and praises, to support and nurture, to always be there.  

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/05/9791671/mothers-day-history-feminism

In praises of mothers, great and small, this very special day for you, in recognition and celebration of joy of motherhood.   Happy Mothers Day to us all.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 10, 2020

 

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Missionaries

 

Hail Brave Hearts

This is your duty, this is your strength, this is your chosen life, the destiny of your path, the choice that you made.  Follow it with courage and determination.  Follow it with all of your heart, with your soul, with your passion, your intellect and your being.  Not all paths are easy, not all times will be grand, not all  will understand and not all will help, but persevere regardless.  Your story must be told.  Told by you.

Bravely travel into the unknown, seek the refuge of the place, contact the people and share their lives.  This mission has been accomplished before and will continue.

Venture into the lives of early Canada, the history of this great land.  A sharing of cultures, of exchange, of markets, of language and peace.  This is the fortitude of the people, the strength of their character, the bond that ties.  A familiarity must be established, with honest communication and negotiation.   These are the people, this is their land, their customs and their beliefs.  A common bond must be found.

Now is the time of the Jesuit.  Holy fathers of the faith, looking to convert the aboriginal people to follow the path of righteous and salvation.  Hail almighty ones.  It is your duty to persevere during these difficult times.  Sometimes it’s easy, but frequently the work is difficult and ardurous.  Not all of the people have an interest in these fine words.  Not everyone views the world from this perspective and not everyone will listen.  Of the thousands of people to preach to, the message is received slowly.  One by one, over many years, the aboriginals start to convert.  The faith must be accepted.  People must understand each other and the world must be saved.  Peace among us, oh fine nation.  Peace among us, to the glory of God.

But it is with great joy that we travel these unknown, rugged and fabulously beautiful lands.  It is with great joy that we meet these curious and eager people.  It is with great joy that we pursue our mission to convert these people to Christianity and to help them to serve the Lord.  The Jesuits are here as a dedicated group of missionaries, intent on fulfilling the directions of their education.  These are the soldiers of God, intent on bringing the scripture to the aboriginal people of Canada.  All united in the same faith, all members of the same church.  It is with great joy that they fulfill their mission, their aptitude and their duty.  It is with one call that they come forward, with the demand from their leader, that all peoples come to Christ.

Difficulties are met with gladness, for the challenge of the body is usurped by the spirit within. The spiritual awakening of the joy of bringing the faith to a people who are unknown to the world, but known by God. Come to the parish, learn and worship. The Call to the worlds peoples to unite! Unite as brothers and sisters of the faith. Be Christians! Make Jesus your Lord. Unite in the joy of the love of Jesus. Join us, we prey! Join us in gladness and in praises. Jesus went to the cross for you and rises again. Believe in the scripture and have faith. Be saved by the divine. Pray and be saved. Jesus is Lord.

The endless work to meet people, connect, converse and to find a common bond. The mission to bring the people under one church, with only one God

Be saved, all you mighty ones. Join together, worship together and be saved.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

April 12, 2020

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Saint Marie Among the Hurons

Hail Brave hearts

It is with great courage that we settle this country, filled with new adventures and difficult times.  It is with bravery that we meet these new people in their own homeland and on their own terms.  It is with faith and prayer that we negotiate a peaceful settlement, and with determination and recognition of the mission, that is required, proceed to our duty.  To the new land, and to the people of it, we meet.

Such is the sturdy vow of the missionary, the Jesuits who landed to fulfill their duty.  Bring the people religion.  Bring them to Christianity.  It is the solemn vow of the faith, these people must be saved.  Saved in the eyes of God, save their everlasting soul.  Save the people, even in death.

The mission was built in Huron (Wendake) territory, 1200 kilometers from Quebec.  Started in 1639 and lasting only 10  years, it was the first settlement in New France, in the province that is now Ontario.   It was set on a large tract of land between Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay, in  Huron territory.  The the mission itself was on the Wye River.

Only a small group of men made the long journey from Quebec City to this remote place.  All martyred for their faith.  The Huron themselves, were curious and peaceful.  They allowed the mission on their land and allowed the Jesuits to preach to them.  Some converted, some did not, but pursue the faith is a must.  Fulfill the mission of their lives, they must.  Bring religion to the people.  Serve God.  No matter what the price is , it is not too high.  Serve God.  Bring Christianity to the people with the intention of everlasting peace.  Peace on Earth, goodwill to your fellow human.

Canada’s first Christmas Carol, the Huron Carol, written in 1642 probably by Jean de Brebeuf.

Saint Marie among the Huron is a historical place of hope, dreams, hardship and abandonment.  The security of the Jesuits, lost to the increasing hostility of the Iroquois in the insistent war with the Huron.  Iroquois with guns, Huron with bow and arrow, missionaries with prayer.  Peace among us, oh mighty human.  This territory belongs to the Huron, the land of the Wendake.

http://www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca/sm/en/HistoricalInformation/TheSainteMarieStory/index.htm

But the dreadful incessant war proved the Iroquois to be a stronger and more aggressive people.  Intent on murder, they continued their assault on the Huron and would not leave.  Some of the Huron  who survived  fled to neighboring tribes, and to Quebec to re-establish themselves, on Ile de Orleans , just east of Quebec city in 1650.  By 1649 the mission was in ruin, burned by the Jesuits so that the Iroquois couldn’t inhabit it.  The Huron had departed, the Jesuits were gone.  Gone, but saved.  Other peace remained.  The fur trade was still active, with trade and negotiation still intact.  With the loss of this mission is an uncanny coincidence.  The city of Montreal, founded in 1649.

 

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 10, 2020

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Challenges of Discovery

Hail Brave Hearts

The never ending adventure to voyage and discovery to meet and greet the new people, to learn their ways.  Peace among us is a priority, gifts and exchange, routes of travel and a path to the new world.  Discover, trade and progress, learn the language, the customs, the society.  There are many peoples, many societies, many worlds to discover.  Come with this explorer into the heart of our land and meet the people, listen to their stories, share their passions, learn their wisdom.  This is New France, in 1615, with an exploration into the aboriginal territories of Ontario, as far as Georgian Bay and Lake Nippissing, in search of a route to the Orient.

The Orient.  That spell binding, alluring destination of dreams.  Silk, spices, riches.  The Orient!  Find the route through Canada, we know it’s there.  Yes, it is, but not this time.  Not in 1615, when the world was forested and filled with mighty, turbulent rivers, with rapids and waterfalls to portage.  Not in 1615 when every few hundred kilometers brought new nations of aboriginals to meet and negotiate with.  As skilled and brilliant as these explorers were, the land is too large, the peoples too many, the dangers too difficult and the demands too great.  Still, the path to the Orient exists, but the people need to know these explorers, before extending such a substantial gift as the whereabouts of this sought after trail.

Samuel de Champlain 1604-1616

Travel and travel and travel, is a must.  Explore the world around and before you.  Go to these uncharted lands.  Bring peace, negotiation and prosperity with you, if you can.  It’s a daunting mission, to be the explorer, to discover and collaborate with people of unknown character.  Meeting them in their own land, on their own terms.  Peace and skilled negotiation.  The intellect soars as the negotiations are successful and the peoples minds are set at ease, with this friend.  Gratitude for such necessary gifts, as some burdens are lifted and some work is eased.  Sharing and caring, the beginning of a new world.  The start of a new land.  This is now New France, being explored and documented and carefully mapped.  Each river that is traveled, each new tribe that is encountered, each new language that is spoken and the forest of trees, plants and animals to marvel at as well.  All carefully described, by this well educated person, who knew the land so well.

This is the life of a great explorer, Samuel de Champlain.  His mission of discovery was so successful that it formed peaceful and prosperous relations with several aboriginal tribes and the French people, who earnestly sought common bonds and  well intended relationships with the people of the new world.  The needs for these negotiations for the fur traders were high.  In the end Champlain died in Quebec city with only 150 settlers living in the colony.

With the explorer, came the missionaries.  Jesuit priests from France, intent on bringing Christianity to the people of Canada.  This seemed necessary for the aboriginals to understand the religion of the French people  so that they would have a common bond in humanity to share.  Peace among the people, brothers in Christ.  Although the aboriginals had their own religion, with their own after life, it was deemed essential to bring these people to Jesus.  Such was the quest of the Jesuits who pursued this mission to the ends of their lives.

Carhagouha – 1615 site of first Mass in Ontario

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

February 28, 2020

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The Iroquois of Hochelaga

Hail! You awesome human. We meet and we are joyous. It is with gladness that we greet the newcomers to our great land. Come, eat, fill your bellies from our larder, you will not starve among us. We feed you, we accept you, friend, speak with us. We will teach you and help you, friend, come to our village, for conversation and peace among us.

You, oh lofty European, with your fine boat, your interesting garment, your unusual style. How intriguing that you should come here to meet us. Tell us about yourselves, your passage, your ways, your reason for being here.

And so, the dialogue occurs. A conversation on the island of Montreal, between the explore Jacques Cartier and the Iroquois of Hochelaga.

The kindness of the  people, the curiosity, goodwill, companionship and generosity all marked in the captains log.  A fine people of bravery and fellowship, standing at the gateway to the interior of Canada.  A brave new land.  A people of skills and craftsmanship who built a fortress of wood with a village of longhouses inside it.  A people who farmed the land, planted crops, fished in the waters of the St. Lawrence River.  A people with some invention, with tools and self sufficiency, that were able to rely on their wits and toil for their survival.

https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/french-canada/the-mystery-village

These are the  people who are lost to us, only six years had passed and they are gone.  Where did you vanish to, you kind and courageous people?  Where did you go, when we needed your stories?  Your kinship is important to us, yet you vanish into history.  A people of fame, marked in the year 1535 and gone 6 years later in 1541.  Man the builder.  A fortress of wood, with longhouses inside it.  A village to protect the 1500 occupants.  The historical significance of this site is immense, since the builder has tools and a method of construction which was unique to them.  They also had social order which helped them to live congenially in such a confined space.  But where did you go,  oh fine human?  A human of intellect and high aptitudes, of compassion and caring, vanishing into the unknown in such a few short years.  

The mystery of Hochelaga still haunts us, as we excavate Montreal.  Although the people vanished, the message survived.  Come, friend, speak with us.  The exploration of Canada and later the fur trade.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

February 1, 2020

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Merry Christmas

Hail You Awesome Human

The mighty is born. Now sing all of you in praises, for peace, love and everlasting kindness, for joy and merriment and laughter. This is the day of our saviour. The message is clear.Joy to the world, peace on Earth, love one another. It is with gladness that we celebrate this special day. A day of joy, of goodwill, of feasting, caring and sharing. The wisemen bring their gifts and so do we. Celebrate the love that is in us and all around us. Joy to the world.

In a time of darkness, a light shines. Prayers for the people, to overcome their fears. Fear of darkness, let their be light. Fear of loneliness, poverty, starvation, homelessness and despair. Gather together with your families and friends, your neighbors and colleagues, your aquaintenances and fellows. Don’t be strangers to the world. On this fine day, the feast is prepared. Rest, relaxation, comfort and sharing. On this fine day, we find peace. Joy and love, good will towards our fellow man. On this fine day, we find love.

Our instructions are simple, but immense. Oh come all yeah faithful, gather round the Christ Child. Bring your joy and your sorrow, bring your laughter and your tears. Here is a message of great importance. Cast aside your doubts, cast aside your fears. Listen to the message. A child is born, he will bring us peace. He will rise above the obstacle of defeat. Listen to his message, oh great and mighty, or small and lowly, for on this day we find peace.

Save us, oh great savoir. On this fine Christmas Day, may peace, love and goodwill, be in your hearts and minds and may the light of this day, bring joy to all of you, throughout the world.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 25, 2019