culture

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From Hibernation

Hail Brave Hearts

The sleepy winter fades with the melting snow.  Snug bugs and amphibians stir beneath the thawing soil.  The deep freeze is vanishing as warm winds blow and temperatures rise.  The freeze and thaw of this years winter has kept us alert to weather changes.  Plunging minuses to optimistic pluses have been a earmark of this winters climatic fluctuations.  Snow, thaw, snow, thaw, ice.  On it goes, to April snowstorms and nesting birds, freeze, melt, but they sing anyway and herald in the new spring.

Slowly the ground wakes up and tiny hibernating creatures emerge from the soil.  Ponds start to live again and sap runs in the trees.  Our own stock of gifts from the natural bounty is nearly diminished.  That last spoonful of jam has melted into the toast and the yummy, sugary fruit of last year is now devoured.  Time for something new.

A huff of breath sounds in the wild as an awakening giant opens his eyes.  Spring.  The last of the belly fat, stored for winters long nap, has finally been absorbed.  Thin and hungry and very large, but alive again, the sleepy beast puts a nose out.  Is it cold out there?  Hmmm.  Thinking, thinking, what to do.  How hungry?  But the sun is shining, it feels OK, it will get warmer and there must be bugs somewhere.

The lumbering old beast sniffs the ground, but not far from home.  It’s not time to venture far yet, just enough for a public appearance, a photo shoot, a pose to show off the massive hulk of this animal, an announcement of this years fame and fortune to some.  A feat of his own development, as this aged animal reappears again to fight and bully and dominate his world.  Smiling at us, we smile back at him and dub him  “The Boss”

‘The Al Capone of Banff National Park’: veteran grizzly bear ‘The Boss’ still on top

He vanishes back to his home.  The warm hollow of his den keeps him safe and warm until he’s able to find enough food to keep him warm during nights of minus temperatures.   Then he can wander and show off.

His area is a protected land, but his life is wild and free.  He roams where he will and survives as his species adaptation allows.

Soon the spring meadows will awaken with flowers.  Bees will rise from winters’ sleep to swarm the fields for pollen and nectar.   Honey in the honey pot, from natures garden of different species of wild flowers.  Dandelion, fireweed, wildflower mix, the commonplace clover are sweet and bountiful, providing a source of nutrition for the beasts of the great wild and for us.  We need this too.  The sweet treat of wild honey, the beauty of the spring garden.  The world awakens to new nutritional value for us and the food supply increases with fresh harvest.

Soon we will plant our seeds and find our recipes for jam and pie.  Replenish the larder.  That last spoonful of jam, a decadent delight will soon make way for this years treasures.  Labours of love, the finest that we can eat, from the wild to your table, farm to table or your garden to table.

Spring is in the air, the treats are near

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

April 12.2026

Parks Day July 19, 2025
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Parks Day July 19, 2025

Hail Brave hearts

Come out and celebrate!  Renewal, rebirth, sustainability, recreation, sports, culture, history, wildlife, and of course, those fabulous parks that we all love and crave.  The great outdoors, with it’s most awesome, inspiring gifts.  Life, health, nutrition, wellness, the joy of living.  For those with cravings to climb mountains, hike in the wilderness, paddle rivers and lakes, and generally enjoy the wonderful nature that surrounds us, Parks Canada is your place.  You can visit a historical site and meet a historical person, take a guided hike, view wildlife in it’s natural setting and explore the untamed wilderness of Canada’s finest treasures. Parks is for people, wildlife and rare species.  It’s a showcase of our finest environmental and historical assets.  It’s an achievement that keeps growing as Canadians rush to explore and unwind in the great Canadian outdoors.

The wilderness is awe inspiring.  The grandeur of great mountains,  the shimmering pristine lakes, the bountiful beauty of endless skies and auroras in the air.  magnificent forests and wildlands, with all of their wild inhabitants.  The Parks are a place of wonder, of joy, of captivating beauty and fun for all of us.  This idea has been one of Canada’s finest achievements, from coast to coast.

Celebrate Canada’s Parks Day / National Parks Day – Nature Canada

The hearty homesteader of yore, who brought his family to these fine lands. Lands laden with hunting, fishing, berries to pick, native fauna and flora to digest and to heal wounds with.  Old traditional remedies to cure what ails you. The human history of the area is a fascinating study of the minds and will of these people.  Ancient old settlers willing to carve a niche in the fabric of the land.  Homesteaders scattering themselves throughout large areas of land.  Forts and lighthouses to protect and save us.  These are the historical ones, the unusual ones, who, through dauntless courage, forge a path for the rest of us to follow.

Old Indian trails to mark the way, historical rivers to paddle. These are connections from place to place, explorations for us to find.  The hikes we take, the trails we follow, the paths around the lakes, all take us to endless beauty and the healing of spending time in a natural environment.  The great good earth supports us in so many ways.

The environmental sustainability and ecological integrity of National Parks and provincial parks, help us to understand and appreciate the land of Mother Earth.  Here she imparts a knowledge of her own special ways.  A beautiful scene carved from a wild natural area, preserved forever for the joy of those who travel to it.  A visit to a special, superior place, of raw, rugged beauty for the adventurer in us all.  These are Canadian parklands, a wonder and wealth of natural and cultural beauty.  Rugged forefathers who braved the perils of the land, unbridled pristine wilderness for us to enjoy.  The National Parks are a wonder of natures finest and the brilliance of those who preserve these fine places.

Come and visit.  Celebrate with us.  Parks Day is a joy of celebration for us all.

Parks Day | Alberta Parks

Written by  Dr Louise Hayes

July 18, 2025

For the Ladies
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For the Ladies

Hail brave hearts

The joy is in the giving, they say, so be the one who brings joy into this world.  Have gratitude for the good in life and strive to make it better.

Hail to the ladies, the homemakers that save us.  The home, the hearth, the comforting indoor space that protects us.  The home, where we share our lives with our families.  This is the best place that the world has to offer,  the home.  The home, where nurturing is, where people care, where our lives are born and cherished,  where we grow and mature.  This is the family place, the special private place for love and laughter, joy and giving.  The world’s safe place.  A place to be safe with a family who knows and cares

There are many aspects to a home, it’s not always a house to live in.  It’s a place of bonding, of sharing, of nurture and care.  It the place that we always remember, for what was so good about it.  The family, the chef, the seamstress, the carpenter, the family man and his wife with all of the children that are gifts to them.  The gift of children, the gift of family, whether the fortunes are high, or not.

Some are saved by having plenty, plenty of spirit, of knowledge, of education, of connections, friends, loved ones and community.  Some are saved by having less, but still the bonds of family, friends, affection, community and sharing.  More of less, whatever it is.  life brings fruits and hammers to all of us.  The resilient rise, the strength of others subsides, but the nucleus of the family and this support, brings strength to those in despair. Gather round, the support is there.  Love and kindness wins.

HOME | quiltsofvalour

a quilt is a warm hug

To those of us from the support side, the family connections are needed.  It’s the times of trouble that cause the most stress and the connection to key elements in life is necessary to bolster the strength needed to surpass the pain.  Small acts of kindness are sometimes the greatest gift of all.  A warm hug, a friendly conversation, an invitation to join, a plan for relief.  The task may seem too challenging, but there are those who care.  The family is the first and last resort in healing.

In our direst hour, strength is in our loved ones.

So disaster strikes and healing begins, first at home, then in community.  Those who know will come forward with care, compassion and sometimes affection.  Love grows and miracles emerge.  The home is growing, it’s becoming a neighbourhood, of friends, connections, work force and people.  God’s family are emerging.  God’s family are contacting, connecting,  reaching, touching, sharing, caring, warming the heart and the soul.  This is community. where all of us live.  A place to call home, a community to belong to. A sense of fellowship and a safe haven from the world’s difficult times.

Rejoice in good fortune, it comes and it goes.  Mourn in despair, but gather your courage.  The winds of time blow warm and cold.  This is just what life is.  Be strong, be courageous,  love and be loved.  The world will miss your participation.

Written by Dr. Louise E Hayes

April 16.2025

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Rebuilding

Hail Brave Hearts

Long days of travel, uncertainty, but awe for this fine country and the beautiful people who inhabit this special place. An unusual turmoil of reckless abandon, as the world turns in an uproarious manner.  Escape, run for your live, the wildfire has destroyed my home and a third of the townsite with it.

The adventure of relocating has had its moments, some superb, some a concern, some planned, some chaotic, we’ve landed now, all is well   The sightseeing tour around the province, visiting and housesitting has been a joy.  The planned trips and spontaneous gatherings have been a special time of hope and recovery.  Emergency services have been a delight to work with and relief and recovery are saving us.  A new home for me, in a community close by, filled with friendly, caring people, who are helping.  Adjust, learn, recovery is a process, now to rebuild.

My home was a 1928 old home is Jasper, with some classic historical features, typical of the time.  The grounds were landscaped with berry bushes and fruit bearing trees, perfect for my organic juices and liqueurs.  They’ve also  provided some herbal cures and  I’ve sought the ones that saved my knees, saved my eyesight and put fresh organic nutrition into my body.  This and vitamins have been keeping me disease free and my immune system resilient.  I was ingesting a lot of organic juice.  The edible flowers were on the plate as well.  The yard had it’s delights.

So now is the time, for the long process of rebuild.  The house will go up relatively quickly.  The same footprint with the same house plans make the rebuild more simple.   The itemized list of contents is a challenge, but the debris removal is straight forward.  Some things are manageable, some things are difficult, not all is lost, focus on the gain.

Relaxing Snowfall Nighttime Jazz Instrumental Music – Exquisite Piano Jazz in Winter for Deep Sleep

It’s essential to keep your mind out of that dark place.  The cursed place that consumes your mental health and causes despair.  That place, that dark and deadly place, that will ruin everything, if it takes control.  Focus, remain intact, pursue the positive result, nurture and care.   Your mind is your strongest ally, keep it well, remain sane, as hard as this is, it will pass.  The world will correct itself, as time and healing pass, as community and sharing take hold, as love and kindness comforts.  Avoid that dangerous place that needs to be medicated, enjoy your life.  Embrace the smiling community and give thanks for the opportunity to share the world with new friends and experiences.  This is your life, joy to you.

The pleasure of the holiday season is upon us.  It resonates with goodwill, joy to all of us, love one another.  The lights, the song, the sharing and caring, good cooking, gifts, bright lights and happiness.  This is the Christmas season, with all of it’s warmth and beauty.  The winter world comes alive and festivities abound.

Lucky are we to be the recipients of Christmas carols and holiday parades, holiday fun and holiday cheer, make this season sought after all throughout the year.  Fortunate are we to be fed, sheltered, clothed and warm.  To be befriended and accepted into a new world of strangers, who are now our companions and our lifeline.  Fortunate are we, since regardless of disaster, there’s still so much life to be lived.

Praises mankind and joy to the world.

Written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes

December 7, 2024

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National Chocolate Day

Hail Brave Hearts

The sweets are the treats.  Of all of the fabulous adventures of our lives, the delicacy of the world of sweet, is a treat for all of us.  Chocolate for the chocoholic, the worlds favourite flavour.  To have a World Chocolate Day is to honour and recognize the outstanding significance of flavour.  It’s  an opportunity to explore the magic kingdom of this sweet delight and it’s not just one day.  There are four Chocolate Days.  World Chocolate Day (July 7)  National Chocolate Day ( October  28 and December 28) and International Chocolate Day on September 13.  Chocolate is a very important subject.

Chocolate bars, syrup, ice cream, candy, icing, and cooking bars, We drool for this taste sensation and overindulge in it frequently.  Chocolate is one of life’s pleasant, culinary adventures.

The joy of Chocolate.  Easter bunnies and Easter eggs,  chocolate birthday cake, chocolate in the Christmas stocking and under the tree, a  box of  chocolates for a gift.  Valentines Day chocolates and Mother’s Day as well.  Chocolate in the cupboard, chocolate in the fridge, in our pockets and in our purses.  We love this stuff.  It’s good for us.  At least, we hope so.  With something as sweet as this, that we eat so much of,  it must be good for us.  And it is, to a certain extent.  Too much chocolate adds fats, calories  and unnecessary sugars, causing overweight and cavities.  On the bright side, chocolate, especially dark chocolate can reduce stress, contains anti oxidants, lowers cholesterol, improves brain functioning, improves heart health, reduces inflammation, enhances mood and supports weight loss.

How It’s Made: Chocolate (youtube.com)

Since there are health benefits to chocolate, an occasional craving must be OK.

Since it’s arrival in Europe in 1550, chocolate has made a deep impression on our lives.  It’s part of our diet and our culture.  So many recipes call for chocolate that it’s associated with some of our holidays and special days. It’s so popular that it occupies a whole field in culinary craft.  Chocolatiers are specialists in making chocolate.

It is possible for you to  make your own, if you can find the beans.

Otherwise, enjoy this sweet treat on this special day.  A day of chocolate delight.

Written by Louise E Hayes

July 7, 2024

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It’s in the Inspiration

Hail Brave Hearts

Happy New Year!  It’s 2024.

The inspiration  is here   It’s in joy, happiness, thrills and excitement.  The new year brings in a new resolution.  Decide on the need, the necessity, the challenge.  What will you be this year?

It starts with joy and merriment.  Drink, feast, music, dance,,,, dance the night away.  A sense of change, fellowship and fun and always the hope for something new, perhaps catastrophic, a change.  So what will the resolution be?  Self discipline?  Courage?  How to make this change, to transform to a new being, to be the butterfly from the caterpillar.  Both are beautiful, but what is the preference, to fly, or to crawl?

Both are beautiful.

Both have advantages.

The dilemma is decided in the insect world, emerge from a  cocoon and fly.   For us, the decision is ours.  Or so they say.  Inspiration is a dream, work is a reality,   You just have to get there, from here.

Snowboard Legend Rides 20,000 Ft. First Descent (youtube.com)

The dream is in the mind, to rise to the challenge is also in the mind.  Inspiration is everywhere.  Focus.  Focus and built.  Each day is a new day.  Each day is a day to commit to the dream.  To focus on creating the reality.  Make a plan, consult, build relationships and work.  Each day is the dream in progress.  But dreaming is not the reality.   Work is what is needed and hard work for excellence and achievement is always the reality.

There’s competition in this fine world.  So many brilliant achievers, with such dedication to their goals.  Striving and struggling, building and working, some so desperate, their pleas are in agony.  Help us!

Top 10 Extreme Sports (youtube.com)

Choose wisely, you heroes.  Your finest aptitude is your preferred focus.  To win at such an intense game as life, you need to choose properly.  A fine mind, well educated.  A fine body, well nourished and exercised.  A fine society to spend your life with.  The tangible goals and the far reaching goals, all part of the plan.  A well executed plan is a life goal.

Living by chance is a challenging game.  Not really knowing where to go, what to do, who to associate with, presents many difficulties.  It’s much easier to choose appropriately, find likeminded colleagues, adapt to change and build necessary skills.  It’s much easier to be pleased with achievements, than to live in the sorrow of incompetence.  Choose correct aptitudes and focus on the natural gift.  It’s there.  So is the social bond of classmates, colleagues, family and friends.  The mutual support group.

This call to action is for an adventure.  This is the adventure of your life!

There are many worlds to live in, on this fine planet.  Each world nurtures the craving aptitude that relishes in it.  The aptitude that relies on it.

It’s a fine world, full of fabulous brilliance.  The sun shines brightly on the great planet.  The Earth and it’s inhabitants are a mission of impossible reality.  Each tiny footprint of ours makes a mark on the surface.  Marks of greatness or marks of insignificance.

Plan your adventure.  This is your life, live in reality.  This is your greatest adventure.

written by  Dr.  Louise Hayes

January 2, 2024

 

Oh Happy Day
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Oh Happy Day

Dear Brave Hearts

The glory of this special holiday season surrounds us.  Joy!  The world is filled with merriment and hope, love everlasting, the eternal spirit of goodwill is with us.  It is Christmas time, the time to rejoice in gladness that God is with us.

Praises to the world.  A joyous world.  A wondrous world.  Oh wondrous Love that adores us.

It is during this festive holiday season, that we sing, give thanks and remember that child that brings love into the world and joy to our lives.  It is with gladness that we praise this child and the special message that He brings.  The gifts, the joy, the singing, the angels, the Christmas tree and lights, the fabulous food.  A message of love and humanity for all of us.  Praises to this King.  Not a king of a kingdom, but a king of our hearts.  Oh Holy One, Oh Blessed One, this birthday of Christ the King.

Oh joy to us, all the world of God’s creation.  Not only to mankind but to the animal world as well.

Top Christmas Music Playlist 🎅🏼 Best Christmas Songs Playlist 🎄 Merry Christmas 2023 (youtube.com)

For now, while we play and smile, visit with family and friends and join in the fun of a fabulous holiday, we give thanks,  Thank you for the season, thanks for the Love, the joy, the happiness of having a time to rejoice.  A time for us.  A special time of prayer.  A time of rest, of peace, of remembrance.

Oh save us, great saviour!  This weary world rejoices.  It is Christmas time.  We live.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 24, 2023

An Historic Summer Holiday
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An Historic Summer Holiday

Hail Brave Hearts

The memories of summer holidays filled with fun and sun, swimming and boating and  our great escape to the Canadian wild.  This is the life!  So full of warm summer waters and warm summer sun.  A life of frolicking on beaches, camping and cottages.  The great Canadian summer holiday.  A life style to fulfill.  There’s no life like it.

Grab your canoes and head to the water.  The footsteps of travellers in the past, mark routes of undeniable beauty.  Maps and compasses, campgrounds and hotels.  The small town oasis of civilization along a path of well travelled waterway.  The iconic Canadian water transportation routes of waterway highway.  A path of rivers and lakes joining one part of Canada to another.  The rivers, waterfalls, rapids and portages.  Pack you bags, fill your canoes,  join in the adventure of Canadian travel that has marked our history with holidays from coast to coast.

The Historic Trent/Severn Canal System.  Glorious!

Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site (canada.ca)

Grateful are we to have this grand opportunity to visit this historic waterway, in historic voyageur canoes.  A fun and fabulous holiday in the middle of the summer.  A canoe brigade.  The fortunate few who participated in this endeavour, which leads from Georgian Bay to  Lake Ontario.  following rivers, locks, canals and lakes.  A historic waterway of magnificent scenery, birds and wildlife, lily pads and rushes.  And the locks.

Up and down, up and down, it’s the easiest paddling ever! And the locks are a marvel of engineering.  Different styles of lifts picking us up the rapids and waterfalls to a new level of water.  Spectacular!

The Severn River to Lake Couchiching, to Simcoe, the Trent Canal to Balsam, Cameron and Kawartha Lakes, Otonabee River, the Trent River and on to Lake Ontario.    It’s an historic route for an historic paddling group, or for anyone with a boat and a licence to pursue this holiday adventure.

Canadian Voyageur Brigade Society | coordinate and support big canoe brigades

This 386 km of historic waterway was first started in 1833 and completed in 1922 with 45 locks connecting Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario.  This  ambitious idea was appointed by  Sir John Colborne of the the inland Water  Commision who constructed the first lock at Bobcaygeon.  Now a National Historic Site, this waterway is a path of boating delight.  In it’s early history, the canal was hoped to be a passage for steamships plying these waters with trade, but the canal had several setbacks, which delayed it’s progress.  By the time it was finished, the steamboats were too large for the locks.  Now this historic canal is used by thousands of tourists in pleasure craft from May to October each year.

The iconic canoe, a favourite of many family outings and wilderness adventure, is part of Canada’s  historic lifeline to survival.  The canoe has been with us for centuries, as a transportation vessel and a pleasure craft.  From it’s aboriginal routes to the fur trade, to modern day vehicle, the canoe has been a valuable and necessary part of Canada’s wilderness history  With this in the past and so much enjoyment today, the canoe is a classic pleasure craft.

 

written by Dr Louise Hayes

October 21, 2023

The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas
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The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas

Hail Brave Hearts

The great wild is calling,  An adventures awaits.  Dutifully we don our apparel for yet another great holiday in Canada.  It’s summertime, and the sun shines gloriously on long days of warmth and outdoor activity. Canoes and kayaks entice us into the waters of lakes and rivers.  The iconic Canadian transportation system, lures us into the paths of our history.  Build your canoes, build your kayaks, follow in the steps of legendary people who navigated the waters this way.

The great wild calls us to develop the skills of history makers who charted the seas, mapped the coastlines and stamped the approval of the ownership of this land.  This is ours.

The great lands of the Haida, tucked away in the northern islands, north of Vancouver Island.  Isolated and rare, a gem of discovery.  This land is our land, protected by a great nation of peoples, the Haida people of Haida Gwaii and the Gwaii Haanas National Park.  It belongs to them and their stories fill the islands.

We arrive by plane, for the trip of a lifetime, into the land of the Haidas.  Remote and alive, the area fills with eagles.  The ocean is calm and the days are warm.  We’ve packed for a week long kayak adventure into Gwaii Haanas.  This area is a paradise of wilderness ocean adventure.

Seagulls meet us, reminding us that God is here.  In the call of the birds, we clearly hear Gods name.  Seals bask on the rocks and a river otter swims past.  An Oyster Catcher stops us.  His antics catch our attention as he jumps around on the rock in a aa unusual dance.  His five chicks huddle close together in the nest and his mate slumber close by.  He is a father and proudly shows off the nest.  A thirteen year old bird, whose making a noise that sounds like Barack.  We name him Barack then, pleased that he’s shown us his fine family

Black Oystercatcher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Our luck with the weather holds for this trip.  There are seven of us on this  July excursion, with a guided kayaking and camping company.  The Pacific is mainly calm and peaceful towards us as humpback whales surface and feed in our sights.  One comes close to us.  It’s a pleasure.  The wildlife sightings are superb, with black bear, dolphins, orcas and sea lion to add to our list.  The bird life is unusual to us as well.  Ancient Murrelet,  seagulls, falcons, puffins, rhinoceros beaked birds and red footed pigeon guillemot to add to  our list.  It’s a list of some rare bird and animals  in an area filled with ocean life.

Then, there’s, the people.  We visit the Haida of the ancient totem poles.  to see for ourselves the carvings of great masters and to hear their stories.  A far flung people, out in islands in a remote Pacific location.  An area of impressive beauty molding a nation of seafaring people, who live from the sea.  The builders of ocean going canoes paddling the great seas.  A people of unique culture, surviving in an area of wildlife wealth.  The ocean provides.

This was a dream holiday in our great land.  So much to be proud of, so much to enjoy.  The land and the people, the ocean and the wildlife.  A place of unusual prosperity.

parks.canada.ca › pn-np › bcGwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine …

The sun shines brightly on Haida Gwaii and the warm summer breeze encourages outdoor adventure.  This was a wonderful, unique  holiday in Canada’s superb wilderness backyard.  We congratulate ourselves for this choice of adventure.    We’ll be back

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 27, 2023

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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