traditions

by

It’s the Tea up here

Hail Brave hearts

Your health, fitness and wellbeing are imperative!  The awesome adventure of your life is within your grasp.  Focus on the achievement, propel yourselves to this destiny.  This is what you live for, life for all that it’s worth.

The aches and pains of your body, cry for help. What remedy will ease this pain and cure the discomfort of the joints and muscles?  The daily workout is becoming the daily grind.  So much tension, so much repetitive strain.  Muscle tension and fatigue.  The more the body works, the more it is capable of work, but the getting there is more difficult than being there.  Our powerful power packs of nutritious blends help us, massage and muscle relaxants work for us, but there are other cures out there.

Way back on the farm in bygone years, the daily toil was a constant strain.  The tilling, the planting, the harvesting, the gain, all come at a price that the body and mind must endure.  Early mornings, long hours, fatigue and toil, provide a constant demand for good nutrition and rest.  The powerful berry patch resolves vitamin and mineral deficiency, but what about the rest?  Perhaps there’s another cure in the berry patch.  Perhaps there’s more to the backyard harvest than we collect.

Tea is one of the most highly consumed beverages in the world.  It’s part of traditions, customs and daily life.  A cup of tea is a welcome drink on a cold winters day or a cold brewed tea on a hot summers day.  The value of some kinds of tea is a powerful cup of anti-oxidant, vitamin, mineral and enzymes that help to complete a balanced diet.  These are the teas that some will find in their own back yards.

There are many opportunities to harvest tea.  Your backyard oasis is calling you, tempting the impossible, rid your body of pain and suffering, add an additional cup of tea.  The red raspberry patch has the additional potency of raspberry leaf tea, or black currant leaf tea, dandelion tea, fireweed tea, apple leaf tea, nettle tea, blueberry leaf tea, to mention a few.  The advantage of tea is the leaf is ready before the berry is and is easier to pick.  A tea needs fewer leaves than berries for a pie, so this is also an advantage.  However, is it healthy enough as a replacement in a lean berry year, or as nutritional benefit at any time?  Perhaps.  This is a list of health benefits of fruit leaf tea.  Be careful what you pick, some of your harvest has poisonous leaves.

Health Benefits of Raspberry Leaf Tea:

What are the health benefits of red raspberry tea?
High in vitamin C and gallic acid as well as other phytonutrients, the effects of raspberries and red raspberry tea have been show to help protect the heart and circulatory systems and slow down the advancement of age-related diseases, according to the Berry Health Benefits Network.
beneficial in weight loss.
 Drinking raspberry leaf tea is just as beneficial for people suffering from cold, flu, psoriasis, eczema, acne, obesity, indigestion, constipation, high blood pressure, aching joints, and general inflammation.
Health Benefits of Blueberry Leaf Tea
Blueberry leaves are rich in antioxidants, which have a number of different health benefits, including lowering fat levels and potentially protecting against hepatitis C. A cup of blueberry tea beside a spoonful of fruit. This amazing kale pesto is only 210 calories and anti-oxidant rich!
Potential Health Benefits of Blueberry Tea
  • Improved heart health. . High levels of potassium make blueberry tea a heart-healthy beverage.
  • A stronger immune system, that can make you sick less often and speed up your recovery.
  • Better brain function. Blueberry tea can help your brain work better. 
May Boost Heart Health. Blueberry tea can provide a boost to your cardiovascular system.
May Improve Cognition. 
Might Improve Digestion. Gallic acid is a naturally occurring potential antioxidant in blueberries.
May Improve Immune System. Our immune system can be bolstered by both
May improve vision
May improve kidney function
May help as an anti oxident
May improve bone density
May improve circulation
 Health Benefits of Black Currant Leaf Tea

The major benefits of this tea include its ability to strengthen the immune system, boost skin health, and induce sleep, among others.

  • High in vitamin C
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Antiviral and antibacterial properties. [2]
  • Reducing inflammation throughout the body
  • Protecting the skin against various conditions
  • Inducing sleep and preventing insomnia
  • Boosting mood
  • Regulating hormones
  • Improving cardiovascular health
  • Optimizing digestive function
  • Anticancer potential
  • Treating cold and flu and infections
  • Improving memory
  • Preventing urinary tract infections (UTI)

Side Effects

Drinking an excessive amount of this tea can result in a number of side effects, such as the following: [5]

  • Complications of pregnancy
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Potential bleeding disorders
Health Benefits of Nettle Tea
    1. Nettle Tea for Muscle Pain. Nettle tea is widely consumed to treat muscle pain. 
    2. For Cardiovascular Health. You can maintain your blood pressure levels 
    3. It Maintains Healthy Kidneys. You can reap numerous health benefits from nettle
    4. Improves Digestion. 
     Nettle tea is a delicious and beneficial beverage that helps reduce oxidative stress, relieve pain and inflammation, and lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It also gives relief from urinary problems, soothes allergies and hives, gout, and improves skin, hair, and bone health. The tea is a detox drink that helps reduce hay fever, boost the immune system, protect the heart, and optimize digestion among others
  • Fights oxidative stress
  • Source of antioxidants
  • Blood tonic
  • Hair & nail care
  • Improves kidney health
  • Relieves menstrual problems
  • Increases lactation
  • Promotes weight loss
  • Used for skincare [10]

Health Benefits of Fireweed Tea

  •  Balances digestive health Promotes relaxation Builds immunity Improves mood Strengthens circulation Supports the kidneys and urinary system Detoxifies.

    2020-08-02 · The antioxidants in fireweed benefit the digestive system, the circulatory system and the immune system, the lungs, and the skin. Fireweed tea isn’t just dried is fermented. Fireweed tea has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries in Russia and can be a powerful aid in digestion and cultivating a healthy gut biome.

    2018-08-13 · Health Benefits of Fireweed. Traditionally, Fireweed has been used to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. It is also considered useful against wounds, tumors and prostate enlargement. Aside from the previously mentioned health benefits, fireweed also promises advantages for the following ailments: Promotes relaxation; Boosts immunity .

    2021-06-11 · Fireweed is used for pain and swelling (inflammation), fevers, tumors, wounds, and enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH). It is also used as an astringent and as a tonic. How does it work? Fireweed might contain substances that reduce swelling (inflammation)

    Health Benefits of Dandelion Tea

    1. Protects Bones. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body.
    2. High in Vitamin K. Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble vitamin.
    3. Cleanses Liver. 
    4. Fights Diabetes. Dandelion tea and juice help people with diabetes.
    2019-02-08 · 7 Ways Dandelion Tea Could Be Good for You 1. It reduces water weight If you’re feeling bloated, dandelion tea could provide relief because it acts as a diuretic.
    2. It Could Promote Liver Health Dandelion root has long been held as a “liver tonic” in folk medicine.
    3. It Can Act as A Natural Coffee Substitute
    There are a number of impressive health benefits associated with dandelion tea, including its ability to detoxify the body, regulate digestion, help in weight loss, prevent cancer and other chronic illnesses, protect the skin, and increase bone strength, among others. Dandelion tea has many amazing health benefits.
    Health Benefits of Apple Leaf Tea
    1. oral health, prevents tooth decay
    2. prevents Alzheimer’s
    3. fights Parkinson’s
    4. Control of all types of Cancers
    5. Lower the risk of Diabetes
    6. Reduce Cholesterol
    7. Grow a healthier heart
    8. Break down gallstones
    9. treat diarrhea and constipation
    10. treating discomfort bowel syndrome
    11. Prevents hemorrhoids
    12. weight loss treatment
    13. cleanse your liver
    14. increase your immune system
    15. avoid cataracts
    16. rich in antioxidents
    17 averting asthma
    18 increase endurance
    19. promote bone health
    20 improve night vision
    using the leaves only can improve your skin. acting as a treatment for acne and dark spots and blemishes.  It’s a treatment for darks circles and puffy eyes and helps hydrate the skin to improve radiance.
  • There is also evidence that the leaves can heal obesity, arthritis, bronchial asthma and prevent some cancers and chronic illness

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 1, 2021

by

This Mother’s Day

 

Hail you Awesome Human

Greetings to all of you on this fine Mother’s Day.  It’s a celebration of joy and happiness, nurture and care.  A mother’s love is like no other, from the world of humans and to the world of  animals, it has no bounds.

Praises to you, you awesome human.  Praises for your daily care   The world of Mothers and motherhood is a joy of humanity and pride.   The child is their parents love.

Love one another.  Such simple words, with such a powerful message.  The power of love.  Love unconditionally, since this might be the only love you have.  Love unconditionally since this might be the only family that you have. Love unconditionally since this is the love that binds you together.  The powerful world of love, is the most powerful world of all.

Praises to you on this fine day.  Mothers all over the world rejoice in the love of your lives and the pride that your children inspire.  To love and be loved is the message of Mother’s Day.  Happy are we to be so joyous as to have children to care for and children to care for us.  The natural world is a splendid world of joy and love.  Take care of each other, love one another and have joy.  Joy for your life, joy for your affection for each other, joy for the good that is in us and the message of this day.  Mother’s day is an always day.  It’s the day that never ends.  It’s the twenty four hours of non stop caring, of being at the constant beck and call of a small child, or of taking care of an illness, of a teenager of an elderly parent.  The constant nurturing of human beings is to pass along the joy of living, the gift of life itself.

Praises to you, magnificent almighty ones, on this fine day.  This is the day that we celebrate love.  This day lasts forever  One small day to celebrate a lifetime of love and affection.  This day is your day mothers, it lasts forever.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes.

on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2021

 

 

by

The Christmas Star

Hail Brave Hearts

There’s still time.  Time to sing, time to play, time for hope, time to pray.  The season of merriment and joy is with us.  Gladness and goodwill to share, is among us.  Rejoice, oh great human.  The world is still full of adventure and promise, discovery and fulfillment.  There is still time to enjoy the goodness that life brings.

In the dead of winter, there is great joy.  Look to the heavens for the sign of your saviour.  His mark is in the sky.  A rare event of celestial proportions rises in the night sky on December 21, 2020.  A year that has been marked by pandemic, disease, isolation, poverty,  death and despair.  How obvious, oh shiny star, to light up the night sky this year.  How obvious, oh shiny star to lead us once again.

The planets of Saturn and Jupiter will align to this degree, for the first time in 800 years.  Celestial configurations occur frequently, but this planetary alignment is a  precious sight.   As Jupiter and Saturn meet in the south westerly sky, shortly after sunset on December 21, we will see the bright, shiny star of Christmas.  Perhaps not the brilliant star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem, but still it is a Christmas star.  A star to light up our lives and a star to wish upon.

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/great-conjunction

This year has been a difficult one, full of disease and disaster.  The world has been somewhat chaotic in environmental  disaster, pandemic  virus, economic doom.  Our guiding light has been our ability to meet virtually on computer screens and cellphones which keep us connected to our friends and loved ones.  Lockdown has been the message of choice, to control a health crisis which has escalated beyond our control.  As fabulous as we are, we are only mortal.

The power of prayer is upon us.  Store after store closes, awaiting a shift to normal business hours.  Awaiting a vaccine to cure this pandemic and to praise the magnificent, once again.  Save us!  Save us, you mighty minds, we know that you know how to.  Bankruptcy looms in the despair of a command.  Stay home!  Once again, we are shut in.  Shut in, closed off, with few social contacts and no gatherings.

Shine, oh great magnificent light!  Shine and bring us Christmastime!  Shine oh holy light, the light of our life, oh star of Bethlehem.  Shine.

Although the Bethlehem star is still not really explained, since there have been other conjunctions which produce a great, shiny light in the sky.  This one that we will be witnessing on December 21, 2020, this  winter’s solstice, will be the brightest that we will be able to see.  The timing is perfect.  It is Christmas.  The vaccine has started to arrive.  We will become well again, venture out again, rejoice again.  Glad tidings to you and yours during this very difficult time, but it is passing.  This Christmas star might not herald in a new savior, but it will bring in a new astrological shift.  Coincidentally?  Perhaps.  The mysterious night sky and the the heavens bring in a new age in 2021.  Behold, a new age is dawning.  The age of Aquarius.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 20,2020

by

Feast

Praises to the Magnificent Almighty Man

Eat hearty.  Tis the season for delicious cuisine.  A summertime of hours of work brings us the much needed harvest.  With gratitude for our living, our survival, and our fabulously healthy diet.  The smorgasbord has arrived.  Joy to us, for this magnificent and decadent celebration.  Thanksgiving is a must.

We turn our attention to the bounty of the Earth.  A time of joy, of family of friends and fellowship.  The hardship of the toil of planting culminates on this holiday which saves us.  Eat well and share. This holiday comes from giving, sharing, community, peace and fellowship.  It comes from caring for people and taking care of people.  It is a time for the home, for the harvest and the homecoming.  As usual, we feast and remember with gladness, the story of Thanksgiving and the happiness of the people.

Eat, drink and be merry, oh joyous ones, the nurturing of this gift of food is for your health, wellness and continued enjoyment.  A delight for the grand chef.

Recipes abound for this season with the additional goodness of the meal plan already resolved.  Traditional cooking at it’s best.  The larder is full, the guest list is easy.  We put aside our worries for a moment and retreat to our bubble.  The safety of a circle of close friends and relatives who we can share with.  This has been an unusual year, 2020, but we still persevere.  Our gatherings are small, our journeys limited in distance and number.  We are cautious with our meetings and grateful for the advances in technology that surrounds us with people who we care for and still need to communicate with.  We still dine in style and share our thoughts and conversation through the fortunate support of social media, cell phones, ipads , computer and other gadgets.  The life line is still present.  We are still able to connect ourselves to the wide wide world out there.

With praises we are thankful.  In history the wide ocean separates the people from their families.  There is no where to go.  There is nothing else to do, but to have faith in God and to trust in strangers who might help them.  They faced illness and hunger and so much despair.  One hundred and thirty lonely people, cast out into an unknown world of much hardship.  Save us!  They landed, and fell into a tribe of indigenous people, unknown strangers, perhaps murderers, they met them anyway, regardless of their fear.

How fortunate to meet a compassionate  person who extended an invitation of peace, food, fellowship and acceptance.  How fortunate to meet those kinds of people, even today.  The people who will break bread with you, share the larder, extend an invitation.  The days of yore, when a broken group of stranded people, encountered the unexpected in a strange and wild land.  Give thanks for those fortunate few who were so lucky as to be included.  Feast and be merry, joy to us all.  This celebration of food is the making of a great nation, of great friendships.  It is to overcome starvation, to live in peace, to be a community and a country.

These are our instructions, according to history.

\written by Dr. Louise Hayes

October 21, 2020

 

by

Your Backyard Holiday

Hail Brave Hearts

Survive we must! In this blistering heat of summer with the quiet lakes to ourselves. The calm, the serene, the peace, the solitude. An unusual turn of the times. In this fine scenario of beach, less is more. Fewer beach goers to take over the sand, fewer families to splash and play in the water, fewer pets to avoid. Instead, it’s all for us. The Canadian holiday tourist is the new normal.

During a season which is constantly full of international guests filling every room for rent in the community, the chance for a Canadian summer holiday has been hard to come by for some. Last minute cancellations are rare.

The highways are quiet, we own the road. Drive to those scenic locations, there’s no one in sight. Easily find a table at the restaurant, there’s room for us. It has it’s beauty. We have our own special places to explore, unhindered. It has it’s beast. Finance.  It has another beast.  The bustling, busy beach scene is anything but quiet.  Our thoughts that this is for us is true, but so many of us!  

The quiet, the solitude, the peaceful Canadian get away, so special, so serene, so back to nature, so much to ourselves.  The jam packed tourist industry is all us.  All us!  The rush to save our relaxing and serene holidaying selves drives us to vacation madness on Canadian beaches.  Every inch is claimed.  Save us almighty dollar.  Spend your money at home this year.  The economic crisis of a pandemic virus has curtailed all of our luxurious international travel.  The resort haven of an idylic tropical getaway, forsaken for the vast remoteness of our own Canadian dreamland.  

https://www.parklandcounty.com/en/index.aspx

The food is divine.  Culinary delights abound.  There are endless opportunities for the sports enthusiast.  We meet and exceed international standards in so many ways.  Run  the trails, climb those mountains, paddle the lakes.  This year has been a pasttime of recreation and leisure, for those who were able to go out.  The great Canadian get away has been a pleasure, right outside your own back door.

A drive along a remote country road to a surprising little shop in nowhere.  A clean, immaculate hamlet way off the beaten path with surprising prosperity.  The endless recreation of lakes, parks and adventure.  The thrill of discovery of the history of this land, of who we are, who settled this place, who comes here.  The discovery of diversity, a mixture of agriculture beside industry, of recreation beside a bustling city, of unique culture  and diverse peoples all occupying the same land. The mixture of wilderness and sport, of wildlands and human populations.  This is us.  We planned it this way.  We planned this fun and enjoyment, we planned for the relaxation, we planned this unusual adventure.  A drive along a dusty gravel road to a restaurant in an unheard of village.  The pleasure of the local cuisine and the local people.  There are so many places to go, so many roads to travel, rails to ride, people to visit.  To spend our hard earned dollars in this magnificent country that has so many delightful treats for us to find.  

The pandemic has given many of us time.  Time to explore.  Discover it for yourselves.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

September 26, 2020

 

 

by

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

by

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

 

by

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

by

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.

https://routechamplain.ca/en/listings/carhagouha-1615-site-of-first-mass-in-ontario/

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

February 28, 2020

by

St. Christopher

Hail Brave hearts

The seas are rising and the crossing is dangerous. The water swells and ripples. The current is too strong and the rapids are too long, the danger of the crossing is too great for our skills. Save us! Or we shall perish. Be the strong and be the mighty, be the back that we can cling to, be our arms that plow the water, be our legs that withstand the current. Be our strength, be our courage, be our transport across the torrent. Hail to you, oh great Saint Christopher, patron saint of the traveler.

We are weary, tired and weak, you are the strong, give us your hand. You are strong, powerful and mighty, we are small, weak and puny. Help us with your bravery and the powerful strength of your body. Lucky are we to meet your acquaintance, the sight of such an enormous man. Courage and kindness to help these strangers, who are so desolate that they need his hand.

The crossing is difficult, the child is too heavy, all of the weight of the world on his back. This is the Christ Child the Redeemer of history, the merciful, the wondrous child. A small load, but so heavy, he carries our weighty sins. I am small but you are mighty, St Christopher, carry me.

Carry me across the turbulent oceans, carry me across the perilous land, carry me across the arid desert, deliver me home, by your strong hands. St Christopher we plead to you, save us, by your mighty strength. We are the travelers who need your company, your support, your superiority. we are the travelers who will perish without your generosity. Hail, St, Christopher save us! We know you can.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Christopher

For centuries you have saved us, with your mighty, muscular build. Save us always, oh great and mighty one, our adventures are still perilous. Take us across the swelling ocean, take us to our home in this brave new land. Save us in our journey, as we cross the turbulent sea, save us in our travel to this new country. You are the mighty, you are the strong, we are the week who depend upon you. Support us in the grand adventure, carry us across the seas. Stay with us while we explore this wild, untamed new land.

Hail to you oh St, Christopher, we raise your medal high. You have been so much to us, and to you, we are meerly passersby.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes