A Final Reflection

By the time I opened my final envelope, the impact of the past week was obvious. You have run out of toothpaste, what do you do? What would I do? Toothpaste would be the least of my worries. I would use baking soda. Having a lack of hope would be a greater challenge.

Friday was a hard day. The challenge was over and my mind was searching for solutions to the issue I had been exploring. There was little left in the house that could be packed for lunches. I gave Kirsten money for the Cafeteria and drove to Tim Horton's at lunch. What would I have done if the challenge had lasted a day longer? I felt guilty about how easy it was for me to solve my problem. I also knew I would be stopping at Keewatin Place for groceries after school so we could have something a little more substantial for dinner. When it came time to shop, again I felt overwhelmed by my ability to choose. It struck me that if I were really living in poverty, next weeks menu would be awfully similar to the one we had this past week.

I couldn't leave this challenge without one last post. I would never claim to have the answers to an age-old problem. I offer only my own thoughts with the hope that writing them down may provoke others to consider the issue. The following is my list of possible areas that could improve trajectories for communities.

1. Education as a way to end the cycle of poverty - is a true statement. Education is not about what is. . . it's about what is possible. It is possible, through good education, for people to read, write and calculate at a high level. It is possible for people to be part of a club or team. It is possible for people to play an instrument, sing with a choir, take to the stage or create a stunning piece of art. In order for this to work, children need to work hard at it. They need to recognize the value of their education and embrace the opportunities that are offered through it.

2. We need to push our thinking about what a school is, to what it could be. Every child that enters a school has a family. Schools have the ability to strengthen families. As a society, we are just beginning to tap into this. Learning can be extended far beyond the students in our classrooms. There are many ways we can provide the tools families need to thrive by rethinking how we use our time and space. We can offer families a chance to learn and be together.

3. We need to recover the lost art of being neighbours. We need to spend time, quality time, with people who are not exactly the same as ourselves. This means we must make a point to become friends with people who are older and younger than ourselves, with those who have more, and those with less. Our society has become obsessed with "Self." Self-Care, Selfies, Self-Serve, and Self-Checkouts. I believe people are meant to live in community.

4. We need to recover lost skills. It is easier to be resourceful when you know how to cook, garden and manage a budget. We can no longer assume that all people know how to do these things. Having this knowledge is of great value. Our programs need to reflect this belief.

5. We can share. We can live with just a little less so that someone else can have a little more. This is probably the simplest, most practical realization I have had over the course of the week.

6. We can learn. We need to hear the stories and walk in other people's shoes. If we do not take the time to understand the perspectives of those living in poverty, we are at a disadvantage when trying to develop solutions. 

7. We can embrace the entire community. Can you imagine how absurd it would be if I considered 90% of my students to be “my class” and the other 10%to be “extras.” Although this is a ridiculous idea when referring to children, I worry that this happens with our street people. My years of teaching Kindergarten have taught me that when a child is acting out, the best remedy is to increase his sense of belonging. The better the connections, the fewer the behaviours. Adults are really no different. Everyone wants to feel like they are loved.

8. We can support and celebrate the people who are doing challenging work. Last summer, as I was driving home to Keewatin, I noticed a young girl sitting on the outside of the bridge before the Husky Station. I immediately pulled over and called the police. I got out of the vehicle and walked toward the girl to ask if she was okay. I was sick to my stomach with the fear that she might jump. She didn't respond, but climbed back over the side of the bridge and walked toward the hospital. I knew that a social worker would be with her that night, and I was so thankful for that person. There are people in our community who are responding to very difficult situations, day after day. Addictions, abuse, mental health issues. This is not easy work, and we need these people to know that they are appreciated.

Thank you to all those who have taken the time to read my blog this week. The Poverty Challenge has certainly made its mark on my heart. 

Love Changes Everything

Although the week is almost over, I feel as if the impact of this different way of life is just setting in. We have not run out of food, but we feel a little weaker. Kirsten notices it the most as she is in dance most evenings. Derek wouldn't complain even if he was hungry. I watched him shovelling the driveway at 9:00 last night after a long day of snow removal. I felt love. Dinner was a small package of noodles each, with the leftover pieces of chicken added in. There was a special treat waiting in the fridge; red jello in special little crystal bowls to celebrate Valentine's Day.

By 9:30 we were all hungry again. We still had buns, so we toasted them to revive them a bit, and added jam on top. They were delicious, but these types of calories are just not sustaining us. We need more protein and more fruits and vegetables. I am so thankful for the Nutrition Programs in all schools. Tremendous work has been done in this area over the past several years. There are Breakfast Grants available from a range of organizations, and the Northwestern Health Unit has been a champion in ensuring supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables are available in every classroom. While most children living in poverty still come to school with food, they are often lacking in nutrients. Grants can be time-consuming, and now, I am even more grateful for the hours that volunteers put in to ensure these programs are in place.

I had a chance to connect with my Auntie Georgina this week, who offered to share some of her experiences growing up. She was quite assertive in expressing her dislike for oatmeal. To this day, she cannot eat oatmeal as she remembers a time when it was served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. On one particular day, she and my uncle Howard were sent to buy a 50 lb. bag of oatmeal and haul it back to the house on a sleigh. This was in the early days when they lived on the back lake by Duffus Road. They had to cross the ice to get home, and they recalled passing a large ice hole. They hated oatmeal so much that they were tempted to drop it down the hole, but they knew they would starve without it. She also remembered walking to the grocery store to ask the butcher for bones for their dog. They didn't have a dog. The bones were used to make soup for the family. She remembered my grandma giving away clothing that was too small in exchange for fish or deer meat. She also remembered her Auntie Syv, who would make alterations to her clothes so that they felt less like hand-me-downs.

An important influence on their ability to succeed through this trying time was their involvement in the community. They attended St. Andrews Church and went to Sunday School. They also participated in Scouts and Guides, Sea Cadets, Curling and Hockey. Most of these activities were free and they allowed the children to make connections with others, develop skills and gain confidence. I know from my own experiences as a parent, how beneficial it is to have numerous, caring adults in a child's life. There is plenty of research on the link between participation in physical activity and academic success. There is also research on the link between engagement in the arts and overall wellbeing. Along with ensuring children have enough to eat, we need to ensure they have enough to do. They need to feel like they are part of a greater community. They need to experience success after hard work. They need to discover that they have gifts they can offer others.

Along with having resources to get by. . . feeling loved and giving love within a community is a vital part of ending the cycle of poverty.

A Meal to Remember

Are you still wondering about the gift?

The surprise was a gift certificate to Twice as Nice. I had $15.00 to spend and on my tight budget, that was an awful lot. All day I anticipated what I might find. Imagine my delight when I saw this sign on the door. . .

Sadly, the store closed just as I arrived. I would have to wait another day to shop. It was close enough to 5:00, and I had already spent the money to drive into town, so I decided to stay and attend the meal program held at St. Albans Church. As I approached the door my heart starting racing. I wished I was there as a volunteer.

I knew there would be people. I knew there would be many people. Still, I was astonished to see them. There were no empty tables, and I felt agitated planning where I might sit once I made it through the line. What struck me was that the large majority were men. This made finding a seat even more problematic. I also didn't want to be standing there, awkwardly looking around. I already felt like every eye was on me.

I had every intention of striking up a conversation. I had played the scenario in my mind to the "Why are you here" question. "I'm having a tough week." Really? I'm having a tough life. No one asked. It really didn't matter why I was there.

It was obvious that most of the people knew each other by name. There was a sense of community within most of the group, although the odd argument would also surface from time to time. I was surprised to hear all the laughter. A young man teasing an older man about his grey hair, and the older man ridiculing the younger mans' lack of wisdom, to bursts of laughter from the tables. At one point, someone spilt their chips while walking, garnering a great deal of razzing from the group. I saw a man give an entire pocketful of change to another. I saw another man eat the food off someone else's plate, but refused to get his own. I overheard someone trying to urge a young fellow to stop using drugs. I saw one man take his burger to go, saying it was for his niece. Some people were very quiet, while others could hardly stop talking long enough to eat, talking to the voices in their minds.

The meal was cheeseburgers, salad, and chips. There were also little bowls placed on each table filled with chocolate hearts. The burger was indescribably delicious. It was hot, the patty was substantial, and it was much better than the leftovers the rest of the family was eating at home. To be honest, I felt a little guilty having a better meal, but I knew a situation like this would be upsetting for my girls. Once seated, I had to force myself to eat slowly. I was so hungry I could have devoured the burger in seconds, but the pace of the others was obviously un-rushed. There wasn't a lot of conversation, just a lot of smiles.

I left inspired by the important work that is carried out in that space, week after week. It is so much more than food. It is an opportunity to be together. Although their troubles may be complex and many, I believe that the people who are being fed truly feel cared about when they are given a hot meal. I am so grateful for all the people who make little miracles like this happen. To the Coordinators of Helping Hands, to the staff and students at St. Thomas Aquinas School who lovingly donated and prepared the meal, and to those very special volunteers who serve the food and wash the dishes afterwards, my most sincere thanks. It was a meal I will never forget.

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another." ~Charles Dickens

The Unspoken Challenges

It is 6:00 a.m. and I am exhausted. I am tremendously thankful I was able to include coffee in my groceries this week. Last Saturday, I stared at the shelf at No Frills for quite some time, debating its value. It has been worth every penny.

There is an amusing little phrase that four and five-year-olds often use when they are insistent on a fact. They say, "It's true, for real life." While grammatically incorrect, it is always emphatically spoken. I have known many four and five-year-olds who have considered themselves to be the quite the authorities on a quite a range of topics. Today, I am thinking about all the little details that might be different if this challenge was not a challenge, but a reality.

If this was true, "for real life. . . ."

-My foot, which was injured at the beginning of this challenge, would still be sore. I am not certain I would be walking to work. I might even be missing work.
-I might have been caught throwing my garbage into the dumpster at work. There may have been repercussions to this decision.
-I might not have been offered transportation, making me even more early than I am.
-My children, who are so fortunate to be in dance and music lessons at night, would probably not be doing these things.
-I might have run out of milk. To be honest, my children drank all of the milk within the first two days of the challenge, and I had to remind them that things were different now. You can't just take what you want. You need to plan for everything. We happened to have one extra milk downstairs, but I deducted $3.50 for it, so I am now sitting at $13.78. I already know I need to purchase an important item by tomorrow.
-I would be worrying about Valentine's Day. I purchased the Valentines for my class and Monika's class last week. I know it would have also become a "challenge" this week, not to mention cards and gifts for family members.
-I was prepared last weekend for this Thursday's College Class. Normally, I would be spending an additional two hours during the week to get ready. Had I needed to do this tonight I know I would be completely overwhelmed.
-My growing fatigue is making me more impatient, but I know that this challenge will soon come to an end. I can tell myself that I only have a few more days, but if this was a real context, that thought wouldn't exist at all.

I am certain that there would be other realities that I might not be considering right now. Perhaps someone would be calling about a bill I hadn't paid. Perhaps I might be avoiding someone at work because I still owed them money. Maybe my child would need to stay home "sick" on Valentine's Day because she didn't have anything to give out. I might even run out of toilet paper before the weekend. These are the unknown, unspoken aspects that I am sure would be difficult to talk about.

I opened my challenge envelope ready to deal with what was to come. As I pulled out the slip of paper, tears welled up in my eyes. It was the last thing I expected. It was a gift.

Tonight, I will tell you all about the gift.

"If you can't feed a hundred people. . . then feed just one." ~St. Teresa of Calcutta

Today's challenge is about sharing. The school is collecting donations for the Salvation Army. What do you do? I was not expecting this. My cupboards are almost bare, and the items I have are indispensable elements of my perfect meal plan.

A scene from Little Women comes to mind. The March sisters are gathering at the table for Christmas Breakfast. Amy is ecstatic at the sight of foods that have been scarce in their home for some time; sausage, oranges and butter. She even exclaims, "Isn't butter divinity?" Shortly after, the girls learn that there is a family living nearby that is suffering greatly. Meg suggests sharing their bread, and soon the girls are gaily delivering their entire breakfast.

I know just the item that will be donated. It is a large can of peaches that was to be our "treat" for the week. I had planned to dish the peaches into lovely little crystal bowls and chill them in the fridge. This way, whenever we opened the fridge we would see the peaches and anticipate the moment we could finally eat them. I remember my grandma doing this when I was a child. Something as simple as canned fruit cocktail seemed fit for a queen when it was chilled in a crystal bowl.

I am content with the food we have been eating, but it requires a lot of work. We make oatmeal for breakfast with brown sugar and milk. Lunches consist of strawberry jam sandwiches, popcorn, oranges and yogurt. I cooked the small chicken in the crockpot today and made chicken and rice soup for tomorrow. Tonight's dinner was macaroni and canned tomatoes, with cheese sprinkled on top. It was delicious and will last for two meals. There is another batch of dough rising so I can make buns later tonight. If I can stay awake long enough, I will try to make oatmeal cookies, but I am really, really tired.

I am still mulling over the idea of sharing. As a Kindergarten teacher, I am quite experienced in teaching human beings to share. It can be difficult for very young children because they are often uncertain they will ever have the item in their own hands again. I have often heard my father in law, Harry, talk about how his mother shared. She had thirteen children to feed yet she still found a way to give to others, whether it was an extra chair pulled up to the dinner table, or a few additional lunches packed for children attending school. It is important that children see adults share. Sharing gives hope to the recipient, but it also brings joy to the giver.

Good People Everywhere

Today, in neighbourhoods all over the world, millions and millions of people are doing very good things. 

So begins a book that I was fortunate enough to discover over the summer, as I was preparing to teach Kindergarten. The message is both timely and timeless. With a voice that seems to channel the wisdom of Mister Rogers, author Lynea Gillen reassures us that all sorts of people are doing good things, wonderful things, in fact. I couldn't think of a more important message to offer children as they set about their journey into the wider world.

My grandmother's house was built by good people. In order to help her get on her own two feet, her Auntie Franka bought her the property on Chicken Point. Now, with a housekeeping job at the Hosptial, Imba was able to contribute some money toward the cost of the materials needed to build the house. When I asked my grandma "Who built the house?" her reply was, "everybody." Everyone helped. She remembers so many neighbours offering their time and materials, and specifically mentioned Ed Ortlieb and Bill McLean Senior. Most of the work was completed on the weekends, as the men would have been working throughout the week. I am trying to wrap my head around what it must have felt like to receive such a gift. The photo above is the house, shortly after it was built. Isn't it a beautiful thought to know she is still sleeping under that same roof tonight.

There were other good people in the world today. Many friends are now following this blog and have sent words of encouragement. My daily challenge indicated that it was Garbage Day. I had to find a bag tag or find a solution. With only $17.28 remaining, I didn't really want to buy a bag tag. I decided to throw it in the bin at work. I confessed this to the Principal, and she understood. That was good.

At 6:30 I walked to our School Council Meeting. We started the meeting with a prayer for those in need of food, clothing, shelter and education. The prayer was intentionally chosen because of its relevance to the Week of Action Against Poverty. As the meeting progressed, the topic turned to outreach. Along with the incredible things they do to support the school, the Council is committed to making a difference in our local community. You can imagine my excitement when they decided that the proceeds of the 50/50 draw from the Ice Fishing Derby they are holding this weekend will be directed to meal programs in Kenora. In addition, they expressed their willingness to volunteer at one of the programs. At the end of the meeting, I was offered a ride home by one of the parents. It was 8:00 and I was tired. Despite the fact that I had packed a flashlight in my pocket, I didn't really want to walk home. It was kind of her to offer a ride.

Although I might not know who, or where. . . I know that tonight there are local people delivering hot meals, caring for children who are not their own, visiting people who are sick or lonely, or helping someone find a warm place to stay. I am more aware of the importance of this work and the impact it has on our community. I am grateful.

Here is a link to a reading of the book, Good People Everywhere

Tonight, in neighbourhoods all around Kenora, hundreds and hundreds of people are doing very good things.

Rest, Resilience, and a New Television on Chicken Point

This is a bench that quietly sits about halfway up Station Hill. I know why the bench is sitting there, and I remember a time when it did not exist. The bench is a symbol of rest and resilience.

Imba, my grandma, has lived on Station Hill her entire life. Her parents came from Iceland and eventually settled at the top of Station Hill. Tragedy struck when my grandma was only five and she lost her mother, leaving her father to raise a house full of children. Years later, Imba found herself living with her own challenging situation. The cards of life had dealt her a tough hand. She was a single mother raising six children without child support. Life was not easy for her as she tried to make ends meet, but everyone did the best they could. Imba started out working as a housekeeper at St. Joseph's Hospital. When the hospital closed, she was able to take a day shift in the Laundromat at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital. She worked here until she retired. To this day, she has never owned a car. She rode the bus to work, accepted rides from many, and walked as often as she could. As she grew older, the walks up Station Hill became more difficult. What was once a hill seemed more like a mountain to her aging body, and yet, she still chose to walk.

It has been many years now since request was made to the former Town of Keewatin, to place a bench at the halfway point. Now, at 94, she is fortunate to be in her home, but her days of hill climbing have passed.

Yesterday, as I was asking her to recall her experiences, a story about their first television surfaced."We were the last people on Chicken Point to get a television," she began. Chicken Point is an old label which refers the area on the other side of Station Hill. Imba noticed that as televisions were entering the houses of everyone in the neighbourhood, her own children were never home. She knew she did not have the means to purchase her own television, and she was frustrated with always having to track down the children. One day, she became fed up. She went to the store and asked the manager if he would trust her to make payments on a television set. She couldn't recall who this person was, but indicated it was a Hardware Store. The manager was so kind and even walked with her to the bank to set everything up. Apparently, the loan was co-signed by the banker himself, Pete Sherritt. The television was delivered and set up, and soon the house was full again.