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.