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Even in January, which at Madonna House is usually what journalists would call a low-news month, our life continues to be varied, full, and challenging.
Well, winter weather can be news-worthy, and this month it has been. First, it was cold, cold, cold—ranging from -20 celsius (-4 F.) to -35 (-31) for almost two weeks—an unusually long time for it to be that cold.
Then it warmed up. Ah-h-h! Then it got too warm. For the temperature went above freezing, and that resulted first in some meltdown and then when the temperature dropped again—as it inevitably must in midwinter—we were walking on ice.
The men do sand the paths, but they can’t sand everything, especially since conditions can change. So walking under such conditions is challenging.
And then there is the occasional snowstorm. Last Monday, snow was predicted, turning into ice pellets, turning into freezing rain.
Driving conditions were predicted to be, and were, terrible, but a number of trips were scheduled for that day. (When you live in a rural area as we do, business and medical appointments involve travelling to towns or cities.) The trips on that Monday were dealt with in varying ways.
A trip to Toronto to bring Joanne Slugocki to the airport to catch a plane to her new assignment at MH England and to drop off donations for the missions was fine. They left early, and since they were heading south, the precipitation they experienced was rain.
But closer to home, at least one medical trip was cancelled, and one person heading back here stayed overnight at a convent.
Then there’s “good” ice—like the ice on the swamp between the mainland and our island chapel. That ice we maintain and use as an ice rink, a small rink that is well-used, especially by the young people who play hockey on Sunday afternoons.
Yesterday evening, we had what we called “a family skate party,” which was complete with decorative lights, music, and hot chocolate.
You could either skate or watch from a higher deck on the bank, and there were games—a form of musical chairs, a relay race, and a five-minute hockey game. And Doreen Dykers, guest Lauren Market, and applicant Nicholas Parrott entertained with a comedy figure skating act—well sort of figure skating.
One ongoing winter project is processing the wool from our sheep. Though we send some away to be processed into saleable sheepskins and yarn, both of which we sell in our shops, other wool we ourselves make into batts, also for sale.
The wool for batts has to be picked apart, washed, and carded—wonderful natural work for our modern young visitors.
Mary Davis heads this work, and this year, she got the idea of occasionally inviting guest speakers, members of the staff, for informal talks to the guests while they work. Mainly she invited people to talk about their mission house experiences.
Our older members are a great source of wisdom, know-how, and stories, and of course, some of this passing it on happens naturally.
Jan Hills, one of our elders who was sorting beans with a few of the women guests, ended up swapping Yukon stories with one of the guests who spent time there with NET (National Evangelical Team) as the others listened.
Our elders are a treasure, and we are discovering more ways of helping them and our younger members and applicants (people in formation) to get to know one another. A few years ago, the residents of Our Lady of the Visitation (OLV, our annex for the elderly) started a new tradition: inviting the applicants for tea.
The OLV residents had read Pope Francis when he said that part of the vocation of the elders is to pray for the young. So each of our elders drew the names of two applicants to pray for. The applicants were then encouraged to ask “their” elder to pray for specific things they need.
Another tradition begun in recent years occurs during our three days off for Christmas and Easter. During ordinary times, usually everyone eats together, but on each of those days, when we each make our own breakfasts, three or so of us make and eat breakfast with the residents of Our Lady of the Visitation.
Today, as I write this, these residents and also those in the newly formed Holy Family living quarters (for those needing some assistance) are having a day of recollection centering on the theme, The Spirituality of Aging and Dying: How God is Calling Us to Meet Him. Fr. David May and Deacon Dr. Don MacDonald, who lives in the area, are each giving them a talk.
The whole community, too, had a day of recollection—on the World Day for Consecrated Life. And for the week of Christian Unity, both the main house and St. Mary’s read something about the subject for spiritual reading.
The saga of St. Mary’s equipment being out of commission, breaking down, being repaired, and needing to be upgraded and pass inspection according to new government regulations continues. The laundry dryer is now operational, but the elevator has still not passed inspection.
Now here are some news in brief: Fr. Denis Lemieux and Patrick Stewart gave a men’s retreat in the area. Carol Ann Gieske, Helen Porthouse, and Joo Eun Lee put on marionette shows at three local elementary schools.
Ralph Edelbrock attended a workshop about wells and septic systems. One of the working guests gave a workshop about her expertise, photography, to the staff of MH Publications.
Cathy Mitchell, the local director of the women of the main house, has just returned from a visit to our Palestinian friends in Haifa, Israel, where we used to have a house. Their situation in that region, on an ongoing basis, is obviously a difficult one. Cathy gave us seashells from the Mediterranean Sea as a reminder to pray for those countries which touch the sea and for those who travel across her and for the Holy Land.
We are beginning to prepare, in various ways, for Lent, which you will be well-into by the time you receive this paper. May the rest of it, especially Holy Week and Easter, be a time of much grace and blessing for each of you.
