Thankful Thursday #4

Jude said I should write about being thankful for my father's and my mother's genes, my long dogwalks, good eating, and yoga that all contribute to my tiny waist, but I thought, no, I can't write about that...  but it was a good thought, and as The Bard himself said, "Self-love is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting."  Moreover, this is the year where one of my goals was to accept myself, and love myself as I am.  :-)

What I am more than I can express thankful for today, however, begins with a Canadian Senator who I have admired and heard speak, both in person, and in a documentary, Roméo Dallaire.  He announced his resignation yesterday.  He is, without a doubt, the most inspiring and also the most humble of people in the Senate.  He is leaving to better the world, in short.  When I heard him speak at our Teachers' Convention several years ago, he was passionate about the importance of citizens being involved with NGOs, Non-governmental organizations such as Animal Alliance of Canada and Doctors Without Borders and Free the Children to name only three, but three that are near and dear to my heart.  If you ever have a chance, go and listen to founder of Free the Children, Craig Kielburger, speak, or YouTube him; he is an AMAZING speaker.  As is Monsieur Dallaire.

He wants to do more work with child soldiers, as in putting a stop to this horror, with educating people about and working with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, something he himself has suffered with for the past 20 years, since he was in charge of Canada's Peace-Keeping mission (with too few men) in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.

Where am I going?  I am thankful for people like him, who serve, and who aren't afraid to speak up for the less fortunate, for the innocent, for the victimized, and continue to do so, even when it falls on deaf ears.  People who advocate for the wrongly maligned and incredibly mistreated Pitbulls, "pibbles" like Rocco, who gets regularly bossed around by Bella, a 6.5 pound cat.

Sandra is leaving....Rocco is in his happy place.....but will Bella share??

I just finished Room, by Emma Donoghue, a book I first heard Laurie Greenwood, Edmonton aficionado of all things books, speak about, several years ago at Teachers' Convention. . . Wow, I was privy to many terrific talks and presentations!  That is where I heard Craig speak as well!  I got the book, started it, but left it because the subject matter bothered me too much:  a sick man has kidnapped a girl, at age 19, and kept her in an 11X11' shed/dungeon for 7 years.  Her son, Jack, just turned 5 at the start of the book has no clue about Outside.  Well, Jude had started it a few days ago, and so I thought I'd read it now too.  This way I would have someone to discuss it with, as we both have grandchildren about that age.  It was a hard, but gripping and mesmerizing read.  It consumed me over the past few days, in more ways than one.  Jack is incredibly real, so convincingly and so heartbreakingly portrayed.  He consumed my thoughts; he lived in my head; I watched him, loved him, even when I wasn't reading the book.  What does this have to do with being thankful?  I am thankful that there are people who want to help, and train to be able to give that help, to victims of trauma.  I, myself, could not.

I am so saddened by the human race in general, but so uplifted by seemingly small acts of kindness, by people who give, be it their time, their love, their expertise, their passion, their dollars, their patience. . . would that no child, no woman, no man, no animal, ever be violated.

Think I'm going to head down to the basement and make something for a child right now.  Check out Sarah's blog at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for ideas for patterns as well as places who could use these items.  Our Kingsville Guild makes bags and stuffs them with important items for newborns taken by Children's Aid.

Last of all, I am also thankful today for the fresh asparagus Jude just brought over for us, as I finished typing this post!  How wonderful to eat fresh produce, grown by a farmer just down the road!  And to have such wonderful neighbours, who share so much more than food with us.

More wonderful bounty of the Sun Parlour, Essex County