a novel

So I'm trying a thing. As I explore what it means to be a settler ally on Turtle Island (the indigenous name for North America - for Lanape, Iroquois, Anishinaabe and others) I want to practice learning more about the first peoples who have lived, and continue to live, on this land. And so as I explore the majesty and beauty of this continent in my regular travels and journeys, I want to commit to learning whose land I am visiting, the the Indigenous names for places I only know the English name for, and hopefully some of their stories and history. I'm inspired in this by the recent travels of a friend of mine and a comment he made on Facebook about using and learning Indigenous names of places you visit. You can find more of his story here:  https://www.nationsandvoices.com/. (He has some amazing pictures you should check out!) I've made a facebook album to post pictures, names and peoples - but I thought I might also blog here, among my many thoughts and rambles about...

Spring arrived this week in Southern Ontario. The leaves might not be on the trees yet, but the bulbs are up, the crocuses are blooming, and the 10 day forecast doesn't fill me with one ounce of dread. I am amazed every year by how this change shifts my self image and mental health.  Last week, when we had the (hopefully last) snow storm of the winter, I responded by hibernating on the couch with Netfilx. I continually scanned the 10 day forecast, searching for hope that warmth and joy would in fact come, and was continually disappointed as the promised warm temperatures moved further and further into the future. All motivation to be productive on my writing and life tasks dissipated once I couldn't confirm that the warm weather and snow melting would in fact come.  And then this past Saturday the weather warmed. While it is logical that spring would eventually bring warmth, my heart couldn't maintain that hope without obvious proof. So when the sun came out on Satur...

I have a few goals for 2018. Simple ones, like continuing to care for my body with exercise and to care for my soul with cake baking. To finish my thesis. To do more camping. To survive the winter.  And then more complex ones, ones that I struggle to put into words. And so my goal is to use this blog to start writing about them.  I want to start to create space, even if it's just a little bit, in this corner of the web, in which to reflect on what it might mean to believe in nonviolence, restorative practices, civil dialogue, and compassion. To learn, or relearn, how to live out of that alternative, still so very counter cultural, Anabaptist value system in a world that feels so antagonistic. In a place where judgement and assumptions come first, where hatred is acceptable on both sides of the aisle, I want to explore grace. Where we are defined by single actions, where impact trumps intention, where call out culture reigns supreme, I want to explore how to create pathway...