My New Favourite Poem

The book, the Flame, was put together in the year before his death in 2016.
In it is this beautiful poem.

I PRAY FOR COURAGE
I pray for courage
Now I’m old
To greet the sickness
and the cold.

I pray for courage
In the night
To Bear the burden
make it light

I pray for courage
in the time
When suffering comes and
Starts to climb

I Pray for courage
At the end
To see death coming
As a friend

On Stage at Good Vibes Coffeehouse

At the corner of Mt St Louis Rd W and the 5th Line, in the little town of Mount St Louis, there is a little church hall which every Thursday night is home to Good Vibes Coffeehouse.

It’s a wonderful gathering place for musicians, comedians, poets and artists, and other like minded people.

Everyone gets there fifteen minutes of fame. It is a place where every gift is appreciated and everyone is made welcome. My favourite thing to do there has always been that of a spectator, allowing the music and the atmoshere to soothe my soul.

But everyone once in a while, I would think to myself, ‘it would be kind of nice’ to take my spot on the stage.

I am not a musician, and people need not listen to me sing, but I do love poetry and there are so many poems that are meant to be read.

So, on a quiet night in January, when there were only a few people in the house, I was asked to put my name on the board and read some scripts from a book.

I loved the feeling of being on stage, finding it a lot easier and more rewarding than I had anticipated.

The following two weeks, I again signed my name on the board, reading from Canada’s most passionate poet, Leonard Cohen.

Reflections on my Life

When reflecting on my life, I realize that I have been many things to many people.

A daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece and a granddaughter. An aunt, a great aunt and a God mother.

A nieghbour, a student, a classmate, a friend and a foe. An employee, a team player, a volunteer and a mentor. A church lady, a Sunday school teacher, a 4-H leader and a soul sister.

A daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law and a mother-in-law,

A spouse, a mother and a grandmother.

Now, upon entering the stage of Well Adult, I’ve made a rather long list of things I want to do. Written in no particular order, to be complete and documented in no particular order.

So, enjoy, or don’t, it’s entirely up to you.