Oh brother! I am the offspring of hippies. It all began with the remembrance of my siblings names.. Such as "Douglas Alvin" and Russell Angus". It brought to mind that generation of hippies who named there children "Sunshine, echo, star and chastity". Hey wait a minute I thought. Didn't I grow up on a 100 acre organic farm.?.( and this was when organic wasn't even a household word.). Didn't we live without any running water or indoor facilities? Did we not run around barefoot like a bunch of little hippy children? My dad may not have smoked pot but he used the dandelion to make wine which could in the proper conditions cause hallucinations. WE lived off the land and had turkeys for pets. It gets worse. WE made our own jams and jellies. Didn't have much to do with outsiders and sat around listening to dad weave his magical tales.. Years later when we did finally move to another 100 acre commune, squatters took to our old farm.. My sister who went to Roshdale college in Toronto ( the same college that famed Margaret Trudeau attended) told some of her classmates about our empty farm who then decided to just move up and squat.. Rent was supposed to be paid but wasn't. Dad on the other hand got along quite well with these new generation hippies. Eventually they vacated. And there you have the dawning of the age of Aquarius. Last year I took a trip down memory lane which by the way begins by journeying a very picturesque road called "Maple Road". I stopped in at a Diner and 3 people from my past approached me. We laughed and reminisced as if time had stood still. It makes sense to me now that I would want to home school my kids take up knitting and bake home made bread. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I've been thinking about a moral to this story. I'm afraid there isn't one this time. Just that if my folks were hippies and I never knew it, maybe yours were too. I'd be doing some reflecting if I were you.. Peace Out to all of you and may you dwell in Strawberry Fields Forever.
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| The New Brunswick Eel |
This Friday a dear Lady will be celebrating her "Nifty Fifty". It seems like only yesterday that I too reached the half way mark. Where has the time gone? Most of the ladies that attended my party have moved on and are no longer in my life. The seasons change and so do friendships. I"m onto my fourth week at Tim Hortons. I think that I'm getting faster and more into the groove. I like the idea of a uniform and I get tips. My tips go into hubby's Tim Horton coffee fund. This is very ironic. I also can eat and drink nearly anything I want to while on duty. All gratis. This gets old fast. Usually I long for something green and I don't mean candy sprinkles. Son #2 is off eel fishing. It's a grueling job much like tobacco picking that the more adventurous young person would do back in the 70"s. It's all about the money. Why else would you choose to spend your nights out on the cold rivers sewing nets and trying not to drown. This too is a season. One day he'll have stories to tell his children. Son #1 has bought his first home. I miss his Saturday routine of laundry and lunch. Son#3 will be finished high school in a few months. Considering he was home schooled until last year this to me is a major coup accomplis. Ecclesiastes tells of a time to be born and a time to die. A time to dance and a time to cry. Sometimes I feel like were just bits of flotsam and jetsam floating along without a stitch of control or direction. Fate has us by our proverbial necks.. This is when it's nice to know that someone does have it all together. Our lives are this great tapestry. From the under side (where we see it) it's all frayed and messy. But from where God sees it there is purpose and beauty. The season that I'm in is one of growth. I'm not been cut the slack that I feel I so need. Yet, it's a time of growth that even I can see. I'm out of that place called complacency. I'm made to work hard, to save money rather than spend. In order to get everything done I need discipline and strength. God meets us. He gives us the grace to carry on each new day. It's good to know that our lives are a design. The master planner will take good care of us. So whatever season your in right now, know that it's not forever but for better.. Adieu my friends, until next time..
