Hands Reaching Out

 

As I move around the circle of my life, I am noticing that some of my abilities are changing.  My eyesight is now affected by cataracts which makes physical seeing like looking through dirty glasses and yet I can see the beauty in people with amazing clarity.  My ability to hear voices clearly has also diminished and yet I can hear what the souls of people are saying loud and clear.  My body changes shape as time goes on, led by some design that is mysterious to me and yet it provides a wonderful nurturing cushion for my young grandchildren. In addition to this, every now and then, vertigo appears which makes me look as though I’m walking on the deck of a ship at sea before getting sea legs.  My physical strength is also diminishing which means I have to do less and ask for help more but I am really good at holding space and acknowledging the gifts of younger people.

Recently, I spent the day with my two oldest sons, their partners, my teenaged grandson and his friend, my grandson who is a toddler and my grandson who is only 10 weeks old along with my partner who like myself, is a senior and my son's large dog.  We met at their campsite in Killbear Provincial Park.  After visiting for a little while, we decided to go on a hike along the shore of Georgian Bay.  

I had woken up that morning with vertigo brought on by allergic reactions to the numerous wild flowers that grow all around me.  It had cleared enough for me to drive to the campground but I was still a little unsteady on my feet  I brought my cedar walking stick along for the hike.

Here is the tree that has been the symbol of Killbear Park for decades
along with Teddy.

We set off along a dirt trail before coming through the trees to the beautiful pink rocks of the Canadian Shield.  My walking stick helped me to find my balance but every now and then, I had to step over a wider expanse or step down onto a lower rock.  My vision makes it harder to estimate distance and my quads aren’t always up to the task of catching my balance.  While I was standing before one of these challenges, my partner put out his hand to help me.  I wear a wide brimmed hat to block the sunshine that makes seeing through cataracts difficult.  All I saw was a hand appearing in front of me.  I gladly took it and stepped down safely.  Thanking him, I continued on my way. 

At the next gap, I stopped to assess the situation and this time, my daughter-in-law put out her hand.  Once again, it appeared seemingly from nowhere.  I chuckled, took her hand, made the step and thanked her.  At the next step down, it was the hand of my grandson’s teenaged friend that came to my aid.  Later, it was each of my sons and my grandson.  Every time I needed help, someone was right there.

I see myself as someone who helps others.  I worked in a helping profession, raised children and now take care of my geriatric father.  It felt like a new experience to have a hand held out for me when I needed it.  It came as a bit of a surprise and made it possible for me to keep up with the group who were carrying children and knapsacks.

It makes me wonder, if there have been hands there all along that I didn’t see or fully appreciate because I was focused on giving help instead of receiving it.  If I think about it, all the food that I eat has been grown or harvested by someone else.  The house that I live in was built by someone else using materials made or harvested by others.  The plants and animals that have given their lives to keep mine going are all there.  The health care providers that have helped me when I needed help have allowed my body to offer help to others.  And the list goes on and on. 

So, as I age and need more help, perhaps I can see how this idea fits into the Indigenous idea of All My Relations as I see myself connected to all of life with the humility of realizing that as a human, I am totally dependent on the rest of life – the air, the sun, the water, the plants, the animals, the insects, the fish, the rocks, the moon and the stars.  There are hands reaching out everywhere if I look for them as well as my hand reaching out to others.

Transforming Greed into Generosity

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There is an abundance of Goldenrod and Joe Pye Weed tis year.

 Harvest time is all about abundance.  During August, I feast on the fresh corn, tomatoes and peaches that are grown near me.  Visiting local fruit and vegetable stands and seeing all the fresh local produce makes me very happy.  Walking the local trails, this year, I am seeing apple trees that are so heavily laden with fruit that the branches are bending over to touch the ground.  Many apples have already fallen onto the ground and I’ve seen flocks of Canada Geese and Wild Turkeys feasting on them.  It is, as they say, a good year for apples.

We had to add a stick to hold up the branch on our apple tree so that it
wouldn't crack under the weight of the apples this year.

Late summer is a time to renew our relationship with the Earth and to be grateful for her abundance and all she shares with us.  Last week, I renewed my relationship with the Elderberry bushes near me.  They shared their dark purple berries with me.  I cooked them down with cinnamon, cloves and ginger and then added honey to the strained liquid to make a kind of syrup that can be added to water.  It’s good for my immune system and so I froze small jars of it in the freezer to have all winter.  We discovered lots of Highbush Cranberries and Chokecherries while we were looking for Elderberries..  My partner is learning how to make Chokecherry Jelly with the Chokecherries we picked.

Elderberries

Highbush Cranberries

Chokecherries

It’s also a time to share with others.  Our local Community Garden is planted with donated plants and seeds and anyone who wants to, can pick the vegetables as they are ready.  I prepare a basket of surplus vegetables monthly and take it to the local library to give away. I deliver zucchinis, squash and kale to neighbours as well. When the local Food Bank was looking for a location for their Sharing Cupboard, they thought of the Community Garden as a location.  The Cupboard houses food that people can share with each other and is also stocked by the Food Bank to help fill the gap that some families experience in food security.  We chose to locate this cupboard under the big Red Oak tree to provide shade and beside the Community Garden to connect the idea of food sharing.

Sharing Cupboard in front of the Community Garden

This is a mast year for the Oak tree and there is an abundance of acorns that the squirrels are enjoying.  The Oak trees have an interesting relationship with the squirrels.  The mast year will mean that there is a good chance of more acorns sprouting into oak trees and that there may be more squirrel babies next spring.  The Oak trees will not produce as many acorns next year in order to control the squirrel population. 

Red Oak acorns in the park near the Community Garden

 However, it is not a good year for Wild Grapes.  Last year, they were everywhere and we made lots of Wild Grape Jelly to share with our friends and family.  Perhaps the grapes have the same kind of relationship with the animals and birds that eat them.  This year, we may make a smaller batch of jelly or we may make applesauce instead.

This Wild Grape vine is growing on top of our apple tree so we will
harvest the grapes when we move the vine later in the fall.

When I think about the settlers that came here to Turtle Island who were escaping scarcity of food, land, freedom and jobs, I wonder what this abundance looked like to them.  I wonder why this abundance didn't heal their traumas of scarcity.  Instead, it seems that the trauma kept them and even us today, taking as much as we can.  Indigenous Peoples would never take all the berries or apples.  They would leave some for their relatives the animals, birds and insects and leave some for seeds so the plants could thrive into the future, for seven generations at least.  It feels like it's time to heal these traumas and come into balance with the abundance of the Earth.  It feels like it's time to take only what we actually need and make sure we actually use it.  It feels like it's time to think about providing food security for everyone by thinking collectively.  It feels like it's time to heal the trauma and let go of the greed.  We can do this. The trees and squirrels, birds and insects, and the plants who have all been here longer than we humans are here to teach us.

A grasshopper samples a cherry tomato left on top of the bulletin board
at the Community Garden.  Our community is more than just humans.

It took only what it needed and then sat to digest the meal leaving lots for other insects.