So.... The Pope's Apology Tour...Hmmmmmmm

                                                

Hi!

So, in case you are not aware, the Catholic Church has a horrific, ugly history with the Indigenous People of Canada. I'm sure it was the same, or at least similar, in other Colonized nations, but the Canadian history is what I am most familiar with, so it will be that history that will be the focus of these ramblings. 

Now, let me be clear, I am by no means a history expert, nor do I claim to be anything even remotely close to one.

I am a Canadian of Scottish/German descent, about as white as a person can get. I also grew up in the Catholic Church. 

I don't have a PhD, or a degree in history or political science. All I have are eyes, ears, and an empathetic heart. I will never be able to truly understand the abuse the children, parents, families, hell, the entire cultures of these incredible people have suffered, but what I can do, is believe, empathize, and learn from their stories. 

I can only imagine the conflicted feelings the Pope's visit/apology tour must stir up for the survivors of these residential "schools" and their families. 

I've been watching the coverage on the news. I'm well aware that I have no real right to be, but still, the apologies that have come from the Pope, though a good baby step, fall very short. 

From what I've been able to find out, the Pope has tried to put forth that the Church was but following the lead of the Government when creating and running these facilities when history tells us it was the other way around. 

He has continued to refer to these facilities as "schools" instead of the concentration camps they actually were. 

He has continued to dance around the true intention behind these camps. Continuing the fairy tale that they thought they were doing what was best for the people of Indigenous cultures, instead of telling the truth, which was they were trying to stomp out the cultures altogether. When they met resistance, they forced it. It was absolutely attempted genocide. 

Thankfully, though battered and bruised, beaten beyond recognition, the strength of our First Nations people hung on. But, after generations of abuse and outright murder, the pain and damage such abuse inflicts, create scars that continue to run very deep. So deep, they are felt in the core of the grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who suffered it firsthand. 

Like I said, I'm no expert, but I am a human with eyes, ears, and an empathetic heart. I can't feel the pain, but I can understand it, and try to learn from it, and from that learning, carry compassion.

The Church needs to do more than spew words. Words without action are hollow. Words without accepting their true ownership are less than hollow. Meaningless. First Nation leaders have asked, and continue to ask for the records that will tell them who worked in these "schools", when, and where. They have a right to that information. Those who participated in these atrocities need to be named and held accountable. Even if they have passed away, their memories and their legacies need to carry the weight of their hideous acts. The survivors have to bear that weight, and so should they. 

Reparations need to be paid. The Church should have to pay for every single bit of work that healing will take, for as long as it takes. The Church needs to make life as good as it possibly can be for the victims of their crimes. The Church needs to be held truly accountable. Not just accountability for the cameras, or for the news bytes, but actual, real, accountability, both as an entity and as individuals. 

And please, let's not pretend that abuses and biases don't still run rampant. All you have to do is look at the stats about missing and murdered indigenous women compared to the general public. Look at the stats in the foster system, and the criminal justice system. Watch the faces of certain people when the subject of First Nations abuse comes up. The eye rolls and side-eye tell you everything you need to know. 

Yes, the Pope's apology tour is a good, first, baby, step. But, as far as even I'm concerned, that's all it is. I sit in the full privilege of my heritage as I understand that, as I feel that. I can only imagine what it must feel like for the people who actually matter. 

I hope this tour by the Pope is the step it's expected to be. I hope this isn't the Church simply saying the words and then washing their hand of any real accountability. I mean it's not like they don't have a reputation for doing just that. They have a history of covering up horrific acts, shifting pedophiles around the world like a sadistic game of whack-a-mole, just as an example. 

So, if people are skeptical of the Pope's words... of course they are. Our First Nations people have every possible reason to not trust what comes out of a white man's mouth. History has shown them how untrustworthy we can be, they would be fools to believe without substance. 

Personally, I no longer consider myself a Catholic. The Church has shown who it was, who it is, and who it intends to be. I believe it. 

My greatest hope is that at some point the Church will accept full responsibility for everything horrible it has done. All of it. Then, just maybe, true healing can begin. 

*********************************************************************

I am not you, but I feel for you.

I don't carry the weight of your pain, I don't live with the scars with which you live.

I can only imagine the depth of the hurt, the crushing burden forced upon your shoulders.

I can only learn, believe, and walk behind you, in your healing journey.

I am not you, but I feel for you. 

*****************************************************

 

Because....Of Course He Did

 

HI!

So, now that the Jan 6 committee is adjourned for the next 5 or 6 weeks or so, I thought I'd like to take a beat and sift through some of the evidence their mostly republican witnesses have presented.

There is no way to touch on every piece of the puzzle individually, but the picture that is coming into focus is pretty ugly. 

For a sitting president to conspire to destroy the very democracy that put him into power just to hang on to that power is astounding.

The planning, the meetings, the phone calls, the coercion, both successful and not so successful, the utter disregard for anything and anyone but himself, ignoring reason, even as it came from those who worked closest with him, all of it, is all at once shocking but not the least bit surprising. 

Person after person has come forward, each placing a few pieces of the puzzle squarely where it belongs. We've all had some idea of what the big picture would look like, but I, for one, am definitely dumbfounded by the sheer number of pieces. And, there are more to come. 

I kind of thought that this would be kind of like those puzzles you do when you're nine or ten, a couple hundred pieces, a challenge, but far from overwhelming. This, however, has turned out to be a gigantic, 50000-piece, 3-D puzzle of a pasture full of wildflowers... all red. 

As the rest of the world watched a mob slam, kick, punch, and pummel their way into the capitol building, screaming hateful, violent threats. As the rest of the world waited for the cavalry to come and save the day. As the rest of the world kept waiting... and waiting... wondering what the possible reasons might be that they weren't coming... that nothing was happening to stop this... that the President wasn't saying anything. Why he was doing nothing. 

Now we know. It wasn't that he was doing nothing. No. He was actively doing everything he could to keep it going. It wasn't until others worked around him to get military assistance and the tide had turned in the favour of sanity, that he begrudgingly told his violent minions to go home. 

He sat in the dining room that has hosted the meals of Lincoln and Kennedy, of Roosevelt and Obama, and watched what could have easily been the end of American democracy as we know it. Not only watching, but actively refusing to do anything to stop it. Repeatedly. 

Because, of course, he did. 

He sent out tweets to deliberately add fuel to the already enflamed crowd. Hell, even his own kids were begging him to do something. Not to save democracy, but because it might make him look bad, but even if the motivation was twisted and gnarled, the result would have been the same. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he called senators to push them to delay, even as the mob was crashing into the Chamber. 

Because, of course, he did. 

He planned all along to declare victory in the 2020 election regardless of the vote count. That was the plan. He planned to declare that, if Biden won, he would push the narrative that the election had been rigged. He hinted at it when he ran against Hillary, he hinted at it when he ran against Biden. Because he lost to Biden by almost 8000000 votes he put that plan into action.

Because, of course, he did.

He found clowns that would feed the fire of the lie, poisoning every willfully ignorant, gullible, mind along the way. The same minds he convinced to take horse tranquilizers to cure Covid, the same minds who waited on the grassy knoll for JFKjr to come back from the dead, the same minds that believed wind chargers cause cancer, and injecting household cleaners into your system is a good idea. 

He created an army of ignorance, sprinkled with militant insanity, and a thirst for violence. He convinced them they had been cheated, and anyone who didn't follow the gospel of Trump was evil and actively trying to stomp on everything he had convinced them was true. 

Because, of course, he did. 

After he lost, he proceeded to take his fight to the courts. The leaders of this fight? A former mayor who has gone to great lengths, working tirelessly, to destroy his reputation and become a joke. Another leader? Some unknown lady who divorced reality somewhere along the way, and got less than nothing in the decree. The third of the three stooges is a pillow salesman who can't control the volume of his voice, his paranoia, and has no idea what the word 'evidence' means.

So they took it to court. And they took it to court again, and again, and again, over 60 times. Each time having their cases thrown out because they had no evidence. Real evidence. They had conspiracy theories, they had rumours, they had laughable scenarios that had no base in actual reality, they had nothing real, so they lost. Every... case. 

When it was clear that going through the courts wouldn't work, he put plan B into action. Fake electoral votes. He tried to get people to "find" votes. He demanded recount after recount, never getting the results he wanted. He did all of these things as he continued to stoke the fire among his base, pushing them toward violence, stoking the flames at his cult gatherings and over whatever platform would still allow him to participate. When every pressure tactic he could think of didn't work he went to plan C.

Because, of course, he did. 

Soooo.... Jan 6. 

He hyped his followers up ahead of time, promising a wild time. On the day, he promised to march with them. He knew they were armed, but didn't care because he knew they weren't there to hurt him. He pushed them to hunt Pence by tweeting directives in real-time. He refused to do anything to stop the siege. He relished in it. He sat there and watched it like some twisted cock fight. He refused to listen to reason, no matter who it came from. 

He watched as people were beaten, pepper sprayed, choked, and trampled. He watched as people died, and actively did nothing to stop it, because he thought it would keep him in power. A power he feels he needs to keep from going to prison. A power he still believes will give him his get-out-of-jail free card.

He did, and continues to do worse than nothing. He is still spreading the lie that he won. He will only throw his weight behind candidates that will keep the lie alive. He continues to feed the flames of the willfully ignorant, hoping they can keep the truth from surfacing, and breaking the dam of bullshit he has created. 

Truth can take a while to dig through the muck and free itself to bask in the sun. But it happens. Always.

Because, of course, it does. 

******************************************************************************

May the dam burst.

May accountability become the norm.

May all who troll the truth-tellers, attacking them for their courage, get bent.

***************************************************************************

Every Now And Again....

 Hi!

One, a photo of our ever-transforming, always beautiful, Saskatchewan sky, the other, the result of some talented person super-imposing the deepest part of the universe we've ever seen over Van Gogh's Starry Night. 

One, a gift from nature, the other, a gift from humanity. 

Humans are so capable of creating incredible beauty. We can, and we do. Does it hold a candle to nature's artistry? Not usually, but in some cases, it can be a reasonable facsimile. 

Both humanity and nature are also capable of ugliness and destruction. 

Nature, every now and again, reminds us just how small we are. Her strength, her power, her wind, her fire, her earthquakes, her tsunamis, her tornados, her hurricanes, we, as humans, have power over none of it. 

Humans, every now and again, remind us just how small we are. Our greed, our selfishness, our egos, our disregard for the feelings of others, our judgments, as humans, we have power over all of it. 

We decide who gets voted in to make the big decisions. 

No one is perfect. But, there are people who are suited for the job, and those that... well, are not. 

For instance, it's not ideal to have someone holding a high, powerful office who believes he is above everything and everybody. Who believes he had the right to usurp democracy because he was scared of losing the protections the office provided. Cheering on a violent mob as they stormed the transition of power, cheering them on, knowing they were armed, but cheering all the same, because they weren't there to hurt him, personally. 

It's not a good idea to have a president who throws food when he doesn't get his own way, who does what benefits him, no matter who it hurts, or what it destroys. 

If people vote you into an office of power, they are trusting you to use that power to serve them, not yourself. 

They are trusting you to use that power to help everyone, but especially those who are most vulnerable.

What people who abuse power fail to realize is that accountability always comes home to roost. Sometimes it can take months, even years, but it happens in one form or another, it's inevitable. 

Time will tell what exactly the accountability will look like. All I know is that I look forward to it. All of it. 

********************************************************************

So folks, I gotta run. My hubby just walked in and informed me we are going out for a belated celebration of our 35th anniversary. 

*******************************************************************

May accountability be swift, strong, and broad enough to include all who need it. 

*******************************************************************

Even If The Moments Are Brief...

 

Hi!

Ahhhhhhh Summer!

The season that rushes by at the speed of sunshine. 

A season of wasting time that is never time wasted.

A season of laughter, barbeques, and s'mores, 

A season of bike rides, road trips, and mosquitoes.

A season of sand castles, swimming, and dripping ice cream cones. 

A season of romantic sunsets, witnessed from the blanket-laden bed of a truck, only to be outdone by the stars that follow, a majestic canopy, this land of living skies.

A season of creating memories to keep us warm on the cold winter nights we know are coming.

Ahhhhh summer.

If this summer is a dark season for you, for whatever reason, please try to take a moment or two to allow the sun to kiss your face, to let the breeze caress your skin. Even if the moments are brief, even if they are far between, please try. 

With inflation being what it is, you can almost hear the belts being tightened across the globe. This isn't a one-country problem, or a one-continent problem, it's hitting the world. 

And just like with the pandemic, we may all be weathering the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat. 

For some, the higher prices are an inconvenience, barely noticed. For others, it has made day-to-day life an even bigger struggle than it was before.

If you were already running out of money before you were running out of month, no amount of magical budgeting is going to stretch that dollar any further.

So, if you can. If you are able. If you have the means to do so, please donate to your local food banks this summer. 

School food programs help fill the gaps where hungry kids are concerned, but once school closes...

The working poor is a much bigger swath of our society than we would like to admit. Working full time, for a great number of people does not generate enough money to live on. And, I'm not talking about living loud, I'm talking about being able to pay rent and buy food at the same time. 

Too many like to say things like they should just work harder, or they should have gone to school, or blah blah blah.

I'm sorry, but nobody should have to work more than one full-time job just to survive. To pay for the extras? Sure, then by all means, but to just survive?

As far as school goes, it's not a given for everyone, for whatever reason. Lacking a secondary education shouldn't deprive you of living a dignified life. It absolutely shouldn't sentence you to a lifetime of no less than three jobs to keep flesh and bone together. 

So yeah, if you can, give. If you can't give, at least don't judge. And, if you can't restrain from judging, at least don't assume you know their stories. 

*********************************************************************

Sidenote*

On the fourth of July, millions of citizens of the United States started the day with the excitement and anticipation of celebrating the anniversary of their independence.

After a couple of years of having to abandon many traditions, as we have the world over, there were, perhaps, exaggerated high hopes that often follow an extended absence of something so beloved. 

Then came the shootings.

I'm not sure of the exact number of deaths and injuries. all I know is that one is too many.

How many families were gutted that day? And for what?

A two-year-old little boy was found crying beside the bullet-torn bodies of his young parents. An orphan, created by the choices made by people lining their campaigns with blood-soaked cash.

The same people who keep beating everyone over the head with their bibles, screaming about how they are Pro-life.

The "mass shooter" culture that is slithering its way through the dark web, and not-so-dark web, where they chat about these atrocities like a video game, where they celebrate their destruction, their horror.

Do something. The rest of the world watches and weeps for you. Yes, none of us are perfect either, but you are the only one with this gun fetish. The only one with this addiction to violence. Do something. 

***************************************************************

****************************************************************

May your summer be filled with icy drinks, sweet company, and cool adventures.

May you find a way to enjoy it, let it in, even for brief moments. For they are the ones that count. 

******************************************************************

They Are Everything...

 Hi!

Taking a bit of a break from all of the hard things this week in order to celebrate.

Celebrating milestones like Kindergarten graduation, Grade 8 graduation, High school graduation, and the end of another successful school year for teachers, kids, and parents alike.

We are lucky enough, this year to have connections to all three of these particular milestones. Our youngest grandbaby graduated Kindergarten this week, our oldest grandbaby and our niece graduated grade 8, our nephew graduated high school, and we had the honour of DJing the High School Graduation party at one of our local high schools. 

The shining, tiny faces of the Kinders as they recite the poem they worked so hard to memorize, and sing the song they laboured to learn, are enough to levitate any heart, regardless of how heavy. The world's burdens are made substantially lighter by soaking in all of their innocent enthusiasm. Yet untouched by the pessimism that so often takes top billing, they still see the world through the lens of unfettered wonder. They are everything. 

The excitement laced with a bit of apprehension that lives in the faces of those making the leap from the safety of elementary school to highschool, where all of the drama of every John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movie of the eighties lives with a vengeance, where decisions start to really count, where you are expected to become at least adult adjacent, that excitement/anxiety needs understanding, patience and support. Yes, these very hormonal, volatile, adolescents need you to hold them, no matter how prickly they become. Learn to love the thorns, they are necessary, this is a hard milestone that needs your best self. They need you. They are everything. 

The absolutely deserved pride that adorns the faces of the newly christened adults-ish that throw their caps in the air to commemorate the end of their high school careers is priceless. They've navigated their way through the colossal academic, social, and biological changes that have been their last four years. They are at the threshold of the freedom they have been dreaming of since Kindergarten. They are at the threshold of becoming the adults they already believe they are. This threshold carries some tripping hazards, hazards that may require a subtle, but strong safety net. They still need you. They are everything. 

These milestones, these achievements, these little ticks on life's to-do list, should be embraced. They should be celebrated. They should be congratulated. They need to be. They are everything. 

*************************************************************************

So, do it. Embrace the chaos that these celebrations bring. Find joy through the stress. Enjoy!

May you allow the proverbial sand to squish through your aching, overworked toes.

May you soak everything in, these moments will live with you the most.

May you remain, your role, though it morphs through subtle changes, remains basically the same.

May you see that you are that safety net, only to be used when absolutely needed, as their vision may not fit your frame. 

************************************************************************