Could it get any worse?

Conditions in Zimbabwe continue to deteriorate rapidly and people are getting desperate. People are starving! I'll let you read more about it here.

We received an email from a friend in Zimbabwe this week. Here's what he wrote:

"The underlying fact is that the situation is getting worse everyday. The Zimbabwean Economy has just collapsed. Prices of all commodities are far above reach. I sometimes wonder how we are surviving. Our survival is through grace. Out in the communities people are starving to death and some are surviving on feeding on wild trees that have never been eaten. The yesterday Chronicle Newspaper mentioned the New prizes for mealie meal. A 50kg now costs 10 million. No one gets that much as a
salary.Most of the commodities are now basically sold in Forex."

It was over 2 years ago that Joel and I left for Zimbabwe. Things were bad then and they've progressively gotten worse. I have no idea how people are surviving, and I know many aren't. In the next few weeks I'll be putting together some Christmas gifts for some of our good friends in Zimbabwe. I wish I could just send all the mealie meal they'll need to get through the next year.

A situation like this demands a response. It is time to start giving... sacrificially... because even my tiniest sacrifices don't come remotely close to what my dear friends are experiencing.

The Heat Is On

Tonight Joel and I finally turned our heat on. I can't remember what's normal, but it feels early in mid October. In one of my little attempts to be more 'green' I was trying to leave it off as long as possible, but tonight we caved. Who knew 17 degrees celcius would feel so cold? Last night I wore my toque in an attempt to stay warm while watching TV. Maybe that was a sign. The cold house brought back interesting memories from our experience of winter in Zimbabwe. It got really cold at night and our house wasn't insulated. Add that to the concrete floors and we were freezing. Nights would be spent as close to the fire as possible and we would go to bed wearing hats and fleeces piled with as many blankets as we could find and hot water bottles to warm our feet. Not really the image you normally get in your mind while thinking about Africa. I am still amazed that people survive in huts sleeping on the bare ground with little to no covering. We're keeping the temperature lower than we did last year, but I'm grateful for the option to press a button to warm my home.

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

I just found out that today is blog action day....when "thousands of bloggers will unnite to discuss a single issue." This year it's poverty. Visuals seem to help when talking about poverty. There are thousands to choose from but I thought this video was good.



The very last line keeps ringing in my head. "I didn't forget." I'm one of the few who has seen real poverty and have good friends who live with its challenges daily, but I still forget. I think we all do. So, what are some of the things you do to remember the poor? One of the things I really want to be more intentional about is living a life of simplicity. It involves a hundred and one daily choices and in our culture it's easy to choose excess. What are some things you've done to live a simple life? Is poverty something you even care about or does it seem too big and too hard to solve? Let's get the dialogue going... thousands are joining us today!

Vote for Environment

I have virtually no interest in Canadian politics. Due to my lack of knowledge and to be honest, lack of actually caring, I was originally not going to vote. I know, I know... if I don't vote, I have no right to complain about the government (I don't think I ever have), I'm not using the right that women fought so hard for me to have, etc. etc. Valid points. I tried watching the leaders debate, but was quickly bored and flipping to the American one. A few weeks ago my cousin, an occasional reader of this blog, sent me a link I found interesting. It's basically a site to help you vote strategically for the environment and apparently I live in a "red hot riding" that can make a difference. Of all the issues, I think the environment is a significant one and one I'm willing to throw my support behind. So if you haven't made up your mind yet, I suggest you check out "Vote for Environment".

Young at Heart

I cried a little. I laughed a lot. You should see this movie.

Summer Highlights

Now that it's officially fall, I thought it was time to post some pictures from summer. It consisted of 3 main things which aren't surprising... Joel, family and friends. Here are some of the highlights.

TIME WITH JOEL

Joel doesn't get all summer off but took 2 weeks off to hang out with me. We went camping in Orillia where we spent some time with the Birch family and my brother and sister-in-law Jon and Adrienne and nephews Isaac and Ari. We made another short trip to Barrie and then went away to celebrate our third anniversary in Niagara-on-the-lake. We took a day trip to the falls which wasn't as exciting after having spent so much time at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, but got a kick out of some of the touristy stuff. Our vacation ended with a few days at my parents farm getting ready for a big family reunion.

At our campsite at Mara Provincial Park

Celebrating our third anniversary in style

Enjoying a bon fire at the farm

TIME WITH FAMILY

It was great to spend so much time with my family this summer. We made trips to Barrie and Huntsville to see both of my brothers and their families, as well at time at the farm with my parents. The highlight was definitely a family reunion from my mom's side of the family. As kids keep coming the family has grown too big to spend holidays together, so it was a treat to all be together at once.

With my nephews Isaac & Ari in Barrie

With my neice Jane in Huntsville celebrating birthdays

The Miller/Hardie/Williams family reunion at the farm

TIME WITH FRIENDS

I had a lot of great time connecting with old friends I don't get to see very often and getting to know new friends. Once a week a group from of girls from our homechurch had salad lunches together which was a great way to build friendships beyond Monday nights. In August I had a few days at some cottages up north with some good friends Cheryl, Kristen, Kat from B.C., and Phil, Kathy and Matty from Australia. My good friend Robin also came home for a visit from Calgary with her new baby Jake. We also got some more cottage time with Jenn, Alice, Wayne and Natalie from our homechurch. It doesn't get much better than hanging out on a dock, by the lake up north!

Weekly feasts with homechurch girls

Cottaging with the Westby's

Catching up with great friends from camp and university

I guess reflecting back, this summer was about people. We were never too farm from home, but I had so many great times with the people I love the most. It takes time to keep relationships going and I'm thankful I was able to do that this summer.

The Last Day of Summer

I've bought my whistle and am ready to go. Tomorrow I will start my new job as ESL and Phys-ed teacher and I can't wait. I love the summer, but by the end I'm always a bit antsy and craving the routine of working life again. I had fun setting up my ESL room last week and meeting a few of my colleagues. They are great and I'm looking forward to stepping into a supportive and friendly environment. This is my fifth school in five years of teaching, so I'm hoping I can stick around for awhile at this one. New beginnings also means the chance to also work on a few of the million and one changes and goals I've been thinking about this summer. Pressing the reset button is a good thing!

I'll post some pictures of summer highlights soon, but for now I'm off to celebrate my last official day of it at my first ever rib fest...and then, let the new season begin!