Cold Day In Ikaluktutiak

I was looking in my notebook for a spelling check and noted a item which brought back some fond memories. It was on December 18th and the weather forecast was for a storm moving in to our community within the day. At 5.30am it was hard for me to get excited but the weather was always important as I had responsibilities. First that cup of hot chocolate to help me wake up to the total black landscape and howling wind at 30 kms with a temperature hovering around minus 40.

My mind was on travelling home to see my family and I was counting the days and if all went well I would be on my way on the 20th. With the storm I was somewhat worried. I pushed open the outside door and managed to shovel the hard snow from my step. A whistle brought Buck, my dog out of his sleep under the snow and he stood stiff and tall and shock himself several times to clear his brain and fur of snow. He bounded up the stairs to the landing and after a pat and he always stood up and placed his paws on my shoulders and tried to lick my face. I hated this and let him know but rewarded him with a hind leg of a muskoxen. He retreated to the ground and began his meal.

I closed the door and realized that the barometer had dropped out of sight and maybe we were in for a big one. Still droopy I opened the fridge door and was greeted by a half Arctic Char left over from supper and began to eat it with home made corn bread and molasses. I felt better. I radioed the weather station two miles away and received the news I dreaded. Definite major storm and we were to take maximum defensive positions. Dispite the hour I called off the water and sewage trucks for the time being but made sure water was added to the hotels, nursing center and airport. It now read minus 65 wind chill.

Our radio station now broadcast warnings for the public and a snow day for the school and all non essential workers. I donned my heavy clothes and went by snow machine to hamlet office. The foreman of each dept. knew the drill better than I and prepared for a several day blizzard. Three of our people were out on the land and could not be reached by radio and this concerned us. The RCMP were on alert and together we made a quick check around the hamlet to make sure there were no tracks leaving the area.

Everything seemed to be set but I always felt responsible and worried a little. I left the hamlet office and went home but all radios and telephones were kept open. By 10.30 am the wind was a brisk 60 km and wind chill hovered around 8o below. At this temperature we did not want anyone outside. We patrolled and found that to be the case.A aircraft heading to Arctic Bay sought to land at our airport and as the visibility was fairly clear  the 737 made a perfect landing on the snow covered strip. Eleven miners were on board and were put up in the co.op hotel. We closed our airport.

Without water delivery it was important that everyone conserve water for at least two days. People knew the drill and everyone was OK. Since this was my first emergency I took great comfort from having my 2ic there to aid me.The snow blew into banks that were as hard as ice and up to the eves of the houses.Reports came in with problems with furnaces and water freezing but this was covered by workmen. All day
and that night the storm raged. The sound was
horrific and sounded like a huge animal bellowing as it tried to tear away the walls of the houses. Objects flew by in the wind and caused a danger but with no or limited light nobody stepped outside. By next morning the storm broke and when the wind slowed down everyone in the hamlet went outside and viewed the results. Loud chatter and calling to neighbours about how they managed the storm took place and it added a degree of excitement. Shovels, front end loaders,tractors and graders were fired up to open the streets and the road to the airport. With only a dim light from the sun lights were everywhere and it was an eary sight to view the activity being carried out by everyone in the hamlet.

I made a radio broadcast saying that a feast and games would be held at the rec center at 3pm and everyone was invited.Food was prepared and rec staff had music and games ready as a steady stream of people flooded the rec center. Musical chairs, step dancing and arctic games prevailed and musk oxen burgers, biffy and dried meat was produced and eaten by the people. A few seals and two caribou were cut up for the elders who enjoyed the raw meat and shared with the young ones.

We closed up the rec center at 10pm and everyone went home full of country food and happy for the experience. Inuit take adversity as a challenge and an opportunity. This was a lesson learned by me while there up north in the High Arctic.

Year 2011

I never measure my life in years, months or days but rather by events. This year was filled with events which caused me to consider my very future.One event close to home involving Doris shocked Theresa and I into the reality that she was aging and no longer capable of keeping up to our life of travel and adventure. What appeared to be a minor problem while in Florida resulted in a rather lengthy stay in hospital where tests showed some difficulties in her health. Being 94 and of excellent health except for a few minor issues never the less causes us to make arrangements for her stay at a residence when we travel from now on. This was to say the least a challenge as she has been our constant travelling companion for  12 years. We are fortunate to have found a beautiful accommodation here in Oakville where she will be able to continue her active and happy stay with seniors who enjoy independent living in a grand style.

Our next event was also a health issue involving me with necessary surgery on my spinal column to offset the ravages of arthritis. The period of time was about a year and after some setbacks we received a gift of an excellent procedure which leaves me pain free and ready to begin my new life in an active fashion. Theresa and I planned our year around this event and are looking foreword to our continued life in our home in Florida beginning in February.

Grandchildren graduating from university, more beginning or planning for further education and all growing into adulthood leaves us excited. A first grand child announcing marriage causes us to dust off those formal clothes because although this is the first there are seven more right behind. The dynamics of a family causes Theresa and I to just enjoy the activity created and treasure the opportunity be part of the family scene.

Our four children are the core of our family and they and their children make up a lively ever changing group and we see the challenges of raising and nurturing children vastly different than years gone by. We do our best to keep up but every time we get together we watch in wonder to see the world of youth today first hand and we smile and wonder how we would make out in this crazy, wonderful society.

Theresa and I have been talking about our five and ten year plan for the future and will no doubt make major changes . We plan to live to the fullest and to try to stuff as many of our bucket lists items to the forefront. I would say that travel and adventure will be the core of our life in the next five years and of course family. Always our goal will be to keep our clan safe and strong. 2012 is in sight and I just see it as a big bucket full of opportunities and I trust we will dip deeply and enjoy much.

Soulmate and Mentor

As we walk through life and manage to accumulate so many ideas and thoughts about where we fit into the grand scheme of things, we sometimes meet a person who by association aids in our search for the ultimate answer; we tend to find our comfort zone while in their company. One such person was Dr. J.W.E. Newbery. Maybe it was coincidence, but this United Church minister also married my wife's parents early in his ministry in Sudbury.

Years later when I decided to return to University full time, the first person I met when I went to register was Rev. Newbery. He was welcoming the students to the young university and although he was the principal of Huntington College he was right there in the mix of students, boxes and books. A shock of white hair and a smile a mile wide put you at ease and when he heard I was majoring in Philosophy and Religious Studies he gave me some special attention.

He was the head of the Philosophy Dept and Religious Studies and immediately made me feel at home when he said there was a $300 bursary that was available if I applied. That got my attention as I was married with a family and needed every penny. I hadn't set up a home at this point but he helped and after we had tea with his family I left with a list of good places to live, $300 bursary and a box of required reading for the philosophy courses.

From the very beginning Dr. Newbery and I became bonded. There was something special about this man's demeanour when he talked about religion. I connected when he told me he was working on a new curriculum involving spirituality derived from aboriginal peoples' beliefs. I had just returned from Northern Ontario where I shared two summers with Cree Indians and I was keenly into their culture. Our class was 10 people and we were able to share feelings and personal beliefs with the Dr. However we did much listening as this man espoused a type of new philosophy with a balanced mixture of bible, great works, native cultures of the world, and Christianity, with universal currency.

The four years I studied under Dr. Newbery were life changing. They brought the best of me to the forefront and convinced me to stay with education and forget about working for the church as my type of spirituality would make it be too confining. Dr, Newbery challenged me by giving me assignments to preach at various churches in Ontario who required a minister for special occasions or special subjects. I loved the work and the pay was good but I finally realized I was not speaking from conviction and refused further work. It was at this time I began to have a free and open discussion with Dr. Newbery about what I had accepted as my guide to life and the acceptance of the natural order of things as a reasonable alternative to organized church with all the rules, myths and dogma. I basically found peace and Dr. Newbery openly said that he had a similar experience and still  found comfort in the organized church and I might find that to be true later in life.

Dr. Newbery lived to be 96 and when he passed away a great scholar was lost to the academic fellowship of the university. His legacy was building bridges between faith communities. He developed native studies programs for universities and was awarded citations for his work with native communities within the penal system. A life long member of Amnesty International and human rights commissions earned him the Order Of Canada. For work in recognition of Native Spirituality he was awarded the standing of Honorary Elder a gift he treasured.

Dr. Newbery was close to the David Suzuki Foundation and supported it until his death. He wrote a short poem which I suppose summarises his beliefs.

O God around me,
Your spirit is the great wind
and the quiet breath of every creature.
Everything is alive in You
and towards You all things are moving.
                                                                                                               
E. Newbery

What If

As we move on past all the hype of Xmas and the good feelings we conjured up about the brotherhood of man and all that stuff I began to think what if.

Out leaders could go to work for us and do there job as a team and try to solve the challenges of running our wonderful country. If the leaders in power would lead and represent all the people and not the 20% who elected them. If they would take ideas from every source and see if it might be good and make life better for all.

All levels of government who have an interest in our aboriginal peoples would stop blaming each other for the condition these first Canadians find themselves in and develop a long term, sustainable strategy to bring about results which will bring them into the Canadian Mosaic. This is one of our untapped resources. Over one million people left out of the mainstream of our society is a cruel shame on Canada.

Canada could once again become a peace keeper in the world and forget about the billions of dollars to be spent on weapons which are clearly not for peace but  aggressive actions. Think of the good we could do with that money in our own country with purchases of material to do peaceful deeds. The challenges in the future of fire, flood and weather related events which will be caused by climate change.

All the countries of the world could truly embrace the United Nations as the one world organization which could sort out problems in house before they become world events. All the world powers work outside the UN and degrade the potential good of the organization.

The Tradition Lives On

Xmas Eve at our place with quiet times of special food and drink. Off to bed to be fresh for the morning of fellowship and sharing of gifts and Lynda's Xmas breakfast. A few hours of intense social interaction and then the breakaway for a couple of hours of family quietness and preparations for the family feast. Turkey of course and all the trimmings with more sweets to follow and finally everyone is mellow and beginning to talk about the great day we had. It is over in a twinkle of an eye but the seeds are already sown for the next year. The kids are sorting out who will be here and who will not and so on.

These days are so important for the life of the family and the bonding that takes place. Even though we are a tight knit family we depend on these days to help us hold on to that special something which I call the family brand. To say I am proud of our family ties would be a true statement but I see something unique happening here as the family grows and reaches out to the extended families represented around our table.I sit in wonder to see the happy faces and the verbage expressed by the young ones and I think that this family is in good hands now and in the future.

I realized that the family tried to make this year special for Theresa and I because of the challenges we faced over the past months and they did just that.How can you thank a family for this expression of love except by being the best that you can in the days ahead.

Christmas Morning

Every Christmas is special. This year I am doubly blessed because of my desire to be well and on my way to a new life with walking and physical capabilities. My wish was granted and my objective of walking free without cane or walker became a reality. Last eve we gathered in the sun room and played music and ate goodies and drank our favourite drinks until midnight . Seeing a full day ahead we wisely went to bed only to wake up at 7am and Begin our Xmas rituals all over.

I love Xmas and this being my 75th has special significance. Our family gathering will be robust, noisy and loving as usual but there is a certain change in the family. We are all adults so we are waiting for the new surge of energy to come from the next generation to make the picture complete.With Doris holding her 94 years in check we have four generations around the table. It is a wonderful feeling to be part of a family who share common goals and values and get excited about the simple things in life.

So MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone and remember the true meaning and do something unselfish to make the world a better place in which to live.

Time To Go South

With the warm weather continuing to keep our area in a summer like condition the birds are confused. First they flock and appear to head south and the they reappear again in numbers. The geese are seen in the open ponds and lakes in great numbers and every once in a while we see those flocks high in the sky swooping down and staying instead of going south to a warmer climate.

We have a holly tree in our front yard which is always heavily laden with red berries and captures the attention of robins and cardinals who live close by. This year we have been watching these birds to see when they make their move to leave. They seem to say they will leave when the last berry is enjoyed.