A total Eclipse

Nature is awesome. On Monday April 8, 2024, North America will witness a total solar eclipse. Global scientists have assembled to explain the significance to the world. According to NASA, the last total solar eclipse was seen on Aug. 21, 2017. 

Timing is everything as today across North America we experienced a total solar eclipse. Its path stretched from Mexico to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

NASA reported that in 2017, an estimated 215 million US adults viewed the solar eclipse. That eclipse lasted approximately two minutes and forty-two seconds. Compared to 2017, the total solar eclipse on Mon April 8, 2024 is estimated to last almost twice as long at four minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Another difference is the path of the eclipse. In 2017 the path across North America was approximately sixty-two to seventy-one miles wide, compared to 2024 when it is estimated that the path will range from one hundred and eight to one hundred and twenty-two miles wide.

So what is a total solar eclipse. Well according to the National Geographic society, a total solar eclipse occurs where the moon absolutely or totally blocks out the sun. How does the moon cover the sun when the sun is so much larger? 

Goals without end.

Do you remember New Year’s Day? It wasn’t too long ago. Many of you made New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps those resolutions were about making changes in your life. To improve your living, perhaps a healthier lifestyle – be it a work/life balance, healthier diets or exercising more. Perhaps you decided on a goal to broaden your education, or change careers, or have more interests, maybe take up a new hobby. Perhaps you wanted to strengthen your relationship with friends, family, God? Whatever your resolutions are you decided on a plan and you are trying to follow it.

Following New Year’s day we moved along in our daily routines until we were faced with Lent. A time when we examine our life, past, present, and future. A time when we focus not so much on our physical/external self but on our emotional and internal self. We make different resolutions or goals. We attempt to measure those goals based on the sacrifice that God made for us and our sins. We focus on giving up something for those goals. In my last newsletter (thirteen) * I shared my proposition with you that instead of giving up material things like chocolate, sweets, meat or time, you would give up yourself. Now what do I mean by that. Do you still need to be convinced? 

What will you give up for Lent?

What are you planning to give up for Lent? Not that long ago we faced the New Year.  We decided on  plans which are called New Year's Resolutions. Those resolutions represented ways to improve ourselves, and create goals for our lives. Lent is a time before Easter when we make different resolutions. Tradition holds, during Lent, that we mirror Jesus’ sacrifice by giving up something. After all, Jesus gave up His life for us. Crucified and died on the cross for us to conquer death and sin. God’s unconditional love for us. Therefore we sacrifice something as a reminder. What will you give up?

We give thanks for our blessings and we ask for forgiveness. During this journey, we abstain from daily pleasures. Some common ideas for sacrifice could be giving up sweets or chocolate, meat on Fridays, social media, there are many ideas. Another sacrifice to consider is giving ourselves through volunteering our time, helping others, listening to others, or doing good deeds. Sacrificing our time, talents, activities is a selfless act. The main theme of my blog post is “giving up”. Of course, I don’t need to remind you not to give up Hope – We never give up Hope. What I have been sharing so far is giving up on the surface – physical ways – food, time, or activities. These are great. 

Community Spirit (Part II)

The sense of Community spirit from the Cranberry Christmas Market at the Clarke Memorial Hall on Dec. 9, 2023, extended to December 10, 2023, when I was invited as a local author to participate in the Christmas Fair. It was hosted by Dream Media and took place at the Oasis Convention Centre in Mississauga.

From the moment I arrived I felt the overwhelming spirit of kindness, generosity, compassion, and support. All of the virtues of what you expect at Christmastime and every day of the year.

I was greeted by a generous heartwarming hug and smile welcoming me to the event. I was humbled to feel like a celebrity. Understanding I have multiple disabilities, the head coordinator of the event arranged to have a volunteer assigned to me for setting up my six-foot booth.

The fair was an inspiring event of sounds and sights of Christmas and culture. Community cultural spirit was abounding in this all day and evening event. Throughout the day we were treated to music and trivia from the radio announcer. In the afternoon we were entertained by a magician and performer, whose name was Eduardo. He displayed his talents and expertise by balancing and bouncing everything from cards, bowls, to hats to a large rubber ball. 

Community Spirit (Part I)

Cultivating community spirit can often be found in small towns, church congregations or Christmases from a bygone era. In all of my years of travelling I found myself searching for a community spirit and always found it, outside of the traditional tourist hotspots. Often hidden in unchartered islands of South America, deep hills, and valleys of Central America, or past the fjords of Norway. To my surprise, I didn’t have to travel too far, in fact I found community spirit close to my own neighbourhood.

This festive community spirit came alive on December 9, 2023, marked by the Cranberry Christmas Market event. As a member of the Mississauga Writers’ Guild, I was invited to participate along with two other creative authors, Jeannette Chau and Belynda Wilson Thomas. I had the pleasure of meeting so many individuals at my debut book launch. The Cranberry Christmas Market was hosted by the Mississauga Arts Council. 

The community spirit was evident from the moment I arrived. We received a hearty welcome from the organizers, sparkling from head to toe, and many smiling faces from vendors participating at the fair.