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Allan gardens

Allan Gardens

I had the great pleasure to experience a guided tour through the Allan Gardens Conservatory with my Pax Christi friends Emily and Jennifer. Our hosts Virginia, and Curtis the Foreperson of Plant Production, led us through this peaceful, indoor oasis. Right now Toronto’s “crystal palace” boasts a spectacular display of poinsettias and Christmas garlands. The soaring glass dome built in 1910 replaced the original garden pavilion built in the 19th century which was destroyed by fire. Filled with a permanent collection of tropical plants, the slightly humid atmosphere is a balm for dry lungs ravaged by dry and over heated… Read More »Allan Gardens

Household tips for working gals: Episode I – The Holidays (Draft for perusal)

Camera #1 fade back from twinkling Christmas tree holiday decorations to long shot of Steph longshot of actor playing Steph / Candice Bergen our Celebrity Host sitting by a roaring fire sipping mulled wine. Celebrity Host: (In a soft, somewhat sultry, welcoming tone) Hello there. I’m so glad you’ve tuned in to my new insightful programme. What a wonderful way to savour the comfort and joy of this special season. Camera #2 close up – the Host seems to be relaxed and ready for the show, but there is something disheveled about her – as if she’s just run in from… Read More »Household tips for working gals: Episode I – The Holidays (Draft for perusal)

Why Santa?

A small boy frowns under a heap of blankets in a little red wagon on the subway. His Dad and his big brother dance and croon, attempting to cheer him up. A tiny girl with crooked pigtails moans unhappily until her mother whispers secretly in her ear, and a tiny, chocolate stained smile appears on her rosy face. Everyone is on the TTC. All the nations are gathered together, and they shall be comforted. They’re on their way to see their hero, to see Santa, who will appear at the finale of a fabulous parade to bless them as he… Read More »Why Santa?

Christmas Cattle: A poem by Cori Martin

CHRISTMAS CATTLE by Cori Martin (2008) Could it be true, old Thomas Hardy’s tale: at midnight, Christmas Eve, the oxen kneel to Bethlehem? Our parents slept. We kept a vigil till the magic hour, then crept outside, across the glittering, frozen snow to see this vision promised long ago. And, Lo! Behold! There were the cattle in the moonlit barn, a huddled congregation mangered, softly lowing like singers choired in their stalls. Yet, I feel some cattle shared the doubts then sprouting in my childish thought. For some were kneeling there. And some were not. Cori Martin’s poem captures not… Read More »Christmas Cattle: A poem by Cori Martin

Set it free

Several years ago UtReMi kindly published my piece for flute, oboe and choir – a setting of the well-known Biblical passage “God so loved the World.” I wrote the piece for Father Tay Moss who helped me settle in when I first came to St. Mary Magdalene’s and needed help understanding the rich and complex liturgical tradition there. This piece was for Holy Cross day, September 14, 2007. Since that time, UtReMi publishers have ceased operations. Rather than having the piece lost in the limbo between published and unpublished, I asked their permission to set it free and offer it… Read More »Set it free

Tiny triumphs

To all my friends who are having a rough time, be comforted that you are not alone on your pilgrimage. Simply picking up and getting on with it can be the most difficult job of all, when seemingly insurmountable, daily difficulties present themselves as towering monsters of adversity. What to do when Goliath rises, fully armed and fierce, and we, only shepherds with the smallest of stones? Perhaps one way is to fully recognize our own tiny triumphs – to find a path through a whole jungle of challenges, focusing on each small step, one at a time. What I… Read More »Tiny triumphs

old city hall toronto

Voting high

I just voted in the advance poll for the Toronto municipal election 2014. You can’t see me, but I am jumping up and down just a bit. For some reason, I find the act of voting exhilarating, particularly voting in the advance poll, on the first day possible. But when I reflect upon this, I have to admit a certain character flaw – a certain predictable pattern. I also lined up with friends for the first screening of The Fellowship of the Ring in Toronto in December 2001, and all the subsequent films. I travelled to Birmingham, England to hear… Read More »Voting high

Pax Christi Chorale

Blest pair of sirens

Stand on a street corner in Toronto and you may see architectural vestiges of our Victorian past; extravagantly crafted stone treasures, surrounded by modern towers of concrete, glass and steel. In a similar musical landscape, Pax Christi Chorale commissions new music, but in a fast-changing world, we take a second look at pieces once unjustly judged as unfashionable. On Sunday October 19 at 3pm, we will blow the dust off this seminal repertoire at Grace Church on-the Hill in Toronto. Our choral scholars, orchestra, and special guests, the Aslan Boys Choir will be joined by actor Emilio Vieira, who will… Read More »Blest pair of sirens

Ab & SH at Startford

Abner turns eighty

Lean in and listen. Although my Dad really doesn’t want anyone to know, he’s turning 80 this October. We’re celebrating his birthday in style at the Alpine Club with folk dancing, Oktoberfest schnitzel and beer. An un-Mennonite evening to be sure, but there’s nothing quite like a guilty pleasure. My Dad has packed a lot into his 80 years. He’s lucky. Happy and healthy, surrounded with fabulous friends, a stimulating family, and a supportive church community, he’s curious, eager to learn new things, and enjoying these golden years. From all accounts Abner always was a golden boy. The baby of the… Read More »Abner turns eighty

Scribe

Dialogues of Maximus and Stephanus

Maximus: Ho there, Stephanus. Halt your hasty steps for an old colleague. Isn’t the campus pleasant on this fine Autumnal day? Stephanus: Yes my dear Maximus. The term begins, and once again my students plunge into their assignments and exams and prepare for juries. Maximus: Juries? Stephanus: I forget you are a scientist! In Music our students are subjected to a final performance, judged by a panel of faculty members. It will be the first time for some of them, so they are nervous, and the sight of some of our professors frightens them. Maximus: You must remind your students… Read More »Dialogues of Maximus and Stephanus