Familiar Faces 4

This past week I had the opportunity to visit with Beverly R., Vernon T. and Donna D. Unfortunately I don’t have any particular talent for photography. Some of the images are a bit fuzzy because of having to zoom in.

Bev made a point of saying what good neighbours she has - including Carol S., who are happy to pick up her groceries or anything else she needs. She was joined on the porch by her faithful companion Princess.

I snapped Vernon T.’s picture when he came by the church to pick up some mail. He is keeping well and staying in touch by phone with friends from church.

Donna D. (Bird ID-er par excellence as well as a brilliant visual artist) came out for a chat and to share some of her beautiful artwork.

So great to see all of you!

Farewell

In the midst of the stress and isolation of this pandemic, our church community suffered a shocking loss this week, unrelated to Covid-19.

Steve Scales, who sang in the choir and as a soloist for many years, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, May 5th. He was 67. It may have been a heart attack or an aneurism, but we may never know for sure. I wish I could give you a clear explanation, or make sense of this somehow, but it is senseless.

Since the pandemic started, Steve and I had talked on the phone several times: me checking with him about the condition of his brother and sister-in-law who had Covid-19, Steve worrying about everyone who was sick or in isolation. We always had a laugh or two in spite of everything.

I feel lucky to have had a visit with him and Aline recently, when I went by to take their picture for the newsletter (it was printed just last week). Before I arrived, Steve had prepared a little sign with the message “Peace be with you,” which he is holding up in the picture. It almost makes me wonder if Steve had a premonition that something was going to happen to him, but no, I think that was just Steve.

There are few people of whom it’s possible to say: he was always kind, he was always thoughtful – but that was Steve. I never knew him to have a quarrel with anyone. He wasn’t a pushover - he just chose to overlook our failings and see the best in all of us. Despite the suddenness of his death, I truly believe Steve was right with God and right with the world when he passed. Because he always was.

Steve was so important to so many people, his absence will be felt deeply, in and out of our church community. At SouthWest we will miss his singing, and his sweet, funny way of reading the weekly announcements. Steve was very involved in our In Touch Ministry, but it was never a job to him. Steve would have called and checked in with people, and visited people, whether there was a formal thing called In Touch or not. That was just who he was. He had an amazing empathy and love for people.

I apologize to anyone who is just finding this out as they read the newsletter.

I know we will all be holding Aline in our hearts and prayers in the days and weeks to come. We look forward to the day when we can celebrate Steve’s life in style.

Amy

Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.      (Shakespeare)

In his element.

Steve and Aline with Linda Dixon, Christmas 2011.

Goofing around at the St-Jean Baptiste BBQ, 2015. Photo by Helen Pantridge.

April, 2020.

Pandemic Pastimes

As suggested by Pastor Beryl, we would love to share your stories and pictures of how you are filling the days in this time of isolation. We are kicking off today with some bird-watching photos from Mary Lamey, who has been maintaining her sanity by walking the dogs in Angrignon Park and taking pictures of birds there and in her backyard.

As Mary says, “Everything is terrible, but we can still find beauty in the the quiet moments.”

How many of these local bird varieties do you recognize? Send your responses in to the office, southwestunited@gmail.com.

ANSWERS

Donna Davis is our winner this week having identified all five birds! They are: Cardinal, American goldfinch, Myrtle warbler (One of several kinds of yellow-rumped warblers, Mary would want to mention that warblers are easy to hear and difficult to spy in the woods, especially as the leaves fill in more and more); Ruby-crowned kinglet (we’re particularly impressed that Donna got this one as the red patch that gives him his name isn’t showing in the picture); and of course a Pileated woodpecker. These are the real Woody woodpeckers, measuring 16 to 20 inches long and with a wingspan of 26 to 29 inches. You can hear their slow, determined tree-pecking and their laughing call across long distances. You can tell this one is a male by the red stripe on his cheek. Otherwise, males and females look the same.

Donna adds that in the Crawford Park area recently she has spotted: song and chipping sparrows, mourning doves, a white-breasted nuthatch, and a great blue heron, as well as a pair of small accipiter hawks, “perched too high for me to pick up on much more than their silhouettes.”

Any other bird-watchers out there?

Beryl's Blog: Easter 5

During the past weeks of confinement, many of you may have taken to doing puzzles to pass the time, hoping to keep some semblance of sanity and encouraging your slowly congealing brain to retain some sense of flexibility.

You may have started slowly with larger sized 500-piece simple puzzles.  Having accomplished that level and feeling confident, you might have moved on to smaller sized 1000-piece puzzles – even feeling brave enough to attempt complex and multi-coloured scenes of boats at sea, prolific flower displays in extravagant gardens and the likes.

Well, I took the plunge and, along with my sister Angela, we have compared notes and pictures of our accomplishments to date. This week, feeling cocky, it seems we have both hit a snag or two.

In frustration and threats of putting it all back into the box, sister Angela wrote her ode to the whole experience.

With her permission, and I am sure in acknowledgement of the frustration so many of you might have felt, I share with you her words of both wit and wisdom:

Ode to my 1,000 Piece Puzzle

I was excited when we first met.
You were different and new.
But soon our relationship sifted,
you became difficult and secretive
hiding parts of yourself
even sneaking under the table.
Some nights you frustrated me,
others I was delighted to find parts of you
I never knew existed.
Now that you are about to leave me, I will miss you
I have grown fond of you and we have become so close
So close that I know every square inch of you,
 even with my eyes closed, every curve
Adieu my puzzling friend….
you now have my permission to date someone new.

- Angela B.

 
As we continue into the as yet unknown, we have taken up both new and old hobbies.  I have tried to reteach myself to play the piano, something which I abandoned so many years ago.  I have come to realize that my left hand has no idea what my right hand is doing and probably never will. 

Perhaps you might like to share with Amy what you have been doing (or not) during these past eight weeks.

As we have been apart for what seems like an eternity at this point, I am sure we would all like to hear about your projects, your successes, failures and the somewhere-in-betweens.  I am looking forward to reading all about them in our newsletter.

May the peace which passes all understanding,

the peace of our Lord,

be your companion in the coming days.

Beryl

In Memoriam: Cécile Desrochers-Castonguay

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Cécile Desrochers-Casgonguay, on April 20 due to Covid-19.  She was 93 and a regular attendee at our Wednesday services at the Floralies LaSalle.

Here is the obituary from the Gazette:

DESROCHERS-
CASTONGUAY, Cécile
1926 - 2020

On Monday, April 20, 2020, Cécile Desrochers Castonguay of LaSalle passed away at the age of 93 years. She succumbed to COVID-19. She was predeceased by her husband André Castonguay in 2014. She will be lovingly remembered by her sister, Mrs. Jeannine Simonsen (née Desrochers) from Ottawa, her sister-in-law, Ms. Orietta Castonguay, several nieces and nephews among others, Ms. Diane Ellison who has journeyed with her since 2012, as well as several grandnieces and grandnephews. Madame Desrochers Castonguay will also be warmly remembered by members of her extended family and dear friends. The celebration of her life and a Mass will be "virtually" held (via a computer) on Monday, May 11, 2020. The family will receive condolences from 10:30 a.m. and the Mass will begin at 11:00 a.m. All instructions for participating will be available by contacting the Salon Yves Légaré, Ville Lasalle, at 514 595-1500 or by email at lasalle@yveslegare.com. Her family would like to thank the staff of Les Floralies de Ville in LaSalle for their support and care. May everyone who cared for her, showed kindness and was involved with Madame Cécile Desrochers Castonguay consider our gratitude as being personally addressed to them. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the charity of your choice in memory of Mrs. Cécile Desrochers Castonguay would be appreciated."The brighter the radiance, the thicker the obscurity. It is impossible to appreciate light without knowing darkness."
Jean-Paul Sarte

Published on May 2, 2020

Familiar Faces, 3rd installment

Steve and Aline have been staying in, working from home, and doing little projects around the house. I cropped the picture (taken from a good six feet away) so you could read their sign: Peace be with you.

Judy would want me to tell you that she has been very good and staying home, but Wednesday was such a beautiful day that she took a walk and passed by the church. i just happened to be there working so we had a safe-distance chat.

More Familiar Faces

I’ve got a few more smiling faces for you this week. I got to chat with all of these people, always from at least six feet away. There are many I can’t visit because they are locked down in residences or live far away., but if anyone out there wants to share a selfie with us, I’d be delighted to run in it a future newsletter!

Stay safe everyone.

George and Sue O’Reilly posed in front of their rainbow window.

Linda W. stopped by to borrow books from the church library.

Sheila and Maurice came out on their verandas with a tape measure to make sure social distancing was maintained!

News from Léonore, en Estrie

Léonore Pion, who was our Kitchen Coordinator the last couple of years at SouthWest Mission, has moved on to the Eastern Townships and started her own community kitchen called La Jeanne. Back on March 14 (“a lifetime ago”, as she says) she sent the following words:

«Community kitchen La Jeanne started its activities a month ago. I've mostly (and successfully) been doing workshops, and will probably have to cancel what was scheduled for the next weeks. I'm hoping I won't be sick, so I can have a little production line for people here in isolation. I'm thinking La Jeanne could provide an "emergency popote roulante" for the next couple of weeks. Not sure how that will/can happen, but in God I trust, n'est-ce pas, and I know when one's focused enough, things just fall into place. »

Asked this week if she had been able to get her meals-on-wheels program off the ground, she sent the photos below and this follow-up message:

“I'm doing really well, considering.
I have a lot of energy and am happy and relieved to be able to contribute in a positive way.
Since the beginning of the crisis, I've been cooking, and cooking, and cooking more.
I left my kitchen log book at work, so these figures are approximate---so far, in more or less three weeks, and with the help of one volunteer only at a time, La Jeanne was able to send 100 L soup, 60 L fruit salad, 25 L meat sauce, 60 ready-to-eat meals, 80 family portions of orange cake, 50 banana loaves, and, last but certainly not least, 125 pots of marmalade to the local food bank, la Banque alimentaire Memphrémagog (BAM), my "landlady" and partner who then redistributes the food to her crowd. BAM feeds me with the ingredients she can't distribute, for various reasons -- too old, too much, too bulky -- and I transform them as fast as they need to be---or else they get fed to the pigs.
The number of people seeking for food help has increased tremendously in the last couple of weeks. Memphrémagog Food Bank is still able to provide generously. That is, I think, mostly because restaurants have closed, and restaurant owners brought their perishables to us. However, I'm concerned that there will be nothing left to distribute/transform in a few weeks---I heard Moisson Montréal is running out of stock; as for Moisson Estrie, it hasn't been providing our last orders.
That's why I feel it's important to transform now, in order not to lose stock. We can't afford to waste food that will be necessary tomorrow.
I will go on working as long as I'm healthy. So far, so very good.
I'm lucky to be surrounded by an amazing bunch of humans: the food bank team has been more than welcoming, and is eager to support me in our common effort to feed the most vulnerable. Some wonderful volunteers have also shown up---for now, I can't say the kitchen efficiency is at its best, but it feels like a real luxury to spend time with someone, that girl/guy at the other end of the room :)
I hope SWU is doing good, going through this crisis with courage and hope.
It must be really tough for some of them---alone, no visits, no going out. I hope everyone is getting as much support as they need. I hope everyone is taking this very seriously: you do not fool around with the virus, oh you do not.”

Bravo Léonore! Keep up the good work!

Suivez La Jeanne sur / Follow La Jeanne on Facebook.

Crossword: How well do you know your church?

I made this crossword for these days of social isolation. Click the button below to print it out. If you’re stuck, many of the answers can be found in Blog posts from the last few months. Why not send a picture of yourself with the completed puzzle to southwestunited@gmail.com?

Amy

From the Frontlines of the Wet’suwet’en Struggle

From Broadview magazine
TOPICS:JUSTICE | OPINION

I gained a spiritual understanding through people's stories about what this territory means to them

By Natalie Maxson

February 19, 2020

It was dark when we arrived at the Gidimt’en camp outside Houston, B.C., with a trunk full of groceries and winter camping gear for everyone to share. My colleague and I were volunteers with Christian Peacemaker Teams, and had travelled to the site at the 27-kilometre mark along Morice West Forest Service Road in response to a call from Wet’suwet’en leaders for legal observers. It was evening in early February, and the camp was lit with the glow of a bonfire. The sound of people chopping firewood filled the air.