Yesterday's Mouse

Yesterday I watched a baby field mouse
Running around behind Ontario Hall.
It was the length of my thumb
And its body shook in the wind.

I stopped down to watch it race,
I dared not touch the thing.
Around and 'round it ran on the concrete,
Searching, hunting, looking for Mom.

It climbed onto my shoe
And in fear that it would climb up my leg,
I gently kicked it off.

I wonder what became of the baby field mouse.

Did it find home or warmth or
did it die in the cold November air?
If you find a small grey mouse
the length of a thumb, Please let me know.

nobodies and somebodies

This week I found myself wishing that I could be a nobody. Wishing that I could go back home after class and not have anything to worry about except school and maybe groceries. It triggered a memory of a short poem I had written back in second year when I did go back home after class and not have anything to worry about except school and groceries.

Enjoy!

Identity


All my life I have wanted to be a somebody,

But by trying to become a somebody, I became a nobody.

As a nobody I learned what it meant to be a somebody,

And I realized being a nobody isn't so bad after all.

Rain and Canadian Art

What a rainy weekend to be in Toronto! It's strange to have typical Kingston weather in Toronto, but I definitely feel desensitized to the copious amounts of water falling from the sky.

Being at home is so comfortable. I really should schedule more of these weekends into my life.

I was very fortunate to plan a trip home this weekend because it coincided with the Grand Reopening of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Beginning yesterday and ending tomorrow, the AGO is open to the public for free! I guess this is as close as Canada gets to enculturating her citizens, unlike Britain whose British Museum and National Gallery are always free to the general public. Nevertheless, I took the subway down with a surprisingly quiet and sombre companion and we waited patiently in the rain for our free entrance into the Art Gallery.

Going abroad has given me a basis with which to compare our Canadian art galleries. One of the most evident contrasts was the use of nature. The new Frank Gehry-designed AGO incorporates beams of Douglas fir and a beautiful winding staircase crafted out of wood. Moreover, some of the largest art pieces were simply portions of trees. Even one of the centre pieces of the gift shop sprouted bare branches. Canadian art has traditionally emphasized landscape and our natural resources, but will we ever break free from this natural inspiration or will it always be a staple to the Canadian art diet?

My most exciting discovery was Canadian painter, Cornelius Krieghoff, who painted in the mid-1800s. He painted Canadian life in the 1800s with lots of snow and ice in the winter and the glorious colours of changing leaves in the fall (see above). What struck me as fascinating was its resemblance to Chinese art in that the majority of the canvas (or rice paper) is covered by landscape, while the people are insignificantly small. Not all of his paintings are done in this manner, but the similarity is enough to make me think about the truth in the painting styles.

Trapped in cities, we forget about the land and the lakes. I am so far removed from nature that I forget how insignificantly small I am in this vast world. Sometimes I stand in front of Lake Ontario and watching the line where sea meets sky strikes a chord in my heart. We are so small, but we are also capable of doing so much. Who are we that the Creator of the world should love us?

praying for world peace

As futile as it seems to pray for world peace, it is part of seeing God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." The article below encourages us to keep praying, and perhaps our prayers may move us to action someday.


Sudan declares ceasefire in Darfur

Associated Press
November 12, 2008 at 9:31 AM EST

KHARTOUM — Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has announced a unilateral ceasefire by government forces in the devastated Darfur region and is calling for rebels to join in peace negotiations.

Today's announcement launches a new push by the Khartoum government to show it is willing to make peace in Darfur, where at least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes in fighting since 2003.

Darfur's multiple rebel groups have so far dismissed the government peace moves, calling them insincere, and has not signed on to a ceasefire.

Past ceasefires announced by Khartoum have collapsed.

Mr. Bashir also says he's willing to pay compensation to Darfurians who lost their homes to help them return and rebuild.

living in soft-focus

The past two days have been absolutely gorgeous. It's amazing how the weather changes my mood so much, but I've already mentioned that a few times on this blog. There must be extra water in the air, but the trees and building and sunlight make the entire landscape appear in soft-focus. I strolled downtown yesterday and watched the sunlight bathe the buildings and trees in a warm cloud of yellow and observed the yellow carpets under the trees dappled with spots of green grass. It was wondrous.

I've stretched myself quite thin these past two weeks and God has been reminding me (through His Word and through Val, a lovely minister at St. James' Anglican Church) that I need to be keeping my Sabbath. I've neglected it this year, citing excuses of work and... more work; but I'm definitely feeling the crunch. I almost want to declare this week "Hermit Week," but alas, I have too many things on my plate!

Isaiah's gentle reminder is especially fitting in our campus's week of 24/7 prayer:

" And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to serve him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to worship him,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant--
these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Isaiah 56:6-7 (NIV; italics added)