Let there be peace on earth

Exactly one year ago I posted this photo on Instagram and Facebook. It shows the spot where I put my "Dove of Peace" charm that I purchased on Remembrance Day, after a terrorist attack here in Canada.

This was my post on social media a few weeks prior, on October 22, 2014:

"I will be holding my kids extra tight tonight. I live in Canada's capital city and the city is on lockdown after gunfire downtown and an attack on our Parliament; my husband is on lockdown at work and my kids are on lockdown at school. I am trying to take some comfort from our pussy cat Bubbles as I'm anxiously waiting for my family to come home and I can hold them in my arms."

At the time of my post, very little was known about the situation, and I didn't really know what was happening with our kids at school, except that they were in lockdown. As it turns out, it was a lone gunman who shot and killed a soldier guarding our National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The victim was Cpl. Nathan Cirillo who served with the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, and, like all ceremonial sentries, only carried an unloaded firearm.


Cpl. Nathan Cirillo on the left guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
(photo from CBC footage)

After the fatal shooting at the Cenotaph, the assailant drove the short distance to our Parliament Hill. He managed to enter the Parliament Buildings and was eventually killed in a barrage of gunfire from security and RCMP (our national police service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police). The city remained in lockdown for many hours until city police and RCMP officers decided their search for a rumoured second shooter was futile.

There has been much discussion in the last year about whether this was in fact a terrorist act or simply the act of a confused man with a criminal record, including drug-related charges, and a history of mental illness, who was living in a shelter and frustrated with his difficulty in obtaining a passport to go to the Middle East. The assailant was born in Canada but had family from Libya.

Screen shot from the video made by the shooter in Ottawa

Last month the RCMP released a video made before the shooting. A transcript reads, "This is in retaliation for Afghanistan and because [then Canadian Prime Minister] Harper wants to send troops to Iraq. Canada's officially become one of our enemies by fighting and bombing us and creating a lot of terror and killing us and killing our innocents. So, just aiming to hit some soldiers just to show that you're not even safe on your own land, and you gotta be careful. We'll not cease until you guys decide to be a peaceful country and stay to your own and stop going to other countries and stop occupying and killing the righteous of us who are trying to bring back religious law in our countries. Thank you."



On November 11, a few short weeks after last year's shooting, we attended the Remebrance Day ceremony at our children's middle school; our daughter was in the school choir. I wore my Flower Power bracelet, my pink and red mother-daughter bracelet with two red poppies, a symbol for remembrance. Although we have attended many Remembrance Day assemblies at schools over the years, last year's ceremony was particularly emotional because of those very recent events. When I read these words in the program, "If we are to maintain our peace and freedom, we must always remember," and saw this picture of a dove with an olive branch, I decided to buy the "Dove of Peace" dangle, as a reminder. 

Taylor's vocal class singing Amazing Grace November 11, 2015

Our children are in high school now, and last week we attended a Remembrance Day ceremony at our daughter's high school, because her vocal class was performing. It was a very moving service, alternating between her class singing and students reading letters sent home to families and sweethearts in Canada. They were from soldiers in the Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and most recently those serving in Afghanistan, as well as Canadian troops involved in peace-keeping missions around the world. The "Dove of Peace" represents my hope for peace in this crazy world. That seems appropriate given the latest events around the world, including Paris and Beirut.
 

The dove of peace on my Love Blooms Here bracelet

YouTube video of "Let there be peace on earth"

Let There Be Peace on Earth

 



The back of the Canadian Parliament Buildings



 

Do you know what makes you happy?

Pandora's Autumn Bliss charm

If you look up the word "bliss" you will find that the definition is "supreme happiness." And that is how Autumn makes me feel - supremely happy. I am happy that the air is cooler, the days are shorter, and the light is softer. I love going for walks in our neighbourhood and taking photographs of all the splendid colours. Without the oppressive heat of the summer, this is the time of year to do our gardening. It always seems an act of hope to plant tulips, because it's something to look forward to after the long cold winter. And we have some very fun traditions in the fall. Read on for the details - and photos.

My favourite tree in our neighbourhood.

We try to get to Saunders Farm every year. This "farm" would more aptly be called an amusement park, with its many and various types of mazes, as well as jumping pillows, a tractor tire playground, a pirate ship climbing structure, and the crazy (tree)house that jack built, with a hayloft for jumping. There is a spot to measure your height every year and they even have a Halloween-themed outdoor play which is always quite amusing, for children and parents alike. There's also a haunted hay ride, a perennial favourite. This year we're wondering if our teens will be brave enough for the haunted house and the evening (read scarier) version of the haunted hay ride.

Mitchell and Taylor at Saunders Farm (2008)

The (Tree)House That Jack Built
Saunders Farm (2008)

Mug shots of Mitchell and Taylor at Saunders Farm (2008)

Saying goodbye to Saunders Farm, until next year. (2008)

Hiking in the Gatineau Park is always a family favourite in the fall. When my mother was still alive - and still mobile - she would accompany us, on some of the trails with a flatter terrain.
 

Hiking and pretty colours with Taylor, almost two years old

Taylor and Mitchell, almost two, hiking with my mom, their Nana

Mitchell almost two, having a picnic after our hike

Every fall we make a day trip to the Mackenzie King Estate, traditionally on Thanksgiving Day. This piece of property, 200 hectare, is the country estate of Canada's tenth, and longest-running, Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, which he bequeathed to Canadians upon his death. King loved horticulture, landscaping, romantic gardens, and architectural ruins. The ruins were from Westminister in England, as well as being salvaged from Canada's Parliament Hill, which burned down in 1916. My children's favourite thing of course, is climbing on these ruins and climbing up trees, with a pause now and then to pose for mommy and the camera. These are some of my favourite photos. You can also see photos from this photo shoot on an earlier post about my son the clown.

The view from a park bench at Mackenzie King Estate (2014)

Mitchell, almost seven, at Mackenzie King Estate (2008)

Taylor, almost seven, at Mackenzie King Estate (2008)

Mitchell and Taylor at Mackenzie King Estate (2008)

Taylor and Mitchell, almost 14, at Mackenzie King Estate (2015)

The view from a different park bench (2015)

This year we brought someone with us - my younger brother Thomas. And for the first time since our children were born we cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I think there needs to be a charm to represent this momentous occasion, but that will have to wait for a different story. 

Mitchell and Taylor with their Uncle Thomas, my younger brother; this is what happens when you tell your subjects to scrunch together like they know each other. I love Tom's smile in this picture!

We broke out the good china and fine silverware for our Thanksgiving dinner. I forgot to take photos before the turkey was carved or the desert was served. It tasted a lot better than it looks.

When you battle depression, it's important to know what makes you happy. And often it's the little things that bring happiness; these are the things you need to notice and be thankful for. For me it's taking the kids to buy pumpkins. Seeing the leaves change colour outside our bedroom window. Raking leaves and jumping in the piles. Filling the house with the smell of pumpkin muffins. Hearing the crunch of leaves underfoot. Bliss!

You can read more about this idea of paying attention to what makes you happy and having an "attitude of gratitude" - and how it actually changes your brain - in a post from last Thanksgiving.
 

Taylor and Mitchell in the pumpkin patch, almost six (2007)

Our bedroom feels like a treehouse.

Mitchell, three-years-old, raking leaves with Mike

The autumn bliss charm on my Sacred Woods bracelet