Monthly Archives: December 2020

‘TIS THE SEASON

Posted on by
7

‘Tis the season is in the air. And Covid-19 is the gift that keeps giving but is it the gift we want? Today the stats in our province are 1 death and 283 new cases. Perhaps it is a good time to rethink Christmas and gifting. Perhaps it is a good opportunity for all of us to exam what Christmas means. Perhaps the best gift this year is distance. It could save lives and our economy. It would mean less new cases mushrooming out of control. We would get back to ‘normal’ quicker. It would mean getting back to ‘business’ again. Less strain on the healthcare system. Less strain on everyone. So why aren’t we doing it?

I feel like I’m the original scrooge. I am. Christmas does not really work for me any more? Did it ever? I was not born into this culture. We did not celebrate Christmas. I did not have birthday presents and parties either. When I was a child in China, I got a boiled egg and a chicken drumstick on my birthday. They were considered a treat. When we came to Canada, we adopted some of the western traditions to fit in. I’m not sure that I ever felt it worked. I still felt lacking on these occasions.

Now that I’m all grown up and more, I don’t feel the need to pretend. Covid-19 is giving me and everyone of us the opportunity to come out of the closet. This opportunity is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not celebrating Covid-19. I’ve been in a bit of a difficult patch lately. It’s been colouring all mine and probably your days, too. You can’t help but talk about it when you’re in conversation with your family and friends. It is not at all uplifting or relaxing but you can’t stop.

I’m trying to stop: letting Covid colour my thoughts and days; being a hardcore scrooge. I’m going for a softer heart and more joy. I don’t believe there is a Santa Claus. My name is not Virginia. And I can’t believe that there is a man God up in the sky. So what do I believe in? Where do I go from here? To be continue….

DECEMBER REFLECTIONS

Posted on by
2

So it is December and what have I learned? November is over and things will never be the same again. Today our Covid-19 stats are, 181 new cases and 4 deaths. Our provincial government has not made any new changes. We, as individuals, must change and assume responsibility for doing the proper thing.

So it is December. A lot of things have happened in the last 11 months. It’s a year ago Sheba had a big hematoma in her left ear. It was big like a perogy. She had to have it drained 3 times. It was a tough one. There were many sleepless nights but we pulled through. We went back to enjoying our walks and romps in the dog park. She was good till she wasn’t. She went to doggy heaven middle of May. She was always a happy girl – right till the end.

It is December. What a year we had. My mother came down with shingles shortly before Covid-19 came to Saskatchewan. Oh, the pain, the worry. Then it went into her eye the day Saskatchewan declared state of emergency. Everything shut down. We were in a state of emergency also. We got in to the Eye Center at City Hospital. I lit a candle, said a prayer each night, asking others to do the same. Our prayers were answered. My mother recovered her eye sight. It was not till middle of May she had her last medical appointment.

It is December. Summer is long past but it was good. We had a successful growing season and good harvest. Autumn has passed, too. We’ve built a greenhouse. It was finished just before the snow came. Winter is here but I am looking forward to spring. I got a seed order away yesterday. I suspect I will be looking through the catalogues again and finding more to order. Soon January will be here. It will be time to start a few tomatoes and other things. Spring will come early for us in the greenhouse.

So it is almost Christmas. I hope we will have peace and less Covid. I don’t need to go shopping for gifts. I will be happy if we are safe. I will be happy if we love one another.