Month: August 2019

Eramosa Eden Support

http://www.eramosaeden.org/

Eramosa Eden is a spiritual retreat centre for renewing body, mind, and spirit and, for the last five years, it has been an important place for me to replenish and inspire me as a writer, author, and photographer. They now need our help.

Over the period of five years, I have attended full-day writer workshops where I was given opportunity to meet with other like-minded people, to build a community of support and encouragement and to write freely in the variety of settings, both indoors and outdoors, in this beautiful and inspiring place. The rustic buildings, the cedar forest, the bubbling river are all conducive to creating an environment of peace and creativity.

For two years, I was happy to be part of the River Writers group that met bi-weekly in the rooms and buildings of Eramosa Eden where my writing skills and creativity were stretched and stimulated. How wonderful to have such a place to bond together with other creative and talented writers and authors.

My photography club, Into Focus Photography Club, which meets monthly at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, enjoyed a stimulating and productive day at Eramosa Eden taking photos of the natural beauty that abounds in this special place.

I, for one, would hate to see this veritable treasure of nature, creativity and spirituality, be lost to another cause or development. It has been an important part of my own growth, not only as a writer and artist, but personally, it has been a quiet retreat of beauty and replenishment, a place to renew my body and soul.

One need only to wander the rooms and the forest to see how important Eramosa Eden has been to many others who have dedicated their time, materials, and efforts to creating beauty in this magical place. Many have left behind a piece of themselves through paintings, weavings, and other creations, all as an offering of gratitude for what has been given to them.

The world needs places like Eramosa Eden. They act as sanctuaries of peace and creativity, places where one can get away from the maddening pace of our regular lives and replenish and stimulate our minds and senses in a quiet and beautiful natural setting. Can you help? Write a letter of support “To Whom It May Concern” and address it to Gloria Nye at glorianye@gmail.com

No One Left Behind

Years ago, as an elementary school teacher, I coached the school cross-country team. One year, my daughter Maegan was a member of the team. That year she taught me a heart-felt lesson that I never forgot.

For those of you who don’t know, a cross country race ends in a funnel, where the trail forces the runners into single file and assures their standing in the race. The race was close that year and our team was doing well. I always stood on the sidelines for my runners, spurring them on as they approached the finish line. In the final curve, Maegan was surging forward as she put on her final spurt, passing runners as she raced forward, ensuring herself and the team a good scoring.

All of a sudden, one of the runners went down, stumbling and falling, holding her ankle and crying out. Maegan raced past her and then suddenly stopped. I started yelling at her, “Maegan, go! You are so close to the finish line. Go! Someone else will get her. There’s lots of us here.”

Without hesitation, Maegan ran back and helped the girl to her feet and together they limped across the finish line as other runners raced past them.

As I watched her, I didn’t know what to think. My own competitive nature felt she should have just continued on with the race. It wasn’t as if the girl wouldn’t be helped by someone else. But as she approached me with a contented smile on her face after the race, I felt a great deal of pride for my daughter. Her priority wasn’t winning the race. She saw a fellow racer in trouble and stopped to help, even though she must have realized that others would have stepped in and that she was forfeiting her good standing in the race.

She taught me a lesson that day. Whenever we have an opportunity to help another human being, act on it. Don’t leave them behind thinking that someone else will take care of the situation. If we all thought that way, the weak and down-trodden may never be helped. We would all be assuming, “It’s not my responsibility. Someone else will do it.” Maybe they will, but maybe they won’t. Choose to help at every opportunity. That way we all win.