I have been working for almost 20 years – off and on – with research, policies and public programs to support immigrant integration.  And I wonder what opportunities and hardships await for newcomers to Canada in 2019 compared with my grandparents in 1900?   If they could speak with each other across the ages, what hopes and dreams would they share?

Eyes move forward

upward   downward

… the spirit stirs within.

Hopes release from our hearts

… not knowing that something good will happen

but that something good can happen.

Dreams

funny things   fuzzy things

… real things.

Emotions jumble and tumble to the surface

… scramble to get out

exciting   arresting   bracing

Motioning toward a place we’ve never seen

toward an experience we’ve never encountered

… a small lump lingers in the throat.

Life new or anew

{                  }

… there is no going back.

Cultivating a new home

with new hopes and new dreams

… courage, integrity and perseverance   our tools for survival.

Gifts and legacies

… life, laughter, disappointments, devotion

Loving and letting go

Never losing sight of never losing hope

I cannot think of a more beautiful experience than that first, clean and fresh snowfall of winter.  It snowed in Victoria last night.  It was Christmas Eve and we went out for a walk after dinner.  We didn’t hear sleigh bells in the snow but we did hear and see children playing and laughing with abandon.

Some people find a sense of wonder and awe through their philosophical or religious beliefs.  Others find it through a walk in the forest; or a heroic act of human compassion.

To me the best place to experience the wonder and awe in this world of ours is to be the child within us.  Explore  without preconceptions; accept love for what it is; give joy to others without expectation…. and go play in the snow!

… Cuddle a kitten

… Work on a puzzle

… Watch little children playing

… Light candles at your dinner table

… Pick up your camera before going out the door

… Turn off your phone, take 5 photos … and don’t send them to anyone

… Spend Saturday afternoon at your local art gallery

… Play with a dog in the snow or the sunshine

… Listen to music on the way to work

… Look out the window on a rainy day

… Sleep in – and if you can’t sleep

… Luxuriate under the bed covers

… Stretch your body

How to Find More Time

Take a picnic to the park …

Discover a secret garden …

Go for a walk or a bike ride …

Buy flowers for someone special …

Gather a couple of friends and go on a deli tour …

Reconnect with yourself, special people, and your surroundings…

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