Looking for a last minute Christmas gift—or perhaps a library excursion during the holidays? Here are some favourites from Kathleen McMillan (author: BlueBeary, preschool teacher).
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (64430227)
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton (059023487X)
Copy Me, Copycub by Richard Edwards (439217164)
Red Is Best by Kathy Stinson (092023626X)
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (64430170)
The Biggest House in the World by Leo Lionni (394827406)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst (689711735)
Snow Lion by David McPhail (819310980)
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (590996347)
And You Can Be the Cat by Hazel Hutchins (1550372165)
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack (590315773)
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (64431789)
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (1564024733)
Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman (590745573)
Timmy Green’s Blue Lake by Donna Bergman
The Lion’s Share by Chris Conover
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman (590319701)
Goodnight, Baby Bear by Frank Asch (439104297)
Barn Dance by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault (805007997)
Yesterday I had a minor car accident* that led to meeting some delightful fellows who love what they do.
First there were two police officers. Ian had just gotten off-duty, so he called in the accident directly and stuck around until another officer arrived. Does this mean Ian loves his work? Maybe. He was certainly kind and helpful.
The next officer, Constable B, came immediately and sat with his lights on diverting traffic to the other lane. My car wouldn’t start, so he let me sit in his squad car, where we had the best chat about moving from out of province (me from SK, he & his family from Britain) and about parenting, education, tutoring, and success. We agreed that too many parents push their children to be “the best” but too often their ideas of success and what’s best don’t fit the child. What if the child doesn’t want to (or can’t) be a brainiac, doctor, lawyer, teacher or CEO? What if the child wants to be something practical and less glamorous yet desperately important, like a tow truck driver in an icy winter storm?
Then there was Kevin. Of course I’ve met him before, but he’s worth mentioning in this story because he loves helping people and loves mechanics. He brilliantly diagnosed my car’s problem on the phone: "Did you hit the back end? You probably tripped the intertia switch." Sure enough. Apparently it’s a safety feature.
Kevin came by as soon as he could, first pulling over to check an online manual for the '96 Crown Victoria to figure out where to find the inertia switch. When my knight in shining 4WD truck arrived he gave me a hug, flipped the switch, inspected the exterior damage, gave me more hugs. Mission accomplished, he disappeared into the snowstorm to fetch his little girl. Later he picked me up from home to spend a quiet evening with pizza, hockey (go Flames!), and a nap.
Finally there was Art, the tow truck driver who LOVES his job and wouldn't do anything else. (Of course, I talked to him about his job!) He says he makes decent money, but he left a higher paying management position to do this work that he loves. He loves the challenge and the all-nighters: he could repeat the same scenario five times in a row and not get bored because it’s different every time. I am SO glad.
I felt so safe with all these capable men taking care of me, and safer because they weren’t merely enacting a duty. It’s not just about the money (though that helps). Fulfilled in their work, they were able to show kindness and skill. And I’m so glad they are in these vocations.
*Single vehicle (mine): hit black ice on a bridge, fishtailed twice, glanced off the guardrail with front right (only broke the signal light cover) then spun around, slid and landed backwards with the left corner of the back bumper scrunched against the guard rail. Didn't hit anyone else. Bumped my head, but not too hard.
One of the joys of moving to Calgary is reconnecting with friends in person. For example, Susan (the accidental poet/housewife), who has no end of writerly/creative connections in this city, and who suddenly on Thursday invited me to an author reading in a lovely old downtown home. Kevin had something else to do, so I gladly went along.
The author, Roberta Rees, was reading from and speaking about her fictional book Long After Fathers. I had neither read nor heard of Roberta and her book before, but now I want to read it.
Roberta said she is very interested in personal memory and social memory, how the mind works—how it works through time and space whereas the body can only work through space, and the responsibility we have for memory.
Initially Roberta thought she would write a novel about the book’s first character, but it was too intense and emotionally she could not stay there. She attended a Sage Hill Writing Experience in Saskatchewan, where Robert Kroetsch read her work and could tell where she had pulled back, told her the writing was flat in some places, yet in others it just flowed. In the places where the language was flowing Kroetsch asked, “Do you feel like you’re cheating when you do that?” She admitted yes.
Writing is work, yes, but when it’s right there’s a flow, and that’s not cheating, it’s good and beautiful.
At the end of the evening, our host Barbara asked Roberta to share some tips for emerging writers. I share them with you.
The writing isn’t about you. It’s about things in the world moving through you and being present to write them. See Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat Pray Love. Susan says she watches this Elizabeth Gilbert video every day.
Find ways to get out of your own way without arguing them down. For example, we get in our own way when we doubt our own work. Roberta gets out of her own way through physical exercise and reading. Some people do dishes or canning. Margaret Atwood does laundry.
Writing is a bout community, not just the self. Foster friendships with people who know what to say when you’re struggling.
Ursula Le Guin’s book Steering the Craft makes a great 10 week course to share. She says the first draft is leaping and crowding. Let it be messy, thick, detailed, imperfect.
Perfect the shrug, like Roberta’s friend Marie. You can’t write to please. For example, Mom is a good audience, but write for synergy, not accolades.
Just be bold. If you have a style or language that’s different, just put it down.
Be wary of any authority who wants to tell you how to write. It’s one thing to edit [and advise], but if anyone is trying to change your voice, be careful.
My sister-in-law is a children's pastor at Harvest Hills Alliance Church in Calgary. She is reading a stunning book called Think Orange: Imagine the Impact when Church and Family Collide by Reggie Joiner. I'm dipping into it. Inspired. Challenged. Sobered. Joiner’s main emphasis is that life should be about God and that the church (yellow) and family (red) should work together (orange) not against each other, and that the chief end of each should be helping people get to know God. I'm excited to share some of the principles with people I know ... and to implement them.
Joiner includes several summary lists called “Slices.” Here’s one from page 98:
A REALLY BIG GOD they can trust no matter what.
Kids should grow up knowing that God is big enough to handle whatever they may face.
SOMEONE ELSE who believes what they believe
Kids need friends who will encourage them to grow in their faith.
ANOTHER VOICE saying the same things parents say
As children grow older it becomes more important to have other adults in their lives as spiritual mentors and leaders.
UNCOMMON SENSE to help them make wise choices
God’s point of view and His truth should become the filter for how kids view life and make decisions.
NOSY PARENTS who know where their kids are spiritually
Kids need parents who will be intentional about spending time together as a family and staying actively involved in their children’s spiritual growth.
Think Orange: Imagine the Impact when Church and Family Collide by Reggie Joiner. Hardcover: 272 pages. Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (June 1, 2009)
All of Bette Ramshaw’s stories are true, but her imaginative retelling and animated presentation often cause her audience to ask, “Did that really happen?” On October 29, Bette Ramshaw of Nokomis entertained listeners at Parkland Regional Library, Strasbourg branch.
First there was the death of Dr. Ketchum and his body’s crazy final journey to Roy McDougal’s Funeral Parlour, which “was a treat to be buried from.” Then several stories about Mrs. Ramshaw’s friend Sylvia and the silly situations they get into. And Mrs. Ramshaw recalled her first Canadian winter: “I had never seen so much snow in my life. In my ignorance I thought it was beautiful. What I didn’t understand was the fear and isolation this snow was going to bring.”
Bette Ramshaw came to Canada in 1946 as one of the many war brides to a husband she hardly recognized without his uniform on. Her husband Art attended the reading on October 29 and did some storytelling of his own during the coffee break. He recounted meeting Bette for the first time at a dance in 1945, where they both were called for the door prize and they won a chicken. Because of rations they hadn’t eaten chicken in four years, so when he took her home he said, “I’m coming back tomorrow to eat that chicken.” They spent the entire next day together and were married 10 weeks later. He returned to Canada and she followed. Sixty-four years later, Bette declares that she won’t be breaking in another husband!
Are vaccines today more dangerous, in some cases, than the diseases? Has something gone wrong with the system or the companies making them? Filmed at the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccinations (sponsored by the Nat'l Vaccine Information Center) in October, 2009, listen to what these health professionals have to say!
I remember the battered old quilting frames filling my grandmother’s living room with fabric and designs. I remember quilting bees where the nourishing smell of coffee and baking and the aroma of female conversation wafted through the air as women gathered around a project, finishing it together. I remember the sound of my grandmother’s Singer Treadle sewing machine, whirring as her feet rocked rhythmically and her hands moved expertly with cloth and thread.
Last Thursday evening, women brought favourite quilts to share for the once-monthly Ladies Night at Strasbourg Alliance Church. Some brought recent projects, some brought antiques; some brought intricate patterns, some brought patchwork; all brought a love of beauty and admiration for the creativity and plain hard work that goes into any quilt.
Guest speaker, Julie J., loves quilting so much that she and her husband renovated an old one-room schoolhouse (Pengarth) for her creative domain. Draped over a chair in the foreground is Julie’s first quilt project, so ambitious that she started it but didn’t finish it for several years—after she had taken some quilting classes and learned easier ways she could have done it! She spoke of her inner transformation through quilting as she took classes to pursue the art and went from distrusting certain groups of women to loving the company of women in the Between Friends Quilter's Guild.
Julie displayed a variety of quilts, some made by her own grandmothers, some made by herself, and some “rescued” from antique stores. None of them are for sale. “They’re my children,” she says. They can be gifts, but there is no way to price them for buyers.
Quilts of old served as a creative outlet, a recycling venue (old pajamas, dresses, shirts, Fortrel, even underwear!), and a community gathering place, all while meeting the deeply practical needs of keeping warm and occupied during the winter.
Quilting is less common these days, and tends to be more solitary, with kits and pre-cut pieces you can buy from quilting stores or WalMart and put together with a television going in the background. Still, the impulse to produce beautiful handiwork is strong. Steve Belll sings the question, “Why do we hunger for beauty?” Could it have something to do with being made in the image of God? I suspect so.
Women still need to gather, for reasons not always tangible and obviously practical. We gather for our sanity and general well-being. We feed each other’s souls with companionship and loveliness. No amount of Facebooking can take the place of meeting face-to-face.
I believe we also need to nurture crafts that have, in the past, been vital to survival. Quilting and sewing bees have given way to classes and retreats that keep traditions alive. Perhaps some day we will actually need this skill again—among others—to survive in a harsh climate.
With or without a project in our hands, women seldom need an excuse to gather. I love a good intergenerational blend of ladies. Pictured above in the middle is Lil Plum, who was my own mother’s pastor’s wife when Mom was a teenager. Lil set the bar very high for Mom’s understanding of what it meant to be a wife, mother, and Christian, and I have heard Mom reference her example many times.
Joyce brought a heavy quilt made by a great-grandmother in the 1800s. Hanging behind Joyce’s left shoulder is an enthralling quilt by Eunace made of silk ties!
Betty, who has taken quilting lessons from Julie, brought this star patterned quilt-in-progress because she had some questions.
We need each other. No amount of reading can take the place of in-person expertise and encouragement.
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All photos taken on my Samsung cell phone. Not bad, eh? Someday I’d like something with a few more pixels. But I still want it to fit in my pocket.
250 Minus 40 Tour CDs are finished and waiting for me to pick it up in Saskatoon on November 7th! We’ll mail pre-ordered copies after that.
In the meantime, my friend Janina is sending me 26 copies in the mail to sell around home in the next week.
We’re still offering free shipping until November 15th.
You can also pick up any or all of the tracks at IndieHeaven:
Coming soon: a documentary about our Minus 40 Tour by Ray Lacusta on the Saskatchewan Community Network program 15 Minutes of Fame! The application has been accepted, Ray wants to make a few changes to the video, and once he’s satisfied we’ll get into the line-up!
“Gratitude is a huge theme in the Bible. I try to be thankful for the 100 little things that go right in a day instead of focusing on the 3 or 4 that go wrong.” A. J. Jacobs
Driving home on Thursday, I listened to “Ideas” on CBC Radio One. The topic was the Dead Sea Scrolls, and one was A. J. Jacobs, who experimented with one year of “living biblically” by following every command in the Bible. Among the things he learned was the importance of gratitude.
It’s not Monday, but today I will begin. “A List of a Thousand Things, beginning with #1.” It takes eyes to see, Open Eyes to notice the good things that are all around.
I rediscovered a couple of pictures today, which I thought would be interesting to post, considering the season. The snow is falling, falling, falling on this day in Saskatchewan in 2009. But 16 years ago, I was in a large sub-tropical island, feeling about as nationalistic as a Canadian expatriate can feel on a holiday from my country of origin.
My former roommate Crystal and her new (at the time) roommate Katrina hosted the meal at my former home in Rei Feng. We were joined by my roommate (at the time), Allison Brown, and fellow Canadians Jeff Kirkpatrick and the Hoy family – Tom & Catherine, Clara & Hilda.
We had fowl, but my untrained culinary eye did not detect ahead of time that these two skinny birds were not turkeys but …
I thought Bryan would be shorter. He’s tall. Much taller than I expected.
We had never met in person before. I first read about him in the print version of Faith Today magazine (in an article by another friend I have never met in person—Emily Wierenga). I liked his ministry model, so ‘googled’ him and found a website, a blog, and a site devoted to his ministry model, CSA (Community Supported Arts). After browsing and reading quite a bit, I sent a message and we started corresponding. We exchanged CDs. I purchased a membership and started receiving his deliveries of new songs every three months. I was a guest artist on two deliveries. I have used three of his songs in my church. When he did a concert last year just up the road in Drake, I wished there wasn’t already something on my calendar that day. When he was planning his current tour, I agreed to host him in Duval. Little wee Duval.
So on Sunday, I picked Bryan up in Regina after church and my brother Jeffrey and I hosted a house concert, with a potluck beforehand. It was a most wonderful evening. We intended to have it in the old United Church, but it ran out of heating oil at the last minute, so we relocated to our place, the old school. It was cozy, but there were enough people to make for a rousing, inspiring good time.
On Monday I drove Bryan to Lanigan where I handed him off to a Patrick from Nutana Park Mennonite Church. We had such good visits about music and ministry and some of our favourite authors, like Wendell Berry. I’m soooo glad we finally got to meet in person and I hope he can come back to Duval again someday.
It's so windy in Saskatchewan today that my studio door won't stay shut unless I lock it! This will be very inconvenient later when music students start coming every half hour.
But the wind is not my topic today: Teen Challenge is. A group of 12 men from Teen Challenge Saskatchewan visited my church, Strasbourg Alliance, on Sunday. They sang and spoke about their experiences and how they are being transformed.
After the presentation the men visited in the foyer awhile. I talked to John, who has been in the program for 5 months with 7 left. His addictions were alcohol and work and they were ruining his marriage. He said he used to work hard (up to 100 hours a week!) and play hard (i.e., party). Interestingly, his drinking never interfered with his performance as an employee. He made enough money that he could give his wife anything she wanted, but he didn’t realize that she and the kids would trade it all for 10 minutes of his time. Then last spring she left him.
This was a real wake up call, so John applied for Teen Challenge. He was accepted in May and had one week to get ready. When he asked for a year off from his job they were understandably shocked and asked why. He told them, “You know my wife has left me. My drinking is a problem and I need to get it under control.” His employers asked, “Why do you need a year? Take 2 weeks, see a counselor and you’ll be fine.” But John was resolute: “No, I need a year.” So his employers said, “Okay, you’ve given us 10 good years, we can give you one year.” Not only did they give him a year’s leave, they also paid his income IN FULL until disability insurance kicked in! So his wife is completely cared for. In fact, without John at home drinking their money, his wife is actually getting ahead on some of their debts!
Not only is John’s family in a better financial position, his marriage is being healed. “We never really dated,” he says. They lived together for 2 years and have been married for 6, but now with occasional visits, weekly phone calls, and lots of letters, they are discovering each other in brand new ways and the newfound intimacy amazes them. John was given a one day leave for his anniversary and says he and his wife connected better in 6 hours than they had in 6 years.
They are also discovering God together. In June, John’s wife came for a visit and he told her Jesus’ words, that if a man leaves mother and father and houses and lands and even wife and children for Jesus’ sake, it will be returned to him 100 fold. His wife responded, “You can come home, but you won’t be bringing any of that with you!” Well, since then she has become a Christian and she’s excited about John “bringing that” with him.
“I’m a new man,” says John. When he finishes the program, he and his wife are going to renew their vows. They are not the same and their family is getting a brand new start.
Teen Challenge was started 50 years ago by David Wilkerson in New York City. The story has been told in the movie The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) starring Pat Boone and Erik Estrada.
Bryan Moyer Suderman rides the rails over 9,000 km to share songs from new CD\
What better way to celebrate the release of a new CD than to ride the rails for a month, covering over 9,000 km from Toronto to Vancouver and back, with plenty of singing stops in between?
That’s what Bryan Moyer Suderman is doing from September 15 to October 15, eager to share the songs from his new CD “A New Heart: songs of faith for small and tall.”
Moyer Suderman describes his newest CD, the 4th released on his SmallTall Music label, as the most “playful” and “ambitious” of any recording he’s done so far. With original songs that are evocative, engaging, and simple without being simplistic, Bryan sings from Genesis to the Gospels, Esther to Ephesians with a top-flight crew of backing musicians in styles ranging from folk and bluegrass to zydeco, bossa nova, and New Orleans jazz.
It’s easy to see why Moyer Suderman has become known for his unique gift of crafting songs and performances that draw from the deep wells of biblical vision and wisdom while being accessible and fun for young and old alike. Since the release of his first CD in 2002, Bryan’s “songs of faith for small and tall” have become favourites with families and churches across North America and beyond, and have been published in various hymnal, songbook, curriculum and other resources.
But why travel by train?
While travel and performing is an important part of Moyer Suderman’s work (he recently returned from Paraguay, where he was part of the song leading team at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly), he also struggles with how to carry out this vocation in a way that is sustainable economically and ecologically as well as sustainable in terms of healthy relationships with his family and local community (he attends Community Mennonite Church of Stouffville Ontario).
As a result, Moyer Suderman works to keep his long-distance travel schedule confined to a limited number of weeks per year, and then to “make hay while the sun shines” and perform as much as possible while he is on the road. The CanRail Pass offers a way to do that at a low cost and in a way that reduces the carbon emissions that would result from more “one-off” flights to long-distance engagements. Moyer Suderman completed a coast-to-coast USA railroad tour last spring, and has begun planning for the next one as well. “Besides,” Moyer Suderman says, “I love to travel by train!”
Another key component of Moyer Suderman’s long-term strategy is what he calls his “Community Supported Music” system. This is an innovative online delivery system for music that is patterned after the “Community Supported Agriculture” (CSA) approach, making regular “deliveries” of new songs that are “fresh, home-grown, and always in season.” Since pioneering this alternative business model for the arts which is entering its fourth year, Moyer Suderman has made 12 “deliveries” of new songs - complete with music notation, chords, thoughts and reflections, and activity ideas and tips for using the songs in home, school, and congregational settings. Various other artists have picked up on the idea as well, have been applying this model to their own work.
Moyer Suderman will be performing an all-ages concert at the Old United Church in Duval, SK on Sunday, October 4th. There will be a potluck at Newschool Arts (the old school) at 5:00 p.m. with concert to follow in the old United Church at 7:00 p.m.
The artwork files for the Colleen and Dara Minus 40 Tour Live CD are away to Precision Disc!
I uploaded several more songs for sale this week. The entire Good Storyline collection is now online for purchase (it’s listed under two albums: Good Storyline and Prairie Soul) plus soundtracks for the Prairie Soul set. I’ve also uploaded a new single, “Maiden Song.” It’s 20 years old but feels timeless to me because of the memories …
Some memorable moments and comments from Jean (nee Whittaker) Rhode Mahn's funeral:
Jean was buried with her husbands' love letters. Only one other person had ever been allowed to read them: her caregiver Wendy, who would read them aloud to Jean.
Joel Rudy:
Jean was a storyteller. "We'll never know if all those stories were true, but they were sure interesting!"
"Jean talked about Briercrest incessantly. That was her life--and Moose Jaw. I did promise one thing: that I would bring her home."
Loved her smile.
It was very important for Jean to have devotions every evening. When she couldn't read them herself, someone else would read them to her.
She was notorious for introducing herself as "Jean Rohde Mahn, Presbyterian, Republican." She introduced her dog, Muffy, the same way.
Jean had very particular tastes, especially Lord and Taylor clothing.
After Jean's second husband Bob proposed, his friend Joel asked, "Are you sure you wan tto marry this woman? She's going to be in charge." Bob replied, "I know."
All four of her caregivers and Joel gathered on the night of Jean's passing. It was a very touching moment as Muffy, her loving dog, licked her hand and said good-bye.
Dwayne Uglem, President, Briercrest College & Seminary:
"She and her family gave us so much zest for life, energy, and enthusiasm."
Like the children of so many founders, Jean was required to set aside so much in this life.
Jean was eager to go places and see things. She had a month-long honeymoon that took her to so many places in Europe.
Jean's Bible surfaced in a remarkable set of events the week of her death. It would have been the Bible she used in her 20s in college. On the title page was a list of special passages:
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Romans 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.
A remarkable collection of promises. This is our God, this is the God that the Whittakers so eagerly wanted to introduce to Briercrest, to Saskatchewan, to Canada, and to the world.
I get these devotional thoughts every day. Sometimes I read them. This one I read and found it helpful, esp. in thinking about marriage. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Would this marriage be a Kingdom builder?
Builder. Language fails. For so much of my life I’ve had an activist perspective on what it means to seek first God’s Kingdom, but I’m realizing more and more that it’s not just what we do for and in the Kingdom, but who we are. I know that often marriage and parenting, especially stay-at-home mothering, are relentless, a crucible even, and that it can feel like one is stuck and not doing much “for the Kingdom.” But faithfulness in the mundane and laborious leads to holiness, and Kingdom things are birthed in the unlikeliest of places.
From: Express Email Marketing [mailto:mailer_response@emailcounts.com] On Behalf Of Two Listeners Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 3:06 AM Subject: GC - September 12 - Money Values
God Calling
Money Values
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. - Matthew 6:33
If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. - Matthew 6:22
The eye of the soul is the will. If your one desire is My Kingdom, to find that Kingdom, to serve that Kingdom, then truly shall your whole body be full of light.
When you are told to seek first the Kingdom of God, the first step is to secure that your will is for that Kingdom. A single eye to God's glory. Desiring nothing less than that His Kingdom come. Seeking in all things the advance of His Kingdom.
Know no values but Spiritual values. No profit but that of Spiritual gain. Seek in all things His Kingdom first.
Only seek material gain when that gain will mean a gain for My Kingdom. Get away from money values altogether. Walk with Me. Learn of Me. Talk to Me. Here lies your true happiness.
But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Luke 12:31
Maybe nothing is more important than that we keep track, you and I, of these stories of who we are and where we have come from and the people we have met along the way because it is precisely through these stories in all their particularity, as I have long believed and often said, that God makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and personally. If this is true, it means that to lose track of our stories is to be profoundly impoverished not only humanly but also spiritually (p. 30).
Jean’s early life involved many sacrifices in and for Briercrest, while her later life led to unimagined opportunities. She had a career in higher education, followed by two special marriages, first to Tom Rohde, a Wall Street lawyer, and later to Bob Mahn, a faculty member at Ohio University. Keenly interested in matters of historical record, Jean was eager to meet with me. She remained connected with Briercrest throughout her life, as a supporter, an encourager, and sometimes challenger. During one life season, Jean and Bob lived in Moose Jaw and ate frequently at the former Pilgrim Restaurant.
Jean Mahn’s life is a story of reversed fortunes. As a girl in the 1930s involved in a fledgling college, she felt that she suffered and sacrificed many things by someone else’s choosing, yet these things were returned to her and multiplied later in life. She told me her father could have been a millionaire, but that he gave it all away to the school; later in life she would associate with millionaires, naming one as a best friend and, with her second husband, would give a $1 million gift to support Ohio University Libraries. Denied a bicycle in her teens, she flew on the Concorde jet in her seventies. She went from cleaning up Briercrest’s Yale Hotel in the 1930s and working into her 50s to support herself and supplement her parents’ pension, to marrying—for the first time at 53—a husband who, she said, “did not want me to work.” From giving up her bed for countless guests in her teens, to being “able to stay at [New York's] Waldorf Astoria any time, any weekend” because of her first husband’s job. Both husbands took care of her and helped to provide for her parents. Jean Mahn’s life is a great reversal: closed and “governed” at first, but ever expanding.
In spite of marrying so late in life, Jean’s husbands occupy a prominent place in her narrative. During her single years, Jean did some things she had always dreamed of, like learning to dance, but it was after she married that she really felt she began to have “an exciting life.” Near the end of her interview, Jean told me, “I have a lot to be thankful for, that I had such good friends and I don’t suppose anyone’s had the privileges that I’ve had in my later life.” Indeed, few people experience such dramatic shifts in a lifetime.
Jean met her first husband through a chance encounter, meeting Tom Rohde at Le Moal Restaurant in New York City through a stranger who very kindly invited her to share his taxi when she was stranded due to a snowstorm at La Guardia Airport.
She met her second husband through similar happenstance. Jean had always tried to follow her father’s advice: “Anytime you go to a strange city, be sure to take a bus trip if you can.” This is how she met her second husband, Bob Mahn, whom she married twenty years later. She was able to convalesce in her final home in Athens, Ohio thanks to Bob, who had arranged 24-hour live-in care for her after he died.
Jean basked in the companionship and privileges that came with both of her marriages, yet she remained quite independent. For example, refusing to cancel a lunch date when Bob Mahn came from the States to visit her in Moose Jaw, then putting off marriage to him until after a pre-planned trip on the Queen Mary to the British Isles.
Very interested in historical records, Jean referred often to her late husband Bob’s archival work at Ohio University. In fact, because of their separate academic careers they often consulted with each other in the 20 years between meeting and marrying. As you know, together they founded the Robert E. and Jean R. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections at the Ohio University Libraries. Jean used our visit very intentionally to provide me with as much material as possible to support my research: letters, newspaper clippings, other writings, and pictures.
I emerged from my research with a sense of wonder at being entrusted with precious memories, living connections to history that enrich the particular story of Briercrest and the wider stories of women in Saskatchewan and North America. Perhaps in Jean Rohde Mahn’s story someone will, as Frederich Buechner hopes, “recognize that in many ways it is also” theirs.Certainly, in Jean’s life we can see the active hand of God. To have known Jean, even for 24 hours, and to have been entrusted with her story has enriched my life.
W.O.A International – The Music Company releases compilation CD, brings together the best Independent artists from all over the world on one album promoting peace.
Goa, India –Aug 27, 2009 – W.O.A International proudly announces the launch of the first volume in the Independent No.1's CD collection. Comprising of 20 artists from the company's record label W.O.A Records, it's an eclectic double CD bringing together some of the very best artists in independent music today. Best of all, it's part of an extremely worthwhile cause at the same time.
"With this release, we're not only bringing original and exciting music to the public," says Wanda Alvares, Executive Vice President / Head of Marketing, "we're also giving back to a cause we believe passionately in. For every CD sold, we will give 10% of the sale to a charity that supports the fight against terrorism."
W.O.A International recognizes that this fight on terror is something that won't be changed overnight, but passionately believe that continued support in the fight against it will eventually win through.
The Independent no.1's Vol. 1 CD is the first release in a planned annual collection of the very best music W.O.A Records has on its roster. Bringing together the best that W.O.A International has to offer, it includes the likes of Danny Hooper, Osh10, Mark Hvilsted, Resin Dogs, Pedro Menendez from the W.O.A Records roster and other Independent Music stars all signed to W.O.A International – The Music Company.
Such has the pre-release interest been in the first volume after the preview on the weekly W.O.A Radio show that W.O.A International has decided to bring several of these artists to India on tour to promote the album and to be a part of the W.O.A Music Festival this year.
With the Independent No.1's Volume 1 compilation CD set to be a huge success for both artists and the chosen charity, and Vol.2 already in the planning stage, 2009 looks set to be a milestone year yet again for W.O.A International. Download the CD today or listen in to the weekly W.O.A Radio Show also available as a podcast on itunes and find out what all the noise is about.
I started speaking on Monday evening, August 17th. Tuesday through Friday I spoke 3 times a day: briefly in the morning at staff devotions, later in the morning I would tell a story from the book of Daniel, then in the evening we talked about God's work in our own lives. The kids were very responsive, and I had fun getting them involved through acting out the story or chanting or just asking review questions. They were amazingly attentive and some of the cabin groups went back and read more! One cabin leader said his boys had become "Bible addicts." Fun!
On Thursday I spoke from Ephesians 2:10 about being God's Masterpiece. It fit with the week's theme of being ALIVE in Christ and that we couldn't have done that for ourselves. It also fit with something we were learning from Daniel: that God is the one who gives wisdom and greatness, and if we think we're good and powerful and self-made, we might enjoy ourselves temporarily but we're in for a big surprise later!
To explain God's Masterpiece, I used a series of pictures of the pottery process from my brother Jeffrey's website. There is absolutely nothing that clay can do to help itself become something wonderful. And it takes time and a lot of pushing and pulling and spinning for the clay to be shaped into some thing beautiful and/or useful. After shaping it sits on a shelf and dries for several days (or weeks, as with teapots). Then it needs extreme heat... twice! Along the way there's decoration, that doesn't look like much, but the potter knows! Finally, after a long, intense process, you have beautiful plates and platters, big and small and medium bowls, mugs and goblets, cream and sugars, pitchers and teapots, vases and candle-holders, casseroles and cookie jars, and more!!! Jeffrey has even done sculptures and space ships with stained glass windows!
On Friday evening, I did a mini-concert and talked about how each of us has a story and God is writing it. One of the cabin leaders asked if he could sing Fingerprints of God by Steven Curtis Chapman. It fit perfectly, so at the end of the chapel service he sang and I joined with some harmony on the choruses. It was a perfect ending. For cabin devotions after chapel, I challenged the cabin leaders to go around their whole cabins and tell each child one thing they've noticed about God's fingerprints on that child. The next morning in staff meeting many cabin leaders shared how well that went over. In one cabin it became an encouragement fest, with all the guys sharing good things about each other. In another cabin, after the leader was done the girls wanted to tell the leader about God's fingerprints on her! Sometimes we can be faithful to our calling and not get to see the fruit of what we do, but that was such a treat to hear about all that sharing.
At Saturday morning's closing rally, I recapped the week for the parents, explaining the Daniel stories and the masterpiece and fingerprints of God. Just 5 minutes. Amazing how I had to pray harder about those 5 minutes than the longer ones! The less time you have, the more it counts. Hmmmm.
The most challenging part of the day was climbing the big hill 3 times a day to the dining hall. I think my favourite part of the day was worship. During staff meetings we all agreed that this was our favourite--the energetic and heartfelt worship of 9-11 year olds. I loved seeing this one little guy in the aisle with his hand raised up.
My friend Kathleen McMillan has been a speaker at Manitou twice before, so I asked her for some advice. Here's what she told me:
If I remember correctly lots of farm kids at that camp, first nations too? Tell stories. sing to them. be who you are. The best advice I can give is keep it simple and be there as much as you possibly can to talk to them, hang out, be a real person. It is not so much what you say but how much you care that will stick with them.
Build on each day using small bits and repeating them as the week progresses. I did one once using a skateboard to represent the steps to spiritual growth the board was salvation and the wheels each represented prayer, bible reading good friends attending church we put it together and used it to crash a counselor through a wall of garbage cans with a bucket of water on the top.
Have a contest. My first time speaking for camps I had 2 baby bunnies with me and I had a contest to name the bunnies. If a child came to me with a name I would give them a candy and put their name and their suggestion in the draw. At the end of the week we chose a name.
Once I had a "guess the Professor's name contest" another time I told them that if they came to me, introduced themselves, and told me a story about themselves or something interesting about their summer I would give them a candy. It was very interesting and they responded well to it. Almost every kid came to me at one point or an other. I had to encourage some of the shyer ones but it was worth it. Everyone wants to be listened to.
Love and small kindnesses is all we really have to offer. Sing "My Grandmother's House" at night before bed. Or "Prairie Soul." I think singing quiet meaningful songs to them when they are tired will be effective. Funny songs in the morning. Tell them your stories. Talk about what is important to you, what you are passionate about is your best message.
