Angels In Tsawwassen

A LUNCH DATE recently with my niece brought me to Tsawwassen, a residential community that is sometimes overlooked as people from around the Lower Mainland drive through on their way to catching a BC Ferry. Surrounded by the Strait of Georgia to the west and Boundary Bay to the east, the area provides a busy ferry terminal for travelers to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Tsawwassen is also home to the Boundary Bay Cemetery where my niece and I went for a walk before lunch. We found interesting sights to explore there.

Mementos and bits of inspiration were placed by various markers. Although angel ornaments were an obvious favorite, I think the real angels are friends and relatives who visit year after year.

There was an angel carved on a coin and tucked into the wings of this statue.

I saw a stone angel kneeling in quiet prayer.

A dangling butterfly fluttered with the slightest breeze to remind us that someone precious named Lilly once lived in the community.

Among treasures and headstones we found a name inscribed that was familiar to my niece. Although I do not know if this person was related to the pioneering farming family, the Spetifore name is well known in Tsawwassen.

I since read that the family owned over 500 acres of land on Boundary Bay Road. The future of these Southlands has been in dispute for decades. The age-old struggles between housing needs and the need for agriculture and refuge for wildlife has long challenged people seeking balanced solutions.

Angels are people with a social conscious who put their pennies where it counts. I saw hints of that by the local mall where people threw coins in a pool of water to be scooped up later and donated to a worthy cause.

It was easy to see that a nautical theme anchors the coastal community that is part of the broader municipality of Delta in BC. Consequently ...

I was not surprised a starfish topped this Christmas tree made of twigs.

The word Tsawwassen means "facing the sea" and is most commonly pronounced with a silent "s". It can be a tongue twister to say today but not so for the Coast Salish people who likely lived in the area for thousands of years prior to modern day development.

Whether helping out in small ways or making a big donation splash, I saw angels everywhere in Tsawwassen the day I spent time with my niece.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms