The Way We Were

MY HUSBAND and I stood on the church steps some thirty-five years ago not thinking that the lovely historic First United Church in White Rock with its big steeple would one day be demolished. The building has more wrinkles and cracks nowadays ... my husband and I do too.

Unlike in Europe where buildings exist for hundreds of years our relatively young country of Canada has a habit of ripping up "the old" for something new, especially in BC where buildings are mostly constructed of wood.

Although not a regular church goer, I nonetheless felt sentimental about its demise slated for next year. I took pictures of it over Christmas to preserve its memory and to show how impressive it still looks now. The evolution of the church began in 1910 and is documented HERE. The property is worth millions today and I believe, at this writing, the plan is to construct a smaller church and provide senior housing on the remaining portion of the land.

Over the years, ministers and dedicated volunteers within the church walls inspired folks in need and strove to make the community better. Christmas day dinners were served in the church basement for some thirty-five years.

This year would be the last and it was high time I helped set up the tables as well as enjoy a meal there. There were buckets of vegetables being peeled in one corner of the room and cooks expecting 250 guests bustled behind the scenes in the back kitchen on Christmas eve. Once all the volunteers arrived and we got past the initial confusion of where to begin everything fell into place beautifully. Wherever something needed attention someone got to it. Amazingly, the entire large room was decorated and the tables put up and set in little over an hour.

I don't think there would be a single starving person on the planet if people pulled together the way these volunteers did. Many who came to help were strangers to one another.

They say competition and/or religion make you strong and good but I think it's basic human kindness and pure cooperation that builds a better world.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Wings & Other Magical Things

YOUNG AND OLD alike were giddy with delight at the sight of a human fairy that miraculously appeared during a recent holiday event called Enchanted Nights at Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver.

I joined my niece there just as the late afternoon sky dimmed and a luminous haze settled in. This whimsical start to the New Year was her nice idea.

The long line to get indoors moved slowly giving us time to view the beauty of bare branches draped over the changing pastel pink and blue horizon.

A mood of anticipation hung in the air as we hovered over the edge of the hill and looked down from what is said to be the highest point of the city.

Despite the wintry chill, someone wrote a warm "hello" in a dusting of snow.

As dark seeped more deeply into the evening commonplace ponies transformed into unicorns offering adventurous children magical rides.

Steaming hot chocolate was available to take a bite off the cold.

The large dome looked golden from the outside but when we went in ...

the ceiling was infused with purple and multicolored lights. Moon glow and starlight shimmered in the leafy nooks below.

Birds seemed resigned to hundreds of people pointing and chattering excitedly along designated pathways.

A stream of visitors through their cozy Conservatory home was a common occurrence for these exotic creatures that grew into their wings naturally.

Never too old to pretend, we looked in awe for the crafted miniature things that were cozily snuggled into the branches and foliage.

Creations of wood, ceramics, metal and glass were scattered throughout. Melissa Hume, Benjamin Kikkert and Corey Cote were part of a team of artists and helpers who worked hard to make the enchantment feel real.

Fairy dresses hung prettily on clotheslines.

Balloon rides were available for those small enough to fit in the baskets.

Sometimes art mimicked reality ... and sometimes reality mimicked art.

Glass creations looked like frosty icicles.

Flouncy leaves took on the appearance of wings.

The show delivered on its promised wonder-filled experience.

Our voyage was one of the imagination where ...

fairies ruled the land, played on swings and became artists.

My niece was reminded of the Friendly Giant, a Canadian television show from several years ago, and I can see why. Although we giants were far too big to join the fairies for a cup of tea, a spell was cast and we were refreshed.

Our journey through childhood seemed to suggest: There's no need to wait for wishes to come true to find that spark of magic all around and inside of you.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Time In A Tea Cup

TIME STANDS STILL and tea tastes sweeter when sipping from a ceramic cup (handmade by an unknown artist) that was a Christmas gift from my daughter.

The clock still ticks, however, and the journey continues into 2015 with my shiny mug and clean calendar not yet scribbled with new or unfinished business from 2014. The calendar is also a day planner that reiterates the well-worn phrase, "Life is a journey, not a destination." With that in mind, I plan to grab life by the handle, although what life will actually hand me is a mystery.

I am gladly turning the page on the previous year. The good things, always quietly there despite the challenges, were overshadowed by several tragic newsworthy events on a global scale. It is impossible not to anticipate a brighter year and hope that we are transitioning into a kinder, safer world.

Life can seem less fragmented when relaxing with a steaming hot drink. Conflict fills with calm and sometimes we experience the "oceanic existence" Deepak Chopra spoke about in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind when he said, “Reality is an ocean but we take it away in teacups.”

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

The Song In My HeART

WHO COULD IT BE at this hour, we wondered, as the doorbell frantically rang through the house? Tucked in for the evening, my husband and I cautiously peered out the window to see some ten children of varying ages gathered on our doorstep. When we opened the door, they shyly giggled and asked if we would like to hear a Christmas carol. When we told them we most certainly would, they burst out singing Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas in Spanish) TWICE to our delight.

I cannot recall carolers coming to our door before. It was a sweet and memorable moment that put a song in our hearts. Since I have no picture of the event, I am posting a saved Christmas card of carolers (above) that a family member hand-painted and sent to us decades ago.

Whether through voice or other artistic expression, gifts of time and talent are often the most touching and perhaps why "art" is part of the word "heart".

It took a little courage for the children to visit with a musical calling card when they saw our lights on. If I were not in my housecoat and pajamas, I would love to have joined the brave choir as they faded into the night.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Glimmers Of Kindness Along The Way

A ONE DAY snowfall last week melted slowly thanks to the chilly weather and lack of rain.

The slush we normally get in southwest BC after flakes fall did not appear, giving nature a chance to form glittery gems with its icy palette.

When the sun peeked through the clouds, pinpoints of light sparkled everywhere.

Sadly, I did not capture the effervescent qualities with my camera ... but I think we are all familiar with that special glow.

"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own," said Charles Dickens who perhaps found crystallized snow as fascinating as the vibrant petals of summer.

When days get bleak and there is no sparkle, we cheer up the environment by bringing traditionally indoor decorations into the outdoors. Pretty baubles give passersby a lift on gray winter days, even though they are hollow.

There is a dim side to the approaching festive season that highlights materialism and focuses on unrealistically perfect conditions. The world can look contrastingly grim to the depressed or lonely who might have a hard time reaching out and could do with some kindness. The Dalai Lama said, “There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

Kind volunteers from the Hospice Society set up a booth at the local mall. I made a small donation and was given a bird with lovely peacockish patterns. Although it does not glitter, this handpainted gift brought out the sparkle in me.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Scrapbook Of Imperfect Leaves

SOGGY SPINES and skeletal leaves are everywhere in my world. The rainfall and time are slowly shredding the sopping wet autumn foliage above and beneath my feet.

When I was a child, I put the biggest and brightest leaves I could find in a scapebook ... usually for a school project.

Nowadays, my idea of beauty has broadened and I discover wondrous things in the tattered, torn and crumpled.

We are all changing like the leaves. This was me once (center, middle row with the sweater) in a classroom photo.

Confucius said, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

Subtle patterns and textures eluded me in my youth when I prized perfect leaves and put them, like pinned butterflies, between pages of books.

On Saturday, the autumn phase was replaced by a light fall of wintry flakes.

In the front yard, snow snuggled into the holly tree that is leafy year-round.

Although some varieties of the leaf are prickly, they are also incredibly festive, long-lasting, glossy and green with clusters of bright red berries. If I were a leaf perhaps that is the one I should be.

Too hardy and needle-sharp to be trapped in a scrapbook, the holly leaf with its cluster of berries inspired decor at the mall for the holiday season.

An authentic looking Santa was at the mall. He gave me a wry smile as he kindly dealt with the children. Some were scared and a bit young to appreciate the bearded man who symbolizes a myth with a meaning that never grows old.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms