Spring Percolates Under April Skies

I WAS FEELING FOOLISH on the first day of April when I bundled up in a warm coat and scarf. It had been a cold rainy week and this one day surprised me with its warmth and blue skies over Elgin Heritage Park.

Blue was reflected in the puddles as joggers ran past wearing light t-shirts.

Blue also ribboned the marshland where spring was percolating to a choir of what seemed to be hundreds of tiny Pacific tree frogs singing ribbit-ribbit from within the grasses.

Birds chirped louder, daffodils beamed brighter, the grass was greener and ...

the river was less muddy and gray.

The mirrored clouds rippled in the water like balls of cotton stretched out.

No one knows for sure how April Fool’s Day got started. It might have something to do with the Gregorian calendar moving the first day of the year from April 1 to January 1 in the 16th Century. But I think it could also have something to do with the pranks the changeable weather plays.

See more skies from around the globe at Skywatch.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Child Find: Haunted By The Lost

WHETHER IN APRIL SHOWERS or sunshine it is time for Child Find BC to raise awareness and funds through the annual Michael Dunahee Keep the Hope Alive Drive sparked by the Victoria Chapter on Vancouver Island. The 5K walk and run is on Sunday, April 8th.

I have written about Michael and this yearly event in the past. It was maddening to learn of the little boy's disappearance from a playground in Victoria, BC, in 1991. Disasters such as this alert parents to the unsettling fact that their own children could just as easily be snatched. A gaze averted for mere seconds can lead to a child vanishing seemingly into thin air.

LOST is the word that comes to mind when searching for a letter that starts with “L”. It is something no one wants to think about and I am sure many would be shocked as I was to read some 60,000 kids are reported missing each year in Canada. A vast number are runaways. Some are parental abductions. Although most return, some disappearances are never resolved and in rare cases children are found but have lost their lives.

Chances for positive outcomes increase and abductions decrease when people are actively involved in educating the public on prevention and safety techniques. Child Find works with community groups as well as local police to support families and help prevent future disasters.

Organizations such as Child Find never give up on the missing and offer families the compassion and resource information they need to deal with the trauma of not knowing what has happened to their loved ones.

We have all heard of extraordinary events when a lost child has been found alive as an adult and returned to their families. The passing years cannot wipe away the hope that a missing child will one day be found.

Anyone in the area wanting to participate in the nature walk or wanting to learn more about this non-profit service can start here.

The word lost showcases the letter "L" and is linked to ABC Wednesday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms