I once spent a spent a month in a monastery. Yes, there were monks, Gregorian chants, spartan dining, vigil prayers, deep quiet and more manual labour than I'm used to. The month held a host of new experiences. I corked wine bottles, wrestled with ancient granite stone, doubled my Latin vocabulary and enjoyed a nightly sprinkle of holy water from the Abbot.

This past week we experienced the summer solstice. For the northern hemisphere, it was the longest day of the year. The sun reached its apex last Sunday and now begins a slow descent until the next solstice - the long shadows of an abbreviated winter’s day. So just as the summer begins, the days are now getting shorter! 

I went through a breakup last week, one I didn’t see coming. My cell phone provider called and said, “We need to talk.” I thought our relationship was fine, so I called back with a twinge of confusion. A prolonged and convoluted conversation revealed that my cell phone use was falling outside of the company’s parameters. 

I am Canadian and carry a patriotism which is strong but subtle. That’s the Canadian way. We are known for an understated manner, our politeness, appreciation for diversity and being different from our southern neighbours. 

I don’t want to write this. I don’t know how to write this. But, I must try. The remains of 215 children have been discovered at the Kamloops Residential School upon the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Territory.

I was looking for a hobby. I needed something to quench the gaps of head and heart that family and work leave vacant. I didn’t want to lick stamps nor stare at birds with my binoculars. Then it struck me. I live in a global corner that is prized for its natural beauty. Why not explore the forest, mountains and ocean shores by foot? I decided to become a hiker.

If I volunteer at the local Food Bank, I give of my time and energy. If I make a donation to the Cancer Society, I offer a portion of my wealth. When I babysit my grandkids, I present my heart. Over and over again, we extend aspects of our lives to the urgencies around us. We are accustomed to doling out fragments of our lives. We give what we can, but usually hold something in reserve.

More Canadians are becoming seniors. In a few fleeting years 25% of our population will be over 65. And they will live longer than seniors lived before them. Many dread it. Society has us convinced that getting older is a curse. So, we try to cream away our wrinkles, comb over our bald spots and worry whether our health and money will last as long as we do. Is this how we want to walk into our senior years: laden with fears and clinging to yesterday? 

I was having a dark day. The reasons for it were varied; but they joined hands to encircle me with gloom. Hope was a wish – a feeble wish propped up by a dry theology. Like other times throughout the years, I tried to find relief from my heaviness through the Psalms. I grasped at them, hungry for something – anything to feed my soul.

There are various ways to get to Richmond BC. You could fly to Vancouver YVR or navigate the least congested highway, or even better, take the commuter train. But, the surest route is also the oldest.  If you float down the Fraser River, you will be deposited at Richmond.