Sourcing a Good Read

One of my friends, who jokingly has labelled me a reading addict, passed me a link to join the U of T Alumni Virtual Book Club. Knowing her advice to be sound, I clicked on the link she provided to check it out.

I learned how it works on the website. It is a private forum powered by PBC Guru where registered participants vote on which of two recommended books the group will read and discuss over the upcoming several months.

To get started you sign up by creating an account by filling in a few fields such as name, email, a password, and graduation year/ affiliation. When I saw graduation year, I thought I had hit a snag, but fortunately the choice of affiliation was the loophole I needed to find. I was given several options such as faculty, staff, current student, or friend of the university. I didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t be a friend of the university!  I clicked the box beside the line, friend of the university, to complete my sign up. Almost immediately I received an email in response. I now was a member of the virtual Book Club!

Though I must admit I haven’t taken part in the online virtual chat feature yet, I have read three very good books. I also have had the opportunity to better understand the personal backdrop for the Violin Conspiracy, by listening to a talk by its author, Brendan Solcumb. Author talks are regularly offered to registered members with the option to join live or to access the link for the recording of it at your leisure.

You might want to pursue U of T virtual Book Club yourself. Don’t let summer days pass by without enjoying a few good summer reads.

https://alumni.utoronto.ca/events-and-programs/upcoming-events)

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

Header Image: Unsplash/Tom Hermans

Sustainable Development Goals

In July this summer the United Nations held what they call their High-Level Political Forum in which governments report on their efforts to implement within their countries what they are doing to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).  There are 17 different goals and those countries whose turn it is to report, reports on a few that the UN has chosen for this Forum.  It was Canada’s turn to report on certain goals.

Sisters Sue Wilson and Joan Atkinson at the UN in New York, as part of a delegation from Canada representing NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) from Religious Communities. Pictured left to right: Brentella Williams, Sarah Rudolph' IBVM, Sue Wilson, Joan Atkinson, Varka Kalydzhieva.   

A small delegation representing some Canadian Religious Congregations attended. 

In preparation for this meeting, some of the religious Congregations that have NGO offices at the UN agreed to submit a report alongside the official Canadian Governments report.  The bottom-line conclusion of all the countries that reported was that none of us are doing as well as we had hoped.  Part of this slow progress was due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, and the world economy to recover.  However, what is uplifting about the sessions we attended was the very positive aspiration of countries to do better.  I always come away from the meetings at the UN feeling we remain very hopeful with a commitment to keep trying to do better.

The below video link from the UN website is worth the time to watch and despite all the problems we see and hear about around the globe there is also a very dedicated group of people who are committed to keep working to improve our world.  

-Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ  

I Have a Dream

“So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” - MLK

Today, August 28th, we join our neighbours to the south in celebrating the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s celebrated speech, "I Have a Dream”. This speech was delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

Watching the nightly news, 60 years after delivery of this inspiring speech are we not puzzled by the diverse dreams Americans envision for their country?

Do we experience that the local, global, and personal realities we ourselves face in the present and perceived future challenge us? Must we avoid what is happening around us and within us to dampen our spirits. Must we band together to bolster our own ability to utter with confidence a positive dream of better times to come. Must we not follow our common dreams  and allow them to urge us to work interdependently to take steps to turning once only dreams into concrete realities which better the common good?

How might we finish the phrase, “I have a dream”… for ourselves, our locale, the world?

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ


Header Image, Unsplash: Stephen Walker

London’s Parks, Trails, and Streets: Gratitude and Dismay 

LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA

London, Ontario has more than 500 parks, 7 million trees, and in excess of 330 km of walking and biking trails, all maintained in excellent condition by our city staff.   This year, the abundance of rain has caused our trees, bushes, and grasses to bloom like a tropical rainforest.  London’s website provides abundant information to entice exploration of this richness. It is a great pleasure to explore our well-kept streets, parks, and trails. Yet, there is a blight that mars our city. The roads and pathways are infested with empty bottles, beer cans, plastic containers, coffee cups, tissues, candy wrappers, plastic bags, and other debris.  Although some Londoners don disposable gloves, pick up “junk”, and dispose of it in designated receptacles, the plague persists and seems to overpower benevolent efforts to eradicate it. 

Litter impacts our waterways

I wonder what transpires in the minds of those who treat public spaces as garbage cans.  Perhaps they were not properly educated about environmental responsibilities? Do offenders expect others to clean up after them?  Do they consider the effects of their actions on the beauty of our city or the pleasure of others?  

Nature & Litter - an unsightly mix

I know this is not unique to London and I wonder what could be done to develop a culture in which each of us feels responsible for creating and maintaining the natural attractions of one’s city. 

In a less than benevolent mood, I mused about imposing fines on offenders, assigning them to pick up debris, or scrub the graffiti from park benches, bridge support structures, and railings.  Sadly, I suspect that such measures would feed anger and instigate strident claims about “rights and freedoms”.  It is the selfless and caring actions of others, not criticism, that inspire me to be more generous and desirous of building community. So, some alternate suggestions come to mind: 

  • Would our City Council and community businesses consider creating an honorary white knight position with the “knight” being appointed by Mayor Josh Morgan? The knight’s responsibility would be to distribute certificates and vouchers randomly to persons of any age whom he or she sees picking up garbage or cleaning graffiti.  

  • Arrange for more garbage containers at convenient locations.  

  • Order garbage bags and protective gloves to be supplied to volunteer environment protectors and enhancers. 

  • Lead by word and example in properly disposing of the garbage we generate as we drive, bicycle, or walk on our streets, parks, and trails. 

  • Donate vouchers to be awarded by the honorary white knight, e.g., a gift certificate for a coffee shop, grocery store, theatre production, hockey game, hydro bill payment, Blue Jays' game, Stratford play, iPad or phone.  

  • Volunteer to remove graffiti from public places. 

  • Select artists and aspiring artists to paint murals in appropriate locations.  

  •  Publicize examples of how our combined efforts contribute to the splendor and enjoyment of our city.  

We can't solve the garbage problem alone, but together we can contribute our ideas, time, and talents to support and create a beautiful environment in London, Ontario, and in all of our cities.

-Sister Patricia McKeon, CSJ