In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom , Nelson Mandela wrote, “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” Walking around Laurier’s campus as a full-blown adult was more than a little surreal. Finding a parking spot was certainly more challenging than when I attended in the mid-‘90s, but as soon as I entered the doors, it was like a younger version of myself was the one meandering the halls. Across the tiled floors, past the solarium, down the stairs and into the concourse. The Williams I would frequent was now a Starbucks, and there were laptops open on just about every table—non-existent in my university days—but the vibe was very much the same and I felt simultaneously at home and in another world. When I arrived at the student services office, I took a number and dropped myself into a chair to wait. My name was called and I stepped up to the desk where a young woman who couldn’t have been much more tha...
I have a recurring dream where I show up for a wedding, only to discover that I was supposed to be officiating the ceremony. The problem is, I haven’t prepared, not a word of it, and the rest of the dream is me scrambling unsuccessfully to scrape something together at the last minute… - - - - - One of the many things I’ve learned in my work with First Nations communities in western Canada is that even though the content of our personal development experience is the same every month, each new group of participants comes together to create a unique experience for everyone involved. Last week was no exception—especially Thursday night. 5:00pm Our afternoon session had just wrapped up when I overheard someone say that a couple of the participants wanted to get married. Well that’s a first. John and Alexia had been engaged for some time, and earlier in the day, Alexia mentioned to a friend that she wanted to have her wedding right there at Ness Lake. “But ...