July 2002

So, I suppose I should write a little bit about my vacation in June. All I need to say is that if you plan hectic driving and then time of doing absolutely nothing, do it in that order. I did it in the other order and ended my vacation rather unrested, as it were. But I did accomplish one of the distinctly Canadian goals I had set out for myself when I moved out here. I ate at Molly's Reach. Nay, more than that, I ate breakfast at Molly's Reach.

What is Molly's Reach? If you are Canadian, no explanation is necessary. If you are not, one is possible, so no worries. Molly's Reach was one of the chief locations in a long-running Canadian television called "The Beachcombers". The series ran for 19 years on CBC before being cancelled, and occupied a time slot in many Canadian households, not because it was particularly good, but because there really wasn't that much on on Sunday evenings in the 7 pm or 7:30 pm timeslot. As a result, Nick Adonidas (Bruno Gerussi), Relic (Robert Clothier), and the rest of the folks in The Beachcombers became cultural icons of the West Coast, at very least to the Ontarian I am.

Anyway, to make a short story long, Molly's Reach was the little greasy spoon/diner above which Nick lived in this series, and as such, is indelibly etched in my head. It was surreal to be there and eating, really. Cool, but weird.

Another interesting thing to happen in the last month or so is that I had the privilege of conducting my first funeral and interment. I have been to several funerals for family and acquaintances, but none of that really prepared me for the experience of walking with a family into the first few stages of grief. Hard, but a beautiful task, too. I'm actually really thankful I had this chance.

And, perhaps most importantly, I met the first person I've ever known who is actually named Jean-François. If I need to explain that... well, then you don't know me very well. Suffice it to say that I was just totally overwhelmed with excitement following that.

Or not.

Whatever.

But on the whole, I'm just getting ready for my big 4000+ km drive to Ontario, to be with family and such for a bit before beginning seminary again in the fall. This course is over now, and a new one must begin. It's a little scary, a little exciting, but it's part of the flow of life.

And that flow will just keep flowing until next I share a little slice of my humidified world with you... so until then, keep your stick on the ice, your ice in the freezer, and your freezer in the kitchen. Unless you keep it in the basement. Or somewhere else. Whatever.