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Deep Blonde Thoughts

~ Emitting thoughts, tongue-in-cheek observations on life and lifestyles

Deep Blonde Thoughts

Monthly Archives: October 2014

Candlelight vigil honours soldier gunned down

26 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by shewrite63 in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

The rain held off as the respectful crowd shared sorrow and support for the soldiers struck down on home soil, for their families and comrades.

It was moving to see members of the Canadian Association of Veterans in UN Peacekeeping (CAVUNP) who gathered to remember their recently fallen comrades.

We sang the national anthem. One can be patriotic in sharing the values of compassion and exercising an honourable military strength.

T

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Networking for Introverts

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by shewrite63 in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Funny and cute T shirt.

Been there, done that with the pre-event plan and smiling 😀
I still need to work on the small talk, tailoring it to the event and fellow participants.

Yes, it’s so nice to get back to a quiet space :o) or home in order to recharge.

Thanks,

T

Live to Write - Write to Live

rectangle_magnet Introvert merchandise at the link!

Last week I posted a T shirt on my Facebook page that said “Introverts Unite. We’re Here. We’re Uncomfortable. We Want to Go Home.” My message was “I need one of these.” I got dozens of “likes” and several comments, most of which were “me too!”.

Now, if you saw me in action, you wouldn’t think I was an introvert. I lead a extroverted life, teaching, running meetings, and being “on” at events. Last weekend I co-hosted a workshop called “Networking for Fun and Profit”, and it made me think a lot about skills introverts can develop to help them navigate the world of networking. Networking happens at conferences, at book readings, at workshops, at meetings. It can be informal (like at the post office, or after a service), or formal. It can be work related or completely social. It can be planned, or…

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Quel compromis!

19 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by shewrite63 in community, Mythology, photography, therapy, writing

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

belief systems, birth control, catholics, childhood memories, children, family, french canadians in anglo ontario, growing up catholic, lapsed catholic, prayer, recovering catholic, religion, roman catholic, rules

I should be thankful that my parents didn’t use birth control.

As the 11th surviving offspring of their traditional union I may not have made it here if they chose not to marry, or if they defied the rules of the Catholic Church and enjoyed intimacy without the worry of more mouths to feed.

I think they and the few lucky offspring would have been A LOT happier and less wanting.

Little Blonde Girl's First Communion

Little Blonde Girl’s First Communion 1970-ish. She did not look pleased…

Well, they made do and most of us turned out okay.  A French relative referred to our family as débrouillard. That term followed many of us through our adult lives as we coped with limited resources. 

During a research quest this summer, I harvested the following from older relatives on my parents’ encounter in Québec City, their subsequent letter-writing courtship and eventual marriage:

  • Mother did indeed want to get married and have children (probably not so many though);
  • Her younger sister witnessed how that handsome young English soldier was smitten by a pretty French girl;
  • While courting from afar, that young man wrote to her announcing his conversion to Catholicism so that she would accept his hand in marriage;
  • Their prenuptial agreement didn’t involve protecting one’s established wealth.  It was  more of an agreement that the children would be raised as Catholics in Ontario, and that English would be the only language spoken in the home.

Quel compromis!

  • Most of our names were derived from those of the Apostles, Saints or ancestors;
  • We were brought up effectively with good ole “burn in hell” fear, Catholic guilt, plus discipline by the hot welts of Mother’s lilac twig or Father’s belt;
  • Father was a humble carpenter.  Just had to throw that in there;
  • By the time they reached Kindergarten, my older siblings spoke English with a French accent;
  • By the time we reached high school, some of us struggled with French pronunciations, those ambiguous feminine, masculine nouns and the painful conjugation of verbs.

 

In comparison though, we all knew the Apostles’ Creed, Hail Mary and Our Father by memory. As one of the younger brood members, I was spared from Saturday evening Rosary sessions. By that time, I think our parents were preoccupied.

At least the younger brood didn’t have to learn the mass in Latin!

My brothers survived as altar boys with no visible scars or horror stories (at least that I know of).  Altar girls or “altar servers” were only allowed after 1983. A little too late for me.  

 

Those who could not grasp la langue had limited career opportunities if seeking jobs with the Federal Government or many private sector employers in the National Capital Region.

Four observations from a lapsed Catholic:

  1. Children learn to become good citizens by compassion and role models, not just through dogma and fear;
  2. Our world is over-populated (duh);
  3. Marriage should not be a life sentence;
  4. The Church has been presented with an opportunity to evolve along its difficult journey, with a more compassionate captain at the helm.

As I embrace my roots, explore the fractal branches of our family tree and honour my parents, I welcome the opportunity to parler la langue with colleagues and new friends.

Votre patience sera appréciée.

If you share similar childhood memories or scars, you will appreciate how Sera Fletcher rebelled at attending Sunday mass.  You may also appreciate her simplistic approach to belief systems and coping with loss in The Year of the Rabbit – A Novel About Fate, Family and Forgiveness.

Thanks for dropping by.

T

 

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