Now over half  my lifetime ago, she came into my world. She just walked right in. She didn’t knock on the door. She didn’t ask for permission to enter. She didn’t disrupt. I’ve attempted to remember the first time we spoke or how we came to be so close – that moment still escapes me. Perhaps because it was so seamless and knowing life without her in it would be a completely different life all together.

We all have these pivotal points that define us – she brings me many. Often, I start off my days with a few short words that are calling for my attention by the sound of my phone beeping. Ah! The sound of kindness. Who would possibly think of me first thing in the morning? And why? But she does. I see her take on life with all that she has to give and she does it so fearlessly. I have so much to learn. I wonder how one person can be so openhearted even when others have done her wrong. I wonder how one person can be so hopeful when there are no “real” signs to where she’s going. I wonder how one person can be so giving when there’s sometimes nothing left to give. And when everything changes, she never does. So bold! So robust!

I stand in her presence and feel her laughter shake all that is still. She finds ways to move a person and what they might have thought was solid ground. Who knew that freedom could be so easy? Who knew that so many tears came with laughter? And so quickly? Who knew I had such a thirst for joy? She’s contagious and her free spirited ways are unforgettable. Truly unforgettable!

The days keep on coming and she keeps on moving in strides of  loving and living. I really do have so much to learn. It’s been said that God loves you just the way you are, just not enough to let you stay that way. She shows me just that. You mean the world to me Jess, you always have!

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia

Just as we use dog tags in the military, they used brass badges that were pinned to their chest. At the end of each day, they were accounted for and any brass badge missing was a man missing. And they would lose one man to the mines about once every three months.  Once a week, they’d haul into the wash house where they would clean up and retrieve their hanging clothes. It offered one room to clean up in, one row of shower heads, one sink and one furnace. The living quarters were probably no bigger than a 10×10 room but were probably more desirable than those who were still in tents.

Rumors of making up to $55/day attracted a flood of workers and immigrants. They paid the men 93 cents for every ton of coal and in 1945, the company had paid out over a half a million dollars in wages. Alberta continued to prosper in its coal mining industry until the Leduc Oil Strike in 1948.

As I walked through a display of our history, I found a humanity in it. A story (or many) of how we got here. Men who left their families to start up again with intentions  to provide their loved ones with something greater. Men who learned a new language to work in some of the most dangerous and unhealthy of conditions. Men who had partaken in one of the biggest labor strikes and fought for their own worth. Women who had later joined the miners as World War I began. Younger children who had been subjected to child labor due to their conveniently small sizes and ability to fit in 3-5 foot high spaces.

The small tour I took gave me back some roots. We race against traffic every morning trying to get to our PCs so we can crunch some numbers, make really great powerpoint presentations and constantly move forward. In the midst of our ever repeating days, I wanted to share my own thoughts – never forget where you came from. 

And I would like to introduce you to the two dogs in the ring. I heard someone say to me once “If you had a good dog and a bad dog in the ring, who would you put your money on?” I was surprised by the thought provoking answer “It depends on who you feed”. I remember how distinctively my outlook changed in less than 1/60 of a second. The only two words running through my mind were “So True”. Of course that was some time ago and much has happened since then but it still rings in my ears, especially lately. It’s those little voices that remind you of who you are or who you want to be – this is one of them for me.

Thanks to my lovely Andi, I’ve been re-introduced to a world of laughter and lightheartedness. At least once a day we find ourselves in a fit of giggles. We discover one thing to document in the little red book, something that’s worth revisiting. We could almost speak in code if we needed to but it’s been of no use yet. Instead,  I’ll keep that neat little trick in my back pocket.  Now I wake up with the opportunity to ask myself “What will today bring?” and often wish I had brought my camera so I could have made that one moment still – a keepsake if you will.

A dedication to Andi – a dear friend who has changed my everyday world for the better!