In my teenage years, I remember clearly going to a friend’s house and finding her Dad in his favorite chair, resting his eyes in front of the television. I remember thinking, why is he always napping whenever we’re over? Little did I know then that his napping wisdom was far superior to mine. 

Sure, when we’re tired, we might rest, but for many of us, that zeal to be productive usurps our consciousness and a voice of should screams, “there’s something else we should be doing,” so the rest often falls by the wayside. Bob was right. 

The plight of religious refugees is a pressing issue in today’s world. Refugees often face harrowing journeys and uncertain futures. Some flee to neighboring countries for hope of sanctuary, even if temporary. Some are forced to leave home but are forced to stay in their homeland, as they do not have the resources to leave. Some make it to Western countries and willingly face unfamiliar circumstances and cultures just to feel safe.

Aanii, My name is Kadence and I am from Ontario, Canada. I would like to share my experience with Indigenous land-based cultural healing camps and how life-changing it was for me. These cultural practices are especially needed in smaller remote communities; because they are so isolated from the rest of society, they lack the privilege of good education, social opportunities, and new experiences. This can have a negative effect on the mental and physical health of people who live in these communities. 

Are you thinking of visiting Canada? Wherever you travel, it’s important to learn about the country's history, cultures, and perspectives. Canada is home to many diverse races, who uniquely have these 3 things. However, to really know the roots of Canada, learning the perspective, culture, and history of the Canadian Indigenous can play a key role in understanding Canada.

Swimming in the water here at my home on Manido-Mnising (Manitoulin Island) on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada, is sacred to me.

Every year, there is only one priority in my life that comes above all else in Summer: Swimming the rivers and water surrounding the Island.

I grew up in water, on it, and around it. Most of my life has been spent seeking to learn how to swim in harmony and balance with nature. 

Music is one of the ways we tell each other stories. Through music, we can share ideas across time, make connections across geography, reach across languages, open doors to learning and teaching. A friendship can begin or increase through love of music. And how many times has a song or tune brought you back to a time or place or person you once knew?

Music, with or without words, is a powerful way to share stories.

From our very youngest age, books are windows to the world. Perhaps it started for us in a small room with a fireplace, staring out at the beautiful moon...or hopping fences to explore a garden (and enjoy a meal). Then came funky Suessian lands, perhaps a wardrobe, flying to a pirate-infested island, or leaving the coziest home ever to go on an adventure. In our family, the entire Odyssey was narrated to our daughter while swimming every day in our lake (started when she was 4, this lasted years, seemingly as long as his journey. But I digress). 

It’s September. While it may be the 9th month of the year, for many, this time of year holds significant meaning. In the northern hemisphere, it’s the closing weeks of summer and the month of the autumnal equinox, the last days of regular baseball season and the opening ones of American football games. It’s a time when pumpkin spice and apple picking show up on social media timelines, yet we hold fast our flip flop days, and we’re full steam ahead into school’s first term of a new year. 

All across the world, politics and social life continue to shift and to change.

At certain times and in certain places, those shifts and changes seem to lead toward peace, toward connection, toward progress. At other times and in other places, chaos and fear haunt present and future.

In the midst of these things, hope can be a constant. Hope offers the idea of connection and the possibility of brighter future.