Community Acts of Remembering and Resistance
I was honored to contribute this article to the Fall 2020 Issue of Geez Magazine. Read it online from Geez.
Earth altars
If you've ever made a sandcastle then you can appreciate ephemeral art -- something that is made for the moment with an appreciation that it will not last. These days the fragility of our natural world makes it even more precious. It's even more important to find ways...
My first teacher
One of the more recent teachers I have had related to death-care impressed me by always sharing a story of her teacher. I've heard her present a number of times and she always starts with the story of her first teacher. I have taken that practice to heart. I am...
The Valley of Remembrance
Dufferin Grove Park, Toronto We made it to the Valley of Remembrance at this year’s Night of Dread, hosted by the marvellous Clay and Paper Theatre at Dufferin Grove Park here in Toronto, in time to visit the shrines before the rain poured down. This year I chose to...
Crafting Memory – a mourner’s spiritual practice
Death is the end of many things, but it is not the end of love. Life-long grieving stakes a claim on lasting love–a “journey of the heart”. Instead of a discipline that is only about letting go, Crafting Memory is my spiritual practice of mourning built on the...
Honouring Names and Stories
Toronto Homeless Memorial, Holy Trinity I’m not always able to attend the mid-week Homeless Memorial on the steps of Holy Trinity to honour the memory of the people who die in the streets or as a result of being homeless, but I am always deeply grateful for the...
Remembering Names, Restoring Honour
I was very honoured to walk with the survivors at the “Lost but not Forgotten” Memorial at the Huronia Regional Centre cemetery in May this year. The story of the graveyard mirrors the story of abuse and exclusion that surrounds the institution. People disappeared,...
A place to remember is an act of resistance
Church Street, Toronto I regret only stopping by briefly to pay my respects at this memorial for the Orlando shooting that has been growing at the 519 Community Centre in the heart of Toronto’s lgbt village. I was on my way elsewhere with a group of people and when...
Remembering Builds the Movement
Toronto Tonight we gathered to remember and celebrate the life of Cathleen — a woman who dedicated her life to making the world a better place — in the women’s movement, in faith community, in the peace movement and most significantly in the movement for peoples to...
When Grief is Raw
Holy Trinity, Toronto Today I attended a ceremony for a young woman who died in a homeless shelter. Her name was Bev. Her life was hard and full of struggle. And there was a sweetness in her that was precious. Everyone who spoke about her today spoke of her...