Friendship

Time has a remarkable way of illuminating the nature of friendship.  Here are some stories about this concept.

Beautiful Things

by Amalia

Over the years I have learned that friendship is one of the most beautiful things in life, without friends life would be dull and sad.  

When you have happy moments in your life you want to live them with my friends. 

When you are unhappy, just to be able to have someone to listen, who helps you sort it out - what can be better than that? 

Being a friend for someone who is having a difficult time, to lend them courage, is a great blessing.   That courage is repaid many times over.

Life wouldn’t have the same meaning without friends.

Trying to understand each other is very important in friendships.  The gift of learning from each other is the best gift life can give us.  

Of course, it is very fortunate if you have friends that have the same ideals, but even if you find people who think differently from you, you will learn from them too. 

This requires not being hasty to jump to judgement.  Take your time and learn what it is and how it is people think.   Why does this matter to them?  Should it matter to me?  These are questions I ask myself and then try to answer.

If you are young you can learn from older people, if you are old you can learn from younger people.

Friends should be a stew for learning, different ingredients and different tastes but all together a rich experience. 

Unikely Friendships

by Margot

“Stranger than fiction” comes to mind when I think of my dear friend Merryl.  About 51 years ago my family (husband and 2 daughters) moved into a small apartment in Johannesburg.  It was very comfortable and had an imitation fireplace with built in cupboards on either side.  On opening one of the cupboards I found a Scrabble game in excellent condition.   This game remained with me through all our moves and finally came with us to Canada, 21 years after being found.

After we were in Calgary for about a year, wee were invited for Sunday tea by a friend and there met Merryl and her family who had newly arrived from Johannesburg.  Of course the conversation immediately was “Where did you life in Joburg?”   “Did you know so and so?”

It turned out that my husband and I had rented the apartment when Merryl had vacated it and accidentally forgot her scrabble game which I, of course, with much laughter, refused to return to her.  We have since enjoyed a wonderful friendship and are convinced of the magical properties of our scrabble board, a game we play often.

Friendship

By Bob

As I look back at my youth, it is easy to see the times when I established a mutual relationship that seemed to last forever:  Kids living in the neighbourhood that I’d play with on a regular basis, Class mates and buddies playing the same sports. There was always a sense of the other person being there for you at your time of need. They were happy times.

I feel privileged to have been able to find a friend everywhere I went.  The true friends reached out to stay in contact, and brought a sense of peace and joy to my heart when we shared our experiences.

Life seemed so simple years ago. I think there was more common sense at that time.  There was an innocence and trust in everyone, and I felt safe and secure with my family.  I experienced familial love about age 15 when I left home for the first time to work on the SS Kingston, a lake Ontario cruise ship during my July/August school holiday.  I knew my Mom would be on the dock waving hello when the ship came to port, & again at the end of August when I had to go back to school.

When I joined the Air Force and went to boot camp I felt like a fish out of water. I was only 17 and life was fast paced, & I matured very quickly. After I graduated as an Air Gunner I was transferred overseas, and after operational training I became part of a 7 man Bomber Crew.  During most of the following year our crew lived, worked, and socialized together, & this created a strong bond of family.  We became like brothers and this closeness continued for many years after the war. We attended family crew reunions, got together for holidays & family celebrations, & shared our stories, reminiscing about our many blessings received from the Lord.

Good friendships are treasures that soothe the soul.




My Friend

By Bruce Eekma

Over the years I had many friends, mostly human, and some have since past away. Even my wife was a very good friend when we first met, however after fifty years of marriage, it has worn a little thin. I believe that after all those years (50+) she became accustom to my face.

No my best friend was our Tia a Chow-Chow, black with a purple tong, her full name was Tia-Maria, but every time we called her this she would give us a confused look as to say are there two of me. She was actually my wife’s dog, who was told by a pet store employee, that Chow-Chows could be very aggressive and the best way to pacify this breed was to go and sit on them. Well that was a show all on its own because every time my wife would try to sit on Tia, who would quickly move out of the way, resulting in my wife falling on the floor.

Now our Chow-Chow was the friendliest dog our family ever owned and I believe if a thief came to our house, to steal something, Tia would help them. Tia was in love with the whole family, but I was her favorite, mainly because being a marathon runner I would take her on my daily ten kilometer run. All I had to do was grab her lease and then it was chaos for she would jump up and down and circle my legs and we would get all tied up. Then when I got everything untangled and my running shoes on she would sprint through the front entrance and drag me for five kilometers, after which we would turn around, then I would have to drag her back to the house again. When we arrived back home my wife would look at Tia, who was laying on the floor pretending to be totally exhausted, then would yell at me that I was destroying her dog. The more she yelled at me the more Tia would pant and I believe she enjoyed getting me in trouble.

Also every time I was on the phone talking to my friends, Tia thought that I was talking to her, and the more I talked the more she would bark and howl so I could not hear a thing anyone was saying. Finally I would have enough of this and would throw a treat on the patio, Tia would run outside, and then I quickly closed the door behind her so I could finish my conversation in peace.

Every day when I came home from work, it was always Tia, who would greet me at the door. She would gently take me by the hand or shirt, with her teeth, and take me to the kitchen. Of course that is where the leash was hanging and she was ready to go for a run. Sometimes a friend or other family member would come to our house and she would give them the same treatment I got, however they didn’t like it very much because they thought Tia was biting them.

I remember one day watching TV on the couch, with Gypsy a small white poodle we owned on my lap, and Tia laying on the floor beside me. My wife called for both our dogs to go to the bathroom, which they did, then after a few minutes they returned with both of them running towards me. The small poodle was the first one on my lap, with Tia right behind her, who would take a giant leap and totally missed my lap so came crashing to the floor. The whole family heard the crash and they all came running to see what I had done. Well you know it took me the whole weekend to explain to them that it was not me who tried to hurt her, no it was that Tia was way too big to be a lap dog.

Then Declan our great-grandson came into our lives, who when small, could do almost anything he wanted with Tia, he used her as a pillow or mattress he even put her in a box, you name it he did it. When Declan got a little older he would, sorry I have no pictures so you will have to use your imagination, stand behind Tia and he was just tall enough to look right at her rear-end, with her tail curled up, exposing her privates. All Declan could see was a black whole and he could not help it but stick his finger in it, after which Tia would take a giant leap and disappear under the coffee table. Of course she was too big to be under there, so would move the whole lot, with all of us attempting to stop her before the whole kit and caboodle was broken on the floor. Sometimes it would take us a half hour before we had Tia quiet down while making sure Declan was not behind her. However after a few days everything would have been forgotten and the little stinker would do it again. After a while Tia would learn to lie flat on the floor with her legs spread sideways, so Declan couldn’t reach anything, when he was in the room and after that day we could only take pictures of Tia lying flat on the floor.

When Tia got older, we had her for fourteen years, the first thing that went was her eyes resulting in her walked into furniture or walls. Next she lost her hearing which was a bigger problem because if she got out the backyard, she could walk into traffic, we could scream at her but she would just keep on going. At the end she was diagnosed being diabetic which would require us to inject her with insulin every day, something I didn’t look forward to plus all the other problems, after which we decided to put her down and that was the most rotten thing we ever had to do in our life.

So my friend good bye we enjoyed having you for all these years and when we meet again in the hereafter we will go for a run.

Love you Tia.     

War. My life during the war.

by SM Baranova

War. 

Unfortunately, the world will never stop the war. 

War - an armed struggle between nations or peoples, and between classes within countries.  

Generally, in any war, there is a battle with all its burdens and consequences in difficult conditions and circumstances, which one must be able to adapt to.   

I was born in Belarus.  I was born before the start of WWII, just one month, in May 1941.  (In the Soviet Union began in June).  My father worked on the construction of roads.  Of course, I do not remember anything about the first and subsequent days.  I know the stories of parents, brother (he was 7 years old) and my father's sister.   

 

In the early days of the war, when the bombing started, people went to the East: on horses, in cars, trains, but, basically, it was organized evacuation whole labor collectives with their families.   Of course, taking all their worldly possessions from their house or apartment.   

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Our family along with many more families moved away. We left in a low-powered lorry.    People sitting in the bed of the truck and when approaching enemy aircraft all jumped down to the ground and lay down, covering the children. 

Planes flew low and the enemy saw all columns of cars and therefore did not move on the main roads, and through the back of forests. My brother told me that he was afraid that the enemy would hear a small child crying and tried to create the best conditions for his little sister not to be scared and cry.  I remember and I thank him for that.   Despite the difficulties, our caravan was able to move into the country while enemy aircraft "flew like fugitives",  rushing to bomb big important cities.

On the way to settlements locals always helped us. We drove through Smolensk, Tver and end point was the city of Cheboksary (Chuvashia).  It was already autumn 1941.  In the small village of Chuvash we took the apartment.  Shortly before that, my father and all the men went into the army, so in the village there were only women and children.   

We lived here until 1943, when it was became clear that the enemy was retreating.  During the evacuation, people helped the front, as much as they could by working in hospitals, factories, mainly - they were old men, women and children.   We lived hungry, cold, without basic amenities.  Many people died.   

Mother and sister traveled often father recalled (even after many years) as there were in the next village to change what some belongings for food.   Especially in the winter when it's cold, and it is necessary to walk several kilometers.

War - is scary.  

In the former USSR has no family does not have a story of someone who has died,  or missing, died of hunger and disease on the labor front, at least one person. My mother's brother was killed in a partisan in Belorussia, my father's brother was killed in battle near Leningrad.  

Courtesy of Wikipedia

War scattered native people, with broken lives. For example, my father's sister, our aunt Maroussia, 19 years old.  She came from the Ukraine at the beginning of May 1941 to stay with his brother.  During the war her fiance Fyodor.   Many of her friends were sent as Ukrainian Germans in Europe as a cheap labor force, they all died in the concentration camps. 

And Russia is still portrayed in words: "Everything will be fine, if only there was no war."  But people still kill each other and for what?  For the sake of money, power, envy.  Russian Television has a series of programs entitled "To be remembered ." The goal of this program is to create a database of people who died during World War II . To collect the most comprehensive information about combat and non-combat losses , remember names and faces , and pass this memory descendants. People write there, although it took about 70 years after the war. 

I am deeply convinced that a sharp reminder of how to appreciate the world and all it's people, and of each individual, is necessary to future generations so that we may have a whole, peaceful earth.

Война. Моя жизнь во время войны.

H.W.rus.  

С.М. Баранова.

Война.   Моя жизнь во время войны.

К сожалению, на Земле никогда не прекращаются войны.

Война – это вооруженная борьба между государствами или народами, между классами внутри государств. Вообще, любая война, есть борьба со всеми ее тяготами и последствиями в трудных условиях и обстоятельствах, к которым надо уметь приспосабливаться. Так написано в толковом словаре Русского языка

Я родилась до войны, всего за один месяц до ее начала, в мае месяце 1941 года, а Вторая Мировая Война на территории СССР началась в июне. Место моего рождения Белоруссия, там где иначалась эта самая война. Мой отец работал на строительстве шоссейных дорог, возможно это было связано сподготовкой к будущим событиям, ведь в Европе война уже бушевала (1939).

Я, конечно, не помню ничего и о первых и последующих днях знаю по рассказам родителей, брата (ему было 7 лет) и сестры моего отца.

В первые дни войны, когда начались бомбежки, люди уходили на Восток: кто самостоятельно на лошадях, машинах, поездах, но, в основном, это была организованная эвакуация целыми трудовыми коллективами с семьями. Конечно, бросали все - дома квартиры, а брали совсем мало и самое необходимое.

Наша семья в числе еще многих семей продвигалась на машине. Это была маломощная полуторка. Люди сидели в кузове и при приближении фашистских самолетов все спрыгивали на землю и ложились, закрывая собой детей. Самолеты летели низко и враг видел все и поэтому колонны машин двигались не по основным дорогам, а по проселочным среди лесов. Мой брат рассказывал, что он боялся, что враг услышит плач маленького ребенка и старался создать лучшие условия для своей маленькой сестренки, т. Е. для меня спасибо ему за это.

Не смотря на трудности, нашему каравану удалось продвинуться вглубь страны, да и вражеская авиация “как бы перелетала беглецов”, устремляясь бомбить большие значительные города.

По дороге в населенных пунктах местные жители помогали продуктами, какими то вещами, многие присоединялись к нам. Мы проехали Смоленск, Тверь и конечным пунктом был город Чебоксары (Чувашия). Это уже была осень 1941 года. В маленькой чувашской деревушке нас взяли на квартиру. Незадолго до этого, мой отец и все мужчины ушли в армию, остались женщины с детьми.

Здесь мы жили до 1943 года, когда было уже ясно, что враг отступает.

Во время эвакуации люди помогали фронту, как могли, работали в госпиталях, на заводах, в основном - это были старики, женщины и дети. Жили голодно, холодно без элементарных удобств. Многие умерли.

Мама и сестра моeго отца вспоминали часто (даже через много лет), как ходили в ближайшие деревни менять какие нибуд вещи на продукты. Особенно зимой, когда холодно, а надо пройти несколько километров.

Война – это страшно. В бывшем СССР нет семьи в, которой бы не погиб, не пропал без вести, не умер от голода и болезни на трудовом фронте, хоть один человек. Брат моей мамы погиб в партизанах в Белоруссии, брат моего отца погиб в бою под Ленинградом. Война разбросала родных людей, поломала судьбы. Например, сестра моего отца, наша тетя Маруся, молодой девушкой 19 лет совсем случайно оказалась с нами. Она приехала с Украины в начале мая 1941 года погостить к брату, да так иосталась на всю жизнь с нами, а ее жених Федя погиб на войне. Многие ее украинские подруги были отправлены немцами в Европу, как дешевая рабочая сила, все они погибли в концентрацитонных лагерях.

И в России до сих пор бытуют слова – “Все будет хорошо, только бы войны не было”.

Но люди все равно уничтожают друг друга и ради чего, ради денег, власти, зависти.

На Российском телевидении есть цикл передач под названием “Чтобы помнили”. Это -  создание базы данных людей, погибших во время Отечественной Войны. Чтобы собрать максимально полные сведения о боевых и не боевых потерях, запомнить имена и лица, и передать эту память потомкам. Люди пишут туда, рассказывают, хотя прошло около 70 лет после окончания войны.

Я глубоко уверена, что острое напоминание о том, как следует ценить мир и людей и каждого человека в отдельности,  необходимо грядущим поколениям всей Земли.  

Gratitude: How to Recieve.

By Bob Peterson

Amalia's lovely story of Westjet kindness reminded me of blessings I received a few weeks ago.  Friends from Vancouver Island had visited me over the holiday and their daughter, Teresa, at some point in our conversation had heard me tell my friends about difficulties I have with my computer and a recently purchased Ipad. I can now remember Theresa saying "my husband Tom can help you and I'll have him contact you".

Friday Jan 3, 2014 was a cold day, and I knew that I would have to brush the snow off my car so I could drive to my 9:45 ultra sound appointment. At breakfast my table mate Phil said he would brush the snow off the car for me. I knew that would be a real plus for me. Then when I returned to my room, a call came in from Theresa asking what I was doing that day, and when I told her, she said "Tom & I will drive you to your appointment, & we’ll wait for you and bring you back to your seniors residence, and then Tom will help you with your computer while I go and pick up food for lunch.  I was delighted, and things went as planned. 

Tom & Theresa were both a great help to me. Before leaving, Theresa said "We’ll also shovel the snow from both sides of your car so you'll be able to drive out of the parking lot easier".   They were cheerful, encouraging and just bubbling with kindness.  

As we age, our pace slows down and we require more time to complete our tasks.  When faced with our limitations it is often difficult to remember to be grateful for the support or help that often comes from the most unexpected sources. The help I received was a wonderful act of kindness, and it reminded me that there have been many times when I have just taken these things so much for granted.   Amalia's story is another example of a situation that will remind me to focus on being grateful for the many blessings I receive, to be thankful & appreciate each day the Lord gives me, and not to focus so much on my difficulties & losses.

Olympic Legacy

The Bubbies & Zaidas Blogging group found ourselves with a rare opportunity to enjoy each other's company and reflect last Monday.   It was the day after the closing Olympic Ceremonies in Sochi and so we spent some time chatting about the Olympics in Calgary in 1988 and other musings.   Here are our thoughts for your enjoyment.

 

We talked a lot about Western Spirit and trying to define what that was. The 1988 Calgary Olympics were the first games that didn't end up in a deficit, and that is attributed, in large part, to the many volunteers.   At that time Calgary had a real small town attitude, we would depend on each other to get things done. This attitude extended to our neighbors as well.   Okotoks opened their town to the Russian teams to practice.  Folks were fighting for space in Calgary to practice.   So the Russians went south, and Okotoks had a unique cultural exchange.

There was a sense that the Olympics were getting too big and too expensive and we wanted to show that you could do it on the cheap.   The buildings were meant to be used repeatedly, and they have proven to be. 

Here are some 1988 Olympics Observations from Manny.   "I was part of the Emergency Transport Office.   If athletes needed a ride somewhere or there was a problem, we were called.   I remember that in the evenings  Eddie the Eagle had nothing to do so he would come into the office.  He was aware that folks thought he was a joke and he used to day: "I am the best that England has to offer!".  He was a real character.

We used to pick up the athletes who had just competed  and bring them down to Electric Avenue.  For those too young to know what that was it was a strip of nightclubs on 11 ave SW.  It was the hotspot for nighttime activity.

Another experience I had was picking up the Swiss bobsled team.  They had arranged to have their bobsled painted once they arrived in Calgary, so I was to take them to a  Swiss fellow who had a paint shop in Bowness.  All of a sudden, one of the Swiss team starts taking off his clothes, his jacket, his shirt... 

I asked what are you doing?   

He had a slab of Swiss bacon strapped to his body to give to his fellow country man in thanks for painting the bobsled!"

Finally he shares:  I was at the opening and closing ceremonies for Calgary and we were all cheering so hard the stands were shaking! 

Bob tells us "My Olympic experience was slightly different.   The Olympic organizing committee advertised for locals to take in billets during the Olympics.   We had a couple from the US who expected us to wait on them had and foot!  I would say I was a volunteer driver, talked into it from our Billets from Philadelphia.    Because we were so generous our Olympic experience was my wife cooking and me driving around as a taxi driver.  In reality I didn't mind driving around as I got to see alot of the Olympics."

Bruce shared “I did a lot of weight lifting during the Olympics - 8 oz at a time”  He remembers it fondly but as a time of a lot of work and a lot of high security.   "During the Olympics I was responsible for the janitors at Telus.   Telus sent all of the janitors home because they were afraid that folks would sabotage the Olympics.   I hired a contractor to weld the man holes shut because they were afraid of sabotage.  After the Olympics we had to open them up!"

Sandi was a volunteer down at the Olympic plaza. Her job description was never very clear but she remembers it fondly.   She also shared that she was one of the pin collectors and she  still has an Olympic pin collection.

Irina was the only blogger on our team who has been to Sochi.   She tells us of a visit 30 years ago, when she was still a teacher:  "It is not a big city.  It is by the Black Sea.  The subtropics.   A resort town.    It was very expensive to go but on the rare occasion the government gave you a deal to go.   It is an all inclusive resort (like in Mexico).  I received papers from the government who gave me a deal.   It is rare for someone like a teacher to get one.  This was during the days of Communism.  From the Ukraine it was a 3 - 4 hour trip.   It was so much different than what I remember."

The final word will now go back to Bob who spent some time exploring the display at the Jewish Centre:

I was very impressed to see the display of Calgary ’88 Olympic Memorabilia at The Jewish Centre on Feb 24’14, and I did appreciate having the pleasure of holding the runners Olympic Flame for a photo op, but I was equally overwhelmed at the amount of wonderful work listed in a hand out pamphlet entitled “Sewing Seeds of Hope on 4Continents”. It indicated their work began in Sierra Leone, Africa in 2002. They provided sewing machines, materials, and a beginner’s sewing training program to 30 war widows, & to date they have trained 150 women. Some students have opened their own shops. 70% are sewing clothing for themselves & for their families. There are now sewing programs in Ukraine & Peru, and they are  presently constructing 2 additional centres in Ukraine. In each country they have developed children’s programs specifically to suite the needs of the area where they are working. These include teaching English, Vacation Bible School, outreach programs to prisons and orphanages, celebrating a Canadian Christmas, and in Novovlynsk in building an orphanage facility. 2 new centres are starting this year in Boma, the Congo, & Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Hats off to Sylvia Rempel, founder of Sun Ice Ltd. Clothing Co, 59 Discovery Ridge Point S.W. Calgary AB T3H 4R1. And what a wonderful legacy, - supporting women, men and children in underprivileged countries.

Now it's YOUR TURN.  Share your Olympic Memories in the comment section of our blog!!