For the first time in probably generations, there wasn’t a family gathering for Easter last weekend.
Instead, each family isolated, as all families have been instructed to do. That didn’t stop texting with the twins or a meal dropped off at the door for aging parents that live just two lots down, on the 7th line of old Eramosa.
Neighbours fertilized a sea of emerald coloured wheat to help it reach for the sky. Wood was split, the chores were done. And time sat still for a few minutes – long enough to think about a long-planned trip to Europe in June and what I wanted the twins to see. Between travel restrictions and a messed-up school year, their graduation gift from dad is on hold, but as the Queen mentioned in her speech earlier this month “We will meet again”. That sure sounds good to me.
While the complete itinerary will remain a secret for now, there was one little museum in Amsterdam of interest to share. Special inhabitants spent part of the war years there, isolated from the outside world, hiding from the Gestapo long enough for a young teenage guest to chronicle her story.
Although she never saw the finished product of all those diary entries, having succumbed to typhus at the Bergen-Belson concentration camp, Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl has sold over 30 million copies in over 70 languages.
Within that diary are many passages about life through the eyes of a teenager. Despite being apart from family and friends, she had faith and hope and a profound understanding of the human condition. Her messages resonate today – as in one such quote – “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Imagine that sense of good in such a time of anxiety and despair.
Although these times are difficult there are many who make a conscientious choice to give of themselves to others, including several whose stories are in this week’s paper. It should never be forgotten that no matter how hard struggles get, there is always someone else facing far worse obstacles.
Make the choice to be one of those people, assisting where you can and sharing what you are able to give.
Thank you to our
representatives
In recent weeks Michael Chong, MP for Wellington-Halton Hills; John Nater, MP for Perth-Wellington; and Senator Rob Black have made the arduous trek to Ottawa to represent the interests of citizens.
While it is far easier to go along to get along in times of crises, there was a principle to be upheld with respect to legislation that would focus power and funds into too few hands. Although we all want to see good things done, it should not and cannot be done with a blank cheque and exclusive authority.
Sitting on a national board as we do, it became known to us that promises were made to significantly expand a program of benefit to the media. All that was needed was approval of that first draft presented by the Liberals. While the benefits of that would have helped the newspaper industry immensely, we would have had great trouble accepting that windfall at the expense of the democratic process.
Thank you, Chong, Nater and Black, for that effort and example for others to follow.
Closer to home, we note that Centre Wellington is the only one of the seven municipalities across Wellington County to decide to grant emergency powers to its CAO.
While we do not see any imminent, untoward potential with this abdication of jurisdiction, the problem of 4-3 splits on Centre Wellington council has not yet been remedied.
This appointment will only drive a further wedge into the prospect of consensus down the road.
With the new meeting options, better weather on our doorstep and hopefully an end to this crisis within sight, we see less benefit than good in ramming this appointment through with just a simple majority.
In fact, the wisest course of action for CAO Andy Goldie in this current environment is to exercise this new-found power only in the most dire of emergencies.
Other than that, it should be business as usual – with meetings at the call of the chair – to ensure the democratic process is upheld at every turn.
