Campobello Island and FDR

Last month we visited Campbello Island

            for the first time.

Curiously, we went to Lubec, Maine

            to access the only bridge to this Canadian island.

It’s one of several islands in the Bay of Fundy

            which are part of the Canadian province

                        of New Brunswick.

Campobello is roughly nine miles long

            and three miles wide.

It has 1000 year-round residents.

The summer home of Franklin D. Roosevelt

            for over 40 years,

                        this beautiful place was a cool retreat

                                    in the late 1800s

                        for wealthy families from New York,

                                    Boston and Montreal.

Large resort hotels were built here.

FDR’s parents bought a cottage here in the early 1880s.

            As a child and young man,

                        Roosevelt sailed and canoed

                                    around the coastline

                                                and played golf here.

In 1909 the Roosevelt family acquired

            what is now called the “Roosevelt Cottage”,

                        a fascinating 34-room wooden structure

                                    that housed FDR’s growing family       

                                                and a number of servants as well.

Beautifully maintained,

            it is open to the public at no charge.

The Roosevelt Campobello International Park

                        was opened in 1964, operated jointly

                                    by the Canadian

                                                and United States governments.

It preserves 1,134 hectares of land,

            including bog-land,

                        several beaches and points,

                                    a picnic area,

                                                walking trails and park drives.

The adjacent Herring Cove Provincial Park

            boasts an outstanding beach,

                        golf course and small golf club restaurant.

We really enjoyed Herring Cove Beach,

            with few people there on August 2, 2010.

Before we left, we drove up to the northern tip,

            to East Quoddy Light.

We watched several whales surfacing,

            to the delight of those gathered

                        at this beautiful scenic location.

We hope to go back soon!

My Father's Blessing

Last Sunday afternoon

            I received my father’s blessing.

I had called Mom and Dad on the phone.

We were talking about Mom’s recent diagnosis

            of Alzheimer’s disease.

It was a touching conversation,

            and both my parents were fully engaged.

They spoke of approaching each day

            with the expectation of happiness,

                        based on God’s goodness.

And on the simple delight of a shared day

            after 60 years of life together.

I told them that I wished I could be with them,

            to be more supportive in these challenging days.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere,

            Dad said, “I’m so proud of you.”

What was that again?

I said nothing

            and began to weep as Mom continued talking.

I’ve waited all my life to hear that!

            Dad has told me “I love you,”

                        but this is my first time to hear

                             “I’m proud…”

                                      Wow!

From childhood I’ve waited.

He was the master carpenter, skilled with his hands.

            I could never measure up.

I remember his expressions

            of frustration and disappointment.

Those words and expressions have lingered

            like weights all these years.

Four years ago I brought them

            a book of 50 old hymn texts

                        for which I had written new tunes.

He seemed to pay no attention to it at all.

            I was crushed by his indifference.

                        I was angry.

                                    He didn’t understand, I think.

But now I have the “I’m proud…”

            I had given up ever expecting

                        to hear that from him.

Something has been released within me,

            something powerful…

Dare I say it?

            I wonder if some demon

                        has been exorcised from my life.

In their book The Blessing,

            John Trent and Gary Smalley offer a look

                        at the life-changing gift

                                    which the Bible calls “the blessing.”

            The unconditional love and approval

                        that come with a parent’s blessing

                                    can be important elements

                                                in our emotional well-being.

I’ve got it now!

            And no one can take that away from me! 

The Greatest Canadian?

Tommy Douglas (1904-1986)

     was voted "The Greatest Canadian" of all time

          in a nationally televised contest

               organized by

                    the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 

                         in 2004.

A Scottish-born Baptist minister,

     he was a democratic socialist politician

          highly respected for his principled stands,

               his wit and skill as an orator.

He never served as Canada’s prime minister,

     but his ideas strongly influenced federal legislation

          in the 1960s and 70s.

Tommy Douglas served

     as premier of Saskatchewan from 1944-1961,

          leading the first democratic socialist government

               in North America.

During those years,

     Saskatchewan became the first province in Canada

          to offer free hospital care to all citizens,

               followed by universal health care in 1962.

His government also passed the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights,

     legislation that broke new ground

          in protecting fundamental freedoms and equality rights.

               (This bill preceded the United Nations’

                    Universal Declaration of Human Rights 

                         by 18 months).

Douglas headed Canada’s New Democratic Party

     from 1961-1971,

          a “third party” which has never formed a majority

               in Canada’s House of Commons.

But the 1960s saw three minority governments

     led for Progressive Conservatives and Liberals.

In this setting

     (where collaboration with “third parties”

          was required to govern),

               the NDP had considerable influence on legislation,

                    from energy to industry to health care.

Tommy Douglas was the grandfather of actor Kiefer Sutherland. 

Read more about Tommy Douglas here.

Confessions of An Evangelistic Jerk

My friend Tim Fisher

     writes about his soul-winning nightmare.

He was a once a youth pastor,

     young and passionate for Christ.

Wanting to help his teens become “soul-winners”,

     he developed SWAT (Soul Winning Advanced Training)

          though he confesses he wasn’t so advanced himself.

One night he took his youth group to a local shopping mall,

     with a plan to approach strangers,

          engage them in conversation

               and ask them to participate in a three-question survey

                    leading to a spiritual conversation.

After an hour of this activity

     (not having been arrested by mall cops)

          the group headed to McDonald’s to celebrate.

As they sat down to eat,

     Tim noticed a young woman sitting by herself –

“a prime candidate for further evangelistic work.”

Approaching the woman,

     he noticed that she wore a cross on her necklace –

          a conversation-starter!

Tim writes:

     “After clearing my throat, I asked in a manner as natural

          as I could muster one of the most unnatural questions

               you would ask a perfect stranger.

     ‘I noticed your necklace and was wondering

          what the cross means to you?’

     She replied somewhat timidly…

          'It reminds me of my mother, who gave it to me.'

     With an urgency, as if the flames of hell

          were about to engulf her at any moment,

               I blurted out, ‘Well, let me tell you

                    what that cross means to me…’

     A few moments later, as I rapidly spoke lest I forget something,

          the young woman got up shaking her head and walked out,

               leaving me bewildered as to why anyone

                    would reject eternity so.”

Tim has come a long way since then.

     In his new book Contagious But Not Quarantined

          he suggests much more natural ways to share God’s love.

It’s a book well worth reading, and I highly recommend it

     if you’re serious about sharing God’s love with others.

                    (available at Amazon.com and bn.com)

Alzheimer's.

 Nearly 30 million people worldwide

are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.

My mother is now one of them.

She received her diagnosis recently,

but we’ve noticed her increasing forgetfulness

for several years.

I spoke with Mom and Dad by phone on Sunday,

the second time we’ve talked since her diagnosis.

Mom spoke the word “Alzheimer’s”.

She did not deny the diagnosis.

                        She acknowledged its heaviness

                                    in looking toward the future.

But there was a happiness to our conversation,

a joy in my parents’ voices,

                        a determination to look forward

with thankfulness to God

for every good day.

We have been so blessed!

So another chapter in life’s journey begins.

            Stay tuned…

Five Facts About Canada (part trois)

Five Largest Metropolitan Areas (2006 census)

Toronto (pictured above) (5,113,149) 

     home of Rush, the Irish Rovers, Charles Best,

                        Mary Pickford & Keanu Reeves

Montreal (3,635,571)

     home of William Shatner, Maynard Ferguson,

                        Celine Dion & Pierre Trudeau

Vancouver ( 2,116,581)

     home of Bryan Adams, J.I.Packer,

                        Michael J. Fox & Seth Rogen

Ottawa-Gatineau (1,130,761)

     home of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands,

            Dan Ackroyd, Lorne Greene & Margaret Atwood

Calgary (1,079,310)

     home of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mike Green,

            astronaut Robert Thirsk & Earle Birney

Five Facts About Canada (part deux)

 1. Canada has two official languages, 

            English and French.

        Members of Parliament may use either language  

                during debates, and translation is provided.

2.  Canada’s provinces and territories

         may be categorized:

            Atlantic Provinces:

                        Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,

                        Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island

            Central Provinces:

                        Quebec, Ontario

            Western Privinces:

                        Manitoba, Saskatchewan

                        Alberta, British Columbia

            Territories:

                        Nunavut, Northwest Territories

                        Yukon

3. Canada is a constitutional monarchy.

            Queen Elizabeth II is the current monarch.

                        Her job is largely ceremonial.

            The Governor-General is her representative in Canada,

                 currently Haitian-born Michaëlle Jean (shown above).

                                    Madame Jean reviews troops, awards medals

                                                and opens parliament.

4. Canada is a parliamentary democracy

            with two legislative bodies:

                   House of Commons – elected (308 members)

                   Senate – appointed (little real power) (105 members)

5. The leader of the political party

         with the most members in the House of Commons

              is the Prime Minister.

                  He/she is the most powerful political figure in Canada.

                                    The current Prime Minister is Stephen Harper,

                                                leader of the Conservative Party.