for August 2016
Maybe the birds know
best after all. And I don’t mean their twitter. I refer to their marvellous
ability to gather.And they share that need; for there is something
about August that makes us want to gather too.
Maybe the need to connect is
glued to our psyche. There are the obvious places to come together, like fields
and folk festivals. And this year we’re extra lucky as we can share Olympic
celebrations. You go Penny Oleksiak! Congrats. Four Olympic medals and she is just
entering grade 11! Aside from medal counts
we have many other ways of collecting things. True we can gather dust or gather
thoughts but nature often calls us to step outside and gather up something more
tangible. Like berries.
Picking can be a delight if you are so inclined. Stand
up raspberry picking is easiest. The red clumps of flavour roll off the branch
into your palm and promise not to juice up - as long as you don’t force too
many into the container. Blueberry bushes are more of a challenge on the back
and knees, but the berries do stay firm .And if you find a patch that has
turned the ground blue, that hour or so of rotating from sit (watch out for the
ants) to crouch ( it’s ok knees) to bending over (soo..how far can I reach) is
worth it. At first the task of filling the container might seem formidable. The
berries thump into the bottom and it seems like it will take forever before the
cup filleth over. However, before long you’re looking at the ingredients for a
pie or muffins or jam. Yumm! And let’s not forget the bruins that like to pick-er-lick
the berries too. There are berry filled clumps of bear poop to step across from
time to time. You just have to watch where you’re headed.
Lake Superior offers up
a different kind of fruit. When moisture ripens, it rises up and gathers into
grand clouds. That’s when the party starts. They must invite some pretty fancy
guests because the gnarly faces and wispy forms against those mountainous
backdrops are as varied as the world itself.
One of my favourite
gatherings in August is the coming together of the loon families. On the still
evenings you can hear their encouragements as they begin to congregate. Soon the
whole group is swimming as one, then fanning out to dive in all directions as
they spot a school of minnows. They are fun to watch .The other very warm
evening, as the loons wailed far off in the distance, I heard Lake Superior’s
promise of coolness and slid into the smooth calm water. The sun was sinking
into the horizon, shining pink and gold reflections onto the silky surface. For
a few moments I floated there, just listening to the music in their plaintive
voices as I stared up into the darkening sky.
As I think about
gatherings I have to include Gord Downie and his Tragically Hip Man Machine Poem concert. The last night
of their tour will be at Kingston’s 5,600 seat Rogers K-Rock Centre, on the
evening of Saturday, August 20. And while Downie, Paul Langlois and Rob Baker are
stirring up all the arena fans, the rest of Canada will be sharing the party on
little and big screens across the country. Downie is well known for his cryptic
lyrics. About this latest offering to the music world, Downie has said that his
wife is the poem and he is the machine! Even if you’re not a “Hip” fan, there
is something special about this last hurrah for 52-year-old Downie. He has glioblastoma,
an invasive brain cancer. Downie’s physician says that the level of strength
and courage, the energy that he needs to do the tour is well beyond what most
people can do.Maybe Downie’s energy can
help us keep going as we prepare to move into the next season, the glorious
fall. Why might we need it?
Well, there’s another
meaning for gather. “Gather Way” is a nautical term that describes when a ship
is beginning to move. As soon as we gather our strength and thought, as soon as
our basket is full, momentum compels us to move on. No sitting around with the
goods. Another pool awaits. The medals need a shelf. That pie has to be baked.
Those birds have to leave for the south. And soaked clouds have to let go.
So let’s gather gladly
and take it all up very lightly. For no one flies very far with heavy wings.
