Sudbury Northern Life
If one were to believe the headlines from the last few months, there is much to despair about — from the economy to the environment — and we’d all better get out our umbrellas because the sky is indeed falling.
But we need to take a step back and gain some perspective. It’s a hard thing to do when one is faced with paying for big-ticket purchases and saving for a possible mining industry strike in 2009, or taking early retirement with shaky investments in tow, or trying to pay off a car loan and student debts while living dangerously close to the edge of unemployment.
Circumstances like these, both global and personal, are enough to bring down even the most optimistic of pilgrims. Yet as we journey along in this thing called life, it is the hard times that teach us most about living.
A good quality of life is not about the amount of possessions we own, how big our homes are, or how much money we bring home each week from work. Quality living is a dividend that is paid out from meaningful interactions with family, friends, or helping a person in need, or reaching out beyond our comfort zone to embrace a new experience.
Ask anyone who has fewer presents to open under the Christmas tree this year and he or she will tell you the holiday experience was not diminished by the lack of gifts.
The best experiences that we recall from holidaying over the years usually focus on the exchanges we’ve had with people. It’s a sacred treasure to be loved and to extend love to others.
Years ago, Rev. John Mathew (he’s the pastor at St. Mark’s United Church in Sudbury) told me that people need to accept the fact that we all need one another. At the time I thought his reasoning was a bit abstract. What would the guy down the street need me for, and vice-versa?
But throw in hard times, natural disasters, poor health, accident, injury, you name it, and all of a sudden this reality of “needing one another” becomes perfectly clear. Time and the suffering human condition have a way of humbling us beyond words. And it is in circumstances like these that even comedic character Red Green’s saying “we’re all in this together” rings true.
We are fortunate to live in such a caring city as Greater Sudbury. Sitting in the editor’s chair at Northern Life for the last year has taught me so much about how the people in this community reach out to others — from volunteering their time to forking over countless donations. Those of us who work behind the scenes at our newspaper and website strive to reflect this caring community. Our pages are filled with events and happenings that are largely conducted by volunteers. In every issue we read about people who go above and beyond their jobs to make a difference in their community.
When times get tough, it’s easy to start finger-pointing about where things went wrong. But it takes real courage to reassess what has to be done, make changes and move forward in a positive manner. In good times and in bad, there will always be those in need and those who can help others in need. One can only hope that the milk of human kindness will not sour the way the economy has in recent months.
It’s at this time of the year many of us talk about peace and goodwill toward others. The holiday season offers a simple message about gratitude and compassion. It’s a theme that has been repeated for centuries — and one that abides by us still, no matter what the economic weather.
Wendy Bird is the managing editor of Northern Life.
