From Manila to PEI

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One of the precious gifts of summer in the Maritimes is to reconnect with friends and family. 

And to have the gift from my parents, of a cottage on PEI offers the opportunity to do just that. 


Some of you will know that 28 years ago, in 1995-96, I lived in The Philippines to serve as an intern with the Metro Manila Health Program of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines, partners of the United Church of Canada. There I met and became dear friends with another Canadian, also from the United Church of Canada, Marcia Keeler from Manitoba. A twenty plus year age difference, Marcia in her early twenties and I in mid forties, did not keep us from becoming friends. 


There is something about living in a foreign land that draws people together as we seek something familiar, someone who understands home. Someone who gets the joke. For living overseas, I quickly came to understand that ‘to get’ humour is a challenge across cultures. Marcia got the joke. 


Marcia and I shared a common story - we were Canadians. We were United Church people. Amid the loneliness, of missing family and friends, it was so very good to find someone who shared that common story. 


So it was my delight to reconnect with Marcia this summer as she and her husband Eric, travelled to PEI from their home in Calgary, Alberta. 


We have not changed a bit! As you see in the pictures.


First photo - From 1995 Marcia and I are being inducted by Filipino friends into Filipino culture by eating the ‘balut’ - a Filipino favourite, a fertilized developing egg embryo boiled and eaten from the shell. It definitely has a unique texture! Not for the faint of heart!


Second photo -  2023 PEI. 


While our lives have evolved we have not changed at bit! Marcia is now married with two sons and has a career as an environmental consultant. And you know about me. 


After catching up on twenty-eight years of living, together we leafed through several photo albums of that time. Laughing. Searching for long forgotten names. Each of us remembering different and similar stories. Often what I forgot Marcia remembered. And vice versa. 


Memories came flooding back. Of a people who welcomed me graciously to their land, culture and homes. Of adventures. Of amazing landscapes. Of hardships. Of profound loneliness. Of profound poverty. Of profound resilience. Of a tenacious, courageous people who struggle to make a life amid injustice and inequality. Of deep Spirituality. Of people who love to laugh. 


That gift of time in The Philippines was life changing. It left me with a deeper understanding of how the daily choices I make impact others around the globe. It reminded me to not take myself to seriously. It awakened in me a call to make a difference in the world. 


It also offered the gift of a life long friendship. Thank you Marcia. 


May we treasure those who touch our lives for a moment in time. 

Comments

  1. Wendy bairdJuly 21, 2023 at 2:14 PM

    What a wonderful experience for you. Now I hate to not know, but which one are you in the first picture. Thanks for sharing, and always giving me something to personally reflect upon and a bit of a push to do more for others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thoughts from Chickadee LaneJuly 22, 2023 at 9:44 AM

      Thank you Wendy for your comments. In the first picture I am the one on the right with short brown highlighted hair. And I thought I had not changed! :)

      Delete
  2. Susan WhalenJuly 22, 2023 at 2:24 PM

    Elizabeth I picked you out right away in the first picture because you haven't changed a bit. Nice to get together with old friends.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Grace O'BrienJuly 23, 2023 at 11:03 PM

    Reconnecting with old friends is wonderful as you share your memories of the past that makes you feel young again and you realize that life was good in the "good old days"! Great Article as always. And, yes I had picked you out.

    ReplyDelete

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