I am on Gabriola Island to take a course at The Haven, a beautiful retreat on the ocean. My goal is to post every morning, but Internet access has been dicey as I can’t get my computer to sync properly at the Retreat centre and am resorting to a local coffee shop — albeit a beautiful local coffee shop. Mad Rona’s is  set in the forest beside a brook. Quite lovely. It gets its name from the Madrona trees that populate the island with majestic grace.

Gabriola Island is all about community. During the winter, the population maxes out at 2,500 residents. Come summer, it will double to 5,000, changing the texture and the context of Island life, but not its sense of community.

Yesterday, at the coffee shop, I chatted with a woman who told me what community means for her, and how she contributes to its presence in her life.

We look out for each other, she said. We care.

One of the things this woman does to create value in her community, and to let people know she values them, is drop little notes beneath their front doors.

I love the idea that they’ll awaken to a ‘love note’ from me, she said. The huge smile lighting up her face showed her sincerity and joy in writing about her appreciation to her neighbours.

I like to tell them how I appreciate that they keep their grass cut, or that they always pick up after their dog, or don’t water their lawns in the summer (water is always in shortage on the Island). it’s so much better than calling the cops on people or complaining about the noise or junk in their yards.

I thought of my neighbours whom I still haven’t met (and yes, I did commit to doing that in January!) I remind myself of what I must do when I fall, or don’t do what I committed to do — Always begin again.

Can I use this young woman’s practice to connect with my neighbours in Calgary? I wonder.

What about the man across the street who always shovels his walk. Always. I see him every morning while sitting at my desk. He inspires me, and motivates me to get out and do mine too!

What about the older couple next door who are always tending their lawn and flower beds. They remind me to take pride in how the outside, not just the inside, of my home looks.

And the man down the street who walks the entire block shovelling the snow away with his snow-blower after big snowfalls.

Would he too benefit from a note slid under his front door, or into his mailbox, telling him how much I appreciate his efforts?

The answer is obvious. Of course he would!

Community makes a difference. The biggest differences community makes however are the efforts its members make to create that difference.

What kind of difference do I want to create in my community?

Am I a taker or a giver?

I’d like to be a giver — contributing value to making community work.

What about you? Are you willing to add value to your community by participating, however and whenever you can, in making a difference in your community that reflects what you’d like to see in the world?

I am.

Care to join me?