It is a miracle. A wonder. An incredible feat.

I never in a thousand years imagined it was possible. I never, ever thought we could do it! But it’s done. It’s here. It’s been made real.

C.C. and I are ready for Christmas. Early! As in, no spending until the wee hours of Christmas morning wrapping presents for under the tree. No Christmas Eve frantic dash through the mall searching for the perfect gift in stores bare of wares. And no artistic presentation of store bought cookies on a tray pretending they’re fresh from my very own kitchen.

We are done. Ready. Prepared.

Presents wrapped under the tree. Shopping completed. Cookies baked and lovingly nestled inside Christmas tins bought just for the occasion.

How could this have happened?

How has it come to be that we, the king and queen of last minute Christmas panic, are breathing easy and sipping eggnog by the tree with nary a heart skipping its beat or a hair laying out of place.

Preparation my friends. Preparation.

We made a list. Checked it twice. Divvied up the chores. Made a schedule and stuck to it.

Okay. So none of that is true. There was no list. No schedule of chores and definitely no sticking to a plan because, well, there was no plan.

Just blind luck and a bit of perspiration and a whole lot of inspiration.

Like, deciding to hit the downtown mall in the wee hours of Saturday morning before the crowds descended. That plan happened on Friday night while sharing dinner and laughter with a group of friends. “Have you finished your shopping?” someone asked and C.C. replied, “No. We’re going downtown to the mall tomorrow.” Thoughts of crowds and over-heating and standing in line with laden arms and short tempered people all around prompted me to say, “Yes, and we’re going to be there by nine.” Inspiration and desperation united! We were in and out by noon just as the hordes began to descend.

And we did decide that instead of going out one evening as planned, neither of us had the energy. So we decided to stay home and have a quiet evening together. C.C.’s suggestion of wrapping a couple of gifts turned into an evening spent wrapping and chatting and sipping on eggnog and discovering when it was all over that we were done. Finished. Completely out of more gifts to wrap.

And the baking? Well, I’ve always wanted to try making Lavender Shortbread and my essential oil kit includes Lavender and my step-daughter is Celiac and I wanted to ensure she had some treats and well if I’m making gluten free shortbread I’d best make non-gluten free too and the kitchen is messy anyway so let’s make a few dozen and suddenly, cookies made, tins filled and the aroma of fresh baking fills the house.

Which is why at 7pm last night, C.C. and I put up our feet and watched a movie together and didn’t worry about what’s left to be done. Because, there’s nothing, other than a few minor details and a dinner for 20 to prepare and bread to bake and…

Nope. Scratch that. It will all be as it will be. For now, we’re done.

Finished.

Complete.

Christmas can arrive any ‘ole day it likes and we’re ready!

Now that’s a cause for celebration.

But, here’s the challenge. I’m not used to be organized early. I’m not accustomed to finding myself space to relax and breathe into this most holy and mystical time of the year.

What a gift.

To simply have space to expand into the sacred nature of this time of year when the Christian world awaits the birth of a child who symbolizes the rising of peace, hope, love and joy for all humankind.

Believer or non-believer, we are a world in waiting. Waiting for a time when peace, hope, love and joy shimmers in the light of possibility dawning that to create the world we want to live in, we must be the change we want to see in the world.

May we all be that which we want for ourselves, our families, communities, country, world. May we all be that which we pray will descend upon our hearts and the hearths all around us. May we all become the light that leads the way for all the world to discover the gift of one another is not found in arms carrying weapons, but in hearts filled with understanding and acceptance for our differences.

May we all know peace, hope, love and joy.

A Year to Dare Boldly

2015

Art and Words by Louise Gallagher

A 2015 calendar with original art and words for every month.

To view or order the calendar — click HERE

There was a time in the homeless sector when it was believed that emergency shelter was the only response to help someone in homelessness. No matter how long they stayed in the shelter, or living on the streets, someone had to ‘do the work’, like getting sober, getting on meds, or any other of the 5,342 things we thought they needed to do to make their lives ‘right’, before they could be housed.

And then, along came Housing First. A radically simple and effective approach to supporting people out of homelessness.

One such housing first initiative here in Calgary is, The Madison. The 16 suite apartment building which is owned by the Calgary Homeless Foundation, the Madison provides 24/7 on-site support and housing for 15 formerly homeless veterans.

Three years ago, when I began the Christmas at The Madison project, the intent was to raise money to provide gifts and a dinner at Christmas for the men living at the Madison. It was my way of giving back, and involving my family and friends in the act of giving.

I grew up in a military household. My father was in the RAF and then the RCAF and for most of my formative years, we lived on military bases in Canada and Europe. My father was a proud, and silent, man. He never spoke of the war years. He never spoke of his losses, his regrets, his sorrows. He soldiered through everything, including the heart attack that took his life almost 20 years ago.

My father taught me many things. One of them was the value of a good meal and when he passed away, I wanted to find a way to honour him, to say thank you for the love, the generosity, the many lessons on how to live life fully and completely.

The Madison has become such an opportunity.

Like my father, the men living at the Madison have all served their country. Silently. Proudly. Stoically.

And, like my father, they carry with them memories of the things that have happened, the things they’ve done, the losses they’ve felt and sometimes never known how to express or make sense of.

My father was never homeless, at least not in his adulthood. But, there was a time when he was rootless, lost, alone and feeling abandoned. He never spoke much about those years, about being sent all by himself at nine years of age from London, England to a Catholic boarding school in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. The Atlantic Ocean and three-quarters of a continent lay between him and home, and he was heartsick. He ran away as a young teen to Montreal, Quebec and worked in a bakery and when war broke out, he lied about his age and joined the RAF.

From then on, his life was a silent story. A book that only he could read, if he ever dared to open the pages.

Giving back to The Madison is my way of giving back to my father. Of making amends for the harsh words I flung at him through my growing years, for the lack of compassion and understanding I never held out to him in his living years.

This year, giving back to The Madison is also a reminder of another very important lesson my father taught me.

For me, I feel like the Christmas at The Madison Benefit Concert is all about the little concert that could. Now entering its fourth year, I am excited to take each next step in its possibilities as it grows into its own strength.

Like the men living at The Madison.

Three years ago, a horde of volunteers accompanied me as we decorated and baked and cooked and served up Christmas dinner with all the fixin’s, including gifts for each of the residents.

Last year, we’d scaled back the size of the crowd so that we didn’t overwhelm the community the men had created at the Madison.

This year, that community of men, along with their team from Alpha House, want to celebrate Christmas of their own making.

It kind of feels like a miracle to me. To evolve from a building of singular men who had only two things in common, they were all veterans and they were all homeless, to a community that wants to create a special day for themselves, is incredible and inspiring and very, very heart-warming.

My father taught me long ago that helping people is very different than supporting them until they can help themselves. People fall in life, he’d say. It is inevitable. Sometimes, they need help to get back up. Never should we become their arms and legs, their hearts and voices. We can’t live someone else’s life, he told me. That’s their job. Just as it’s yours to live yours being and doing the best you can.

This year, the men living at The Madison are doing the best they can to create a Christmas of their own making.

I feel inspired. Giving is receiving and I am grateful for all that I have received.

Namaste.

We were a small and mighty crowd. Together, we laughed and sang and listened to the performers with our hearts wide-open and in the midst of it all, we connected on the common ground of wanting to make a difference in the lives of those who once served their country and then found themselves far from home, lost and alone in that place called homeless.

It’s the thing about homelessness. It doesn’t care who you are or where you’ve come from. Once it finds you on the streets, it drains you of all sense of direction and leaves you feeling lost and alone in the land of no fixed address.

Last night, we gathered to celebrate the music of performers who gave up their time to share their talents at the 3rd Annual Christmas at The Madison Benefit Concert. We were housed and living the homeless experience, and it didn’t matter. The music found us. It stirred our hearts and opened our imaginations to the possibility of what can happen when people come together as one and share their talents, time and treasures.

Last night we raised over $1,500 to support formerly homeless veterans living at The Madison. It was a divine evening filled with great sounds that lifted our spirits and made everyone present feel part of something special and divine!

Thank you to all the performers:

Max Ciesielski
Shannon Jones
Matt Vermunt
Ken Swift
Perry Wilson
Sally Truss
Andrew Franks
Mikaela Cochrane
Felipe Paredes
Brian Pearson  (and thank you Brian for being ‘The Sound Guy’. You are a wonderful gift to the world)
Mike Houston

and to our speakers:

Pat Cluff
Detective John Langford
Lorne MacKenzie

You all rocked the house and shone a light for the world to see beyond the label homeless into the heart of our shared human experience where we are connected to one another, no matter where we live.  Take a moment please and click on the links in the names above — Like them on Facebook, buy their music and books, support them however you can. They are all uber talented and generous of heart and deserve to be heard the world over!

And thank you to the beautiful, kind-hearted Tamara Van Staden and her talented mother, Bev Boyden Van Staden who together form Heartprints — Kids for a Cause Foundation. I met Tamara when she was in grade seven and wanted to do a fund-raiser for a school project. Now in her third year university, Tamara has raised over $10,000 selling her home-crafted jewellery and knitted designs.

Big thanks also to Lynn McKeown at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church and my generous of spirit friend, Tamara Zaleski. For the past week, Tamara and I have been making Christmas cards to sell at the concert. We’re thinking of changing our art collective name from the Basement Bombshells to The Glitter Gals! (just kidding) — but, my studio is awash in shiny, sparkly glitter, and all the good times we shared creating.

And thank you Megan Eichhorn for the wonderful poster design, Jim Ellis at Petrotech Printing for the help in printing the postcards, my daughter, Liseanne McDonald for her help organizing and staging the concert and Jenny Howe of CBC Radio and Craig Lester of 660 NEWS Radio for helping promote the event. And of course, Kathy Christiansen at Alpha House for the wonderful treats — and for the awesome work you and your team does of caring for homeless Calgarians. You make a difference every minute of every day in so many people’s lives, and you do it with such grace and love and kindness. Thank you.

And of course, to my beloved C.C.  who so willingly supports me in whatever way he can — and then has the grace to know when to move out of my way when I’m on a mission!  I can be a tad focused at times and forget that others may not see what I see or know what I need (partially because I forget to tell them..:) ). Thank you C.C. for being who you are and for encouraging and supporting me with such love!

Three years ago I started the Christmas at the Madison Benefit Concert as a way to pay tribute to my father, and to support Kathy and her team at Alpha House who manage the programs and services at The Madison. Each year my sisters and friends have come out to support the concert and I am always touched by how blessed I am to have so many wonderful people in my life.

I have worked in the homeless sector here in Calgary for almost 10 years and throughout that time, Kathy has inspired me with her compassion, passion and capacity to honour the humanity at the heart of homelessness. Every day, Kathy, who is the Executive Director at Alpha House and her team create safe and courageous spaces for people to find themselves, no matter where they are, on or off the street. Kathy cares and in her caring, she makes the world a better place.

As C.C. said when our heads hit the pillow, it was a great event, I think you may want to check the schedule for the Grey Cup when you schedule next year’s.

He’s right!

And in the end, it didn’t matter if the Grey Cup was on or not. As Brian Pearson said before the concert, those who are supposed to be here, will be here. He’s right. Those who came shared in creating something special and have started a ripple that will continue to move out and change the world.

Together, we can end homelessness. Together, we do make a difference.

.

It’s here!

It’s today!

yeah!

and yes, while I know it is Grey Cup Sunday in Canada, it is also the Christmas at The Madison Benefit Concert. The concert is to support formerly homeless veterans living at The Madison, a 16 unit apartment building owned by The Calgary Homeless Foundation and operated by Calgary Alpha House Society. Alpha House provides housing and supports to 15 formerly homeless veterans as part of Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness.

If you’re in Calgary and area, it would be lovely to see you there.

Continued from this post…

Alone in her turret, Carrena looked around at the cold, dark room. There was a straw mat on the floor with a worn blanket thrown across it. Beneath the slit of a window, there was a wooden table and chair and nothing else of comfort.

Carrena walked over to the slit of a window and looked out.

All around she saw dark gloomy lands. The trees were bare. The fields were covered in dried out stubble. There were no birds singing. No flowers growing. There was no sign of life. No voices laughing and talking and sharing stories of the day.

Looking at the lands, Carrena felt sadness embrace her.

“Stop it,” she told herself. “Feeling sorry for yourself will not change anything. It will only make you feel worse.”

And so, she began to sing.

“I walk in beauty now. Beauty lies before me. Beauty lies above me, behind and below me.”

The knight, only half way down the turret stairs heard her song.

He stopped and listened. It was the same song he had heard throughout their journey back to the kingdom.

In her voice, he felt it again. That thing he’d never felt before. The feeling of his heart beating. Of his blood flowing warmly throughout his body.

He was confused.

What would he tell the king?

He did not want to lose the sound of her song. He did not want to reveal to the king that he had found the girl with the heart of gold and carried her to the castle. He did not want her to lose her heart.

Slowly he kept descending the staircase towards the king’s throne room.

What could he do to protect Carrena’s heart?

It was a foreign feeling to him this need to care for another. It felt good, different, warm, and he did not want to let the feeling go.

Just as he reached the entranceway to the king’s throne room, a page came racing out. “The king has fallen! The king has fallen!” he cried for everyone to hear.

The knight raced towards the king’s throne and found his liege lying on the floor, gasping for air.

“That song! That song!” the king cried. “Stop it. Stop it.”

The knight, not wanting to reveal the truth of where the song came from, lied.

“I don’t hear anything, your Highness,” he said.

“It’s her song,” the king wailed. “The song she sang everyday to our child. I cannot bear to hear it. I order you to make it stop.”

And as he spoke, tears rolled down the king’s face.

The knight, never having seen his king cry before, did not know what to do and so he asked the only question he could think to ask.

“What song Your highness?”

“That song that I hear right now,” the king cried. Tears rolled in glistening streams down his cheeks. “She was my world and all the beat of my heart and then one day while I was out, she was kidnapped and disappeared.” And his shoulders shook as he told the story and his words came out in violent gasps. “She sang it always to our child and they took our child too. A girl. A beautiful little girl. I searched the world wide and far and could never find them… I could never find them.” And he cried louder and louder.

The knight had heard stories of the king’s loss. The entire palace whispered of those sad days long ago when the king, burdened by grief and unable to find his love, had locked away his heart and never let it be known again.

The knight had always believed the stories were just a tale. A myth to explain away the coldness of the king’s heart. No one ever dared question the king and so, he’d simply ignored the story and continued to do his master’s bidding.

“Tell me you can hear her song,” the king demanded of his knight. “Tell me you can hear it too.”

The knight was scared.

Tell his master that he had lied, that he had brought the girl with the heart of gold to the castle and she was the one causing his pain? He knew his very life, and hers, were at stake and he did not know what to do.

And then, a strange thing happened.

The king took a breath and grabbed the knight’s hands and looked deeply into his eyes. “It is so beautiful,” he cried through his tears. “Listen. Can you not hear it?”

To lie or not to lie? And he knew the answer as he listened to Carrena’s song.

“I hear it,” said the knight. “It is the girl. The girl with the heart of gold.”

“What?” cried the king, releasing the knight’s hands and getting quickly up from where he had fallen. Thoughts of limitless riches and gold beyond his imagination filled his mind. “You have brought the girl with the heart of gold to my castle and not told me? You shall die for you insubordination!”

“I did not have time,” the knight told the king. “I only just returned when you heard her song. I was on my way to tell you when she began to sing. I did not have time.”

The king did not want to listen to his vassal’s excused and demanded he bring the girl to him immediately. “We will deal with you later,” he added for good measure just to scare the knight.

Fearing what would happen, the knight climbed back up to the turret room. When he entered, he was shocked by the transformation of its bleak surroundings. Boughs of flowers draped the walls, a beautiful blanket of moss covered the drab straw mat. The table was covered in a lacy cloth and the floor in a woven rug of multi-hued fibres. At the window slit, birds clung to the rock walls, their songs filling the room. And in the midst of all the beauty, Carrena sat quietly singing.

The knight could not believe his eyes and wanted to rest awhile amidst all the colour and beauty. But he knew he had no choice but to fulfill on his master’s orders. Quickly.

“You must run,” he told Carrena. “The king demands your presence and I cannot let you go near him.”

Carrena stopped her song and walked towards the knight. She took his hands in both of hers and gazed deeply into his eyes. “It’s okay,” she said. “I want to meet this king of yours whom you fear so deeply. I can feel your heart and it is pure. I will ask the king to set you free.”

“No!” screamed the knight. “You must do no such thing. I cannot be free until I die and if you demand anything of the king, he will kill me.”

“Don’t be silly,” Carrena replied. “No one is that powerful. No one can hold the reins on someone else’s life. I will insist he set you free.”

The knight was beyond words. Her song had touched his heart deeply and he knew he could not let the king take her life and remove her heart.

“Listen carefully,” said the knight to Carrena. “I will let you run away if you promise not to confront the king. You must go.”

“But you brought me here to meet your king,” said Carrena. “I must meet him.”

“No! You do not understand. The king wants to steal your heart of gold because he believes it will give him wealth beyond his greatest imaginings. You must run away.”

….. To be continued……