To All First Responders by Bob Jones

They call him “Tuna.”

He’s the kind of guy you want around in an emergency, not only because he’s a Paramedic but also because he could lift a truck if need be to save a life.

Before moving to Edmonton, Charles Blades competed on the Nova Scotia provincial rugby team, as well as a Pittsburgh rugby team, so you know he’s a bit crazy and tough. And I’m proud of the way he is using his abilities to serve people in the greater Edmonton area everyday. He’s one of those first responders that run in when others are running out. He’s my brother-in-law.

This is a shout out to every first responder at Christmastime and beyond. Gratitude for how the women and men who wear a uniform and anonymously go about lifesaving work, week in and week out. Schedules are challenging, stress is high, risk is routine and rewards are rare – other than knowing you have done the best you can. Too often first responders are the butt of thoughtless comments or jokes. Why is that some people think they’re funny by belittling the very people who could one day save their lives?

First responders are trained to deal with a wide array of potential medical emergencies. Because of the high level of stress and uncertainty associated with the position, first responders need to pay careful attention to their physical and mental health. Even with such preparation, first responders face unique risks of being the first people to aid those in life-threatening situations or with unknown contagions. The spouses and families of first responders experience their own kind of disquiet, as they understand the cost of sending their loved ones out the door to whatever may come their way.

Our family had unforgettable experiences with first responders. Our youngest son suffered a seizure from a high fever when he was two years old and we were living in Montreal. Firefighters, paramedics and police were in our townhouse within minutes to save his life. He spent a weekend in hospital under 24-hour watch but he recovered to tell the tale. St Albert Firefighters responded to a 911 call from our home when a kitchen appliance caught fire, spewing toxic smoke. They contained the damage and saved the day.

When Constable David Wynn was killed in the line of duty, the RCMP used our church as a parking depot and changing area in preparation for his memorial processional through St Albert. Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Fire and Rescue Service officers have stationed their fire trucks and police cars in our parking lot for our community carnivals so kids could climb aboard and feel the thrill.

Men and women in my circle of pastoral influence are on active duty in undercover work, policing organized crime, community service or are retired officers. They have my utmost admiration and appreciation. They are my heroes.

So here’s a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to every firefighter, police officer, paramedic, all emergency response personnel and their spouses and loved ones.

Thank you and prayers for all you do.

I am a recovering perfectionist, who collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and drinks Iced Tea. My office walls are adorned with our sons’ framed football jerseys, and my library shelves, with soul food. I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at Pointes Of View.

Thou Shalt Take a Holiday – Ramona Heikel

I’m grateful for holidays. It occurred to me this week that I hadn’t seen my sons for a while. We’ve all been busy and only talking on the phone and in electronic messages. And if Thanksgiving wasn’t coming up this weekend, how much longer would it be until we were face to face, close enough to hug? That’s when I started feeling thankful to whoever set up holidays.

It amazes me when I stop to think of the power that holidays have to bring people together when schedules and distance would otherwise keep them apart. I’m surprised that holidays are still sacred in a society that puts so much of a priority on productivity and busyness.

Look how the governments of countries all over the world lock certain holidays into their calendars, and how businesses acknowledge holidays by granting days off. You could even say that some employees are “forced” to take a holiday, and even if you want to work, the company declares it such a special day that it is willing to pay you one-and-a-half of your regular earnings. I don’t think we should take it for granted that CEO’s pay us for a day of unproductive kicking-back, and not once, but several times a year.

How nice that countries unite around a holiday! If Alberta declared Thanksgiving a holiday, but Saskatchewan didn’t, it wouldn’t be so easy to go visit your Saskatchewan relatives on Thanksgiving, and look at what you would miss. Oh, I know there are lots of sneers these days about how miserable family gatherings can be—there seem to be more and more movies springing up that try to convince us that holidays are something to dread and tolerate. But go through your photo collections and see how many of the scenes were taken during a holiday gathering, and how many of those bring a smile to your lips and your heart.

Holidays are celebrated for various reasons, and even if we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about them and incorporating the origins into the celebration, they serve as yearly cues to adjust our near-sightedness. We have an opportunity to take a step back from the endless tasks that seem so important in the small picture, and refocus on things worth remembering. Re-celebrating a country’s hard-won victory in obtaining independence, remembering national heroes, offering a tribute to the fathers of our faith, rejoicing in the beginning of a new calendar year, honouring families and relatives, and showing our gratitude to God—all these invigorate our outlook on life and help order our priorities.

Whose idea was it to have holidays, anyway? Local and national governments establish specific holidays for their unique population, but the idea of a holiday seems to have been around ever since the Lord included days of celebration, dancing, feasting and rest for His people in his set of laws. Yes, laws, not suggestions! “Thou shalt take the day off and have a good time.” This too would be amazing to some people, because the popular view of God is probably one of a judge. But what if people stopped and considered that this particular judge required them to regularly take time to have fun and reconnect with the most important people in your life? What a revelation that would be of the true nature of God.

Posted by Ramona

Happilywriting.com

Joe Who? - Lynda Shultz

When I was eight my heroes were Lassie and The Lone Ranger. That was before I met Joe Bonikowski.

There wasn't much to do in our little town. During the summer, I tagged along with my brothers doing whatever they did. That usually amounted to hanging around the drug store, playing baseball, or swimming in the river. In the winter, we donned skates or snowshoes. I tried to imitate Dave, Danny, Frank and Jimmy, but since I was the youngest, some activities earned me the "wait until you are older" thing.

The local undersized hockey team bore the oversized name of The Temagami Timber Wolves. Dad and I went to just about every practice and all the games. Archrivals, Latchford and Haileybury, killed us on the ice, but nobody beat us at cheering.

I first met Mr. Bonikowski at the rink. He was an old man then. Of course. everyone is old when you are eight. He'd worked in the bush for most of his life, cutting trees and hauling logs. Now he did odd jobs at the arena; changing light bulbs, repairing the wooden benches we warmed, and picking up Juicy Fruit wrappers and empty Coke cans.

When Dad couldn't come with me to watch my brothers play, Mr. B. would often come and sit down beside me. Neither of us said much, but somehow he seemed to know how much I wanted to be on the ice playing, not just watching and cheering.

Then when I turned ten, I got my big break. The Temagami Timber Wolves ran out of players. Like I said, Temagami is a REALLY small town. The season had just begun and the team's right-winger took a check into the boards and broke his wrist, Neither the coach nor the rest of the kids were too happy about letting me try out. However, faced with the possibility of losing the entire season and the long-awaited chance at revenge on the teams from the neighbouring towns, they swallowed their objections. Mom imagined my broken body carried out of the arena on a stretcher. Even Dad was doubtful.

But I made it. All those street hockey games with my brothers were paying off.

I was to start in Saturday's game against The Haileybury Hurricanes. I was thrilled—and suddenly terrified.

On Friday afternoon, I walked over to the rink. Mr. Bonikowski was there. He was throwing sand around the front entrance. The snow had melted and then frozen again, and it was slippery.

"Gonna play tomorrow, eh?"

"Yup."

"Scared?"

Was it that obvious? I had grabbed my star and now didn't know exactly what to do with it.

"A little."

"Don't worry."

"Everyone thinks I'll mess up."

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"Gotta have faith."

"In God?"

I went to Sunday School, but God's interest in hockey had never been mentioned. I figured he was more concerned with Saturday night baths—you know, "cleanliness is next to godliness"—than he was in Hockey Night in Canada on TV.

"Sure. Faith in God is good. Faith in you, too."

"Do you have faith in me?"

"Hundred percent."

He sensed my doubts, so he added: "You'll see tomorrow."

The next night I waddled to the rink behind my brothers. I'd put my gear on at home. The boards thumped underneath my skates as I made my way past the dressing room.

Then I saw it.

To the left of the dressing room there had been a broom closet. The buckets, brooms, and cleaning cloths were gone, leaving behind a wooden bench and a peg nailed to the wall. The sign Cleaning Supplies was gone. In its place, carefully carved on a piece of two-by-four, was Helen's Dressing Room.

Joe had proven his faith in me and had planted the seeds of mine. The first girl to play juvenile hockey was here to stay, and I had a real-life, heaven-sent hero.