Volunteers make things happen
Few people are willing to work as hard as the late Merle Taylor
Earlier this year, I wrote about Merle Taylor, a 97-and-a-half-year-old dynamo who had an incredibly productive and inspiring life.
Though she was encroaching on being a centenarian, she was a vibrant and sharp as someone half her age.
Sadly, a few weeks back, I got word that Merle had died. Even though her age indicated that her days with us would be shorter than those she already spent on Earth, I thought I would see her celebrating her 105th.
After meeting Merle, I mentioned her to a few people and a common reply was, "They just do not make them like that anymore."
Few people are willing to work as hard as she did. She had an intrinsic drive to continuously work, evolve and contribute. The contributions she made to her community are where her memory lives on — the church, the graveyard, the curling club, the rowing club and more.
People like Merle are such an integral part of our communities. They see a need and figure out a way to come up with a solution — and that solution will likely mean a significant amount of work, enlisting the help of others, raising money, and building something that will benefit the entire community.
PLACE OF PEACE
Every day, we take advantage of things that people like Merle developed. It seems, though, that less and less, we want to take the bull by the horns to make things happen. Instead, we leave it up to the government or the town or the next guy.
The other day when I was on my way to walk the dogs, I drove past St. Martha's Regional Hospital and saw the garden called Place of Peace.
My mother, an avid gardener, brought that garden to life when she was working at the hospital.
Like Merle, mom is not afraid of some good, old-fashioned, hard work. She has an incredible amount of energy and determination.
My father threatened to give her a miner's lamp for their anniversary one year so she could keep working outside after dark. After some issues with her thyroid, mom needed to have it taken out. Until she got things regulated post-surgery, we found mom was doing something very strange — taking naps. Dad said it made him feel more human.
Until the garden was in place at the hospital, there was nowhere for people to go outside if you wanted to take a break, eat your lunch, enjoy the sunshine, take a patient for a walk, or get away from hard moments.
When mom told me that she was going to start a garden at the hospital, I was living in Toronto. In my mind, I envisioned a large flower bed. I should have known better.
When I came home to visit a few months into the project, I was amazed at what she had accomplished. It was not a flower bed; it consisted of multiple flower beds, walkways, a shed, a gazebo and incorporated the grotto, which was once upon a time part of an outdoor church.
Once she got the go-ahead to break ground, she got busy asking for help.
Steve Smith from Central Supplies gave her a baby barn, the hospital ladies auxiliary gave money for the gazebo and the Lions Club and Kinsmen members donated their labour to put the gazebo up. The town and county municipalities gave money — as did the Sisters of St. Martha, the hospital unions and committees, and private donors.
Once everything was on the grow, mom would pull huge hoses across the parking lot to water the flowers and weed the beds while she was at it. Volunteers started to help, and eventually, the Nova Scotia Health Authority gave funding to hire a summer student to manage the garden.
Mom is retired now, but she is still involved. Earlier this week, she and Sr. Catherine hired the student for this summer.
Fifteen years later, the Place of Peace is a mature garden filled with benches, trees and plants given in memory of those who enjoyed it or worked at the hospital.
As part of Communities in Bloom (a Canadian non-profit organization and national charity committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement) the garden has received awards.
Now, when you are at St. Martha's and looking for a place to sit, get away, stroll or eat your lunch — you can do so in a beautiful garden.
POWERFUL TOGETHER
I recently read about Randy Crouse, who received the 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award for Antigonish. He spearheaded the plan to construct a fully accessible ballfield in the town. After raising more than $500,000, the field became a reality when it officially opened in July 2019.
There are examples everywhere of those who had the vision and the determination to make something happen.
Every community needs people like Merle, Randy or my mom, who are willing to put in the elbow grease needed to bring an idea to life.
As Merle told me when we were having a chat, "I just can't understand how a person can go through their whole life and never do anything to better their community." She also added that the ones who complain the most aren't ever the ones who help.
When I am not moonlighting as a writer, I work for a women's health charity. On May 8, we celebrated World Ovarian Cancer Day. This year, the theme was Powerful, Together.
When I think back to days gone by, that is what communities really were: powerful together. Barn raisings, quilting bees, church groups, community cleanups, playground builds, homes built for those in need and celebrations that developed connection.
Instead of complaining about the government or the lack of this or that — roll your sleeves up and ask how you can help make things better for your community.
As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much."
From her hometown of Antigonish to her travels around the world, Emilie Chiasson never fails to connect with the characters and perspectives that make life a bit more colourful. Read more at https://emiliechiasson. wordpress.com/.