On elections and vulnerability
Wasn’t that an election! You may be celebrating, grieving, or as confused as you were before it happened.
It became clear during the contest that civil discourse was in short supply. If you could believe what was said, the choice seemed to be between more taxes or fewer services. If you wanted to keep some vision alive you voted for the NDP or Green – NDP leader Jagmeet Singh being the winner of the character contest.
Liberal Lenore Zann barely pulled it off in our area, proving we are not as set in our conservative ways as some thought. Diversity is good, and the Greens and NDP registered respectable numbers.
That’s the election. Sometimes there are tragedies that consume us and put everything else aside.
For Emily and me all the election fuss and everything else has disappeared from our minds and
hearts. One week ago today, in the midst of drenching rain and wind, there was a vehicle accident near Windsor. Noelle Fuller was driving home, having delivered her brother to the airport. What happened we do not know. In the head-on collision with a pickup truck her life was snatched from her. We are left stunned and grieving. She was my grandniece, my sister’s granddaughter. She was a third-year student at Acadia University, with all the eagerness and vision of her youth, looking forward to a life full of promise for herself and the world. What she, we, and the world will miss from her not being here we will never know, but a large void remains in our hearts and in an unknowing world. Emily and I are all too familiar with the loss of a son. Jonathan was taken from us in the midst of his life. And his illness was over a period of time. Noelle was taken without warning and in the full blossom of youth. However it occurs, it is a soul-shattering experience for parents and siblings, and indeed for all loved ones and friends.
I heard of the accident on the news, and saw a photo, with no names mentioned. I remember thinking, “Not another death on the 101. When are they going to fix that road?” The accident took on a whole new dimension when her name was revealed. It is sobering to realize that every time there is an accident, tragedy or any premature death, a family is going through the same trauma. Few lives escape such shattering blows.
We tend to turn to our faith for comfort. Such solace takes many forms, since there are a great variety of faiths. Some in the Christian tradition find assurance in believing that the person who has died is at home with God in heaven. “The streets, I am told, are made of pure gold, and nothing there ever grows old.” Those of us for whom the cliché phrases have lost their meaning are left with the reality of one we loved being no longer physically with us.
What lies beyond death remains a mystery. I believe, along with many others, that the energy of a life cannot be lost. We become part of the spiritual/psychic energy of the universe thus joining “the great cloud of witnesses by whom we are surrounded.”
Vulnerability is a reality of life. It is a concern and a cloud that is ever present. Mostly, we push it from our minds. However, it will pierce our awareness all too often. Accident or illness forces us to look at our own mortality. What does the future hold for us? What lies ahead for our loved ones, our children and our grandchildren? Will our earth survive our misuse?
Strength comes to us through those who surround us with love and concern. Emily received a card in the midst of her grief which said, “Friends will sing your song when you forget the words.” Emily, who lives with music, found this phrase to be true. For months she was unable to sing, but she was nourished and strengthened by those who could sing, who could stay in touch with the everyday realities of life. They help us touch the deep resources within ourselves.
The results of the election are now our everyday reality. We may or may not like it, but we will live with it for the next while – minorities are precarious so it may not be long.
May the heat of the race be forgotten and may wisdom prevail.