HELLO!

I had several visits today, all very meaningful. And…I am always surprised by how many people those I visit know people that I know. It is a very small world. I remember as young boy going with my mother to what seemed like every funeral in Halifax; Roman Catholic, Protestant and some Jewish celebrations of life. We would sit in the church or temple, go to the reception, and then drive home. My mother seemed to know everyone. Part of it was her work as coordinator of the Halifax Majorettes. In the 60’s and early 70’s many girls in HRM were majorettes and my mother knew all of them, and their parents. She was also a volunteer at the local museum, and she canvassed our neighbourhood for every cause and more importantly, to check in on their well-being. Needless to say, when my mom died there are a large turnout of friends.

My Dad was an introvert, but not like my wife Kim “the hermit”. Kim prefers her own company. My Dad, like most shy people I know, loves to talk to people, but on his terms, one on one, when he feels comfortable in the setting, with the person. If you saw my father at the local Tim’s after a Moosehead game, with his friends, you’d think he was the life of the party. He was like that at my hockey and baseball games, with the other Dads, very chatty. But he was never one to initiate conversation or join an organization or volunteer. No one in his family were “joiners”. They kept to themselves, the Littles and the Kenways, both families living near the Halifax Forum. I have never met anyone who knew either family, yet they lived in that area of the city for 100 years.

God makes us all very different, and there is not hard and fast definition of shy and outgoing, extrovert and introvert. It is a continuum. But one thing does seem to imbed itself in our personality, whether we are inclined to join or not join. And that aspect, more than being outgoing or shy, introvert or extrovert, seems to determine the reach of our relationships. My father was a very good man, a great Dad, a wonderful brother and a very fun neighbour. And very few people knew him. He was not lonely, he preferred to be in the background, but he did light up when someone showed interest in him and engaged him in a conversation.

I believe there are more people like my father than my mother. Visiting with people is, in part, knowing what animates your host, what they are interested in, how they find meaning in life. That variety tells me a great deal about the world I live in, the scope of what is community, and the diversity and difference this short, fragile life offers to all of us.

Peace, Kevin