Jim’s brother, Rob, and his wife, Dawn, were in town this past week. Rob’s been receiving medical treatment in Calgary every few months and we’ve been lucky to be able to host them and have some wonderful visits. There are so many really nice parts to this; Rob and Jim have, for most of their adult lives, lived far away from each other so having them within a day’s drive has allowed for more visits and for a chance to reconnect. Another part of the fun of these recent visits is they’ve been able to connect with our children, who they haven’t seen in decades, and they’ve been able to meet their great-nephews, Ben and Andy. Ben is enthralled with Rob’s keyboard, and Rob loves to share it with Ben.
Covid has reminded us all that simple pleasures such as this, in-person visits with brothers and sisters-in-law are precious events indeed.
As Rob and Dawn were making the long drive home after their visit this week, they occasionally texted as they went. One of Rob’s texts mentioned they’d love to leave a little gift for Ben and Andy for Christmas. I thanked them, adding while it wasn’t necessary, it was very kind. Rob texted back, ‘It’s so nice to reconnect with your family and throw some love around’.
Throw some love around.
I smiled reading it. Rob and I have a very similar sense of humour. This slightly flippant remark hit the right note with me. And it also really made me think we could all stand to throw some love around.
Later that same evening I sat down to watch the Canada-Mexico soccer match. I love watching soccer and this game did not disappoint; it was a thriller with Canada emerging victorious after a heart-pounding final quarter. The fans in Edmonton braved the freezing temperatures to sit outside, in NOVEMBER! to take in the game. Celebrating the victory, they were cheering and clapping, and remained in the stands long after the final whistle was blown.
One incredibly Canadian moment that has graced every manner of social media since the game ended was the photo of player, Sam Adekugbe, jumping into a snowbank in celebration of the win. We may never again see such a sight. Considerably less viral, yet perhaps even more magical, was another eye-catching moment, occurring once the mayhem on the pitch settled, and the fever of the fans slowly grew. One player, whose name I cannot remember, went to the end of the field, and started to raise his hands in a clapping motion to encourage the crowd to join in. Join in they did. As more and more fans waved flags and cheered and clapped in unison, this player threw handfuls of snow into the air. It glistened and danced like stardust under the night lights, so fitting for the incredible victory.
Literally, he was throwing some love around.
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around, but Christmas is just over a month away. It’s often considered the Season of Love. In normal times, we’d exhaust ourselves with parties, gatherings, family get togethers and feasts. Although I long for those days, I do recognize sometimes I didn’t approach my commitments with the grace and love I could have. At times it felt like pressure and stress mixed in too.
This season we are still far from our old Christmas normal, but we’re much closer than we were a year ago. We’re in a bit of a sweet spot. We can plan a few activities with people we feel safe around, and yet we don’t have to exhaust ourselves with too many activities. I think this could be the year when we can perfect the art of throwing some love around.
I’m planning to start early and do it often. I’m refusing to make it feel like work. There are so many ways we can throw love around.
Just this week we all watched the devastation in British Columbia, caused by the extreme rainfall, 250mm in 24hours. Unbelievable. My goodness, British Columbia needs all the rest of us to throw some love around. All around. To all of them. They need love in the form of supplies, food, shelter, manpower and emotional support. They need to know we’re with them.
Even if we don’t have a direct way to help our cousins in British Columbia, every single one of us can find someone or some organization, ready to catch the love we throw. I’m going to start with some small warm-up love throwing. Like smiles. Perhaps I’ll strike up a little conversation with the radiologist taking my x-rays next time I go. Or maybe I’ll let someone know exactly what it is about them I appreciate. Maybe I’ll knit another toque to add to our knitters group donations. Maybe I’ll do some baking for Jim’s mom to put in her freezer for Christmas time.
And maybe, just maybe, if we REALLY want to throw some love around, Dawn and I will go wild and let Rob and Jim win the next Euchre game.
My inquiry for you this week is, ‘Where can I throw some love around?’
Elizabeth is a certified professional Leadership Coach, and the owner of Critchley Coaching. She is the founder and president of the Canadian charity, RDL Building Hope Society. She works with individuals, corporations, non-profits and the public sector, providing leadership coaching. She creates and facilitates custom workshops for all sizes of groups. She has expertise in facilitating Strategic Plans for organizations and in conducting Leadership Reviews. Contact Elizabeth to learn how to throw some love around.
Covid has reminded us all that simple pleasures such as this, in-person visits with brothers and sisters-in-law are precious events indeed.
As Rob and Dawn were making the long drive home after their visit this week, they occasionally texted as they went. One of Rob’s texts mentioned they’d love to leave a little gift for Ben and Andy for Christmas. I thanked them, adding while it wasn’t necessary, it was very kind. Rob texted back, ‘It’s so nice to reconnect with your family and throw some love around’.
Throw some love around.
I smiled reading it. Rob and I have a very similar sense of humour. This slightly flippant remark hit the right note with me. And it also really made me think we could all stand to throw some love around.
Later that same evening I sat down to watch the Canada-Mexico soccer match. I love watching soccer and this game did not disappoint; it was a thriller with Canada emerging victorious after a heart-pounding final quarter. The fans in Edmonton braved the freezing temperatures to sit outside, in NOVEMBER! to take in the game. Celebrating the victory, they were cheering and clapping, and remained in the stands long after the final whistle was blown.
One incredibly Canadian moment that has graced every manner of social media since the game ended was the photo of player, Sam Adekugbe, jumping into a snowbank in celebration of the win. We may never again see such a sight. Considerably less viral, yet perhaps even more magical, was another eye-catching moment, occurring once the mayhem on the pitch settled, and the fever of the fans slowly grew. One player, whose name I cannot remember, went to the end of the field, and started to raise his hands in a clapping motion to encourage the crowd to join in. Join in they did. As more and more fans waved flags and cheered and clapped in unison, this player threw handfuls of snow into the air. It glistened and danced like stardust under the night lights, so fitting for the incredible victory.
Literally, he was throwing some love around.
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around, but Christmas is just over a month away. It’s often considered the Season of Love. In normal times, we’d exhaust ourselves with parties, gatherings, family get togethers and feasts. Although I long for those days, I do recognize sometimes I didn’t approach my commitments with the grace and love I could have. At times it felt like pressure and stress mixed in too.
This season we are still far from our old Christmas normal, but we’re much closer than we were a year ago. We’re in a bit of a sweet spot. We can plan a few activities with people we feel safe around, and yet we don’t have to exhaust ourselves with too many activities. I think this could be the year when we can perfect the art of throwing some love around.
I’m planning to start early and do it often. I’m refusing to make it feel like work. There are so many ways we can throw love around.
Just this week we all watched the devastation in British Columbia, caused by the extreme rainfall, 250mm in 24hours. Unbelievable. My goodness, British Columbia needs all the rest of us to throw some love around. All around. To all of them. They need love in the form of supplies, food, shelter, manpower and emotional support. They need to know we’re with them.
Even if we don’t have a direct way to help our cousins in British Columbia, every single one of us can find someone or some organization, ready to catch the love we throw. I’m going to start with some small warm-up love throwing. Like smiles. Perhaps I’ll strike up a little conversation with the radiologist taking my x-rays next time I go. Or maybe I’ll let someone know exactly what it is about them I appreciate. Maybe I’ll knit another toque to add to our knitters group donations. Maybe I’ll do some baking for Jim’s mom to put in her freezer for Christmas time.
And maybe, just maybe, if we REALLY want to throw some love around, Dawn and I will go wild and let Rob and Jim win the next Euchre game.
My inquiry for you this week is, ‘Where can I throw some love around?’
Elizabeth is a certified professional Leadership Coach, and the owner of Critchley Coaching. She is the founder and president of the Canadian charity, RDL Building Hope Society. She works with individuals, corporations, non-profits and the public sector, providing leadership coaching. She creates and facilitates custom workshops for all sizes of groups. She has expertise in facilitating Strategic Plans for organizations and in conducting Leadership Reviews. Contact Elizabeth to learn how to throw some love around.
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