HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1977-05-04, Page 2To Middle East
WITH THE MINISTER Defence Minister Barney Danson (left)' chats with
Master Corporal Murray Jacklin, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Melville Jacklin o
Brussels. M /Col Jacklin is a flight attendant aboard the Boeing 707 aircraft from
Canadian Forces Base Trenton that took Mr. Danson to the Middle East for a
ten-day first hand look at Canadian troops serving with the United Nations
Emergency Force along the Syrian, Israeli, Egyptian border.
(Canadian Forces Photo)
WEDNESDAY MAY 4, 1977
SHUSSE4S
.ONTARIO
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Dave Robb - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $8.00 a year. Others
$14.00 a year, Single Copies 20 cents each.
0 CNA
Amen
by Karl Schuessl.er
Faith and my tractor
It sure takes plenty of faith when it
comes to fixing up that old farm house of
mine -- the one that sits on three and a half
acres on. some godforsaken . side road in
Huron County.
Now, St. Paul says faith is the assurance
of things hoped for and the conviction of
things not seen. He's right on there. I sure
hope a lot of things about that house. And I
know most everything about that h ouse is
unseen.Everything's covered in peeling
paint, dirt, and crumbling plaster.
It's only eyes of faith that see black .ash
under painted woodwork. It's only eyes of
faith that see maple floors under linoleum
and, paint and bright. yellow brick under
dingy and black stains. It's eyes of faith
that see past burrs and thistles and
quackgrass, and look out instead.= plowed
land, rail fences and rows of planted
evergreens.
It's a great vision. A great hope. But
every now and then I lose that assurance
and conviction of faith. My soul falters. I
start to doubt: I start to give out -- after can
after can of p aint and varnish remover. I
start to figure I keep Canadian Tire in
business because I buy so much of it. I
secretly fear they're going to run out.
I'm running out of rags, too. I've b een
known to tear the old shirt right off my
back in order to get an instant paint rag, or
one more piece of cloth to sop up the icky
and yukky paint remover goo.
I don't have any second best arid old
clothes any more.They're all diverted and
converted into rags.
I'm running out of energy. You'd think
it's n o trouble at all to take out one fence
post. But that took me one whole
afternoon.
In the good old days when thoft fellows
sunk a fence post, they drownd it in stones,
tin can s arid all the debris hangigg around
the yard.
I do believe a fence post, corner, was a
mini dump. Would you believe?; I hauled
away a Whole trailer full of litter from one
fence post site.
I think my beloved tractor Trina is
running out of steam; too. She was Henry
Ford's idea of a tractor in the 40's. A smart
little thing in her day — all four cylinders of
her
But Trina was big enough to share my
vision and faith .Not that my faith wanted
her to move mountains -- only hills of brush
piles and enough dirt to turn over into a
furrow - plow - in other words.
I didn't expect Trina to take on a job like
burying a barn foundation. I'd let the big
fellow of a bulldozer bury those collapsed
remains.
But Trina's starting to grumble. She's
not the' starter she used to be. Her
battery's wearing down. And so are her
sparks. And when I drive the three miles
into Walton to bring back the tractor
doctor, he just listened to her idle. "She
sure• don't sound healthy," he shook his
head, "What you really need is a little
more power."
Yeah I know I understand that's the
way with every farmer's tractor. No matter
how big it is, he always wishes he I had a
little more power:
But I'm 'not giving .up on Trina. And
come to think of it, I'm not giving up on
that house. either. Or the acre. I'll carry on.
I'll keep the faith:V-11 keep' on believing--
despite all the evidence.
I won't listen when Lou Morello took one
look at my house and said, "I burned one
down just like that only last week."
I won't listen when someone says He'd
never live on a side road — those isolated
byways that make busy concession roads
possible. -Didn't I hear the latest ? About
the cotiple who vowed they'd never spend
another winter plugged off from the rest of
the world? Sideroaded? Lonely? Prisoned?
Didn't I hear? They're selling and moving
back into town.?
•And don't I know no county wants to
open up side roads in the • winter? And
tiOn't I know that's a mighty long lane way
'to keep the snow out? And what About the
heat? The insulation? The storm windows?
The broken dOtvn front porch? and back?
But enough. 'I'm riot listening to all the
naysayers: They can pick the nit all they
want to. I'll keep On believing. Believing
that some day a new h eaven and a new
earth will rise on that place.
And then, Trina arid I = after years of
striving will inherit our earthly paradisds
have a mansion to share. And We'll
let everyone krio* that it's faith that Counts
-- not human calettlatiOnS.
Brussels Post.
The good things
The taxi driver was angiry. All day, he said as he
Ducked his way through the traffic, he'd heard
nothing but Quebec separation and inflation, crime
and high unemployment, baby seals and lousy
weather. He agreed that all of these were problems
we must try• to solve, except perhaps the lousy
weather, but was there nothing that Canada could
be proud of, he wondered?
The Hat of problems facing a nation as large and
as complex as Canada, with its emphasis on
multi-culturalism, its diverse backgrounds and its
two founding peoples, is staggering. And to those' of
us who still think that pride in a nation is not
something to be embarrassed about there seems, on
the surface at least, not much to cheer about.
Certainly, to pretend that all is rosy is almost as
unrealistic as to prate about Canada's imminent
demise.
Perhaps it is time for the leaders of this country
and its citizens to pause for 24 hours-- if we can take
that long for such an important exercise -- and
together take an honest and realistic inventory of
where and what we are. An honest inventory looks
openly at the debit and the credit side of the ledger.
.An honest inventory faces problems squarely, but at
the same time takes cognizance of our virtues as
well.
We're pretty sure that the results would be more
heartening than we think. We would discover that we
have a lot for which to be grateful. We would
discover, too, that we have a kit of serious changes to
face but change is only painful for those who are
afraid to look into the future with confidence. An
inventory, we are convinced, would show us our
assets -- not simply material assets -- and our
liabilities -- not merely our economic liabilities -- and
we are convinced the former would outweigh the
latter.
There is much to be thankful for, and much to be
concerned about but if we allow our gratitude to
outweigh our apprehension then with our leaders we
can begin to see a future that may be different from
what we have known in the past, but one which we
can face with assurance.
It all comes down to gratitude for the blessings we
have. (The United Church)
To the editor
New members needed
The Wingham & District Association for the Mentally
Retarded, as a member of the Canadian Association, will be
joining in a nationwide membership recruiting campaign in May
of this year. The week of May 7 to 14 has been designated as
National Week for the Mentally Retarded.
During this week, in our efforts to attract new members, we
will spotlight the needs of the mentally retarded, and the
services we are providing and seeking to provide in the
Wingham district. Flowers of Hope marigold seeds which have
been packaged by students in our schools and workshops, will be
sent to every householder-in the district We feel it necessary to
substaniate these Flowers of-Ilepe letters with promotion in
newspapers, on radio and television.
Throughout Canada, local associations for the Mentally
Retarded have not only dthlopecl schools for children, but also
through direct support and co-operation with other agencies are
providing family counselling, home ' care help, pre-school
classes, recreation and camping programs, sheltered workshops
and small group homes in the community forshildren and adults.
We are in desperate need of ney":rieMbers in our local
association to help with these projects:'
I would like to express sincere-appreciation on behalf of the
Wingham & District Association for yout continuing do-operatiOn
and assistance in bringing our message to the public's attention.
Sincerely,
Mrs. A. SAratridge
Publicity Chairmin ; Flowers of Hope Campaign