This movie is not receiving great reviews, in spite of its star performers. It is funny, great one-liners exchanged between the aging still-in-love couple. We see the truly total dedication required in care-giving with someone going through ever-deepening memory loss. In discussing the film with reviewers, the actors point out that respect for the person, the whole person, can be difficult to keep uppermost in everyday life. I liked the way Helen’s character kept working at this for her husband. Their relationship appeared genuine – happy at times, persistent in showing their love for each other, and trying at times, while they struggled to cope.
In a special award ceremony held at the Arcadian Court in downtown Toronto on Monday, March 26, 2018, our Sister Mary Jane Leonard received acknowledgment and recognition of her 20 years as a volunteer in the palliative care unit at St Michael’s hospital in Toronto. The inspiring award ceremony, ‘in the heart of the community,’ sponsored by the Province of Ontario, honoured many volunteers in a wide variety of social service organizations with a symbolic customized trillium pin and personalized certificate. This remarkable and diverse group of intergenerational volunteers have given invaluable support to social, religious, educational, health, cultural, historical, intercultural and interfaith concerns. The room held an incredible 2700 years of volunteer service in the centre of the city! Volunteers had their picture taken with MPP Han Dong of the Trinity-Spadina riding. Congratulations Mary Jane, we are so proud of your journey to this very significant periphery!
Earth Hour was Saturday, March 24. Reports this week indicate that Canada’s participation in some cities was lower this year than usual. Maybe some of us forgot this year about the challenge from World Wildlife Fund to do without electric lights for an hour? The call went out and it did happen. At 8:30 p.m., lights were switched off; porch lights, as well as landmarks, went dark in observance of Earth Hour, a global call for international unity on the importance of addressing climate change. Since beginning in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has been honoured in some 180 countries. It has never been more urgent than now to recognize and address climate change.