Twenty five years later… kindness is still in fashion

Gratitude has a lot to do with remembering and today, I am once again, or rather still, writing about Kindness – but this time for my upcoming book.

I published a Kindness article inspired by June Callwood exactly twenty-five years ago and today I remember her words and the daggers they wedged into my heart and the significant influence they have had on the trajectory of my life. 

Today’s chapter of Grassroots Gratitude, my work in progress begins: “Kindness defines Canadians: Callwood is the headline of the article I wrote for the local newspaper, The Banff Crag and Canyon, February 21, 1996. The yellowing piece of newsprint has stayed in my desk drawer over the years, as a touchstone and a simple lens for clarifying my work. 

“June Callwood (1924 – 2007) was the iconic woman who had written for The Globe and Mail (my parents’ morning newspaper), starting her career as a 17 year old during the war, writing for the Brantford Expositor (my parents’ evening newspaper) and was a ‘national treasure’. She was in Banff, speaking at our local museum as part of a literary series framed around the theme: ‘What Exactly is Canadian Culture?’

“The article began: What do Canadian culture, AIDS, the Second World War and palliative care have in common? Everything, if you are June Callwood.”

If you are interested in learning more about June Callwood, a social justice advocate and role model for Human Kindness, watch the 8 minute video, her last CBC interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos. Hearts open, hankies at the ready. “Kindness is communicable.” 

As for my writing in 2021? Stay tuned! Words of encouragement welcome.