Maritime Traveler

It has been a busy three weeks. During the past three weeks I have been in each Maritime province for one reason or another. I was in Charlottetown to visit family one weekend as it was Father's Day and my parents 35th anniversary. We had a great time and my gift was one of labour. I got their flower beds back into shape for the summer months. They deserve a lot more but you can only do so much in one weekend. My sister, who lives in Fredericton now, also celebrated her birthday last week. She, as well, deserves a lot more than I can give but I will find a way to let her know that she is a wonderful sister and person. I also found myself in Dartmouth for a couple of reasons as well. One was the Nova Scotia Chapter of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada's conference entitled "Supporting Choices for Wellness and Recovery". This was an excellent conference that focused on helping those with mental illness begin their recovery journey. The recovery model represents a new way of looking at mental illness and their were some inspirational presenters at the conference that explained the model well. The other reason I was in Dartmouth was to see a specialist regarding my tooth that you have all heard so much about in prior posts. Well, she injected needles into my jaw and neck muscles, got out knots in these muscles and put me on muscle relaxants. Unfortunately, I must say that nothing has changed and therefore it may be nerve damage which means another trip back to Dartmouth.

Last week also marked the official beginning of summer! This means my time spent in the garden triples! Many things are in bloom right now (irises, phlox, dianthus, lupins, etc.) which means there is also lots of weeds that need pulled. I could spend every day in the gardens between fertilizing, watering, mowing, weeding, mulching and pruning. I will include a picture or two in this post so that someone else can appreciate all our hard work!

Groups in the community have also been very busy having their last meetings before summer and their annual general meetings. I attended the Canadian Mental Health Association - Saint John Chapter, the Saint John Federal Liberal Riding Association and the Self-Help A Rewarding Experience (SHARE) Activity Centre Annual General Meeting in the past three weeks. It was a chance for me to be reminded of all the great work these organizations do in our community each year. I also attended committee meetings for the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative Education to Employment Committee, Centenary-Queen Square Care Centre and FUSION Saint John Inc. These groups focus on poverty, intellectual and mental illness and youth retention respectively. These issues are very important to me. I also helped organize a Youth Art Gala hosted by the Many Faces of Violence 2007 group that featured art by local youth. The art showed what violence was like through the eyes of the youth. It was a very successful event. Upon returning from Dartmouth I went right to a 3 year planning session that the Salvation Army - Booth Residential Services invited me to attend. They do wonderful work for homeless men in our city and everyone should support them as much as possible because the need is always increasing.

A few highlights of the past three weeks included the provincial government's community schools announcement, my acceptance into Dalhousie's Master of Public Administration program and the day I spent in Saint John's Mental Health Court. The Community Schools concept is one that I had envisioned for some time. Hopefully, the days will return, where a village raises a child and we all support each other. My day in Mental Health Court was inspirational because I got to witness first hand the love, understanding and support that community members have for people with mental illness. The judge, lawyers, families and service providers have created a model whereby people with mental illness are given the help they need to get their lives back on track. I commend everyone responsible for creating and administering the program on a job well done. You should all be very proud of what you have created.

Over the next few weeks, I will be waiting for the results of the post-energy audit that I had completed on my home last week. I recommend everyone to take a look at the programs created by Efficiency New Brunswick and try and do your part for our fragile environment. I also hope to purchase a violin soon and begin lessons. If anyone knows of some good teachers, I would appreciate the information. Finally, I must remind everyone that Coverdale Centre for Women's Annual General Meeting is Wednesday, June 27th at 11:30 A.M. at Germain Street Baptist Church.

Have a great few weeks!!