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MERKAT's avatar

Yes, yes and more yes to all of this! And teenagedom is itself a threshold, I think, when our children don't simply absorb the vibes of their context--family/community/world--but begin to grasp at understanding their worlds on an intellectual level, which makes that kind of support and sense of ongoing conversation at home even more significant. There is much goodness and strength in this young generation.

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Shannon Linton's avatar

This young generation makes me weep, they are so good. I want to do right by them.

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Hilda VanNetten's avatar

Thank you, Shannon for being bold and brave. I find it hard to balance talking about these things, or sharing views of these topics on social media with talking about and sharing hopeful/benign topics like gardening and flowers and art. The Western world has had a pretty good run for the past 70 years. We collectively think it will go on forever and surround ourselves with distractions..... like gardening and flowers and art.... and sports and consumerism..... and ... and ... and... Many of us want to hide our heads in the sand and hope it will all go away.

I don't want to look in the face of my 4 grandkids 10 years from now when they ask me why I didn't do anything or say anything? That's why I sprinkle a little Heather Cox Richardson in between peony and poppy posts. Trying to find a balance that will be acceptable to brains that are scared.

Investing ourselves locally to make a better Northumberland for everyone might be a good place to start. Maybe it will have a ripple effect.

Keep being you, Shannon.

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Shannon Linton's avatar

I happen to think gardening and art and investing ourselves locally are some of the BEST places to start. Are we working to create a world we'd want for our kids and grandkids? That's pretty damn good.

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Wally Keeler's avatar

Please note that PICNIC ON POETRY has released a picnic table in Victoria Park, Cobourg, entitled, PEACE, ETC. The table top bears many poems about peace by Robert Priest, Gregory Betts, Mia Burrus, Antony Di Nardo, Marie-Lynn Hammond, Penn Kemp, Ben Nuttall-Smith, and Patrick Connors. We will continue to add a peace poem picnic table to Cobourg's parks each year.

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Shannon Linton's avatar

Thank you for sharing this Wally, a beautiful project and I'm so glad to know there is a peace poem picnic table included.

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