Jessie Voigts's Blog, page 19

Music for Autumn's Changes

Categories: Best OfStories

Autumn: change in weather and in landscape can happen overnight.

Autumn’s changes may also come in more subtle ways. There are seasonal changes such as turn of color in leaves, and more permanent ones, such as those caused by autumn storms.

Autumn is often a time of change in areas of life beyond the natural world, adjustments of all sorts. It is also, in many parts of the world, a time for political change.

From varied ways love may be expressed to courage to take goo...

Gathering Spring Water

Categories: Best OfStoriesBody: 

Doesn’t everyone love a fresh glass of water? 

I live in my home community, Mattagami First Nation, with my family; we prefer to filter tap water before drinking it. We also avoid buying bottled water to limit our plastic waste.

Years back, my father told me about a spring water source near our community. My parents decided they wanted to start gathering the spring water in 5-gallon water containers. This helped us reduce our tap water use; gathering the water is ...

Three Traditional Homemade Recipes from Italy

Body: My grandmother was born in a small town outside of Venice, Italy. When she was 7 years old, she moved to Canada with her parents and her siblings to have a better life. Her mother had brought down traditional recipes from generations before her. When my grandmother was 8 years old, she would learn the recipes to help out with her family and to make when she eventually had a family. My grandmother taught my mother and my aunts when they were growing up. Now it’s become a tradition to teach ...

Grandma’s Cooking: Cherise, A Family Recipe

Categories: FoodRecipesBody:  As a child, I loved food. I would always be pointed out for my large appetite and that's not something I've ever been ashamed to say.  Food is life.  Food is something that brings people together. I grew up in a big family, so our meal times were always hectic, but memorable. My great grandmother was from Portugal and she spoke very little English. Anytime I would have anything on my plate, she would say eat, eat, eat, you are too skinny. And so I did.  I lea...

Through the Eyes of an Educator: Normalize Rest

Categories: Best OfStories

In my teenage years, I remember clearly going to a friend’s house and finding her Dad in his favorite chair, resting his eyes in front of the television. I remember thinking, why is he always napping whenever we’re over? Little did I know then that his napping wisdom was far superior to mine. 

Sure, when we’re tired, we might rest, but for many of us, that zeal to be productive usurps our consciousness and a voice of should screams, “there’s something else we should be ...

What Are the Best Long-Haul Routes for Exploring Multiple Countries in One Trip?

Categories: Best OfTravelingBody: 

Planning your next trip? If you’ll be visiting a large number of places, there are a great deal of things you could do to make sure that you hit all the appropriate spots. In the past, you’d have been limited by brochures and paper maps, but in the modern day, a smart trip planner can allow you to find the best long-haul routes spread across several countries.

Here, let’s discuss some of the core ways that RoutePerfect can help you find the ideal path to take on...

Read This Important New Children's Book

Categories: Books & FilmChildren's booksBody: 

 

I'm so excited to share a beautiful, important children's book with you today. Written by Dr. Rick LeCouteur, Nasty Names Are Hurtful: An Australian White Ibis in the City is a story of wildlife, environmental refugees, and kindness and understanding.

Despite her graceful nature, an Australian white ibis named Penny endures relentless mockery and name-calling from fellow birds who label her “bin chicken” and “picnic pirate” because of her scavengi...

Human Rights and Religious Freedom: A Compendium

Categories: Global CitizenshipSocial and Political ActionBody: 

Religion is an important part of cultures. Religion has the power to shape personal lives as well as communities. It can provide meaning and a sense of belonging to many people. It can also help foster community engagement. Religion is an important aspect of life and deserves to be protected no matter what the religion, faith, or belief.

 
I grew up around religion. From the age of 4 to 18, I grew up in Catholic schools in the U.S. ...

Religious Refugees

Categories: Global CitizenshipSocial and Political Action

The plight of religious refugees is a pressing issue in today’s world. Refugees often face harrowing journeys and uncertain futures. Some flee to neighboring countries for hope of sanctuary, even if temporary. Some are forced to leave home but are forced to stay in their homeland, as they do not have the resources to leave. Some make it to Western countries and willingly face unfamiliar circumstances and cultures just to feel safe.

This a...

Indigenous Sweats

Categories: Best OfStoriesBody: Have you ever heard of Indigenous Sweats? The real Canadian history and traditions of them? Today I will be talking about the importance and wonderful experience of Indigenous Sweats. Let me give you a brief history of Indigenous people and Canadian history, so you can have a little understanding of why it is so important. Indigenous people have lived all over North America for a millenium, and have a huge population. Indigenous people are spiritual people, and ...