Life Directions, Life Surprises (OctPoWriMo Day 11)

I grew up in a little prairie town in Saskatchewan, Canada. So, when I decided as a young adult that I wanted to move and work overseas, I was definitely doing something outside of the box. I did not do this alone--I did it with my husband and three children aged 5, 4 and 2. I knew there were those that questioned whether I could do this but I wasn't concerned with what others thought. That being said, everything I learned from this little town, I took with me--and these lessons have been with me all my life. So, even though I left it all behind, physically, the town and its people came with me in my heart and soul. This poem is a tribute to this little town of Borden.

Everything I Learned in Life I Learned in Borden

Life lessons learned in childhood years   

Stay firm—a solid base,

My lessons learned in Borden years

Life storms cannot erase.

The joy of simple beauty in

Blue skies, bright stars, gold grain,

And seasons shift, as faultless friends

Bring life—and hope remains.

At home I learned of love and joy

Together work or play,

And comfort in my small-town world

To be kind and neighbourly.

Small-town grown-ups also showed

Commitment to hard work

With youthful eyes I watched them all

Press on—to never shirk.

In little country church I learned

Of God’s amazing grace,

To sing of being lost and found

Redeemed I found my place.

At hockey games and curling rink

I learned the pride of sport,

Of loyalty, community,

To be Canadian at heart.

In school I learned more social skills,

And knowledge set me free,

Champlain, French verbs, Shakespeare, Einstein,

Fed curiosity.

To be or not to be that is

The question we must ask,

And mine led me to far off lands

To heed a call and task.

But not without rememberings—

And all that Borden taught

Me came, still comes, in homesick thoughts

Of love—of home—of God.