Saturday, October 18, 2003:
“SOGGY CITY…” “Record-Breaking Downpour Continues to Soak Nanaimo…” “About Three Times Normal Rainfall…”
These were the headlines on that wet and rainy day, and this was the scene in my front yard!
I was on my way back from a four-day trip to Vancouver oblivious to the fact that my boat had not only almost sunk but it also had been rescued by neighbours I barely knew.
I arrived home to this, and other pictures, taken by those same neighbours for insurance purposes. Disbelief turned to relief turned to an incredible sense of gratitude for the GOODWILL that does exist in the world.
Sunday, October 19, 2003:
Upon waking and getting organized for a day of soccer, my daughter Soleil and I walked to the neighbours to thank them. Realizing I wasn’t going to be able to get the boat out of the water that day, they offered to tow it behind their canoe to the boat launch, remove the boat and bring it home for me.
Friday, October 24, 2003:
My dear friend, Dieter Teuschler, picked up my boat, took it to the Marina to be repaired (the motor had been submerged in water) and a couple of weeks later, he returned the boat to its winter resting spot. Next spring, like every spring, Dieter will launch the boat and once again and I will experience a sense of awe for all the GOODWILL I am surrounded by.
On-going:
While the incident around my boat drew attention to the pervasiveness of GOODWILL I experience at every juncture of my life, it also brought into sharper focus, the importance of our mission “to strengthen the fabric of goodwill that exists in the world through commitment to lifelong learning”. What I notice as a result of every course we deliver is that goodwill is strengthened. What I also perceive is that GOODWILL begets GOODWILL begets GOODWILL! To be intimately involved in this process through creating avenues for personal transformation, I feel very privileged. To join forces with so many people directed towards the same end is truly an honour!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
~ Pam Lewis, Director & Program Leader