This Little Light of 2018

Wise is the person who would rather give honour than receive it.

London’s Café Rendezvous has nice lighting, comfortable couches, and the smell of coffee in the air. What it doesn’t have are prices. Originally started as a business by a local church, the café was transformed a year after it started. The managers felt that God was calling them to do something radical—make everything on the menu free. Today you can order a coffee, cake, or sandwich without cost. There isn’t even a donation jar. It’s all a gift. 

I asked the manager why they were so generous. “We’re just trying to treat people the way God treats us,” he said. “God gives to us whether we thank him or not. He’s generous to us beyond our imaginations.” 

~ Our Daily Bread/Dec. 11

The first week of a new year upon me is saturated in growth; while the taxing nature of improvement is a daily reminder of my mortality. Words that have been exchanged hang in the air I breathe; yet it my response to them that shows signs of transformation. Much like the trumpet-shaped, ochre, petals of a rose mallow flower, I am standing tall. 

The words on my room door xx

Over the holidays, I opted for connections amongst society that reached outwards in the universe. My tradition of seeing a film on Christmas Day, found me watching a musical – “The Greatest Showman.”  Later, I sat in amongst strangers as I had my Christmas meal at Denny’s. I was gifted the means to go out and treat myself, as my dear friend Judy had made it possible to do so. 

Some of "My Favourites" I bring into the New Year xo

This New Years, I chose to stay in. Unlike previous celebrations, I wanted to be doing something of importance, which held real value. My evening was immersed amongst those who are entrenched within; I was joined by Christian, Skylar and Gwennie Sue who summoned me onto the very pages I created them on. Working on the edits of my first novel, “Under the Sitka Tree,” saw me typing past the midnight hour. The reality that I need to prepare for publication, is tied into the reduction of words, I have had to carry out. Chapter after chapter has materialized in a story of Canadian historical fiction, where the world of Ospero Falls blurs mine. 

Those who have followed along the countless twists and turns of my writing path know of my devotion, to this book. In a thousand lifetimes, over and over again, I would want the honour of composing Sitka. It has been a blessing, to be chosen to write about the spirit tree, I am bound with.

2018 is the year, to release it from the confines of a 10-year- old laptop, onto the desk of a Canadian publishing house. Those who have intertwined their lives with my roots – will see God’s handiwork unfold.

Here's to YOU UTST! XO

For me, working on my book New Year’s Eve, was not work at all…I was ‘surrounded’ by those whose lineage I know better than my own family. In welcoming in 2018, I toasted with a bottle of Mionetto, Prosecco di Treviso Brut. The gold label had 1887 written on it and I was intrigued to find the year connected to British Columbia’s heritage. In May1887, The CPR main line was extended 12.2 miles along Burrard Inlet to Vancouver. 

In my novel, I delve into the stratum of freedom that saw thousands of slaves escape on a railroad that had neither locomotive nor tracks – the Underground Railroad. The voices of those who died at the hands of slave catchers and those who found independence on the soil of our country – are part of my story –produced by faith. 

My choice to be in the company of those who have inspired me as a writer, proved to be a wise decision, for I was bringing in the New Year, the one kindred bind that I will be remembered by…my words.

 ~ A lovely unexpected Christmas greeting from my mother

Even in the solitude, I felt warmth amongst my confined area. It is amazing how a person adjusts to a small space and finds comfort within its four walls. I have come to know home being redefined in the various forms I have been encircled by. For me, the requirements for my writing are an outlet to plug into and a place to sit. I recall last year camping amongst the lofty branches of Douglas firs, sitting on a rock and my extension cord powered into a source of electricity. 

I have inhaled the particles of oxygen in many parts of this earth, while the invisible pen in my hand has drawn in my reading audience. I carry out what I do… spinning stories with threads of connection to my soul, never fully knowing the direction they are released. The only riches are found in the off chance someone responds; for the bounty of my composing is not for monetary means; rather the effect it has on others. 

After my December blog post celebrating the life of my daughter, I shared it with the Senior Director of Communications at Boston Pizza.  The following email I received. 

Dear Tonya,

Thank you so very much for sharing your beautiful story with us. Reading it brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful way to honour Shayla. Sounds to me like you have yourself an angel in this life. I’m sending you warm wishes during this Holiday season and wish you all the best. I will be sure to share this amazing story with the owners of the Victoria BP. We are so glad we could be a part of that important day for you.

All my best, Alex 

Alexandra Cygal | Senior Director, Communications

This reply sums up why I share openly with the world…one never knows the ripple effect it can have. 

 

Moving into the New Year, one thing my resolutions did not contain; unrealistic expectations of things that I would only be setting myself up to fail. Instead, I focused on the simpler things that bring me a great deal of satisfaction. Last year, I was able to study numerous books that both enlarged my territory and also touched my life. 

This January, I’ve embarked again on gaining knowledge, insight and positive growth through my immersing in more reading. There is one book that is opened daily…my Bible. Over the course of two years, I have been taken on a journey of spiritual fulfilment; one where I do question or seek answers. 

After 500 pages, I am not merely trying to ‘get through it,’ I am steadfast in understanding more than this planet we inhabit. I wholly trust something far greater than our existence and because of being touched by death, I continue to honour this life I have been given. 

Wishing friends, foes and those who I do not know…The Happiest of 2018!

My toque is a gift from my babygirl xo My t-shirt reads: I Love You to the Moon & Back! xo

By TL Alton