(Perpetua Quigley shares her haiku and watercolour sketch of the Ottawa Public Library on Castlefrank Drive. Glen Cairn, Kanata and Stittsville residents who use the library are descendants of the former Goulbourn Township and West Ottawa.)
messages of hope
Snowbirds and painted pebbles
community cares
To bring the importance of this watercolour sketch to the forefront, according to the U.S. and Worlds Report on April 13, 2021, the headlines read “Canada Ranks No. 1 in 2021 in News Best Countries Ranking” in quality of life and social purpose, meaning that it is seen as a stable and safe society in which individuals can develop and prosper, and is open, fair and equitable. An example of that quality of life and social purpose is witnessed in Glen Cairn as follows.
May 7, 2020 was marked with a flypast by the RCAF Snowbirds over Ottawa as a show of encouragement during COVID. It also marked the loss of six airforce soldiers in the Aegean Sea. The formation flew over the public library on Castlefrank in Glen Cairn.
On the ground, messages of encouragement were sprinkled throughout the community by an anonymous resident along sidewalks, beside mailboxes, on service utilities. These were in the form of colourfully painted rocks reading: love, laugh, calm; patience; you matter; hope; blessed; imagine; begin. Some were picked up, cherished privately and returned to another location.
There was a community call to gather the rocks and place them along of the perimeter of the library for all to see.
In that spirit, this watercolour sketch reflects and celebrates the generosity of spirit of residents in Glen Cairn.