Sheltered...

I'm gonna share an intimate part of me with you...

I was at work last week and a memory just popped into my head...

A few years ago I volunteered at a women's shelter... The first job I went for as just food preparation but during the orientation meeting I noticed that they were looking for someone to run the Arts and Crafts program... I got the job... But the one memory that was in my head was one day we were just randomly creating art... I had a few ladies with me... One was a native woman... She looked battered and bruised... But still in good spirits... We found some beats and she tried to show me how to create flowers out of beads to create necklaces and bracelets... I was horrible at it... I knew I needed more time but I didn't have it as the session was ending...

The idea that people in all different walks of life can inherit such great talents intrigues me...

So where did this all begin...

Growing up I didn't have much... Like most immigrant families we worked from the ground up... My parents always put us children first... Fed us, clothed us, bathed us... For a time we didn't have a place to live... I lived at a shelter with my mother and two younger sisters... They were too young to remember and we were only there for a few months... But I remember...

Before this we had lived on the 2nd floor of a house near Ossington and Dupont... I became close to my neighbours and they had given me a colouring book and pencils as a going away present... In the shelter we also had a room on the 2nd floor... We always had different roommates... One of the kids that stayed in the room with us at a time took my book and I found it under her bed... During this time I never cherished anything, I knew that it wouldn't be in my life forever...

I remember watching E.T., playing in the playground, horrible baths, oatmeal with brown sugar and walking to school... I also remember Arts and Crafts... It was an important time for me... Most of the kids just played with other things... There were many supplies available to us kids...



So now it's 20 years later... I still remember my experience at the shelter... Once the opportunity to volunteer at one arose I knew it was important for me to give back what I could... The shelter I lived in is now gone, it got demolished and now built over... The women's shelter was only one street west of where I laid my little head years before... I believe the shelters were connected as well... A group of them, all for different purposes... But all to help those who needed it most...

I began volunteering at the shelter and was there from May - November of 2009, before a trip to Vietnam with the family... I believe arts is a big part of what every human being needs... Our eyes are exposed to all forms of art on a regular basis and the very foundation of creating it helps release a selfless creative energy in us... Some days there were only a few participants, others a whole room... The supplies that were available were very limited and often I would bring in my own supplies to share... Each of these women had something special... There were 3 that stood out for me...

One woman was older and often spoke to herself... But she was so educated, she often spoke of the strangest things but then would turn full circle and speak of articulate things... Another woman was deaf, miming became an important skill... I would very much like to learn sign language... It may be a random skill to possess but it would be quite useful as well... The woman that sparked this whole entry was only with me one day, for only a few hours... She was native and had many scars on her wrists... We were having a random art day with the materials we had... She asked for some beads... She started making a beaded bracelet of flowers...

It's so strange to think of the idea that everyone possesses a talent... We may turn our heads to their circumstances but giving them the space to create, to open up to others is very special... She started one and then tried to teach me... I failed... She then left and I tried to finish hers, I failed... I was pretty embarrassed about it... She actually returned and I had to tell her that I lost her bracelet she had started... Luckily it wasn't too far in... Still, it's an embarrassing memory of mine...



I went on a family vacation soon after that and the woman that had hired me got fired... I didn't return to the shelter as it became privatized and did not have the daily drop-in program anymore... That made me angry... It's important for these women to have a place to come in from the dangers of the world... The activities and food available are necessary for the survival of spirit...


I know that I would not be where I am today without the help of the government and the shelter that provided me with a home for the months that I was there... It's important to know that these facilities are available to those in need... They always need supplies and donations... They are always looking for selfless volunteers to help them with daily tasks...

It was important to give back to something that was so helpful for me and my family... It's also great to help to learn more about the people in the city... To open up and learn more about the ordinary people that cross our path everyday... Life is vast, full of pain, misery but also great happiness and hope... You can't be ashamed of where you come from and you can't shelter yourself from what the world has to offer...