by Joanne Reimer
Unbeknownst to each other, my parents emigrated to Canada from Poland in 1928, just before the Great Depression. They had the equivalent of a Grade 3 education, no money, no English and only one extended relative each in Canada.
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Given those meagre resources, they managed to raise a family of three children. Ours was a practical family. My parents were frugal with money and generous in spirit. Waste was not permitted. We often had friends for dinner and holiday events but the focus was on the delicious food and not on the china or glassware on the table. My father loved growing flowers but they were always outside in the garden, not in the house.
I vividly remember that my mother had a Christmas cactus in our house, likely a gift from a visitor who came for dinner. After she died, I moved to Vancouver in 1984 and I took her cactus and her Singer sewing machine with me. The cactus is still blooming to this day minus one big piece that fell off a few years ago. My re-blooming and cherished orchids are displayed on the Singer sewing machine
I say all this because it wasn’t until my connection with Callanish that I began to appreciate what beauty in the form of flowers offered to my mind and heart. An orchid is always at the entrance of Callanish, flowers greet participants on retreat, and solstice gatherings have the most exquisite floral arrangement that participants can barely shift their eyes from. Now when I go grocery shopping, I buy a small clutch of flowers, just for me, to put on our kitchen table. The practical side of me recognizes that these flowers are as necessary for my well -being as the food items in my grocery cart.
My mother’s cactus is a precious reminder of her generous, thoughtful self when she was physically present in my life. Her cactus is a beautiful memory that brings me much joy especially when it blooms and spurs me on to proudly share its photograph.
Joanne Reimer has been connected to Callanish since its inception in 1995 and has been a program assistant and baker at Callanish for the past several years. She brings many years of experience working in the healthcare system as a clinical nurse specialist in palliative care and researcher.