Sunday, August 12, 2007

On My Knees: a "public divorce ceremony" by Cathy Gordon

A quick heads-up for anyone in Toronto: Cathy Gordon, a close friend and colleague, will be crawling across the city -- on her hands and knees -- on Monday, August 13th.



Cathy is a very gifted artist, and this should be a particularly interesting project. All I'll say for now is that I'll be there -- and I encourage anyone reading this in Toronto to see it.

For more information, please visit her website -- www.cathygordon.com -- and check out the article in today's Toronto Star newspaper: An Extremely Public Divorce.

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(Photo is from Cathy's website.)

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Simplicity of a Child's Acceptance

I had of the loveliest couple of hours this afternoon, sharing a lingering patio coffee with a sweet friend... and then an even lovelier hour or so, meeting his young son for the first time and frolicking in the park.

My friend's son chased pigeons -- with great glee and little success -- and we all howled with laughter. Later, our talks turned to dragons and unicorns... the shapes of planes and helicopters... and the intricate beadwork of a kitschy Chinatown frog.

My favorite moment was one of the simplest. After the pigeon-chasing, as we walked toward the street, the boy took his father's hand. A moment later, beaming, he reached his other tiny hand toward me.

We walked for blocks like that, talking and laughing. Later this evening, walking home on my own, I remembered my friend's smile and his son's giddy laughter -- and felt such gratitude for this day.