Reduce a landmass to a village
with fierce determination,
a soul filled with poetry,
a heart that beats with the rhythm of Great Lake’s waves,
and the love of your people.
Enormous respect.
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
#GordDowniesCanada
Reduce a landmass to a village
with fierce determination,
a soul filled with poetry,
a heart that beats with the rhythm of Great Lake’s waves,
and the love of your people.
Enormous respect.
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Linda G. Hill 
The first line has me thinking of a mage about to cast a spell that he really shouldn’t.
Maybe that’s just my fantasy geared mind though.
Haha! Yes, I can see that. It would put everyone in a bit of a tight spot if that were done to all of Canada in a literal sense.
You may be aware of what went on last week here in Canada (you may be Canadian for all I know), but to spare you in either case, I won’t go into to the story of what inspired this unless you tell me you’re interested. 🙂
I’m always interested in a good story. Or bad story. Whichever is the case. I’m actually American, from Oregon. I also tend to avoid the news, as it’s mostly bad news or things I don’t care about, like which celebrity is wearing what.
Anyway, please regale me with the story of Canadian significance.
Okay then!
Once upon a time (about 28 years ago) a band called the Tragically Hip formed in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario. Try as they might, they never really made it out of Canada, but here in their homeland, they became what the Beatles were to England.
Fast forward to May, 2016 – the band announced they were going to perform their final tour. The reason, Gord Downie, the lead singer of the Tragically Hip, has terminal brain cancer. Shortly after the announcement he went for surgery to remove a tumor, then off they went on tour, with his brain surgeon tagging along for the ride.
On August 20th, they played their final gig, back in their hometown of Kingston. 6,000 people (including our Prime Minister, bedecked in a Tragically Hip t-shirt and jeans, packed the stadium, another 25,000 stood outside in a square that can usually comfortably hold 5,000, watching on a giant screen, and 11.6 million Canadians watched via live stream hosted by the CBC, uncut and without ads.
The word “Canada” derives from the Iroquois “kanata,” which means “village.” Mr. Downie, on that night less than two weeks ago, turned our huge country into a community, both to celebrate and mourn the life of a poet – one who has spoken for Canada in his lyrics for almost three decades.
If you’re interested, I wrote a post about that final concert here: https://lindaghill.com/2016/08/21/armed-with-will-and-determination-and-grace-too/ There’s a video embedded in the post, filmed from the audience, of the band playing a song called, “Grace,Too,” during which Gordie broke down and cried. There wasn’t a dry eye in the country. It’s a moment that is sure to go down in history.
That is an amazing story. Such rich history. Thank you for sharing.
You’re very welcome. 🙂
beautiful shot. sunrise?
Sunset, actually. 🙂