Ten Grand!

We left Pinecone Park just past 8:00 to catch the 8:45 ferry to Nanaimo. I wanted to get onto the big island early enough to pick up some pet supplies before my appointment, and to give Sheba a short walk ahead of being locked in the car while I did my tests. And once done, I made a bee line to the sushi bar.

I also did some food shopping in the mall before catching the ferry home. And then, Heaven! Once parked in the parking lot for the ferry home, I ate a lot of sushi. Heaven! And once home, I lit a small fire, and I puttered around the house. I’d planned on finishing the top two shelves of the pantry, but no. I was not up for it.

Coming home was absolutely spectacular because the sun had come out and it was a glorious 16°! Not bad for the final week of Fall, eh! However, going to the big island always exhausts me, hence only puttering the rest of the day away. The highlight of returning home came in an email from Aidan.

On Sunday, SPACE held an event in Vancouver. Aidan had been very successful with publicity, and so there was an audience of roughly sixty people in a popular intimate venue for the performances and the exhibition of artwork by stutterers. Someone who went, sent Aidan an amazing email:

It was our pleasure to donate and support SPACE - we learned so much and felt so energized following the evening that it just felt right. 

The work you and the team are doing is incredible. I could really feel how much the community means to everyone, especially those who spoke and performed. It’s rare for someone like myself who is outside of the community, to experience in real time how much it means to everyone. 

My biggest takeaway from the night was how my perspective on stuttering, shifted in a couple of ways. 

First, seeing how people succeed because of their stuttering, not in spite of it. You really nailed that on the head. 

But second, what was really special, was something more practical. Typically stuttering is often perceived as a delay or obstacle to getting words out. But what I felt last night was when you truly listen, it feels more like a build up or a climax - like it enhances the output, and adds more emphasis to what is being said. 

I got so much value from hearing everyone’s perspectives and stories and art. The least we can do is donate to support you.

Whomever wrote this email—Aidan has not told me their name—sent Aidan a cheque for $10,000 for SPACE! It’s not often a charity that I’ve worked for gets and unsolicited financial gift. This one speaks loudly to the impact of Aidan. He can charm diamonds from granite. He is blessed. We stutterers are blessed to have him working to make our world a better place for us.

Today, we’re back to misty rain and much cooler temperatures. Plus, we’ve been issued with two weather alerts. High winds and heavy rain are predicted, and that can mean having a power failure. The pets and I will keep each other company indoors today.

I ate a ton of food yesterday, so today will be a day of low intake. My friend Connie dropped off a book yesterday for me to read. It was a surprise to hear from her after a long gap, and I was happy to see that her book, written by her sister, is about a person I used to know and work with: Murray Farr. I’ll be reading today.

Sarah is visiting her parents from Costa Rica. When I went over to visit
her, she told me about the Blue Jade vine that grows there. She is getting
one for her garden and I am crazy jealous.