The View From Down Here

Chalice takes a look at the fashion industry and comes to the conclusion that fashion in Fernie is just functional... but is it?

Chalice gives advice on thoughtful gifts for youth this Christmas!

The violin is not only an instrument. It is a way to harness emotions and express them in one of the most beautiful and tangible ways

There were two fatalities in our family this morning. The second and third this week. My father was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee this morning as I stumbled in. When he told me the news, I asked what he did with the bodies? He said that he buried them... in the compost. Poor chickens.

Generally on the snowiest days of the year, I ride the single line. With powder awaiting the quickest way to get back up to the top is the best. On one such occasion I mounted the chair lift with a middle aged British couple. After acquaintances were made, they posed a question that provoked much thought. “What is there for youth to do in Fernie?” I’m sure that it’s a question many people pose, hoping for a straight answer.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
-Chinese proverb

An elderly man sits back against the down of his pillow and opens his eyes. The sparkle next to his bed causes him to turn. His young granddaughter sat quietly, waiting to bid her last good-byes. She smiles as he watches her. He could see that she had a question so he reached over and patted her hand. The young girl finally spoke, “Poppa, I was just wondering, why are you, you? What should I remember?”

The date is September 2, and I am sitting in the Cranbrook airport nervously awaiting a sister I’ve never before met. Little do I know what an amazing impact she and others like her will have on my school, my community and myself.