When I traveled to Ukraine to find the birthplaces of my husband’s parents and my grandparents, I saw an ancient oak tree, which served as a gathering place and an important symbol for Mennonites who lived in the Chortitza area of Ukraine for some 140 years. Acorns from that oak came to Canada with Mennonite immigrants seeking freedom from oppression, and with their descendants who visited Ukraine to explore their heritage. Those acorns were planted across our country and have grown into mature trees. One such oak is at Steinbach’s Mennonite Heritage Village Museum.

Perhaps because an oak tree is an important touchstone in the history of my own people, I listened with great interest when Prime Minister Mark Carney referenced the symbolic nature of oaks several times in his speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France a week ago.

Mr. Carney talked about First World War lieutenant, Leslie Miller, who fought at Vimy Ridge in France. That battle claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Canadian soldiers and injured 10,000 more. Lieutenant Miller gathered acorns from Vimy Ridge oaks, took them back to Canada, and planted them in Milliken, Ont., where they grew into a splendid forest. A century later, grafts from those oaks were taken to France, to plant again on Vimy Ridge. Mr. Carney said that story was symbolic of the partnership between Canada and Europe. “Seeds, values, ideas, trade, people and progress carried back and forth across the Atlantic for centuries.”

Mr. Carney also described an oak in Germany that came to be known as Goethe’s Tree because the famed poet, who hugely influenced Western literature, politics, religion and philosophy often walked in the forested area where that tree stood.

The transition from summer to fall in Manitoba brings with it a number of familiar routines. Vacations, summer festivals and time at the lake start to be in the rear-view mirror and the focus shifts to families adjusting to school and regular work schedules. The gradual change in temperature and the changing of the colours on the trees isn’t always welcome by many, but there is something comforting about the predictability that Manitoba’s four distinct seasons bring.

In Canadian politics, that predictability is noticeably absent in a world where long established norms and relationships are challenged every day. The most obvious and painful one for Canadians is the fracturing of the economic relationship that our country has had with the United States for many decades. The nature with which the U.S. administration has gone about trying to dismantle this relationship has not only been economically hurtful for Canada, but every indication is also that it has been personally insulting for many Canadians as well.

During all this uncertainty, Parliament and legislatures across Canada are returning and the issues that need to be dealt with are as serious as any our country has faced in decades. The federal government is working at speed to try to diversify our economic relationships around the world. And while Canada is a desirable trading partner for many other nations, trade agreements and long-time supply chains and economic relationships take a long time to establish.

Here in Manitoba, the provincial government announced this week that the province’s deficit for the last fully audited year topped more than $800 million. Not long ago, this would have been considered a terrible result, and yet Manitoba’s premier held a news conference trying to tell Manitobans that this was wonderful news and better news was yet to come. Yet we also know that the regional flooding that happened in Manitoba this year will cost hundreds of millions of dollars while at the same time, Manitoba Hydro continues to lose hundreds of millions of dollars because of drought (it is a uniquely Manitoba experience that both flooding and drought impact us simultaneously). How exactly the provincial NDP government plans to manage these financial challenges will be an important part of the discussion that happens at the Manitoba legislature this fall.

Domestic violence is often misunderstood. When we hear the words “domestic violence,” many of us picture physical violence between partners. But domestic violence is much broader than that. It can take many forms, and often, the signs are not immediately visible.

At Agape House, our outreach department spends a lot of time in the community talking about what domestic violence can look like and helping people recognize behaviours that may otherwise be overlooked.

At its core, domestic violence is about power and control. It can include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse, as well as intimidation, threats, stalking, isolation, and controlling behaviours.

It might look like a partner constantly checking someone’s phone or location, deciding who they can spend time with, controlling their access to money, preventing them from working, repeatedly criticizing or humiliating them, or threatening to hurt them, their children, pets, or themselves.

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life… And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.” - William Martin (The Parent’s Tao Te Ching)

When we think of the Church year, we naturally gravitate toward the great seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. These are the dramatic moments of anticipation, celebration, sacrifice, and resurrection. Yet the largest portion of the liturgical year is neither festive nor dramatic. It is known as Ordinary Time, and it may be the most overlooked gift in the Church calendar.

Our modern culture has conditioned us to think of the term “ordinary” as dull and something to be avoided. In our house, my parents did not tolerate the phrase ‘I’m bored’. There was always something to do. However, Ordinary Time is important. What would our world be if it wasn’t for the everyday faithfulness of God, His creation and the helpers around us?

Unlike Advent and Lent, which prepare us for specific celebrations, Ordinary Time focuses on the ongoing life of faith. It is a season not of dramatic spiritual highs but of patient growth. Nature offers a helpful comparison. A gardener may delight in the excitement of planting season and marvel at the beauty of harvest. However, most of the year is spent tending, watering, weeding, and waiting. Growth happens quietly. The most significant changes occur gradually beneath the surface. As William Martin says above, our children and grandchildren don’t need the pressure of being extraordinary, but a mentoring of being faithful with the ordinary.