A PELEE STORY
THERE WAS a young boy who came to Pelee Island in 1948 with his younger brother and father. They came to escape turmoil and the probability of being taken from their father, after their mother, who wasn't well had been committed to a hospital.
He speaks of his time here on Pelee as being the best time of his life. A time of blissful joy and freedom.
Little did he know he was being nurtured by the magic of Pelee.
THERE WAS a young boy who came to Pelee Island in 1948 with his younger brother and father. They came to escape turmoil and the probability of being taken from their father, after their mother, who wasn't well had been committed to a hospital.
He speaks of his time here on Pelee as being the best time of his life. A time of blissful joy and freedom.
Little did he know he was being nurtured by the magic of Pelee.
There is that which can be felt or experienced. Not necessarily something that is factual in an exact physical or historical way. Life experiences, synchronicities, clarifying moments when it all comes together, awareness of being sustained, feeling safe in the world, comforted, sheltered...
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THIS PAGE is a safe place, evolved out of my journey, out of what I have learned and experienced along the way and in return want to offer up to you. A place to connect with or feel others' stories, because through this we learn we are never alone in our own.
A place to put it down in words, share a memory or experience of Pelee, whether we sign our name or not.
This all begins about the magic and healing energy of Pelee Island, but what we learn in time, is that this can be found anywhere as long as we live raw with our hearts wide open...
Many of us are introverts stumbling around this big old world, but we can find a comfortable place to find our voice in other ways. Maybe using our hands to write, to create, to touch others, to make beautiful gardens... Just to be who you truly are.
Not that extroverts aren't welcome, just be gentle please! :)
Everyone has a little story to tell, what is yours?
CONTACT US and we'll be thrilled to include it here, I wait with anticipation.
THIS PAGE is a safe place, evolved out of my journey, out of what I have learned and experienced along the way and in return want to offer up to you. A place to connect with or feel others' stories, because through this we learn we are never alone in our own.
A place to put it down in words, share a memory or experience of Pelee, whether we sign our name or not.
This all begins about the magic and healing energy of Pelee Island, but what we learn in time, is that this can be found anywhere as long as we live raw with our hearts wide open...
Many of us are introverts stumbling around this big old world, but we can find a comfortable place to find our voice in other ways. Maybe using our hands to write, to create, to touch others, to make beautiful gardens... Just to be who you truly are.
Not that extroverts aren't welcome, just be gentle please! :)
Everyone has a little story to tell, what is yours?
CONTACT US and we'll be thrilled to include it here, I wait with anticipation.
PELEE 'S EMBRACE
Pelee is nurturing. Pelee's wild and uninhibited nature calls us to live the same. However we choose to listen, however we choose to connect, the magic is there waiting to embrace you and take you as far as you may go. For some a bike ride around the island finishing with a dip of your toes in the lake may be all you need to recenter, some a release with friends over drinks, others savour an opportunity to dive deeper following their soul's wanderlust, meeting up with innate intuition.
Is it the quietness, the simpleness, being surrounded by Mother Nature in all her glory? Less distraction definitely allows for the divine to weave its' cloak of magic providing rest, replenishment, freedom, knowing to unanswered questions, peace to unsettled souls, healing to broken hearts...
YOUR STORY here...
ANTLERS & LAVENDER BEACH GLASS
Feb. 5, 2016
Just yesterday a young 20 something friend and his buddy were telling me about the great time they had a few days earlier. He had made the decision to live better and take better care of his body which prompted them to go out hiking in the woods. They were searching for deer antlers, when one of them said out loud that he wished he could just find a really big one! In his next step he looked down and there it was! They were ecstatic, on top of the world, still carrying big grins as they told me their story.
I hesitated, but then decided to go ahead and share my thought, that it was their reward for being out in nature and taking care of themselves. I then shared a similar moment from a few years back when my son, his friend and myself were on the beach, having to chosen to play instead of always working. I had commented that I'd love to find a piece of lavender beach glass, explaining how rare it was. Sure enough our friend leans over, picks up a piece and says, 'here ya go.' I too was thrilled over my gift from nature.
Today I was lucky enough to be walking on the beach on Pelee thinking, no beach treasures today, strolling, enjoying the ice flows glistening in the warm winter sun. Then my eyes were drawn to a little tiny piece of green weathered glass. As I reached for it, right there beside it was a big lavender piece. In that moment I knew it was confirmation of what is...
my reward, approval for following my heart and sharing my thought with the young guys.
Just yesterday a young 20 something friend and his buddy were telling me about the great time they had a few days earlier. He had made the decision to live better and take better care of his body which prompted them to go out hiking in the woods. They were searching for deer antlers, when one of them said out loud that he wished he could just find a really big one! In his next step he looked down and there it was! They were ecstatic, on top of the world, still carrying big grins as they told me their story.
I hesitated, but then decided to go ahead and share my thought, that it was their reward for being out in nature and taking care of themselves. I then shared a similar moment from a few years back when my son, his friend and myself were on the beach, having to chosen to play instead of always working. I had commented that I'd love to find a piece of lavender beach glass, explaining how rare it was. Sure enough our friend leans over, picks up a piece and says, 'here ya go.' I too was thrilled over my gift from nature.
Today I was lucky enough to be walking on the beach on Pelee thinking, no beach treasures today, strolling, enjoying the ice flows glistening in the warm winter sun. Then my eyes were drawn to a little tiny piece of green weathered glass. As I reached for it, right there beside it was a big lavender piece. In that moment I knew it was confirmation of what is...
my reward, approval for following my heart and sharing my thought with the young guys.
EObymnd
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A JOURNEY OF THE SENSES
CALENDULAS' healing properties are so essential especially for any trauma or irritation, large or small to the skin of our bodies, our temples for our souls. I should not have been surprised to be greeted by Calendula, overflowing in a raised crate planter at the entrance to a greenhouse during a wonderful tour of an amazing organic garden on Pelee. It was truly a journey of my senses. The passion of a project well done, coming from the heart, evident in every step I made through the gardens, the sights, the scents, the abundance in my hands, the intense flavors on my tongue and I must not forget the sounds of the happy chickens roaming free. It was quite a pleasurable experience!
EARTHING
So what about Pelee's healing restorative energy? Could there possibly be something more scientific to it? Something other than just the 'good feeling' one is left with. Maybe there is more to it than just the desire to leave your shoes behind, hanging on a tree after experiencing freedom here, hesitant to return to the restrictions of whatever your 'normal' life may be.
When most of us think about the formation of Pelee Island, we only think as far back as the Glacial period when 20,000 years ago the continental sheet of ice began retreating, gouging out the earth as it went, creating the basins of the Great Lakes, the melting ice filling them with fresh water. Proof of this can be seen in the glacial grooves sliced through the limestone along the shores of the Island.
But what formed the limestone? To learn this we must go back many many millions of years to the Devonian period. At this time we were covered by a tropical salt water sea. Again the exposed limestone shows us the evidence of the coral reef formation from that time period.
This suggests that the foundation of the island is actually a petrified coral reef. The limestone is a by-product of the coral. Given the natural layout of the Island we end up with a bowl full of plenty, overflowing with Earth energy carried by the abundance of minerals brought up from the deep. A fertile land begging to nourish. An Earthing paradise, a barefoot haven. Then if that's not enough add the cleansing, purifying energy of being surrounded by water!
So, is there actually science to the 'feeling?' Well. it doesn't really matter to me whether there is or isn't, because what I know for sure is that it sure feels good!
STORY By Harold Thiessen, L side, big brother R
YOU ARE NEVER ALONE
One of Pelee's many charms is its' lack of development and structure. The way it allows you to disappear into your own thoughts and space, unobstructed, free to notice and take in all the simple beauty of nature at its' untamed best. Queen Anne's Lace is my favorite wildflower and what a joy to see it all along the roads edges oblivious to the dust stirred up by the odd passing vehicle in the dry heat of the summer. A few little cuttings so regal, gracing our picnic table on the beach.
I met a kindred spirit over such. I commented on her clippings at the checkout counter of a Pelee Shop, expressing my love of them. She then so innocently told me of her connection to Queen Anne's Lace. As a young girl growing up in a family of many siblings, she often felt alone, lost in the goings on of a large family. On one particular day as she sat in a field by herself, she felt something gently brush her arm. It was a Queen Anne's Lace speaking to her, acknowledging her presence. In her child mind she saw large against the sky the words,
'you are never alone' illuminated like an old movie theater marquee.
The magic of a simple flower causing such a simple yet profound truth to be shared between acquaintances. How powerful it is to have faith, but also to really know that we are never separate and alone.
HEART WIDE OPEN
... as the years went on I became more and more aware of natures' healing energy. Pelee Island is where I first connected or should I say deeply felt Divine energy in Nature. I had felt it in my gardens at home, with my hands in the earth, the butterflies visiting and pink roses speaking to me. But the full power of it saturated my whole being on a rainy day here on the beach. Not on a beautiful day in the garden like you might expect. This was where it clicked... where I felt a strong sense of being surrounded by an energy outside of myself yet of myself. Something that was carrying me yet was inside me. I spent the afternoon inside our screened shelter at the waters' edge, rain tapping on the roof, waves crashing, a green cloudy haze all around. I was sipping a cold coffee and Baileys with a book that was meant to be, but that afternoon I think the same page stayed open on my lap for hours on end. The experience was beyond words...
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My niece, Kelsey, who knows her lavender, shared with me about the time her parents brought home a jar of lavender buds from the Island for her. She said it was the most fragrant lavender she had ever smelled, and wondered if it was because of the different soil. She expressed, 'If I feel stressed I love to go to my room, smell my lavender and it makes me feel relaxed.' |
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CHILDHOOD BLISS
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Old black and white photos courtesy of EKMHA
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ON TOP OF THE WORLD
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STORY by Elsie Klassen Krahn
REMINISCING , by Ruth (Rymal) Woodsit
Fish Point west beach entrance
My energetic connection to Pelee, I believe now began a long time ago, before I became aware of it. You see we don't always know what we know. Parts of our tapestries being recognized over time, in the right moment, as we open our hearts and vision to the beauty of the whole interconnectedness...
..an Island affinity drawn deeper by Mission Hall…
“ …as a frequent 'daytripping' bicyclist sojourner to Pelee Island, spanning now some three decades of discovery and escapism, and especially so these past few years, (since now living back along shores in view of the island), I have come to feel a certain sacredness in the pursuit and pleasure of these sojourns…while enjoying the company of my kids and others on such outings, and the 'workout' of it all, cruising the back roads, and seemingly abandoned beaches, and relishing the delight of ending up at the island’s winery pavilion will always have 'pride of place', my fascination and ever deepening understanding of its history, its pioneering peoples, its dramatically unique flora and fauna, have grown on me in ways that have come to indeed nurture the soul and inspire my love of the place….
…and what a marvel with this latest, virtually unique, dimension of the beloved 'Mission Hall'…. to ponder its dilapidated and fading state during these forlorn years, to learn of its origins of Christian ministry to Islanders through the spiritual leadership of George Pegg, to know of its generous connections as well in the lives of the island’s Mennonite families, and to now realize and seize upon its symbolism, yet, as another precious Pelee Island icon in need of resurrection and restoration, all this certainly tugs at the heart….what kudos to the initiative of Christine Palichuk and those who have joined her vision and efforts, and to the Pelee Island Winery, all intent as a wonderful collective to bring about a new beginning, a restored and revered Mission Hall, no less than a century later, … thank you for paying tribute to its origins of otherworldly retreat while bringing together a contemporary rejuvenation in this current restoration… I know I will be drawn on my cycles, to head its way, to dismount and walk around , to linger in its presence and contemplate its meaning and memory to so many …and to offer a silent prayer in its shadows, a desire to feel the island’s 'magic', and to perhaps draw strength and purpose from its soulful foundations…”
Ian Musgrave
“ …as a frequent 'daytripping' bicyclist sojourner to Pelee Island, spanning now some three decades of discovery and escapism, and especially so these past few years, (since now living back along shores in view of the island), I have come to feel a certain sacredness in the pursuit and pleasure of these sojourns…while enjoying the company of my kids and others on such outings, and the 'workout' of it all, cruising the back roads, and seemingly abandoned beaches, and relishing the delight of ending up at the island’s winery pavilion will always have 'pride of place', my fascination and ever deepening understanding of its history, its pioneering peoples, its dramatically unique flora and fauna, have grown on me in ways that have come to indeed nurture the soul and inspire my love of the place….
…and what a marvel with this latest, virtually unique, dimension of the beloved 'Mission Hall'…. to ponder its dilapidated and fading state during these forlorn years, to learn of its origins of Christian ministry to Islanders through the spiritual leadership of George Pegg, to know of its generous connections as well in the lives of the island’s Mennonite families, and to now realize and seize upon its symbolism, yet, as another precious Pelee Island icon in need of resurrection and restoration, all this certainly tugs at the heart….what kudos to the initiative of Christine Palichuk and those who have joined her vision and efforts, and to the Pelee Island Winery, all intent as a wonderful collective to bring about a new beginning, a restored and revered Mission Hall, no less than a century later, … thank you for paying tribute to its origins of otherworldly retreat while bringing together a contemporary rejuvenation in this current restoration… I know I will be drawn on my cycles, to head its way, to dismount and walk around , to linger in its presence and contemplate its meaning and memory to so many …and to offer a silent prayer in its shadows, a desire to feel the island’s 'magic', and to perhaps draw strength and purpose from its soulful foundations…”
Ian Musgrave
Pelee Playground, 1948
My first awareness of a deeper connection with the Island was the first anniversary of returning our daughter to the Earth. We came here and stayed at an Inn where I found myself writing to a stranger's guestbook that I felt closer to her here somehow. This was before I realized there was so much more to the journey than grief alone...
Last year, in searching for writings that symbolized the four directions, I came across a very extensive interpretation of a Native American prayer that honors North, South, East and West. The reader was encouraged to pull from it what resonated with them. I called my version,
SOUL WANDERLUST
Last year, in searching for writings that symbolized the four directions, I came across a very extensive interpretation of a Native American prayer that honors North, South, East and West. The reader was encouraged to pull from it what resonated with them. I called my version,
SOUL WANDERLUST
We can look to the North as the winter freezes the waters of the earth.
It is here we begin to see how we may lie frozen in the patterns of our actions.
But the frozen water also provides the mirror to reflect the result of these patterns and how we live, affecting everything around us.
This is where we begin to realize the power of our mind to choose to break through the ice, accessing the wisdom of our spirit, acting willfully.
As the sun rises in the East, giving light to darkness, we gain understanding as the frozen waters are melted.
It is the spring of the awareness of, 'I am that I am'.
This is where we truly feel alive, our gifts become identified, we realize our potential and how the universe works, and how our thoughts and actions benefit all.
This is where it clicks.
As we turn to the South, we feel summer after the spring rains have started our creative life energy flowing.
We learn to understand our feelings and emotions.
We learn to plant seeds of good cause in clear intention.
Wet by warm summer winds, we nurture and bring the seeds of our thoughts to fruition.
The South nurtures and sustains us as our dance of life takes form.
We enjoy the splendour of the sun setting in the West.
This is the fall, the harvest of our journey. This is where the fruits, the experience of life and Karma is, the balancing of what we have worked so hard for.
Here we leave behind what we no longer need, to be composted to benefit or teach others.
Because there is no waste from our journey.
This is where the ego dies.
The West is the transforming fire. Where we leave our doubts and fear and commit to walk the circle of life for the beauty and love, and the benefit of all!
**********
It is here we begin to see how we may lie frozen in the patterns of our actions.
But the frozen water also provides the mirror to reflect the result of these patterns and how we live, affecting everything around us.
This is where we begin to realize the power of our mind to choose to break through the ice, accessing the wisdom of our spirit, acting willfully.
As the sun rises in the East, giving light to darkness, we gain understanding as the frozen waters are melted.
It is the spring of the awareness of, 'I am that I am'.
This is where we truly feel alive, our gifts become identified, we realize our potential and how the universe works, and how our thoughts and actions benefit all.
This is where it clicks.
As we turn to the South, we feel summer after the spring rains have started our creative life energy flowing.
We learn to understand our feelings and emotions.
We learn to plant seeds of good cause in clear intention.
Wet by warm summer winds, we nurture and bring the seeds of our thoughts to fruition.
The South nurtures and sustains us as our dance of life takes form.
We enjoy the splendour of the sun setting in the West.
This is the fall, the harvest of our journey. This is where the fruits, the experience of life and Karma is, the balancing of what we have worked so hard for.
Here we leave behind what we no longer need, to be composted to benefit or teach others.
Because there is no waste from our journey.
This is where the ego dies.
The West is the transforming fire. Where we leave our doubts and fear and commit to walk the circle of life for the beauty and love, and the benefit of all!
**********
Thank you to Debbie for putting together this beautiful surprise...
Go to youtube.com and search 2015 August Pelee Island Soul Wanderlust
We hope you enjoy.
From Rob Konrad
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In 1925, my Mom, Hilda Konrad (Thiessen) moved to Pelee Island within a year of coming to Canada. She was the oldest child at 2 years old when they settled on Pelee Island and became part of a growing farm family. My Dad, George Konrad arrived in Canada in 1924, moving to Western Canada before returning and moving to Pelee Island in 1935. On October 9th, 1942, they were married by Rev. N. N. Driedger in the Mission Hall with a reception in a vacant house. They moved to the mainland in 1943. |
The following is recorded while my mother was still alive and contains some other details.
As told by Hilda Thiessen Konrad
The Wedding
George and I were formally engaged on Christmas Day 1941. His relatives came to Mom and Dad’s house. The Andacht (service) was led by Isaac Klassen, father-in-law of George’s sister, Mary. There was scripture and a sermon. My sister Agnes said that Christmas was never the same after that.
The wedding was planned for October 9, 1942. Mom did not want to make a wedding dress so I went by myself to the Jaunty Shoppe in Leamington and bought one. Several other Mennonite brides had the same dress. Dad wrote a wedding invitation by hand and on the back was a list of people who were to be invited. So it was simply forwarded to whoever was next on the list.
The wedding was held on a Friday because Rev. N. N. Driedger and others had to get back to the mainland for a Sunday School convention in Leamington on Sunday. Many guests were coming from the mainland and had to be hosted overnight.
The ceremony was held in Mr. Pegg’s Mission Hall. (It had been used for church services by the Mennonites in the early years on the island.) We entered the church together and Reverend Driedger officiated with a sermon and scripture reading from Psalm 23. George had asked his cousin George Konrad to put together a choir; probably most of them were from the mainland. One song I remember is ‘Gott Gruesse Dich’ (God Greet? Welcome? You). I don’t remember a lot of weddings up until then but most followed the same procedure.
My brothers and sisters say that Irene got so restless during the ceremony that Frieda had to take her outside. And Harry forgot to wear socks! How did that get past Mom?
The ‘Faspa’ reception was held in an empty house with an L shaped, screened-in veranda. It was a simple meal of Zwieback and coffee.
Our first home was in the house where George had been batching. George worked for Arthur Goodburn, an agent/businessman and drove truck for him. Mr. Goodburn would buy up grain which was combined, bagged and stacked in a pile on the field. George had to load them and take them to a storage area such as a barn. Mr. Goodburn also ordered coal from the mainland. It was shoveled off the boat onto the dock. Then George had to shovel it by hand onto the truck and deliver it to customers around the island.
We lived there from October 1942 till April 1943 when we moved to the mainland.
As told by Hilda Thiessen Konrad
The Wedding
George and I were formally engaged on Christmas Day 1941. His relatives came to Mom and Dad’s house. The Andacht (service) was led by Isaac Klassen, father-in-law of George’s sister, Mary. There was scripture and a sermon. My sister Agnes said that Christmas was never the same after that.
The wedding was planned for October 9, 1942. Mom did not want to make a wedding dress so I went by myself to the Jaunty Shoppe in Leamington and bought one. Several other Mennonite brides had the same dress. Dad wrote a wedding invitation by hand and on the back was a list of people who were to be invited. So it was simply forwarded to whoever was next on the list.
The wedding was held on a Friday because Rev. N. N. Driedger and others had to get back to the mainland for a Sunday School convention in Leamington on Sunday. Many guests were coming from the mainland and had to be hosted overnight.
The ceremony was held in Mr. Pegg’s Mission Hall. (It had been used for church services by the Mennonites in the early years on the island.) We entered the church together and Reverend Driedger officiated with a sermon and scripture reading from Psalm 23. George had asked his cousin George Konrad to put together a choir; probably most of them were from the mainland. One song I remember is ‘Gott Gruesse Dich’ (God Greet? Welcome? You). I don’t remember a lot of weddings up until then but most followed the same procedure.
My brothers and sisters say that Irene got so restless during the ceremony that Frieda had to take her outside. And Harry forgot to wear socks! How did that get past Mom?
The ‘Faspa’ reception was held in an empty house with an L shaped, screened-in veranda. It was a simple meal of Zwieback and coffee.
Our first home was in the house where George had been batching. George worked for Arthur Goodburn, an agent/businessman and drove truck for him. Mr. Goodburn would buy up grain which was combined, bagged and stacked in a pile on the field. George had to load them and take them to a storage area such as a barn. Mr. Goodburn also ordered coal from the mainland. It was shoveled off the boat onto the dock. Then George had to shovel it by hand onto the truck and deliver it to customers around the island.
We lived there from October 1942 till April 1943 when we moved to the mainland.
COMPLETION * BEGINNING
Blue Heron, late summer 2017
For years one has stood at either end of the beach, my bodyguard.
*
Recently, on a night when I arrived, he sailed by right in front of me. In the morning, gracefully pacing outside my door. A message from a totem animal?
*
Then again on my next stay, my first morning I awoke to two of them sailing past my door, returning for only a brief landing. What message did they leave?
*
Are they calling me back once again? Is it time to journey? I was pulled from my sleep in the wee hours of last night's darkness only to lay there anticipating the splendor of the morning. Wrapped in a light layer I sneak out to the water's edge. I am the first sliver of light that shines through a bare spot in today's heavy cloud cover. It casts a silver film on the water's surface as its sleepy waves slowly reach out to me. I and the beach wait patiently for the break of dawn...
It came softly today, no big fanfare, just my style.
Simply a blush of baby soft pink, ever so gently expanding my soul. I remember June 27th, 1999. The strong urge to see the sunrise over the lake. It was the first time I ever felt this desire. Before that day I had not known the birds always come out with an introductory song...
Ah, there he is. He has landed at the far end of the beach, standing regal and on duty, checking in on me. I am one with the earth. I am listening. Where will we go from here?
I greet the morning, "with love, without fear".
For years one has stood at either end of the beach, my bodyguard.
*
Recently, on a night when I arrived, he sailed by right in front of me. In the morning, gracefully pacing outside my door. A message from a totem animal?
*
Then again on my next stay, my first morning I awoke to two of them sailing past my door, returning for only a brief landing. What message did they leave?
*
Are they calling me back once again? Is it time to journey? I was pulled from my sleep in the wee hours of last night's darkness only to lay there anticipating the splendor of the morning. Wrapped in a light layer I sneak out to the water's edge. I am the first sliver of light that shines through a bare spot in today's heavy cloud cover. It casts a silver film on the water's surface as its sleepy waves slowly reach out to me. I and the beach wait patiently for the break of dawn...
It came softly today, no big fanfare, just my style.
Simply a blush of baby soft pink, ever so gently expanding my soul. I remember June 27th, 1999. The strong urge to see the sunrise over the lake. It was the first time I ever felt this desire. Before that day I had not known the birds always come out with an introductory song...
Ah, there he is. He has landed at the far end of the beach, standing regal and on duty, checking in on me. I am one with the earth. I am listening. Where will we go from here?
I greet the morning, "with love, without fear".
WINTER ESCAPE
East side sunset, imagine that!
Completion Celebration 2018
