Words of Sympathy

Even though her last visit was supposed to be two weeks ago, Cathy joined me at Carter Manor this Sunday to visit the guys there.

This week has been particularly hard with the sudden passing of our spiritual leader, Reverend Rodger Hunter, or Father Rodger as we called him. On my end, the Boarding Homes Ministry was sort of thrown for a loop. Being a solo volunteer I relied on either him or Cathy to join me on my visits.

I knew this time things could be particularly difficult given how fondly Rodger was thought of at the home. I experienced similar feelings of shock and sadness when I found out the news.

The mood was expectedly more solemn when we entered. At Andrea's request Cathy read from the Psalms and said a prayer. Residents were asked if they wanted to share any memories that had of Rodger. It wasn't easy. There were a few watery eyes to be sure.

I brought a card for anyone to sign if they wished. My plan is to give it to Rodger's daughter, Christie. Some people just wrote their names. Others put more.

God bless you - Mike

I love Rodger forever - Andrea

May u rest in eternal peace - Minh

God be with you - Sam

I can't believe it happened - Tony

Will always be missed -

It was just that God needed you - Mathieu

Cathy's Going Away Party

Terrence and Soma

Cathy had her going away party this past Friday at The Raq down on Queen West and Bathurst. She decided to leave and do freelancing which is what she did before she joined Trader. She invited a bunch of current and former employees down for one last kick at the can on her last day.

There were quite a few people there. For me it was sort of like a mini reunion. I was laid off from Trader about a year ago. That was the last time I saw most of my friends there. There were some people I was disappointed not to see. But, there were also a few faces I hadn't seen in quite a few years like Terence and Maki. It was great seeing them again.

Anyway, it was nice hanging out, having a drink and catching up with old friends again. We're going to have to try to make it a regular affair.