SCARBOROUGH

It has been a rough week for Toronto, especially for the area that sits in my heart as home. I have written in detail about one of the incidents that hit many born, raised and or living in Scarborough, right by Morningside and the 401.

Word of a young mother that took the life of her child before taking her own life hurt so many.

I grew up around there. I was raised for part of my childhood by a single mother in another part of the city. With two children, working two jobs at times, sewing us clothes at times, shopping at Bargain Harold’s at times, keeping us in daycare, she succeeded in allowing us to have every thing we needed and never feeling like we didn’t have enough.

She would bring us to the park to play, for walks and for ice cream. She would cry sometimes, but she loved us.

I am grateful that she was blessed with support and someone to love and love her in Drew.

I think of all the single Mom’s out there. I think of all of the people that deal with shadows infiltrating the areas of their hearts that God’s glorious light is meant to shine through. I think of the people who carry pain and who question there own value. I think of people who find it hard to hope.

Let’s make a conscious effort to love people around us actively. Let’s speak life, and testify of hope. There is a saying, “you never know the things that people don’t speak of”. Just as true, as told to a Toronto audience this past spring by Maya Angelou, is that you never know how far the light of your love stretches into the lives of those around us.

Reach out to some people. Shine your light, it gives others permission to do the same.