This Week At the New and Improved Table…
In country terms, we live “just down the road” from the site of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. So it’s easy to wander over there and enjoy some of the great acts that come through every summer. Every once in while one of them becomes a new favorite
That happened this past summer with Canadian folk-rock duo Whitehorse. I don’t want to speak for the whole household, but I’m a fan. They’ve got this song called Peterbuilt Coalmine. The opening stanza goes…
I been eyeing up a coal mine baby
I been eyeing up a Peterbilt truck and
I been listening to the radio sometimes
And it’s making my backbone wilt
It seems to be a song about several different things, but the last two lines of that opening verse have always said something to me about fear…about the kind of fear that the media sometimes seems to feed on, and that pervades our culture. It can stir up the same sensations in my gut that looking at magazine issues of “the year in pictures” tends to – it makes my backbone wilt.
We’re deep into Advent, deep enough to start to hear what the angels have to say. And one of the things they say over and over again is “Do not be afraid”. WHAT?! Wouldn’t “not being afraid” in these times pretty much require being in full-blown denial? So maybe those words are not for today, or maybe they are just some sort of reassuring trope or the kind of thing writers think angels ought to use as an opening line, or…maybe it’s time to go get out of “wilted backbone” mode and consider what some of the possibilities might be. So this Sunday, that is where I’ll be headed.
NOTE – WE HAVE MOVED! Last Sunday, a host of folks stayed to help, and we not only moved to the new place but pretty much got moved in as well. It was fantastic! I was so impressed, so grateful (yes, I am gushing…it was AWESOME!).
So join us at 10:30 at 493 Notre Dame (the second floor of Independent Jewellers). The new space has some features that should be easy to appreciate (like consistent heat), and the company will be just as good as ever.
Also, if you haven’t already done so, please let us know if you are planning to join us for our Christmas celebration on the evening of December 22nd. We need you to RSVP so we know how much food to prepare. We will gather at 5:00 for dinner at 5:30; program at 6:30, hang time afterwards until whenever. You can RSVP to this email address tim@thetablewinnipeg.com if that makes it easier. Feel free to come for all or just part of the evening, but if you want to eat, it would help for us to know in advance.
Peace and joy to you all…see you on Sunday!