KIDNEY DISEASE IN THE MARTIN FAMILY

Wonderful story by equally wonderful daughter

I have written several stories about the Martin family, originally of rural Turnerville and nearby Dresden, none of which equal the poignancy of the following article appearing in the Fall 2010 issue of the Kidney Living Magazine, a Kidney Foundation of Canada publication.  It is a story that could be told only through the emotions and selflessness of Beth Martin, daughter of Lynn and Sandy Martin of Chatham. 

by BETH MARTIN,
 live related donor

The youngest of five boys, Uncle Art was born with kidney disease. As you can imagine, in 1942, kidney disease was not understood  and there were no treatment options for someone with a kidney disease diagnosis.  They did not have the benefits of the successful research we have today.  In fact, the kidney Disease Foundation of Canada would not be established for another 22 years.


BETH MARTIN


Dialysis certainly wasn't an option here in Ontario, so my grandparents were told to take their son home with the expectation that he would probably not live to see his 10th birthday.

LYNN MARTIN

When Uncle Art learned of his kidney disease, he refused to allow it to make a difference in his life.  He got into the same amount of trouble as his older brothers and defied it by playing hockey -- and he became an amazing goalie.

In 1962 -- still with no Kidney Foundation in sight -- Uncle Art's kidney disease took a drastic turn.  He had outlived the doctor's original prognosis and was now 20 years old.  Still keeping his health condition to himself, he collapsed on the ice during a hockey game.  Dialysis was still not readily available in Canada and the treatment consisted of draining the toxins from his kidneys -- an extremely painful procedure.  The next plan was to take him to Boston to undergo dialysis on a machine that was larger than some buildings.

Unfortunately, Uncle Art passed away the morning he was scheduled to leave for dialysis.  He had a great future ahead of him as a talented hockey player and an even more talented singer.  His future was taken away from him because of the limited knowledge of kidney disease.

Twenty years later, the words "kidney disease" were once again part of our life.  The year was 1980 and my dad, Lynn, now faced a diagnosis of kidney failure.  New awareness and research into kidney disease changed the outcome for my dad.  His specialists put him on an experimental drug to slow down the progress of his renal failure -- and it worked!  For many years, dad's disease was manageable without any drastic interventions.  Then about 10 years ago his kidneys decided they just couldn't do it anymore and he was presented with dialysis treatment options -- options that my Uncle Art did not have available to him all those years ago.

Dad was actually able to dialyze in the comfort of his own home, a procedure that allowed him to maintain his quality of life by continuing to frequent hockey arenas and golf courses.  You can imagine how grateful we are for the strides made in kidney disease research, dialysis advances and stellar nephrologists, compared to what my grandparents faced all those years ago.

In 2006, after three years on peritoneal dialysis, Dad underwent successful transplant surgery and today he continues to lead a full life.

I felt it was important to share this story as it spans decades of one family's journey alongside the journey of the Kidney Foundation.  The impact of his research in chronic kidney disease has literally saved my dad.  It is a "luxury" if you will, that my Uncle Art did not have all those years ago.

Our story paints a portrait of success, not only for our family, but for all those facing kidney disease today.  The advances in prevention and the ability to delay the onset of an end stage renal failure, the opportunities kidney patients have to choose dialysis methods that best fit their needs and lifestyle, can all be attributed to leading edge kidney research.  From our family to yours, thank you for your support to the Kidney Foundation (of Canada).  Research does make a difference!

NOTE:  In her story, Beth omits a very important factor in her father's recovery after his kidney transplant.  God bless her, she was the donor of that kidney.

"I am very proud of her for writing the story," commented Lynn in a note to me yesterday.  Beth's Uncle Art and her late grandparents, Grace and Jack Martin, would be very proud too -- and eternally thankful.

OKAY FOLKS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE ATTRACTED WORLD-WIDE ATTENTION

In the two years and five months that I contributed to my "Wrights Lane...Come On In" web site it has had viewers from (at last count) 14 different countries and that completely blows me away.  The current  total number of viewers (well over 8,000) is shown in the progressive graph to the right of this page.  Countries included in the statistical breakdown provided by Google (as of November 10, 2010) and listed in order of total viewership, are: Canada, United States, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom, Slovenia, China and Japan.

This is all the more surprising to me considering the fact that I  did not actively promote the site beyond a close circle of family and friends.  It just seemed to take on a life of its own, thanks to word-of-mouth and the extensive browser service provided by Google.

Equally astonishing is the fact that to date, my 19 other associated feature sites have attracted and additional 4,876 viewers, bringing total viewership for the combined sites to a remarkable 13,100 -- and counting.  Topping the feature site list is "Dresden: Father and Son Turn Back the Clock" with 3,250 viewers to date.

And I didn't think anyone was paying attention.  I am sincerely gratified!

MY NEW VIDEO: LEST WE FORGET!

A SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE DAY TRIBUTE.  (*NOTE: ADJUST SOUND DOWNWORD INITIALLY FOR OPENING CANNON BURST, THEN TURN UP FOR PERIODIC AUDIO NARRATION.)

THANKS TO CALVARY...

JUST SOME OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE GOSPEL MUSIC THAT KIND OF SETS THE TONE FOR PRESENT REALIGNMENT OF PRIORITIES IN MY LIFE.  I WANT NOTHING BETTER THAN TO SHARE THESE SONGS WITH MY FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS AS A PARTING GESTURE OF SORTS.

A CURTAIN CALL MOSAIC

This digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

SOME LAST WORDS ON DISCRIMINATION ISSUE OF THE PAST...AND PRESENT

Here I go again.  One last "housekeeping" effort in my racial discrimination tangent of the past two weeks.

I have been advocating an apology or statement of reconciliation as a symbolic gesture to finally address incidents of racial discrimination in my home town of Dresden in the first half of the last century.  My efforts culminated with a Letter to the Editor published in the Chatham Daily News (see below) this past weekend that has been greeted with typical mixed reaction.

It is my contention that, as with so many other cases of man's inhumanity towards man (i.e. treatment of Japanese Canadians during World War 11 and abuse of First Canadian children in residential schools) apologies by government bodies offer distinct mechanisms for addressing past wrong-doing in our country and facilitating ultimate humane and harmonious relations.

Generally, society today pays lip service to being colourblind and it is an honourable trend.  In theory, the motivation to be colourblind is very noble — treating people equally without regard to their skin color, race/ethnicity, or national origin. The problem is that this individual-level motivation is not reinforced at the institutional level, where people of color are still disproportionately underrepresented in positions of power (entertainment and sports the exception) and in fact, still encounter many forms of discrimination and inequality.  All of which tends to add fuel to the simmering hurts of years past -- hurts that carry over from generation to generation.

All I am suggesting is a proven official method of levelling the playing field just a bit more and dispensing, hopefully, with many of the inherited hurts.  But as you will see in responses to my newspaper letter, not everyone shares my conviction.  It is suggested that it is easy to apologize, but more meaningful to put words into benevolent action.  There is a popular belief that time will heal the wounds of racial discrimination of the past while there are those who put faith in the ability of society to learn from past wrong-doings and to "extrapolate" that to the world.  All very simple answers to what continues to be one of the most complex problems in society today.

Maybe there is a way of packaging all of the well-intended theories into an effective course of action that will be acceptable to all segments of society.  If such a magical concept is possible, it will take a super human commitment and energy to implement, far beyond my limited creativity and intellect to comprehend.

I hate to think that this is a challenge beyond any singular human being, or group of humans; but I am leaning in that direction and I admit to a degree of disillusionment.  We're talking about something very deep-rooted here and a subliminal resistance that is virtually unreachable.  In lieu of something better, all any of us can do is to follow our hearts and to let our consciences be our guide...But isn't that what we've been doing all along?...See what I mean!

I have decided to publish (names deleted) responses to the issue that I have received this past weekend.  If studied carefully, I think you will get a feeling for the differing views that exist and how complex and contradictory the matter really is.  In all cases I have offered a reply.  The fact that I have yet to hear from any Black friends may also tell you something.

 *Dick: I was not very familiar with the actual things going on in the 50's. Until I came to Lambton-Kent in the 60's, I wasn't really attuned to what went on in Dresden. As has been said many times, Dresden is a quiet town and everyone is concerned for the welfare of their neighbours but they do not have to shout it out to the rest of the world. Even though a formal apology has maybe never been uttered there have been many apologies expressed in the hugs when they were needed, the words of encouragement when things weren't going right, help with food or babysitting when there was a need. The plaque that was erected this year to honour the National Civil Rights Movement and Hugh Burnett came about with support of the families of the key players of that era. It is very easy to say "I'm sorry" but the actions of many in this community have expressed it more effectively and meaningfully than just the words. For these reasons this is why I feel you are getting little feedback.


My reply: You are right about actions speaking louder than words. Certainly you have demonstrated that time and time again in your personal life and you are to be commended for that. As a family in the 1940s, the Wrights did not have much, but we helped feed and clothe one large, needy Black family in particular and my barber dad cut Black kids' hair in the back kitchen of our home when it was not acceptable to do so in the downtown shop (Fords) where he worked. I speak now for those who were not, and have not been for various reasons, in a position to deliver the hugs and encouragement of which you speak. Maybe I'm being selfish in expressing myself publicly in this way, but it is sincere and I feel better for having done it. Lack of response does not really worry me...My hope is that there are a few individuals out there who will accept my gesture as it was intended.


*No apologies required by anyone. Most of those involved at that time have passed on. There is no doubt it was a difficult time in the old hometown back then, but I believe time has healed most wounds.


My reply: Because I am an idealist I would like to think that time does heal most wounds. The key word here is MOST. It's the lingering, simmering wounds that cut the deepest and pass from generation to generations that I worry about.


*A large part of Dresden was not even born in 1954 and aren't responsible for actions of the 30s, 40s or 50's when popular culture and laws were different. They've been fortunate to enter a period in history when blacks are able to excel in entertainment, sports, business and politics like never before. Man's ignorant inhumanity to man will continue, just change face, so the best lesson is to extrapolate what we learned from the sorry episodes you describe, to the world now and monitor ourselves accordingly.


My reply: Your unsigned message sounds strangely similar to the previous comment (re. present generation not being responsible...). The point I try to make is that, as members of a community, country or group, each succeeding generation is implicated by association and thereby "responsible" for what transpires, past and present. If mistakes are made, it behooves all of us to assume the task of reconciliation and recompense, all in the name of responsible citizenship. We should leave no stone unturned in our efforts to diminish man's ignorant inhumanity to man.


*Thanks for the hook-up to your article on Racial Discrimination. I read it and found it interesting, especially in this present-day atmosphere. I watched the little film you had embedded on your site and while watching it, I recognized my mother and her sister coming out of the post office. What a surprise. So I sat her down and we watched it again together. She recognized a few people, and she was very surprised to see herself. She doesn't even remember them making the film. Thanks for all the research you do and for all your blogs and stories. They really help piece together the times and memories of a home town that is the heart of your family.


My reply: Much appreciated ---. I know for a fact that your grandfather and uncles were very much synonymous with "heart" in Dresden for many years. Say hi to your dear mom.


*Dresden would not be Dresden if it was not interracial because when the slaves went there it only got bigger. People may disagree with me but I have never been a racist and never will.


My reply: Good for you young man. At least I have made you think about how you relate to other races of people. I fail to grasp your initial point, however.

*My mother-in-law's childhood friend is Trish, Hugh Burnett's daughter. Myself, my husband, my three step children, and my mother-in-law and her friends all went to the ceremony for the plaque unveiling this summer. It was a nice ceremony and I was blessed to meet some very interesting people and share in some good food. There was music, speakers and native costumes. My husband and I went there to support Trish but also to expose the kids to the past and let them get a taste for what happened so long ago. I hope they learned something. I'm glad that I went. My father was born in Dresden but didn't grow up there, yet I still feel a strong tie due to a lot of my ancestors being buried there. They obviously dealt with these issues as well. I have no idea if they took part in any of this but I definitely feel bad if they did. I think it's terrible to be judged for the colour of your skin. It's truly what's on the inside that counts.

My reply: You are truly someone who cares. I am sure your support and friendship was most appreciated by the Burnett family and others. Your children, too, will be the better for having had the exposure.

*Thanks for the courage of your convictions Dick. You've got guts to find the words to express what has been on my mind since we were classmates but have been unable to adequately express. With your experience, I am sure your are prepared for some backlash because there will be those who fail to understand your point, I'm sorry to say. Your position is valid. Do not be deterred.


My reply: I hoped I would hear from you ---. We had talked before about how we could deal with this issue long after the fact. I know of your sincerity and interest in the welfare of your fellow man. I am glad that you approve of my public expressions but doesn't it all seems so very insignificant now? At least we tried. I'm sleeping a little better at nights...How about you?


A CONCLUDING NOTE:  I do not want to beat this subject to death and for now will not be publishing any further comments or reaction. I will be taking a blogging break for a while, but owe one last apology -- this time to my wife for my being so neglectful and distracted these past few weeks as I immersed myself in a period of history that I was unable to influence 60-65 years ago and am still not able to influence today.
 
I now have a somewhat better feeling of what it is like to be in a minority -- to be insignificant and inconsequential.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My published letter has also drawn some reaction from detractors on the web site of the Chatham Daily News and I am left a bit disappointed that somehow I have failed to make my point understandable. I get the distinct impression that there are those who  would deny me, and be critical of, my right to express myself on an issue of such historical importance. Is there something wrong in planting a conciliatory seed and to offer a challenge? I would never think to dismiss someone else's personal, heartfelt expression because it does not necessarily apply to me as I perceive life today. I respect and validate opposing views and have always tried to look at both sides of an issue and seriously consider circumstances as they have unfolded with due compassion and understanding. I am disillusioned by many of the views expressed in this awkward debate where personal idealism, generalities and irrelevancies have prevailed. I honestly felt that, as Canadians, we were capable of owning our past, acting on that past and moving beyond the past. Sorry to say that the more things change, the more they have remained the same. Buying in to the philosophy of several who would have nothing to do with ownership of the past because of where we stand today, I might well say to Black friends, "We (Whites) have created a more accepting world where you can and do excel. Of course it has taken years of struggling on your part, litigation, legislation and overcoming untold obstacles and belittlement, to get to where you are today. But aren't we wonderful for extrapolating experience and allowing you to gain a semblance of your rightful equality in the world. We've never told you openly, but as God is our witness, we apologize in our hearts every day for the injustices that you and your forefathers have endured over the years. And in case you haven't noticed, we have been acting differently too. We have never actually asked you, but we are sure(?) that you and those who have gone before, have put aside more than a century of deep hurts and resentments and that you are now as proud of yourself as we are of ourselves." I speak, of course, with forked-tongue. But heaven help us, generally we could never reveal ourselves in that way. We are too aloof and superior, too caught up in self-righteousness. We think that our actions, real or imagined, speak louder than words and that's where we get into trouble. None are so blind as those who cannot see...and are unable to speak with the courage of convictions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANOTHER NOTE FROM A FRIEND
HI DICK: For what it is worth, be assured you have a vote of thanks from me for all your efforts. I think you have done a great job of making a difference. Thank you for giving us in Dresden your thought-provoking insights the last few years. I have enjoyed them a great deal.

Well done, Jarv C.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: MY LETTER EXPLAINS CALL FOR AN APOLOGY

Count me among the majority who at one time felt it absolutely unnecessary to apologize for the many
transgressions of past generations, particularly when it came to matters of physical abuse at the hands of those in authority, denial of rights and blatant racial discrimination.


I justified my almost hollier-than-thou attitude with the fact that I never physically abused anyone, actively denied anyone of their rights or knowingly discriminated against anyone.  Heck, there have even been times when I went out of my way to be humane in the treatment of others and demonstrably charitable when the occasion called for it.

If a particular situation was bad enough, let those responsible apologize for it if need be, but leave me out of it!  I'm alright, Charlie!

But, you know what?  I was not raised that way.  While it is very easy to distance myself from the wrongs of the society in which I live, I confess to the constant necessity to remind myself of the Christian themes of mercy and forgiveness and the very real need for genuine compassion toward others.

We are not disconnected from history or the rest of the world.  There is no escaping the fact that we are part of a world-wide community and as such we must accept full responsibility for what that membership entails -- both good and bad. 

There is no out of sight out of mind excuse than can work for mistakes and injustices of the past. The connection to wrongdoing is there and if we have compassion at all for those who have been adversely affected, we will take responsibility to apologize if not make amends.

I, and so many of my school chums, were innocently privy to something that would later in life be labelled as racial discrimination in my hometown of Dresden in the 1940s and '50s.  As a White kid, discrimination was never an issue in the classroom, the Boy Scout hall, the ball diamond or skating rink.  I cannot speak for my Black friends, however, because it was a different story for them and members of their families who were being denied certain civil rights which have been well documented in recent Wrights Lane posts and extensive news reports of the period.

It was not until well into my teens that I began to realize the full impact that racial discrimination was having on my Black friends.  It has taken me almost 60 years to finally act on my conscience, to say to the Black citizens of Dresden, past and present (the Burnetts, Hansons, Handsors, Carters, Wallaces, Lambkins, Cooks, Brownings, Ropers, McCorkles, Crosbys, Solomans, Grineages, Rykmans, Talbots, Scotts, Browns, Tanners, Melbournes, Travises, Dudleys, et al: "Once again, on behalf of my forefathers and respective generations, I am truly sorry!"

There are those who insist that an apology is not necessary and are critical of me for bringing this all to light yet again.  There is a prevailing misconception that apologies imply some personal culpability that is to be avoided.  One critic suggests that half the current town of Dresden today were not yet born in the 1940s and '50s, but hopefully this does not mean that we ignore, or write off, the other half of the population that lived in and through the era in question.

It is true that people of colour today live in a world of equal (almost?) opportunity and have risen to great heights in the fields of medicine, politics, religion, entertainment and sports, but the White segment of the population cannot claim any credit for the transition...Blacks have fought for every bit of what they have achieved.  To their credit, they did it in spite of us and injustices of the past.  They have truly overcome.

I took all of the foregoing into consideration when submitting the following letter to the Chatham Daily News this week (published Friday, Oct. 1st.).  I owed it to the Black folk of my generation, if none other...And to my White brethren as well. 

May we be forgiven, for we knew not what we did.  Could it be that some of us still don't?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 26, 2010

The Chatham News,
Letter to The Editor

Re: Thoughts on racial discrimination from first-hand experience

Dear Sir:

I noted with interest last month several historical flashback features casting the spotlight on the racial discrimination issue that existed in the Town of Dresden at one time. The articles by local historians were obviously in conjunction with the unveiling of an Ontario Heritage Trust plaque at Uncle Tom's Cabin commemorating the efforts of civil rights activist Hugh R. Burnett and the National Unity Association, some 60-65 years after the fact.

When it comes to history-related topics I have found that people tend to develop their own interpretations based on a degree of personal comfort. Current beliefs, social trends and racial background cannot help but play an influential role in how we perceive a past event or period in history. The passage of time does soften harsh reality in many cases. Then too, human nature often dictates suppression, or turning a blind eye to certain historical facts that tend to complicate or compromise beliefs and remembrances. Certainly there is a prevailing apathy and disinterest that accompanies the various traditional views of history.

I recently uncovered an old National Film Board of Canada production which sought answers to the long-standing colour-bar racial discrimination issue in my aforementioned hometown of Dresden in 1954. The 30-minute film graphically illustrated the prevailing concerns and attitudes of the period, some of which were quite disturbing by today's societal standards. As an active "blogger", I reviewed the film and asked readers of my computer web sites if they thought an official apology of some kind was due our Black friends and neighbours of that period. To date I have had disappointing, but not too surprising, minimal response from Dresden readers in particular.

It goes without saying that the racial discrimination issue was and is a sensitive subject in this small, tightly-knit community. A generation has passed, as has the colour-bar issue (thanks to legislation and litigation of the 1950s). Life has carried on, a little more freely and humanely for some; others never fully understanding what all the fuss was about in the first place. The matter is, as they say, history.

My worry is that a serious racial wrong has never been properly and publicly acknowledged by the town and that Black people of that troubled period deserve an official apology for the rights that were denied them and members of their families, many of whom have long since passed away. To me it is a classic case of man's ignorant inhumanity to man. I do not condemn nor condone the eight or nine Dresden business owners who denied service to Black people in the first half of the last century; they were otherwise good citizens who simply held fast to what they believed were "rights" of their own, as prejudicial as they may have been.

As one who was born and raised in Dresden back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, I share the real shame with those who chose to ignore racial discrimination in their midst, who did not open their church doors and hearts, who would boycott certain businesses and issue life-altering death threats.

What I humbly suggest now to all Dresdenites and other residents of the Kent Country area, is to take a moment to put themselves in the shoes of their Black neighbours and to ask how they would react under similar circumstances if roles were reversed and what it would mean to them and the memory of late loved ones, if their community collectively said "we are sorry!" There is no better way to understand a situation than to assume the yoke of another.

Any apology which is sincere and real always makes things better, heals wounds and resentment, and strengthens and lengthens relationships. I have felt "sorry" for first-hand deep hurt and embarrassment of a teenager ever since my friend was refused a butterscotch milkshake in a Dresden restaurant one hot summer evening 56 years ago and I've never known how to convey those feelings. The typical mistaken assumption in racial relations is that if you are silent long enough, and ignore an issue long enough, the matter will eventually go away. Make no mistake about it, however, there are many "matters" lingering slightly under the surface in today's society and will continue to simmer there for generations to come.

To my friend now, and all others whose rights were similarly denied and thusly relegated to second-class citizen status because of the colour of their skin, I for one sincerely apologize. I want to help make centuries of hurt and resentment go away, if ever so minimally.

How about the rest of Dresden? How about the municipal Council of Chatham-Kent acting on behalf of all citizens of the community in issuing a long overdue and much deserved apology?

Better late than never to heal old wounds and injustices. Wouldn't we all, with our varying degrees of skin tone, feel much better for having been included in a precedent-setting act of conciliation for all the world to witness? I think our forefathers would be the first to thank us and we could all rest just a little easier.

Respectfully,

Dick Wright

EAT WITH LOVE AND AVOID INDIGESTION

I hadn't paid a visit to my alter ego, Old Humphrey, in quite some time.  Oddly enough, it was a bout of indigestion the other day that prompted me to seek him out.


"Hey Humph", I shouted, nudging my old friend out of a deep slumber.  "I've got this indigestion and nothing seems to be helping to relieve it.  Not even the old reliable baking soda remedy you gave me a while back.  Must have been something I ate, but I don't know...Any suggestions?"


"Ah huh!" came the old timer's reply.  "You've obviously forgotten what I once told you  -- look less to the food you eat, and more to the temper and frame of mind in which you eat it." 


"Well, you may be right as usual," I allowed.  "Was in a bit of a hurry when I tied on the feed bag at supper time.  Had a lot of things to do outside before dark and my wife was agitating about a couple of inside chores that I'd been neglecting as well...It all got me kind of stressed."


As Humphrey shifted his weight and leaned forward on his front porch swing, I knew there would be more sage advice forthcoming and I was not to be denied.  "So long as you are in a hurry, pressured, or in a bad mood, you may dine in vain on the finest roast of beef, the thighs of woodcocks and the breasts of partridges.  Nothing will suit your indigestion; the tender will become tough and the light will lie heavy on your stomach.  Understand what I'm saying?"


I understood and waited for the best yet to come.


"Let love, joy, peace and goodness abound in your heart as you are eating and take my word for it young fella, you will ere long be able to eat toasted cheese and barm dumplings with impunity."


"Thanks for that, Humphrey.  I was with you right up to the toasted cheese and barm dumplings.  Do you have a recipe for that too?" I added.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it turns out, I think I will be passing on Humphrey's toasted cheese and barm dumplings suggestion.  I have a feeling that this traditional British culinary delight would not agree with me no matter how relaxed and loving I might be.

Toasted cheese (one of Queen Victoria's favourites, incidentally) generally consists of grated cheese mixed with beer or ale and served on toast that has been buttered on both sides.

Barm is the foam, or scum, formed on the top of liquor (i.e. fermented alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine, or feedstock for hard liquor or industrial ethanol distillation) when fermenting. It was used to leaven bread, or set up fermentation in a new batch of liquor. Barm, as a leaven, has also been made from ground millet combined with must out of wine-tubs and is sometimes used in English baking, i.e. Humphrey's dumplings.

I'll simply take my old friend's word for it.

OVER OR UNDER, LYLE WON IT FOR THE JAYS

Rosanne:  Was it Lyle Underbay who hit the game-winning home run for the Blue Jays yesterday?

Me:  No honey.  It was Lyle Overbay!

HAPPINESS IS A NEW BED

We bought Lucy a new bed a couple of days ago and she leaves it only to eat and to do her business outside.  It's nice when people (and animals) are happy with things that you buy them.

Thought for the day:  Satisfaction is found in other people's happiness.

Daily Kindness.net

Daily Kindness.net
JUST SOMETHING WORTH TAKING A LITTLE TIME TO READ.

They say to live every day like it was your last, to which I say boloney!  Live every day like it was your first...It takes the pressure off!

DRESDEN BLACKS DESERVE AN APOLOGY, HERE IS MINE FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

"As for me, I don't go places I'm not wanted," Ruth Lambkin, high school student, 1954.

"You cannot force a man to love another but they can learn to love one another," Dresden activist Hugh Burnett, 1954.

"This is a confusing time of conflicting emotions...Only the Christian way will lead to peace in our own hearts and in our nation," Ken Wright in a Letter to the Editor, Chatham News, 1947.

I have been at this writing business now for more than 50 years and I have arrived at a place where I think I understand my readers pretty well.  When it comes to history-related topics I have found that people tend to develop their own interpretations.  It is much the same with religion where personal views are generally based on a degree of comfort.


Current beliefs, social trends and racial background cannot help but play an influential role in how we perceive a past event or period in history.  The passage of time does soften the harsh reality of the past in many cases.  Then too, human nature often dictates that we suppress, or turn a blind eye to certain historical facts that tend to complicate or compromise our beliefs and remembrances.


It is interesting to note that there are a number of different traditional views of history, i.e the cyclical or fatalist view, the providential view, the spiritual or progressive view, the philosophical view, the cultural view and the materialistic view.  There is also the disinterested view, which is unfortunate and more common than we may like to acknowledge.


Last week I uncovered an old National Film Board of Canada film produced in 1954 seeking answers to a long-standing colour-bar racial discrimination issue in my hometown of Dresden.  The 30-minute production graphically illustrated the prevailing concerns and attitudes of the period, some of which were quite disturbing by today's societal standards.  I asked readers of my web sites if they thought an apology from the municipal council of Chatham-Kent, in lieu of a town council today, was due our Black black friends and neighbours of that period.  To date I have had only one response on the subject and that was from a former newspaper editor-publisher who had a distinguished lifelong career behind a news desk in Dresden.  I know others have views, but are reluctant to go on record.


It goes without saying that the racial discrimination issue was and is a sensitive subject in the Southwestern Ontario town of approximately 2,700.  A generation has passed, as has the colour-bar issue (thanks to legislation and litigation of the 1950s).  Life has carried on, a little more freely and humanely for some; others never fully understanding what all the fuss was about in the first place.  The matter is, as they say, history.


My worry is that a serious racial wrong has never been properly and publicly acknowledged and that Black people of that troubled period deserve an official apology for the rights that were denied them and members of their families, many of whom have long sense passed away.  To me it is a classic case of man's ignorant inhumanity to man.  I do not condemn nor condone the eight or nine Dresden business owners who denied service to Black people; they were otherwise good citizens who simply held fast to what they believed were "rights" of their own, as prejudicial as they may have been.


What I advocate now to all Dresdenites is to take a moment to put themselves in the shoes of their Black neighbours and to ask how they would react under similar circumstances if roles were reversed and what it would mean to them and the memory of late loved ones, if their community collectively said "we are sorry!" There is no better way to understand than to assume the yoke of another.

An apology which is sincere and real will always make things better, heal wounds and resentment, and strengthen and lengthen relationships.  I have felt "sorry" for first-hand deep hurt and embarrassment ever since my friend was refused a butterscotch milkshake in a Dresden restaurant one hot summer evening 56 years ago and I've never known how to relay those feelings.


To my friend now, and all others whose rights were similarly denied and thusly relegated to second-class citizen status because of the colour of their skin, I for one sincerely apologize.

How about the rest of Dresden?

Better late than never!?

PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE PERROGIES

Rosanne and I have been good to ourselves the past couple of days, maybe too good.


After six months of fairly strict dieting and weight loss we felt it was time to treat ourselves just a bit.  They say to do that once in a while you know.

We started out by celebrating our wedding anniversary Wednesday evening with a beautiful meal at one of our favorite restaurants followed by nice lunches at several of our old haunts on Thursday and Friday.  Rosanne gave in to the urge to have an apple cinnamon donut with her coffee at Tim Hortons today and, not wanting her to eat alone, I had a ginger-molasses cookie. Then this evening, what the heck, I picked up some amazing chicken and fish schnitzel, poroggies, fried cabbage and butter rolls from a new European takeout buffet that we had been wanting to try.


As we were cleaning up the dishes a few hours ago I suggested, "tomorrow (Sunday) we'll have to get back on our diets", to which Rosanne quickly chimed in: "No, Monday will be okay!"


I think we might have a problem.

VINTAGE FILM SOUGHT ANSWERS TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN TOWN OF DRESDEN

It was quite by accident that I stumbled across a 56-year-old piece of film the other day.  It gave me a new perspective on a period in the history of my former   hometown to which I was privy but far too young to fully comprehend.


The film, "Dresden Story", was a historic and widely distributed production by the National Film Board of Canada that in 1954 sampled the attitudes toward racial discrimination against black people and brought the Kent County community kicking and screaming into the national spotlight.


By means of very brief background, if you were black and living in Dresden, or just visiting at the time, you could not obtain service at many of the downtown business locations.  This in a country that had abolished slavery decades before the American Civil War and that saw itself as a proud and welcoming destination for thousands of slaves who had escaped bondage through the Underground Railroad in the 1850s.


While many Canadians turned a blind eye to racial discrimination, often denying its existence, it was unquestionably present in the small town of Dresden that today still has a population under 2,800.  "The Dresden Story" began in the nineteenth century when the town lay at the end of the "underground railroad" for fugitive slaves and a substantial number eventually settled in the area.  Josiah Henson, upon whose life Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom’s Cabin was based, of course, is buried nearby.  

By the end of World War II blacks constituted close to 20 per cent of the approximately 1,700 inhabitants, but several restaurants, barber shops and pool halls habitually denied service to them (sustained perhaps by the traditional British freedoms of association and commerce, which were interpreted to mean that a proprietor had the right to decide who to serve and who to hire).  Blacks were able to attend only one place of worship in town, the Queen Street Baptist Church.  Very quietly and deliberately, the town had become one of the most racially segregated communities in Canada.


One of the Dresden area blacks to champion civil rights in the town was Hugh Burnett, a World War II army veteran who owned his own carpentry business. In 1943 he sent a complaint to the federal Minister of Justice about racial discrimination in one Dresden restaurant in particular. He was informed that the government could do nothing. Then, about 1948, he launched a lawsuit against the prominent restaurant owner, although he did not proceed with it, probably because in the wake of the pre-war Supreme Court decision of Christie v. York the law provided little leverage.


At about this time, Burnett joined with a number of other Dresden-area blacks to form an organization called the National Unity Association (NUA).  Just prior to the municipal election of 1948 a delegation from the NUA asked Dresden’s town council that a non-discrimination policy be a condition of local business licensing. Although a number of Ontario municipalities had already passed anti-discrimination bylaws, in Dresden the proposal moved forward with what has been described as glacial slowness.


The white segment of the town's population, for the most part, chose to ignore the issue -- the majority going so far as to deny that it existed at all.  The sentiment:  "We have nothing against coloured people...They just have to know their place," was frequently repeated.  There was also a commonly-held belief that the flames of the discrimination movement were being fanned by "trouble-making outsiders -- the Jewish community and Communists."  The prevailing consensus was that drawing attention to the matter did more harm than good.  Stories in Toronto newspapers, the Windsor Star and Macleans Magazine were vigorously protested.


So it was that the appearance of a National Film Board crew in town in 1954 was generally frowned on.  In spite of local resistance and difficulty in rounding up opinions of local citizens, commentator Gordon Burwash was finally able to organize two discussion panels for the regular CBC show "On The Spot"and some interesting and telling opposite viewpoints resulted in the above 30-minute film production.  In the end, the rights and wrongs of the issue were left to the viewer to decide.


In viewing the film many times over in the past couple of days and with the benefit of hindsight and maturity, I experienced mixed emotions.  I was nostalgically drawn back in time by views of Dresden's downtown area, the high school that I attended and familiar faces of town folk, many of whom have long since died. 


Not too surprisingly, the two panels disagreed on the origin of racial discrimination in the town.  The black panel was consistent in the belief that it had been going on for more than 100 years while the white panel felt that it was something that had come to light only in recent times.


I was impressed with the calm, rational demeanor of the black panel members in explaining their side of the issue.  The common thread running through their comments was opposition to colour-bar practices and simply the fact that they wanted to be treated as equals in the community in which they lived, as was their legislated right.


Mr Burnett, a member of the black panel, conceded that "you can't make a law to make one man love another, but they can certainly learn to love one another."  It was generally agreed that education would be the key to overcoming any racial ignorance.


The white panel, consisting of a Baptist minister, several businessmen, a school principal, a newspaper editor and one of my next door neighbours, struggled to articulate the root-cause of discrimination in the community and appeared to be carefully guarded in their comments.  The school principal who taught me in Grade 8 and for whom I had great respect, disappointingly alluded only to outside interests aimed at causing trouble in the community but when asked by the panel moderator if he had definitive knowledge of outside involvement responded: "No, I haven't."

 My neighbour suggested that one of the concerns in the town was that of inter-marriage, prompting the minister to say that his church was not against mixed-race marriage but that generally he would counsel against it.  "In the end, it is up to a couple to make their own choice," he added. 


One of the business representatives, a barber, said he felt that he had been placed in a bind because if he allowed coloured people into his shop he would lose his white customers.  When pressed to be more specific on the actual number of customers who had verbally threatened to withdraw their patronage, he was only able to offer:  "...A substantial number," later adding that many were "fine Christians".

There seemed to be unanimity amongst the six white panel members that no one could be forced to do something (i.e. the business owners refusing service) that is against their personal beliefs, "rightly or wrongly" as my soft-spoken neighbour put it.


Interestingly business executive Horace Cluderay, in a closing comment to the expressionless and sober white panel, presented long-ignored food for thought:  "The only solution, as I see it, is to sit the sides down in fellowship and brotherhood to discuss matters in a reasonable way as Christians..."


The film was produced in the very early stages of television news commentary, but it was well done and balanced considering the resistance to it in Dresden at the time.  It is a genuine piece of history that accurately reflects the attitudes and opinions that prevailed as late as the mid 1950s in an otherwise quiet, benevolent Christian community.  The film is worth viewing now in the light of passage of time and conditions as they exist in society today.


In the end, it took hard-fought litigation to ensure that discrimination in Dresden would come to an end.  I am not aware of the sides ever sitting down to work out their differences and misconceptions.  Blatant discrimination was suppressed and racial equality just seemed to evolve with the passage of time.  Several plaques have only recently been erected in town to recognize the fight for equality and in particular the role played by the activist Hugh Burnett.

It should be noted that Burnett, falsely accused of  Communistic leanings, was finally forced to leave town in the wake of a business boycott and threats to his life and that of his family.  He is said to have died a broken man.


At the risk of awakening old injustices, but in a spirit of true conciliation and healing, it is still not too late for the Chatham-Kent municipal council of the day to issue an official apology to the surviving members of the black community for the racial discrimination suffered by them and members of their families. It would be the right(s) thing to do!  I would be interested to hear from other Dresden natives on this suggestion.

*As noted on my Facebook page:
   We may not have been directly implicated in many of the social ills of the past and present, but by the nature of association we should accept the responsibilty of lending ourselves to the ultimate healing process for the benefit of all mankind.

MY SINGING COUSIN JACK R. SHARPE

I have been preparing a number of special "artist's recognition" tributes for the Dresden Virtual History Group.  The most recent is a flashback on one of my cousins, Jack Sharpe who was a gifted singer back in the 1940s and '50s.  Regretfully his voice was never recorded that I know of, but take my word for it -- today he would be a recording artist or Broadway star.  To learn more, click http://jackrsharpe.blogspot.com.

GARDENING A WRIGHT/PERRY TRADITION

I thought that I would have some fun with these photos of my Grandfather Nelson Perry (top) in our garden in Dresden in the late summer of 1944 and me in my Southampton garden today (September 9/10).  Obviously I tried to duplicate the 1944 photo as much as possible.  Grandpa Nelson and I were partners in a virtual market garden in the 1940s (my Dad Ken also helped out).  We grew literally everything but our main vegetable items were potatoes and corn which I sold door-to-door in Dresden and did pretty well at it too.  I have also posted the photo of my gardener grandfather on my Dresden: Father and Son Turn Back the Clock web site, complete with the names of people I sold to -- Lots of fun and good memories, to be sure!

ABOUT ACTING ON LIFETIME DREAMS

In taking a trip around the horn a time or two, most of us have managed to gain some perspective on life and have learned to focus on what is really most important.  Many of us too, have thought about past choices and how things may or may not have happened differently.

Not that we necessarily second-guess ourselves but in reflective moments, of which I have many, we tend to think "if I only had it to do all over again"... 

I hear frequently from a chap by the name of John Reese who claims to have made a million dollars in Internet marketing.  Generally, I take what John says under advisement, but the other day he came up with an interesting philosophical concept.

"I've come to realize that life really is shorthand and it's passing by in the blink of an eye," he states.  He went on to explain that recently he has been engaged in a mental exercise that he highly recommends for everyone. "Whatever you are doing today, or with your days right now, imagine eventually being 10 years into the future. And imagine being able to get into a Time Machine and visit TODAY (10 years earlier). Would you want to be doing now whatever you were doing then? Or would you wish you had spent those days doing something else?" he asks.

It took me a minute, but I was finally able to wrap my mind around what John was suggesting and quite simply it was that it is never too late to tackle something that you have always wanted to do.  Mind you, I have always wanted to own a motorcycle but I am sure it would not be a wise move now at my age.  Some things are just not practical or in our best interests, given the fact that we are not as young as we used to be.

I see merit, however, in taking on a long-suppressed challenge if it is a reasonable one and that you can get started with it in some small way that can be accommodated in your life at present time.  Fulfilling a lifetime dream or ambition can be a gratifying experience.

You know what?  I might still get that motorcycle -- providing I win a lottery.  Now there's a lifetime dream for you! 

LAST LONG WEEKEND OF SUMMER A DUD

Dramatic changes in weather conditions around the Great Lakes this past weekend saw temperatures drop drastically and winds reach gale-force proportions along with heavy rains.  My poor miracle Sunflower that had survived so many storms and setbacks this summer was beaten to the ground once again.  In the photo below roller waves splash into the rocks along the Lake Huron shoreline at Southampton.  Sadly for cottagers and tourists the long Labour Day weekend has not been conducive to sunbathing, swimming or fishing.  No doubt a lot of "good books" were read, however.

BLOGS DON'T HAVE TO BE GOOD TO BE ENGAGING, JUST TRUE; ASK LORIANNE

In my last post I wrote about "being one's own best friend" and a motivation to be personally "good enough".  It was a worthy and noble bit of prose that, in retrospect, reveals itself to me as none other than an awkward and strangely-worded attempt to justify my bloggings.


As with so many things in life, after writing and publishing most of my Wrights Lane items, I am left wondering if my effort was good enough to be of interest.  In exposing vulnerabilities and innermost thoughts and experiences, will I be taken seriously?  Will my message have any impact?  I struggle with the possibility that I fall short not only in my writing, but in other aspects of life as well, so by nature I am a second-guesser and wonderer. 


Are my expectations unrealistic or do I lack a degree of self-esteem?  Am I too hard on myself?...Perhaps a resounding "yes" to all of the above would be quite in order.


You can imagine, then, the significance of the following words from fellow blogster Lorianne DiSabato from her "Hoarded Ordinaries" web site:


"...Part of the allure of blogging, of course, is that it is a democratic genre.  You don’t have to be good in order to do it. Blog-reading is addictive because like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. There’s a random delight in hearing an average writer suddenly soar or a wondrous poet lament over a bout with writer’s block. We read (and write) blogs not because our writing is great everyday: we read (and write) blogs because everyday it’s great to be writing.  Both writing and photography are ultimately human acts, expressions of our human need to notice and be noticed. A blog doesn’t have to be good to be engaging; it simply has to be true."


What impresses me most about Lorianne's reassuring blog statement are the words "average" and "true" because my literary work is most assuredly average and I always place  emphasis on truth and engagement.


It takes one "hoarder" of ordinary thoughts and skills to appreciate another and to be reminded
that at least it is "great to be writing every day" and to share what is on our mind from a creative perspective.


Don't get me wrong though, I still strive to be "good enough" at what I do and to be my own best friend for the reasons stated in the post that follows -- and to satisfy a personal internal need to notice and to be noticed.

We bloggers are strange people.  Some of us more so than others!  We require allowances.

DON'T BE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY, BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND

I find myself frequently saying rather off-handidly about someone, "Oh, they are their own worst enemy."  I have even thought the same about myself a time or two. 

For some reason, the realization just hit me that in reality we can be our own worst enemies or we can be our own best friends.  In the degree that we become friends to the highest and best within us, we become best friends to those around us; and in the degree that we become enemies to the same highest and best within us, we literally become enemies to all.  We're really not talking rocket science here, are we?

In the sense that we open ourselves to the higher powers available to all of us and let them manifest through us, we serve as transmitters of inspiration for others.  In this way we all have the potential to be redeemers -- and best friends. 

As one who has matured in the craft of writing, I subscribe to the precept:  "Look into thine own heart and write.  Be true.  Be fearless.  Be loyal to the promptings of your own soul."   For the most part I have become my own amanuensis, writing my own self into my work.  I can put no more into my humble literary efforts than what I myself am.

Having made the forgoing declaration, I pray that what I am is good enough at times to reach hearts, to stimulate, to enrich, to bring a little joy to the lives of others.  I can do that only if I am my own best friend.

Please accept the friendship that is within me as it continues to emanate from Wrights Lane (subsequently Facebook) and onto your monitor screen.  May there be an ultimate mutual manifestation for those with whom we share.

A VISITOR WHO COMMANDED RESPECT

I've had a lot of wild life visit my back yard in Southampton, but never a Snapping Turtle.  This young lady was just passing through from her home in Fairy Lake which is just below my property.  I tried to feed her some cherry tomatoes from my garden but she was not the least bit interested.  She had other things on her mind, like maybe trying to find a good spot to lay her eggs.

"HEY!  OUTTA MY WAY BUSTER..."

Question:  How much room do you give a Snapping Turtle?  Answer:  "As much as it wants! -- especially if it is an unexpected intruder in your back yard.   

"THAT'S ME GONE...I CAN TAKE A HINT"

"...Besides, I'm heading for that cucumber patch over there.  Oh, right, turtles don't like cucumbers, but what the heck; I might find something else interesting."

"I'M CAMERA-SHY, DON'T YOU KNOW" 

"...Well, okay, go ahead and snap one.  I'm not going to hold this pose much longer.  Cheese!"

MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN...WHAT ELSE IS NEW IN THIS WORLD OF OURS?

We are such smug human beings when it comes to humane pretenses yet we live in a world rife with man's inhumanity to man.  Sadly, inhumanity is very much alive in the Global Village -- always has been and unfortunately always will be as one generation passes to the next.


Interestingly, the phrase "man's inhumanity to man" is first documented in a poem written by Robert Burns in 1784. According to some sources it is possible that Burns reworded a similar quote from Samuel von Pufendorf who in 1673 wrote, "More inhumanity has been done by man himself than any other of nature's causes."


Last month we listened and read with horror the reports coming out of a hearing into the abuse suffered by First Nations children in residential schools operated by numerous church organizations in Canada.  Just yesterday Allan Thompson wrote a piece in the Toronto Star about his father who was among tens of thousands of children from Britain who were unceremoniously shipped to Canada a century ago through a barbaric child labour scheme.  My late wife's grandmother was in fact one of the "Home Children" included in the dreadful and poorly supervised migration movement at the beginning of the last century.

Today, too, we continue to live with the stigma of racial discrimination of all kinds.  Terrorism 
rears its ugly head all over the world and is a constant threat even in this peace-loving land of ours.


Almost daily we hear about hostage-taking incidents where individuals are held captive, brainwashed and tortured over a long period of time.  The motivation very often is dominance or vengeance-based, sexual, or simply the work of a deranged mind.


It is not a stretch to suggest that over the centuries, nothing has caused more pain and suffering for mankind than man himself. Through war, hate crimes, and random acts of violence, the fear of the different and unknown has presented itself in human nature. The novel Night, the movie Schindler’s List and the article A Tortured Legacy are all examples of this. Through the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Germans, there is no clearer example of man’s inhumanity to man. The holocaust was far more than a tragedy; it is something you simply cannot describe with words. The sheer evil and hate that took place in the 1940’s really exemplifies what man can be like when he’s at his weakest and lowest point of existence. Through the merciless slaughtering and torturing of the Jewish people, the Germans showed to the whole world what it’s like to be inhuman; to be animalistic.


Wars in particular expose man's ultimate inhumanity to man. Wars are an innate but absolute part of human nature. Often fought by religious factions, wars reflect man's basest instincts, untamed by rationality.


We frequently hear the question asked:  "Why does God allow these things to happen?"  Well, I've got news!  God may have created humanity, but He did not create inhumanity any more than He can control it.  Generally speaking, inhumanity is a condition of a misguided human heart that more often than not, beats within an otherwise well-intended but ignorant body.  We pay lip service to a humane society yet we stoop to being blindly inhumane when it suits certain perceived needs.


Man's inhumanity to man is the price we all pay for being short-sighted and agenda-driven by nature.  And we continually have to make apologies while going back to clean up the mess that has been left behind.  Makes you think, does it not?

We share the shame!

GOD IS IN HEAVEN, SYLVIA IS GLAD TO HEAR FROM ME -- WE LIVE HAPPILY EVERAFTER

I don't know if anyone is interested or even cares, but since I made an issue of it in my last post (see item below), I cannot contain it any longer...Sylvia is alive and well living in Norman, Oklahoma.

I had a premonition.  I just felt the story was not over and, sure enough at 5:56 this afternoon (Thursday) a heart-stopping Facebook message read:  "It was good to hear from you Dick.  Can you tell me how I can get a copy of your book?  --Sylvia." 

I literally had to pinch myself to see if I was really dreaming.  "Rosanne, you have to see this," I announced to my very supportive spouse who had encouraged me to bring closure to my story about a young lady 54 years ago who was not easy to kiss and not easy to forget.

I am unaware of the whys and wherefores of Sylvia's sudden disappearance from our original Classmates profile contact site this past weekend, and how she relocated me through Facebook some four days later, but all is well that ends well.  On a newly-created Facebook site of her own, Sylvia displayed two photos of her wonderful family (her husband, two handsome sons and no doubt four attractive grandchildren, beaming faces all).  I am so happy for her -- and me too!

The final chapter to my story just wrote itself.  It ends as it should -- happily.  I don't have to fictionalize it.  It is what it is.  Glorious closure after more than 50 years of wondering and, yes, a degree of fantasizing too.  I honestly feel that God has blessed me and I am extremely thankful.

Of course, I plan to send Sylvia a copy of my book and in return I hope she provides me with a little more information about her life as it unfolded.  Everything from this point on will be a bonus, however.

So for now Sylvia, Rosanne and I wish you and yours continued good health and happiness.  Thank you for touching my heart one final time!

Signed, the kid from Canada