Verbundenheit

I mentioned in one of the blog entries on the 23rd that Hannah had given me a word. It came with a story.

Hannah loves to travel and does so on a fairly regular basis. When she does she takes with her a paper heart on which she has written various words that have special meaning for her, and along the way she leaves those words at places, and sometimes with people, who she has associated with this word.

I had the remarkable honour of being gifted the word Verbundenheit. This word has various translations, from solidarity, to attachment, to commitment, to connection. None are perfect as they do not capture the full meaning of the original german word, but when discussed we both landed on 'connection' being the closest. 

This trip is ultimately about connections. Not just the new ones that come into being as I explore new places and people, but also, and just, if not more importantly, with the people who are back home. Sometimes it is a struggle to find the balance of "being present" where I physically am and focussing on connections here, with being emotionally present back at home where so much of me is invested and connecting with people there. Sometimes I succeed with keeping good connections. Sometimes I fail, and the message is garbled, or the line becomes that more frayed, or very sadly in some cases, maybe even cut off.

I've been thinking about how and what to say on Christmas day for awhile. For whatever reason I thought that a Christmas message was an important thing to put out, mostly for me I suspect. I doubted it would be anywhere near as good as the Queen's, and likely my father would not get up at 4am to read it, but it seemed like the thing to do. 

So now it is Christmas, and if there is ever a time of year where we feel the joy of connections, the desire to reconnect. or the sadness at the loss of connections more acutely then today, then I'm not sure what it is. But if you know of one then either stop reading now and come back then, or just roll with it.

For Christmas I'd like to re-gift Verbundenheit to all of you, the people who I am blessed with and fortunate enough to call my friends and my family, both old and new, in Canada and abroad. Each and every one of you have a piece of my heart, and it's yours, for keeps.

Merry Christmas.