Ghosts of Turkeys Past

Dear Editor,

The present state of the Morrisburg public dock is a disgrace. It needs to be repaired and put back into service as a matter of urgency.

Summer evenings and week-ends at the Morrisburg dock have become a major draw for locals, boaters and out-of-town visitors.  In many ways, the Morrisburg waterfront and dock has become the town meeting place where you can always be sure to find a few friends and neighbours.  

It was becoming an ‘attraction’ that drew tourists by both water and land.

Now what do we see?  A “Dock Unsafe” sign and a make-shift barricade to stop folks from using the main part of the dock. It looks terrible and sends a really bad message to visitors about our town.

The dock has been neglected since the Federal Government gave it to the township.  

A large part of the outside face of the dock was destroyed some years ago, the rubber buffer strips on the concrete wall are gone, the concrete slabs of the western launch pad are breaking apart and have a dangerous drop-off at the end that is in the water, the wooden base for the mooring cleats on the concrete wall are rotting and exposing loose bolts and the boardwalks have heaved up so much that it is not even safe to walk on the dock.

The dock is actually much worse on the water side than it is on the land side.  You would really be risking your boat if you tried to moor alongside the outside face of the dock. 

 Last year I took some photographs of the dock from the water side and sent them, along with a request that the dock be fixed before the 2012 season, to the Mayor and most of the councillors.  In reply, Steven Byvelds said there were no budgeted funds for maintenance and that the council could look at this issue next year (2012).  

I may be wrong, but I do not believe that there was any follow-up to my letter, certainly nobody contacted me.

It seems to me that the Morrisburg dock is really the jewel of the town and yet we cannot maintain it properly.  

Imagine belonging to a golf club where the executive decided not to maintain the greens in order to save a little money.  That is what has happened to our dock.

My wife and I are active boaters, and we have cruised our boat from Lake Ontario to Florida stopping at town docks along the way.  We moved to Morrisburg because of the river and access to boating.  

We always felt that the Morrisburg dock could easily become one of the nicest places to stop, but in recent years it has been neglected and is now an eyesore.  

We have posted information about local docks and anchorages in “ActiveCaptain”, a very popular online boater’s cruising guide.  We posted a positive review of the Morrisburg dock in the guide, but we have now advised visiting boaters not to stop here until the repairs are complete.

I am very concerned about how long it is going to take to get the dock repaired.  The township has given no estimate on this, and I fear that work may not even start this year.

I think that this matter should be treated as an urgent priority and that every effort should be made to finish the repairs as soon as possible.

Don Taylor

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Life Changes, God Doesn't

I have been sitting on my deck the past few days enjoying the beautiful scenery, the warm breezes and the glorious sunshine.  Today as I once again sit here seeing green grass, luscious leafy trees, and the spectacular St. Lawrence River, my mind wanders back to a few months ago when the area was knee deep in snow and nothing seemed to be alive here.  

I remember when talking to people about the past winter, the refrain was almost always the same.  Winter came early and just kept on coming and coming and coming.  Some wondered if it would ever end.

Life is like that sometimes as well.  We go through seasons of struggle.  Maybe a time of sickness or a strained relationship, and we wonder if things will ever be good again.  

I thought of a song that was sung by Waylon Jennings years ago.  The lyrics were written by David M. Potter.  Storms never last do they baby?  Bad times will pass with the winds. Your hand in mine steals the thunder.  You make the sun want to shine.

I hope that none of you will be offended because I am going to draw a  Biblical truth from a Country and Western song. 

God’s truth can come to us in various forms.  You see, we all have trouble in this life.  In fact, one of the last things that Jesus spoke to His disciples, just before he was crucified, is about this very thing.  

John’s Gospel Ch 16 verse 33 tells us the word of Jesus.  Here is what He said, “In the world you have tribulation,” that is trouble, turmoil, persecution, hurt, etc, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

In other words He says to us, don’t let the trouble that you will experience in this world overcome you.  I am in charge, I will be with you.  In fact, at least four places in the Bible, Deut. 31:6, 8, Joshua 1:5, and Hebrews 13:5, God tells us “He will never leave or forsake,” those who are His.  

I think David Potter had something when he penned the words, “your hand in mine steals the thunder, you make the sun want to shine.”  

That’s what it means to trust in God.  This doesn’t mean that we won’t experience some troublesome times. Jesus tells us differently.  When we know that He is with us, He is holding our hand, He is leading the way, we no longer have to fear what man or sickness can do to us.  

Even if sickness kills ours bodies, it cannot destroy our souls if our hope and trust is in Him who created us and loved us so much that He died to redeem us from our sinful state.

If you are reading this and you are experiencing trouble of any kind, small or great, why not call out to Jesus. He will not force Himself on you but He waits to hear your cry and He will  be there to help, if you will only trust Him.  

An old hymn has the words, “Hold to God’s unchanging Hand, build your hope on things eternal, Hold to God’s unhanging Hand”. 

Why not call out to Him today and trust Him with your life and experience Him in your trouble.  Blessings on you.

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Enjoy LIfe

Since I was a young child, I have had a love for horses. Riding lessons and summer camp were things I always looked forward to. 

I think my Mom probably thought the horse phase of my life wouldn’t last so when I started asking for a horse of my own she said no. I was quite persistent on it, and eventually I did receive my own horse when I was a young teenager.

All my free time, I spent at the barn with my friends and horses. As we grew older and got jobs, our schedules didn’t always work together so I ended up riding by myself quite a bit. 

This became the time I spent with God and time for myself. While I was riding I would talk to God and sing at the top of my lungs (only God doesn’t mind listening to my terrible singing voice!). 

Even now, spending time working with a horse is my escape from the busyness of life and time to relax. 

We live in a very busy world with our schedules always full it seems. Sometimes it is hard to find time for yourself to do the things you love, whether that is sitting down to read a book, going for a walk, sitting on the dock to watch the water pass by or whatever that thing is for you. 

We can be so busy running around to appointments that we don’t take the time to enjoy the life God has given us. Take some time for yourself this week to do what you love. It is the perfect time to talk to God and thank Him for the many wonderful things in your life.

Sometimes it’s hard to stop and talk to God, but when we do we find that we are far more thankful for the life we have.

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