Moments of Kindness and Reprieve

An old friend in Ottawa, where I used to live, once told me a story. She remembered it being read to her as a child, how she was haunted by its beauty and its sadness. But she couldn't recall the story's name, or who wrote it. The more she told me, the more the details of the story came back to her, as if memory were rushing to catch up with her offering. Later she looked it up and rediscovered its title, its author and its original text.

I don't remember what made my friend tell me this story. Nor could I have easily recalled it. But this evening, I said to my husband, "Our theme for After Hours this week is Generosity. Let me know if you think of anything I should read." I expected then to wait and see. Instead, immediately he said, "What was that story about the statue, and the crow? Or maybe it wasn't a crow. But some kind of bird, taking stuff from the statue to give away. What was that story?"

For some of you, this may be quite enough of a clue. Tom and I had to look it up. The moment I saw the title, I also saw my friend Andrea's face, beaming as she told me years ago how happy this story had made her as a child. And so the story—which is indeed about a kind of generosity—has offered me not just the delight of its substance and form, but this memory, of a friend and her glimmer of joy, and her intent to share that joy with me.

I'll read a passage from this wonderful classic at After Hours on Wednesday evening. Also a (somewhat ironic) poem about the tsunami of gift-giving that tends, these days, to accompany the birth of a child. I am gathering a little pile of further enticing possibilities. And I do know of other plans brewing, offerings being gathered by fellow churchmice...We'll have, I hope, our usual wonderfully absorbing olio!

Churchmouse After Hours is a monthly neighbourhood coffeehouse with songs, stories, poems and prose on a rotating theme. All are welcome to listen or join in. Note: This is not a literary open-mic. Though local authors do participate, we are all readers sharing work we enjoy and admire. Fourth Wed of most months at 7 pm at Churchmouse Bookshop in St. Mary’s Oak Bay, 1701 Elgin Rd.