Here is our old friend Duncan Hanks with Dad. Duncan is the Director of the Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency, and he gave an exceptional presentation in Ottawa yesterday which included some video material of the Agency's work in Honduras, which is modelled after various Socio-Economic Development projects in Colombia and which provide a truly remarkable and sustainable approach to development. The principles of our faith are integrated into grassroots and very practical approaches to agriculture, literacy, and community change. It was an impressive demonstration of the beginning and exciting application of spiritual principle to social action, and there was a crowd at the home of our hostess who were diverse and eager to hear this exciting news.

Our afternoon there followed a fireside at our home where Mom was the highlighted speaker and where several people peppered her with questions. She is a tremendous storyteller but as with all her stories, they lead to a point, and are shared with wisdom and spiritual principle. We were on a very pleasant learning curve...and I later received an e-mail from one of our guests and a new friend, Mike, who is our old friend Bill Skuce's nephew and has recently joined the faith. He commented that one of the images which stayed with him was the analogy shared by a participant that for a human being to search for God is like a fish searching for water.

We were about ten people gathered to hear Mom, and it was with reluctance that we stopped the discussion at about one o'clock since some of us were also planning to go the afternoon CBIDA session. It has been a very busy time, and I am now looking forward to a variety of events this week (Writer's Group at Jack's tomorrow night, Ruhi 4 at Marilee's on Wednesday) before my departure on Saturday for Saskatoon and then Victoria and points beyond.

Life is full and busy.