“I WILL BE AS BROAD AS THE EARTH. I WILL NOT BE LIMITED.” DAVID GRAYSON

SUPPORT FOR FIRE BENEFIT NO SURPRISE! GRAVENHURST RALLIES

There are a lot of times, believe it or not, a Currie is at a loss for words. This morning, when I sat down at this keyboard, and paused to look out at the snow-laden woodlands, across the lane, and watched the frenzy of squirrels and birds hovering about the feeder on the deck, I found myself at a loss for the first word of the first sentence. Andrew, Robert and I burned the midnight oil, handling all the emails and phone calls regarding this Sunday’s fundraising concert, for the victims of Monday’s devastating mainstreet fire.

I can’t really describe the totality of our feelings, having now received this massive response, from this town and beyond, from folks wanting to get involved and donate time and cash. Since the first online communications began, on Monday evening, as the ruins were still flaring-up, the boys have been inundated with musicians and volunteers, to help stage the benefit concert.

By mid-afternoon Tuesday, we had already, (based on support to that point), booked the Opera House, for this coming Sunday afternoon, at 2 p.m., and by early evening, we had the makings of a solid program of performers, including one of our dear friends, Ray Parsons, always an inspiration to us, who has once again, offered his services to create an “entertainment force-to-be-reckoned-with!” We have also been joined by longtime friend Mark Wigston, with his well known group, “MT & The Toasters.” By midnight, well, as you might imagine, exhaustion is still being trumped by excitement. We only surrendered to sleep with that subtle, comforting reality, “this is a pretty darn good home town, home region, on this good old planet.”

As I was just, moments ago, staring out onto the frozen Bog, wondering how to express our profound thanks to all our supporters, a book I frequently use for inspiration, caught my eye. Actually, a cat jumping up onto my lap, hit the book on the way up, so I had to handle it anyway. The book was written by David Grayson, and is entitled “Adventures in Contentment.” I had a glance through and found a passage that sort of dislodged my stalemate. I couldn’t help but think it summed up the inspiration we were feeling today, after a long and exhausting Tuesday of pre-event organization. It’s a wee bit antiquated and entirely rural.....coming from the story about a city gent who buys a farm, and by and by, becomes enlightened to those aspects of life urban-living had de-sensitized......and what a small community can do for the heart.

“I cannot well describe it, save by the analogy of an opening door somewhere within the house of my consciousness. I had been in the dark; I seemed to emerge. I had been bound down; I seemed to leap up - and with a marvellous sudden sense of freedom and joy. I stopped there in my field and looked up. And it was as if I had never looked up before. I discovered another world. It had been there before, for long and long, but I had never seen or felt it. All discoveries are made in that way.”

We carry on in life looking down a lot. Sometimes the burdens just weigh too heavily, and time and commitment hurry us about our rigid schedules. This week’s fire, jolted us to look up and take notice. It forced us to reckon with what we had, and what was about to occur. It made us fearful and regretful. For those of us who stood and watched the carnage, we knew it was our history being made. It wasn’t the history we would have chosen, to settle onto the pages of some future re-telling of April 4th, 2011. But it was undeniably the influence of reality. Many of us watching were trying to recall what it looked like before the smoke and flames were enveloping the mainstreet. Yet we have travelled that artery thousands of times. We just haven’t looked at it as intently as now. We have looked up from our daily lives, our rigorous trundles from here to there, and witnessed change. I am happy to say that many have discovered something important, which has come from the tragic circumstance..... When we were compelled to look up, we saw something that changed our outlook, and stirred emotions within......and there was a glimmer of the “marvellous” manifesting in our home town. We have experienced this up close and personal for the past 24 hours. I don’t know how else to describe it. And our family has been fundraising in Muskoka for decades. The response to the fire has been a most remarkable development.

It’s the fault of the writer / historian, to wax poetic, from time to time, because I am trapped in that nebulous zone between the way it was, and the way it is today, and feeling encouraged about all the crisis situations, the fires, loss of life, and tragedy our town has survived, and rebuilt from the ruins up! We will do it again.

And it does bother me, as an historical voyeur, just how much we miss, traversing our new-age work and play schedules......that in so many ways limits our observations and thoughts about.....the town we live in now! We have been drawn to this situation by misfortune......and we have responded in kind. There is no greater hometown feeling, than to find so many good neighbors when the need for neighborliness is most keenly felt.

Don’t blame the boys for this nostalgic, philosophical rambling. I’ve let them sleep-in awhile, as it will be a hectic week. The emails have been coming in like a waterfall, and I’ve left them in slumber long enough this morning. We want to thank all those who have contacted us, those who have joined the program for Sunday’s fundraiser, many who have volunteered to do anything to help us out, and of course those who plan on making a donation. This, afterall, is the objective. But already, if I could truly express a heartfelt opinion, the response to this terrible fire, has proven to me, and our family, that Gravenhurst is a caring, compassionate community. And when I get angry about taxes and political transparency issues, believe me, it’s only ever a blip of disenchantment. We couldn’t be more impressed with our home town, especially at times like this, when the chips are down, and the citizenry comes together in support, without having to be asked. It’s just a fact of life living here.

We will keep you updated via this blog and other online sources. We’ll be offering a full list of performers as soon as we have confirmations.

Thanks for all your help.