full to the brim.

let me paint you a picture. 

it’s a tuesday afternoon, 1pm to be exact. we gather in a space not our own, as usual. but we sure make it ours, as usual. we are at the salvation army thrift store on queen street west and jameson avenue. the store is long but narrow. let’s walk in, all the way to the back. there you go, past the racks of clothes and the dishes. stop at the staff room door 3/4 of the way back and say hi to penny. she’s pricing some items. hi darlings! she says and she hugs you tight. you let her know that you have snacks and that she should come for a visit.

walk a little further back, careful! it gets tight here. walk to the left of the bookshelf and pull up a chair if you can find one. this is where we meet. the “coffee corner” at the back of the store. the space is small… really small. we are at a table that’s been here for ages and mixed-matched chairs that come and go. sometimes if we are lucky theres a couch too, just in front of the table. we are surround by books on three sides. have a seat, next to “john”. he has his painting supplies out already and is focused and committed. 

if you came with me, which i wouldn’t advise since you’re already seated, we would go back into the staff room, past the tight clothing rack being sorted (sorry! was that your toe?) and grab our things. a borrowed kettle. a gifted scrabble bored, some coffee, tea and hot chocolate etc in a well loved bag. back to the table i go and plug the kettle in at the coffee corner, so to speak. 

what would you like to drink and how do you take it? don’t worry if you don’t get a drink this round… we’ll boil the kettle at least 10 more times since it only fills three cups at a time. soon everyone will be filled with a warm drink in a borrowed mug – if we run out we walk back to the front where the dishes are and collect a couple more. here, take these bowls please. chips in this one and grapes in the other. help yourself! and pass it along. 

1:30 already?! time flies at the beginning. we are full now so squish in. oh here’s “betty”. sorry while i reach over you to give her a hug. ok everyone, drinks in hand? scrabble at the ready? “TJ” will serenade us and oh look! Sam’s here with some donuts! 

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this is my tuesday afternoon, and you are always welcome. we gather from 1-3pm. it may be squishy and loud but it’s ours for a couple hours and we are at “home.” feel free to join us! 

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It would mean so much to me if you were able to partner financially with The Dale to support my role within this ministry. There are a number of ways to do this, including CanadaHelps, PAR, or cheque. Please reach out to me if you would like more information on partnering with me in this way. Thanks for your support!