“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
What stories the universe tells!
One thing I love to do when we are sitting on the patio under the starlit skies, especially in our place of choice for holidays nearer the equator, I love to gaze into the heavens and think about the ages that have passed on beforehand that have gazed on the exact same formations that we see today.
Even in the months up here in the frozen north where the aura borealis aka northern lights can be seen, it is breathtaking to sit around a campfire in northerly regions and behold the magnificent patterns and colours as they swirl around revealing the living vibrancy of the skies and the stories they have to tell. No wonder Saskatchewan is known as the ‘Land of the Living Skies.’
Since the beginning of the ages, humans have looked to the heavens for signs. It’s still engrained in our culture through legends and stories in almost every demographic in the world. At the end of the day, they used the night skies to relay life lessons they learnt to pass onto future generations. Cultures throughout the generations all over the world created their own constellations to tell the stories that were important to them. They studied the skies as a took for navigation.
The heavens also reveal planting times according to the phases of the moon, changes in the weather and many other mysteries that still have to be uncovered. It is an exhaustible source of knowledge used to understand the atmosphere, and also the earth in which we live.
As well as learning about the heavens, the love of experiencing the world and cultures firsthand is a desire for many that is discouraged at this time. Kudos to Holy Trinity Catholic School Board for encouraging travel and learning about other cultures through reading books. What a pleasant surprise to read about a contest they are holding, modified through the annual provincial activity created around Family Literacy Day. The Battle of the Books contest focuses on the theme, “Let’s Travel the World Together.” Even tho’ the students may be unable to explore new worlds at this time, they are able to go on great adventures by getting lost in a book. What a great way to escape the winter blahs!
So, whether you are young or old, seize the cold days of winter and pandemic lockdown to learn more about your topic of interest through books. Our local library is a great resource, too, still working hard to offer all aspects of society opportunities to learn and be engaged in the here and now. To register for any of the programs coming up at the Moose Jaw Public Library, you can contact them by calling 1 (306) 692-2787, reaching out via message on Facebook, using the chat feature on moosejawlibrary.ca or by emailing ask@moosejawlibrary.ca.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
