02/10/2026
A message from Jerry Letkeman, Executive Director
There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
How many Canadian prairie winters have you been through? They’re cold, long, potentially very dangerous, and occasionally make us wish we were living elsewhere. I grew up in southern Manitoba, which along with Saskatchewan and the northern plains of the U.S. is sometimes referred to as blizzard alley. At Brandon, Manitoba there is a permanent, railway crossing style gate that is used to close the Trans-Canada highway when the weather is bad. It’s permanent because of the frequency of its use. It looks weird in summer, but it saves lives in winter.
Winter is a time to reflect on life. What’s really important? Would living in a warmer climate solve my problems? In February we celebrate Valentine’s Day. A reminder of friendship and love. It’s also a poignant reminder of loved ones who are no longer beside us, either by death or other circumstances.
Losing a spouse can create all kinds of feelings, such as deep loneliness (life is empty and strange), a loss of identity (you’re not a “we” anymore), guilt (survivors guilt, “I should have done more” guilt), anger (at the spouse for leaving, at God for permitting it), fear and anxiety (having to manage alone, about the future), depression (feeling numb, having no energy, being negative) and other poignant emotions. Many of you know these kinds of feelings all too well.
As we find ourselves deep in a Canadian prairie winter, the starkness of our surroundings serves as a reminder of life’s challenges. Let us hold space for these emotions while also remembering the beauty of love that endures beyond physical presence and the warmth we can cultivate within our community.
From Topher Kearby:
“Every ounce of who we are has been here forever. And now it’s gathered together to form a human being. How amazing and how beautiful a gift is that. To understand that magic and wonder exist and that we can be a part of that story. I love it all. I love being alive and to experience it in the ways that I am able. And that has changed and will change and I’m good with that. So, this year I’m falling back in love with being a human being. And it’s going to be messy and raw and interesting. And that’s the point.”
There is comfort in faith, in knowing that a higher presence came to be with us through every season of life, including the coldest winters and the most painful losses.
This February, let’s fall back in love with life, even in its messier moments. Embrace the warmth found in our community, the universal truths we share, and the connections that bind us together. Reach out to one another, share stories, and extend kindness; for it is in these gestures that we will find light amidst the darkness.
Enjoy February, being human, on the prairies, in God’s presence.
