Loredana's Epilogue -
The Return of the Canadian Penny
BEYOND BORDERS WALK - SUMMER 2022
Silence and tranquillity reigned along the Coastal Link Trail. Wildflowers, pristine lakes, Acadian forests, the Bay of Fundy, the tides, the sunrises, the misty fog, and the wildlife awed me. And the kindness of the Canadians felt like a week-long hug.
The experience was one of a kind but not without its challenges. Paul ran out of water on a long stretch, Ken suffered from a strained muscle in his back, and I hurt my foot, causing me to wonder how I would be able to make it. But we did make it, and it was heartwarming when people joined us for the last stretch along the St. Stephen waterfront, and Mayor Allan MacEachern came to meet with us.
Little Blue Bear and Gratitude were so excited to see each other again!
And then, this happened:
The Mayor led us to Painting the Light, a mural in progress by Canadian artist Geoff Slater. After I shook the artist’s hand, Mayor MacEachern said I had inspired him (the Mayor) through the project of developing the St. Stephen’s Coastal Link Trail segment and revealed Slater would depict me in the artwork.
I was speechless and profoundly touched.
I never thought the return of the Canadian penny would lead to so many beautiful things, and never in a million years would I have imagined it would lead to that.
Humbly grateful, I wonder if the mural is also God’s way of teaching me we all contribute to humanity and the world around us, no matter how small or insignificant our actions may seem.
Mural by Geoff Slater (Painter of Lines).
Beside the David Alison Ganong Chocolate Park overlooking the St. Croix River, in St. Stephen.
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