Hello September. My kid and I are getting ready for the fall. School is starting. I say that quietly. We are both now home and we love spending some time together on the weekend. We did a few errands this morning and we had a big breakfast at White Spot. I love going there. It’s about as close as having a hotel breakfast. It’s one of my favourite things to do. I love it even more when I can be with my kid.

My friend took me to the farmers market last weekend and I just looked around to get the lay of the land. There are two farmer markets downtown and I have not been to one of them before. We went early in the morning last week and my friend goes every weekend with her other friend. She has routines and favourite vendors. It was fun to see such a community oriented event and I enjoyed watching people.

After breakfast this morning, my kid and I went to the farmers market. It was later in the day, so the $5.00 farm eggs and artesian loaves of fresh baked bread were not available. And, piles of vegetables were not piled as high as they were from what I remembered last week when I first went. This is a good problem. My kid saw the sunflowers and we could not help ourselves. It was our first purchase.

We walked over to the second farmers market. It’s downtown Prince George and we walked passed folks who were sitting in corners and door sills along the street. On the one hand, it could be perceived as unsafe. My kid will often do what it takes to protect me. I’m a little naive that way. On the other hand, my heart was broken. We walked passed one person and he was putting hotel lotion on an open wound.

I could not un-see what I saw. My heart was heavy and my kid tried to console me. It was a beautiful sunny day. There was no smoke and there was a cool breeze. It was a short walk to the next market and we purchased peaches, nectarines, plums, and green beans. My kid even bought a crocheted flower pot hanging from one of the vendors and I learned that there were three different plums to choose from.

We meandered back to the car, I put our recent purchases in the car, and my kid went to the trunk of her car. She took out gauze, a wrap, and two wipes from her first aid kit. She’s in the nursing program. I looked at her and she heard my plea about helping that person we saw a few moments ago. She drove to where they were and asked me if I wanted her to go help the person. I said yes and she did.

I watched the interaction from the car. She recognized the person and approached him with compassion and kindness. I saw that she gave him a few instructions of what she was about to give him and accepted the first aid supplies graciously and with gratitude. The interaction was wholehearted and full of humanity. I cried. My kid returned to the car and wondered why I was crying. She wanted me to stop.

Eventually I stopped crying when we drove away, but I was overwhelmed. I love how my kid gets frustrated with me and my involuntary behaviours like crying, for example. Anyway, I am proud of my kid. She is in the right profession and I love that she still speaks about medical school and nursing is the first step. She is going to change the world. I have no doubt or question. She has surpassed me 10-fold.