Author Archives: oliviadower

I’ve been at the Dale for almost 10 months now. It seems like time is flying, but when I look back at where I started, a lot has happened since then. I have found that throughout these months I’ve been like a sponge soaking up everything around me. I have been taking in the neighbourhoodContinue reading “Feeling like a Sponge”

I never knew that I should have gone to cooking school before working at The Dale, but I’ve been learning a lot! I thought I would share a glimpse into what our kitchen looks like before a meal begins on Monday or Thursday. Feeding a lot of people, means cooking in large portions. Very large! SometimesContinue reading “A Glimpse Into our Kitchen”

Last week, we lost our good friend John. The Dale is no stranger to loss. I’ve been at three memorials already and have heard many stories of beloved friends who passed away years ago.  This was the first goodbye in Parkdale that I’ve said to someone I knew well, someone whom I considered a friend.Continue reading “Our Friend John”

During this pandemic I’m learning that I have very little control over my life, and maybe you are experiencing this too. Many would say we live in a generation of instant gratification. With our phones always at our fingertips, the list of things we can get instantly is massive compared to the generations before us;Continue reading “In Better Hands”

Happy Easter Sunday everyone! I know this isn’t quite the Easter you imagined. It’s hard for many not to be allowed to gather with family and/or friends, and not be able to attend a service with your church congregation. Though these are challenging times, we have such a great reason to celebrate. We remember theContinue reading “Easter Sunday!”

The government has called the city to shut down (malls closings, churches locking their doors, playgrounds taped up, tables put away in restaurants, etc.) but The Dale has been making some adjustments to keep going, amidst the closures, following the new rules that pop up day to day. Many have asked me what The DaleContinue reading “The Dale Carries On”

So I am currently self-isolating for 14 days due to my trip out of the country. Sunday I journeyed through the Orlando airport security, sat in a completely full airplane, and got temporarily stranded in the Toronto airport- all with this fear in the back of my mind from the panic I’ve read on socialContinue reading “Thoughts From Isolation”

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”  Psalm 28:7 I have recently been reading from the Psalms. I wanted to read another book of the Bible, but during this time of my life,Continue reading “February Joy”

If you know me, you would know that I struggle with public speaking. No matter the crowd- even in one of my small classes of six students in college- I was very nervous. Nevertheless I still end up doing public speaking a lot in my life and though it is a challenge, it always turnsContinue reading “An Encouraging Silence”

A new year can be deceiving. It comes with this idea of a fresh start, but the start of another day with a different name doesn’t erase what happened the weeks before.  During our first Monday drop-in of the year, I sat down at a table to join a group for lunch. As we chatted,Continue reading “A New Year, a fresh start?”