Author Archives: olivia

There’s something about standing outside at night after a fresh snowfall. Even now that I moved closer to the city, when my crunching steps come to a stand still, it’s extra quiet outside. I heard there is a scientific reason for this, that the snow on the ground absorbs a portion of the sound. OnContinue reading “A Quiet February”

As we enter this new year at The Dale, I took some time reflecting upon 2021 and all that happened. And it was a lot! Some of it cool and exciting, while other parts are hard and heavy. From restrictions increasing and decreasing all over the place, to moving our church outdoors, then indoors, thenContinue reading “2021 Look Back”

Last Monday on my way to work, I got on the subway west bound to Parkdale. If you’ve taken the subway before you’ve probably experienced for yourself, the subway can be a mix of encounters. This time in particular, I sat next to a lady who was having a bad day. She was yelling reallyContinue reading “Respect within Community”

Back inside! It’s finally happening! We have moved our Sunday service back into the building.  For many months now (i’ve honestly lost count), we’ve been having our service outside, under a tent, in the parking lot of the church in Parkdale that we have been residing in throughout Covid. Each week we would hope forContinue reading “Church Indoors”

On this cool fall day, for lunch at The Dale we had a whole lot of chow mein , some pizza, and good chats. Though our lunch is done through bagged to-go meals in a line-up type of format, we still manage to meet new people, build relationships, and have some laughs.  A gentleman whoContinue reading “A Cherished Photograph”

“Bye love” is how Nanny always says her goodbyes. My grandma who goes by “Nanny” hasn’t changed her final greeting, from when I left her space back when she lived in my childhood home, to now when I leave her nursing home room. Always in the same tone with her Irish accent.  For the pastContinue reading “Nanny”

So much of what we talk about at The Dale is the power of community. Churches experience this when everyone’s different skills and gifts come together. Many parts of one body! An example at The Dale is when we would create a meal together during pre-covid days (i miss it a lot!). Some people wouldContinue reading “Rebekah’s Baking”

Back before I worked at The Dale, I was involved with leading groups of youth to visit The Dale. This was with an organization called Project Serve that taught youth how to serve in the city (it’s really cool and you can check their website here http://www.projectservetoronto.ca). Since we had such big groups that wouldContinue reading “Our Garden”

This past Wednesday evening, The Dale was able to host a Shoe Clinic! I arrived in Parkdale, a half hour before the event, and there before me stood a shockingly large crowd waiting in line, ready to go. At first I was overwhelmed by greeting everyone, but it was nice to see some people weContinue reading “A Shoe Clinic”

I am not always good at putting my thoughts into words. So to share an update on how things have been going lately, I thought I would share some pictures. The heat has been picking up, so below are some good moments we’ve been able to have at The Dale this summer so far. ToContinue reading “Fun in the Sun”