Dear Editor,
When our family moved to Bowen a year and a half ago we had no idea how much our lives would change. This beautiful island has had an enormous impact on our family and has profoundly changed our lives for the better. We didn’t realize that we were missing out on being part of a community and now we can’t imagine our lives without it. I lived in Kenya for many of my childhood years. There is a saying in Africa that when you leave, the red dust of Africa stays in your blood and always pulls you back. It’s true. I will always have a special place for Africa in my heart and it is in my blood. I now feel the same way about Bowen. This island will always have a special place in my heart, and should we ever leave it, I know there is something that will always bring us back here.
My family loves Bowen for many reasons but there are two that stand out: community and nature. We have never experienced a sense of community like we have here. Of course there are so many aspects of this community that make it unique, but they all have one thing in common - people are kind to one another here. A smile at the General Store, a quick chat at the post office, a stranger in the parking lot helping me get my newborn into a baby carrier, dinners being delivered by friends and complete strangers after bringing our new baby home from the hospital. People are kind to one another here.
I have always been deeply aware of how fortunate we are as British Columbians to live in such a beautiful place with nature at our doorstep. Since moving to Bowen, my children are outside EVERY DAY. Rain or shine. We walk the trails, we go to the beaches, we hike the lake. As a teacher and a mom, I believe in the importance of children learning through exploration and inquiry. By being outside every day and walking the same trails throughout the year, my daughter Kiana has learned about this unique ecosystem that we live in. She notices and gets excited about the changes she witnesses. She notices when the very first blossoms appear on the stark trees in the meadow at Crippen, when we’ve had a heavy rainfall the night before and the water levels are higher in the streams, when there are caterpillars covering the railings of the bridges, when the huckleberries have been eaten by the birds, and when the first leaf falls from the tree signalling the beginning of fall. Being connected to nature and the world around her has helped shape the way Kiana views the world.
Two weeks ago we went on a family outing to Seymour Landing beach. It was a rainy west coast day and we were excited to explore another beach we hadn’t yet visited. We were shocked to see a beach littered with styrofoam and garbage. Kiana was very concerned about this which prompted a huge discussion about the environment and why we need to protect it... all initiated and led by her. She is 4 years old. She attends the Bowen Children’s Centre and has been coming home lately talking about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. The fabulous teachers at the Children’s Centre have been helping the children inquire into our planet and more recently the focus has been on the environment.
Two weeks after our visit to Seymour Bay Beach, she said to me, “Mom, I’ve been thinking about that beach with all the garbage and we need to do something about it. I want to clean it up and help the environment. Maybe I could get my friends together and we can all clean it up.”
YES! As a parent, this is what you hope for. Our daughter wants to take action and make a difference in this beautiful world and the desire came entirely from her. So we phoned some of her friends and on Friday, March 5, they cleaned up the beach at Seymour Landing. Three girls, with enormous hearts, making a difference on Bowen Island.
Katie Cooke
