For Nepal, from the Dixon Mom.

Selfie with Gertrude

Gertrude Ambrose, aka the Dixon Mom, is celebrating her 75th birthday today with a donation to our efforts in Nepal. I met her at the CWL diocesan convention in Toronto. The CWL are great supporters of D&P and I have an info table there. "I never had problems speaking up for others," she says, "because I myself was pushed aside." She grew up a victim of the war in a small swiss border town. Despite having little education, she became a leader in her village.

At the age of 30 she came to Canada and married. "I have never been in love," she tells me. "I married the worst of the worst. After 36 years he died." She smiles. They call her the Dixon Mom because she is such an active member of her inner city Toronto neighbourhood on Dixon road. "I have no problem telling the men off when they do bad things. No one has sued me yet."

CWL convention

She lobbied to have bulletin boards out up in her building to advertise community events and volunteer opportunities. "Authorities want to spend millions on a p‎ool or a rec centre, instead of listening to the simple ideas of people who live here. A bulletin board gives people a sense of what is going on. Loneliness is the worst thing in the world you know."

Gertrude's eyes are lively brown. She zips around on her scooter from one place to the next. She leaves me with not only a donation, but a compliment. "You come down to my level, and you keep eye contact. You are a good listener."

I'm not a good listener though. I am just easily captivated by someone who flexes the muscle of the widow's mite.