Homespun 2013 and Dickens Thrift Sale have wrapped up successfully. These community events are the preambles to Carlyle's Dickens Festival which is one of the most famous town festivals in Saskatchewan and which will be held during the first week of December. Carlyle is neither a big town nor a special town, among the many villages in Â鶹ÊÓƵern Saskatchewan, that it should organize such big events annually. And there is not any particular reason why Carlyle has to be the host of these events and other cultural activities such as Cornerstone Theatre, Boogie Fest and so on, which bring many people from the across Saskatchewan into this community and boost the local economy as well.
As we all well know, these kinds of community events could not happen naturally or spontaneously, like a season coming and going by itself. Somebody has to have a dream of it with fresh and big ideas. Someone has to initiate the plan and recruit the people who are able to work together to make it become a real event. And the people of the community have to be concerned, support and help out to make it a successful event for the sake of communal benefits. Therefore these community events are always non-zero sum games, win-win games for everyone, both organizers and attendees. We all appreciate those who have worked hard for community events. Personally I have never before seen such a busy and lively town as Carlyle.
The Carlyle Food Bank and Dickens Thrift Sale are excellent community programs that allow sharing with others. At the same time they offer a wonderful opportunity to those who are willing to participate in community works as volunteers. Before developing a market system, the selling and buying system with currency, directly exchanging material things was a common route of trade in early society. I believe that the Dickens Thrift Sale is very similar to the Biblical model of communal life in Early Church. "All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need" ( Acts 2:44-45).
Although it is impossible to go back to the early communal life style as the Bible said, still it is always possible to share our blessings with the needy through the Food Bank, the Dickens Thrift Sale or Drop In Centres which are run all year long by charitable organizations such as Salvation Army. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) said, "the world is not enough for everyone's greed, but it is enough for everyone's need." It is the harvest season and we all are expecting a good harvest this year. Let us share whatever is available with others. A good community is actually built on each person's willing heart to share.
