Jennifer Brown is a local Métis woman who has lived in Prince Albert all of her life but whose roots date back to the historical Métis Red River settlement. The daughter of Mervyn and AnnaLou, Jennifer’s interest in art began with the encouragement of her mother, who provided her with many outlets to let her creative energy soar.  Her dad would then take her sketches and inventions and proudly show them off to others.  Surrounded by artists most of her life, Jennifer had the opportunity to attend a conference in Vancouver where she met a lady from Manitoba who taught her to bead.  “It became a quick obsession”, Jennifer explains, “I draw the image and the beads were the colour.  At first I was making moss bags because it was something I could do with my mom; I would do the beading and she would do the sewing for me.”  What a wonderful way for two generations to connect and work towards rebuilding lost traditions.  And a third generation benefitted when Jennifer was able to make a moss bag for her newborn niece.

Occasionally I’m fortunate enough that my life journey crosses paths with someone who touches others on a more personal level beyond just the way they affect me… it’s a life changing and deeply insightful moment which, when you look back, you know it will impact the way you think for a very long time.  That is the case with me upon meeting Dakota Favel.  Now, I’m not going to say I am a die-hard groupie fan; far from it.  In fact, I took it upon myself to keep him humble with sarcastic one liners that poked fun at his music/voice and, thankfully, he accepted my humour and ribbing with a big smile and quick witted responses that always provided comedic relief when we needed it most.  

I can’t admit to being a sports enthusiast by any means however, I do  enjoy watching the journey of Janessa Keays over the last number of years as she makes a name for herself in the sport of Judo.  A quick Google search of her name will give you an idea of her success as a competitor in Judo, “a sport of unarmed combat that uses balance, holds and throws” says Janessa as she describes her technique. Born and raised in Prince Albert, this beautiful teenager has been quietly making a name for herself at Judo tournaments, earning medals at competitions in Saskatchewan, western Canada, Quebec and England.  For Janessa, the medals are a bonus to gaining new experiences and making life long friendships.  Ultimately though, her goal is to keep improving so that she qualifies for larger tournaments with the end goal of competing for Canada at the Olympic Games.

I recently became reacquainted with an old friend from college when I attended a beading class one chilly night in January.  My instructor, Barb Morin, originally hails from Weyakwin and Prince Albert has been her home for over thirty years. If you recognize her name, it might be due to her job as a teacher/mentor at Carlton and Saskatchewan Rivers School Division.  But soon, I think she will be best known for her traditional Indigenous art that is taking provincial, national and international attention.

As the holiday season passes and each of us returns to our regular routines, I find myself missing the spontaneous greetings from strangers, the casual good natured waving as one driver passes another in the hustle and bustle of frazzled people looking for empty spaces in snow filled parking lots and the warm smiles that seem to be pasted on most faces during late December and early January.  It is easy to be kind when we hear an old man with a grey beard is checking a list for who is naughty or nice and there’s a lump of coal for those who fall short in being kind.  But what are we doing the other eleven months of the year?  I decided to take a look at Prince Albert to see if I can spot random acts of kindness any time of the year.