I feel alone in my village

I recently made my pilgrimage back to Switzerland and I spent quite a bit of time with Gus Naef.  It has been many years now that he had to leave the Ranch and live permanently in Hermance, a small village just outside of Geneva.  He has a beautiful home overlooking the Lac Leman, but still pines for his home on the ranch.

View from Gus's house in Hermance, overlooking the Lac Leman.

View from Gus's house on the Shuswap.

I make sure that Gus reads all my posting on the blog and it was wonderful to talk to him and gather further insight into the history. One day we were discussing the lifestyle on the ranch and contrasting it today where, especially in the case of my family, we spend very little time at home. Due to the drastic changes on the Ranch we have had to let go of all our livestock and work full time in town.
Gus commented; "What you say is absolutely true. Today you have a car that can take you here and there. You today live only a few hours a day at home. We were living 24 hours at home or in the fields or bush. This is the difference. I feel very alone here now though I live in a village with family and friends. But today beside the work, people are too busy".
There was a strong sense of community on Canoe Point at that time. People not only worked at home but all the entertaining was done amongst neighbors. There was an open invitation and the "coffee pot was always on". Close friendships developed that endured for many years, surviving even when people had to move away. The friendship that has most moved me was the one between my grandmother Renee and my godmother, Lea Berger.  Everyday they would speak to each other and often they would go on long walks together. There is a soothing quality to a visit while walking and Canoe Point is extremely scenic.

circa 1960s. The view as it would of been for Renee and Lea on their walks.

Share it,

share it all.

The aching heart sorrows of lost love,

the losses that cut you open, and leave you never.

The smaller ones; a failed exam, a bad haircut,

share those too.

See, we are all the same.

Made larger somehow, knowing we are not alone.

A comfort to be together, the shared knowledge of suffering

grows the heart, nourishes the soul.

Makes us larger than life itself. 

Christmas 2006.  Walking is one of our favourite things to do with friends too.

What struck me most during the visit with Gus is although he has surrounded by a village my impression is that he has never felt so alone. 

The village of Hermance

August 2011 in Gus's house in Hermance with my daughter, Marlee.