We Are The Solbergs
Father Aaron Solberg is an Anglican priest and composer. Together with his wife Isabelle and their two sons, he lives in Fort Smith, in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Here the family shares personal reflections, experiences, and insights into faith and life in the North.
THE PODCAST
The NorthWord
A daily devotional from the North with Fr. Aaron L. Solberg. The Word, the North, your week — a few minutes each day of Scripture, prayer, and faith lived out in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
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The Anglican Family
(opens in a new tab)Real faith. Real winters. Real north. The Solbergs share daily hope, honest ministry, and life in Fort Smith, NWT — plus The Northward podcast for hope in your day.
Lest We ForgetThe airport is a microcosm of society. It is the place where you walk past a thousand different lives from a thousand different places.Our family spent two weeks in New York sharing with various churches and spending time with family and old friends. We left on Thanksgiving in October, and on November 4th we drove to an Ottawa airport hotel to begin our travels home. When I went to the desk to check in, I thought it was odd that the clerk didn't have a poppy, but I didn't think too much of it. It was late at night, and it was early in November. But the next morning, as we came into a very full airport, I noticed a complete lack of poppies.Now don't misunderstand me. I have two little ones, and I have lost at least eight or nine poppies since we've been back. But in the airport there are poppies to buy everywhere. There are veterans and cadets selling them. There is an opportunity to engage, to have a conversation, and to learn. So, having just got back to Canada and not having a poppy, I went to an old veteran selling poppies right before security and bought myself one. As I put it on, I watched a stream of people my age and younger, all part of the rat race, waltz by without a single poppy in sight. When we got on the plane, an Embraer E195-E2 that seats about 130 people, I walked up and down the full plane just out of curiosity to see how many people had on a poppy. Sadly, it was so few I could count them on my hands.But the other reflection I have is this: no one judged me. You may be thinking that's a good thing, but I disagree. You see, by the time I had boarded my flight, I had lost my poppy. I didn't get one again until Edmonton, which I promptly lost, and so I didn't get another until arriving home in Fort Smith. Not one person who had on a poppy judged me. But I wish they had! Not with a dirty look, just someone noticing and asking me where my poppy went.The poppy has two parts to it: the engagement in the purchase, and the reminder of what service is. When I buy a poppy from a cadet, a Legion member or a veteran, I am supporting people who uphold important volunteer organizations. These organizations have helped thousands of small communities and their members for decades. Today they often can't get even a basic commitment from people to sit on their boards, yet they're asked to keep serving at full capacity. So when I engage, I am reminded of the importance of service, commitment and community. When I buy it from a cadet, I am showing that what they are doing as young volunteers is valued and important, and that they are valued and important. And when I buy it from a veteran, I am showing them that their service means something to me.But what does wearing the poppy mean? The poppy reminds us of those who serve. It's not political, and it's not pro-war or pro-government. It is the symbol of people who are willing to sacrifice their all for other people. As Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."When Kipling first wrote "lest we forget," it was a prayer: "Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget." We say "lest we forget." But I wonder if "lest we forget" has sadly become the reality of "we have already forgotten."#LestWeForget #RemembranceDay #PoppyCampaign #FortSmith #NWT
A few winters ago the furnace quit at forty below. Two days later the part came, and we forgot the whole thing. That's how most of us l#anglicanl#faithF#NWT #northerncanadaa#prayerrayer
Today I had the pleasure of preaching and celebrating communion at the Anglican church in Hay River, where they are still waiting for their new priest to arrive. When I got there this morning, I realized I did not have my stole. We had been travelling, and usually churches have a few lying around, but not this one. I walked over to the Catholic church, which was about to start its service, and asked Father Peter if he happened to have a stole I could borrow. It is great when churches can work together, and even better when they are next door to each other.