It’s Sunday and I’m thinking about church. If you’ve known me in my adult life, you may think this is strange. I’ve had an aversion to structured religion since my late teens/early twenties. It wasn’t always like that. I grew up going to the Gaetz United Memorial Church in Red Deer. I participated in the youth events, went to Sunday school, and for a period I felt religion very deeply. 

Last week I went to the annual Norwegian festival in Red Deer, Alberta with my two teenage daughters and my uncle.

Red Deer is where I grew up, yet I only discovered the Norwegian Laft Hus a few years ago. Tucked into the downtown core, it can easily disappear from view if you don’t already know to look for it. I remember frequently going to the pool next door when I was a child and never knowing what was tucked into the bushes behind it.