My Queen Victoria

This weekend marks the birthday of Queen Victoria, whom all of us are too young to remember and probably wouldn’t at all if our country hadn’t declared a holiday in her honor.

So I want to write about my own personal Queen Victoria. She’s somewhat of an icon in Portage la Prairie, known and loved by many. She’s been lovingly referred to as “a party wherever she goes.” She celebrates an important milestone birthday this month—though you’d never guess—and I’m proud to call her my friend.

I’m talking about the unsinkable Vicki Hooke.

One reason Vicki’s so recognized in Portage is that she taught at Crescentview School for nearly four decades and continues to substitute since her retirement. Countless students remember her fondly as the teacher who encouraged them and made school fun. But even if you never had the privilege of being one of her students, you’ve probably played pickle-ball with her, partied with her, seen her in a play, sang show tunes or Christmas carols around her piano, or volunteered with her somewhere.

I first met Vicki when she began attending my church in the late nineteen hundreds. Knowing Vicki, her friends quickly convinced her to join the church drama team which I led. I soon came to appreciate this bundle of energy who brought life and fun to every rehearsal, laughs and applause to every performance. She served with us for close to two decades, until church drama teams became passé and ours dissolved.

Today, Vicki serves our congregation as an usher and greeter—a perfect fit for my gregarious friend. Years ago, I declared her a “little pillar” of the church for her faithfulness through thick and thin. And so she is.

I soon dragged Vicki in with me when I became involved with the Prairie Players, our local community theatre group. We continued to act, laugh, and learn lines together. As a playwright, I’ve lost count of the parts I’ve written especially with Vicki in mind, for both these groups.

Our latest shenanigans involve riding the Herman Prior Centre bus to see plays at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, followed by shopping and supper at Polo Park, and gabbing all the way there and back. Vicki’s unparalleled ability to make friends everywhere we go makes me feel like a wallflower in comparison, but I love it. Her energy at 70 surpasses what most of us enjoyed in our thirties. You can’t hang around with Vicki and not feel better about everything. Her three young granddaughters are blessed.

If all that’s not enough, under the sparkly earrings, feather boas, and musical laughter, Vicki is a woman of depth and character. I’ve seen her handle real struggles with strength and grace. She’s not afraid to ask for help when she needs it and she passes on praise generously. Vicki grew up in a family that valued education, hard work, and service to community. She’s living proof that a woman of faith and substance can also be the most exuberant party hostess, that wisdom and humor can reside in the same little body, and that a merry heart really is the best medicine.

I thank God for my friend, my Queen Victoria, and for the wonderful way He created her. If you know Vicki, wish her well this birthday month and thank her for all the joy she brings to our community and our world.

The real Queen Victoria, after surviving her eighth assassination attempt, said, “It is worth being shot at to see how much one is loved.”

Happy Birthday, Miss Vicki. I hope that, even without getting shot at, you know how deeply you are loved. 

Vicki and Me

 

A Quirky Queen and the Longest May-Long

Is this your favorite long weekend of the year? Seems it has become known as “The May Long” or “May Two-Four” and it signifies many things to us here on the Canadian prairie: planting gardens, getting yards in tip-top shape, firing up the barbecue, the start of camping season, garage sales, outdoor festivals, and the unofficial kick-off of our shortest and most cherished season.

What is it, anyway?

Victoria Day occurs on the Monday before May 25 each year and honours Queen Victoria, whose actual birthday fell on May 24 and who reigned from 1837 to 1901 (during which time the population of Britain doubled). She still holds the record as the longest-reigning British monarch, even though she needed to survive her father and three uncles in order to wear the crown.

Why her?

So why is Victoria’s birthday a holiday and not any or every other monarch? Maybe because she was so interesting. Her mother was a German princess, so she spoke German first, then English, French, and Hindi. Her first name was actually Alexandrina and her family nicknamed her “Drina.” Having lost her father when she was still an infant, she was only 18 when she was crowned. She married her first cousin, Albert, whom she was crazy about all her life. They had nine kids, eight of whom later sat on thrones in Europe. She was the one who started the trend, apparently, of white wedding dresses—but after Albert’s death she wore only black for the rest of her days. Queen Victoria survived seven assassination attempts, although why so many wanted her dead isn’t clear. She enjoyed singing, painting, drawing, and keeping a journal which encompasses 122 volumes.

Did you know…?

In some Canadian cities, Victoria Day is celebrated with fireworks or parades. Not surprisingly, Victoria, BC, (named for the Queen) holds such festivities and I wonder if the children who live there assume that “Victoria Day” is a celebration of their home town. I wonder if all the women named Victoria or Vicki think the holiday is for them. I wonder why there is no holiday named for me. Oh wait. Maybe that’s what April the first is for.

My most memorable May Long.

The 1981 May long weekend was the longest weekend in the history of the world—my world, anyway. With my first child nine days past due and my body so swollen I qualified as a capacity crowd, I felt thrilled when labour finally started on Friday afternoon. Notions, my dad called it. All of his daughters had to endure the final weeks of our pregnancies answering Dad’s daily query: “having any notions yet?”

Happy as I was when the notions arrived, it seemed to me that three and a half years passed between that Friday evening and Sunday afternoon when our healthy, 9 pound, 7 ounce son was finally delivered by Caesarean section. While it may have been my longest weekend, it was also the most rewarding. And the fringe benefit? Our son always gets a long weekend on or close to his birthday.

So, happy 33rd birthday to our handsome firstborn, and Happy Victoria Day to all! Enjoy your May Long.