V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #4: Relationships

June 25, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

“The people we are in relationships with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors, reflecting their beliefs.” – Shakti Gawain A friend of mine used to say (and I paraphrase). “May you experience as many relationships […]

Reflections on Nurturing Wonder

June 24, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Thanks to all who participated in this week’s challenge. (It is never too late to join in, if you feel so inspired.) Tammy at Tammy’s Reading/Writing Life wrote a post about feeling magic that so resonated with our theme, I invited her to share. She speaks of finding magic in children’s rapt attention, Christmas, bookstores, […]

Responses

June 24, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Indifference How is it that you overlook my presence, as if I am no more than a blade of grass, a ripple on the water, our passing insignificant? Allegiance You are flesh torn from my flesh blood coagulated, still flowing – hearts tied in forever. […]

VJWC #3: Muskoka Wonder

June 23, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

It is the combination of trees and rocks and water that holds such allure for me. Here in Muskoka, it is easy to understand how artists such as the Group of Seven were inspired to capture such beauty. The weather has been perfect for our visit on Sparrow Lake, and my body has graciously […]

Muskoka

June 22, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

North of Toronto, Canada, there is an area of lakes known as Muskoka. Having traveled extensively over the winter, and marvelled at many new and exotic landscapes, we return to the places of our youth with a new appreciation and respect for what we have here at home. Muskoka and the Haliburtons are vacation destinations, […]

“The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir”: a review

June 21, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

It’s World War II, and the denizens of Chilbury are faced with the loss of their church choir as their men leave to fight for the cause. Enter Prim, an upbeat teacher, with a fresh outlook, who encourages the women to defy protocols and create their own chorus. Jennifer Ryan’s novel about the life of […]

VJWC#3: Nurturing Wonder

June 20, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

On the road, everyday is defined by a sense of adventure and discovery – an attitude I feared I’d lose on returning home. In truth, these past six weeks of settling back in have focused on family and friends and doctors visits. All good, and yet, already, I notice that carving time for writing is […]

V.J.s Weekly Challenge #3: Nurturing Wonder

June 18, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats Travelling across North America and back this past winter, every day was filled with discovery, awakening new passion for life. The challenge, I recognized, as our trip wound down, would be to keep this sense of wonder […]

Reflections on Synchronicity

June 17, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

First, a thank you to all who participated in this week’s challenge, and to those who took the time to comment. This interaction means so much to me – maybe more than I can ever articulate. Up until 2004 – when I returned to university to become a teacher – I practiced an examined life: […]