V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #9: Home

July 30, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. Likewise, I never imagined that home might be something I would miss.” – Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Home is on my brain this week, as we […]

A Week of Celebrations

July 29, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

The celebrations started last Sunday – dinner at a Greek restaurant with the family. It was a double celebration, Sloane having turned six just days before. Then we headed North to a friend’s cottage and had a meal rich with the summer’s harvest: corn on the cob, potatoes cooked with garlic on the barbecue, and […]

Celebrating the Gifts of Life

July 26, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

At 10, I ruled the world – hard peddling up steep roads and letting go on the other side thrilling to speed and risk. At 20, I felt the pressure to define my life, marry, and be somebody – driven without much compassion At 30, I relaxed a bit, celebrated having birthed three children, confident […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #8: Celebration

July 23, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

By the time you read this, my celebration will have begun. The family and I will have met for a casual dinner at a local restaurant, and I’ll be glowing from pride to think that two generations all started with me. Miraculous, isn’t it? Today, we are headed up north, where I will celebrate my […]

A Week of Accomplishment (VJWC)

July 22, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

To know I have accomplished something each day, is as important to me as the first cup of tea in the morning. It is the satisfaction of knowing I have contributed, that I have made a stamp (no matter how minute) on the passage of time. Prior to illness, I didn’t think much about accomplishment; […]

CB&W: Signs

July 22, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Some signs are self-explanatory… some clearly cautionary…. and some requiring a bit of interpretation… (Cee’s Black & White Challenge this week is signs. Hope I made you smile. All photos from personal collection. Featured image from Catherine’s Landing near Hot Springs, Arkansas; “Wife Wanted” was spotted in a remote area of Northern Washington; and the […]

RDP: Duck

July 21, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Mother Mallard and her baby ducks foraged along the shoreline of Sparrow Lake at day’s end. As she waddled past the dock, her little ducklings fell in line, like wind-up toys trying to catch up. All except one little fellow, who lost in his own world got left behind. “Peep! Peep!” He let out a […]

Kitchy

July 21, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

“Duck under the table and see what you can find,” was Father’s pat answer to the question of what was for dessert. He was like that: quick-witted and full of comebacks. My husband is the same, and I compound the problem by walking into it every time: “What have you got on tomorrow?” I’ll ask, […]

A Photo A Week: From Above

July 21, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

I must confess that heights make me spin, my collection of photos from above is fairly thin. The Botanical Gardens, in Victoria, B.C. as viewed from above is a sight to see – not sure which made my head whirl more height or the thought of such a gardening chore. The Apache Trail in Arizona, […]

VJWC: Driven to Succeed

July 20, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Children understand the mechanics of accomplishment: take a risk, try and try again, and bask in the accolades that follow. As I grow older, I wonder at what point in life I lost that simple understanding. Now, as I watch my granddaughters, I feel compelled to regain some of that old spunk: tackle the new, […]

Relevance of Story

Stories have power. Parents, teachers, public speakers, and therapists understand that the secret to engaging an audience or connecting with others is through illustration: storytelling. I see it in the eyes of the my grandchildren, who love to hear tales of family history. I’ve seen in the eyes of students, when recognition and understanding light […]

Is This War?

“War is hell. You can’t photograph a flying bullet, but you can capture genuine fear.”– unknown The bomb has droppedcontrol slips from our grasp We pray for a parachutefor someone to pull the cord numbers escalate,lives plummet We offer encouragementisolated voices faltering moment of impact imminentthe implosion inevitable impact reverberatesresponsibility moot. ( Image my own.)