Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
“A big tree fell down,” two-year-old Auggie says, her little face scrunched in concern. We have just arrived at daughter #2’s. Last time I saw this granddaughter she was just eighteen months and barely talking. She shows no signs of knowing who Ric and I are, other than telling us her big news. Five-year-old Sloane […]
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hi grandma i miss you so mach i am so excited The text came unexpectedly, one Saturday morning. It was clearly from our granddaughter, Finn. to see you, the message continued, my mom and me are so glad you will cane back Finn is six and in grade 1. Her mom did tell me she is top of […]
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It is raining the morning we pick up the RV – heavy dark clouds hovering overhead. Some days, it feels like my skin offers no barriers, for the damp weather seeps into my body and plays havoc. And then, just as we ready ourselves for the road, the sun breaks through and a rainbow lights […]
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I write to you often. Does earthly mail even translate into the afterlife, I wonder. The distance between us, I find, only leaves me with more questions. Perhaps this is the byproduct of objectivity. It’s been twelve years, Dad, and so many things have changed, and yet, still the after shocks of your presence continue. […]
Read MoreI took this candid photo of my daughter-in-law on the night of her wedding celebration – just a quick image with my Iphone. I feel like it captures her sweetness and genuine beauty. (Photo prompt from The Daily Post: 2107 Favourite)
Read MoreNever understood it when Dad called me cheeky as a kid, although I always recognized a tone of approval. Then I saw it in my own children: that look of sheer defiance that melted my heart every time. This photo of our youngest granddaughter exemplifies the epitome of cheekiness, don’t you think? (In response to […]
Read MoreWhat is unresolved in childhood resurfaces in adult relationships; it rears its head with all the finesse and grace of a child throwing a tantrum. I am guilty of such behaviour. Movie nights with Mom happened once a week. Dad would be at work, and Mom would make a big pot of buttered popcorn and […]
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Jacob is a typical, somewhat difficult teenager, according to his father, but when a classmate of Jacob’s is found dead, Andy Barber is forced to take a closer look at his son’s behaviour and determine if he could be housing a killer. William Landay’s suspense novel is told through the perspective of Andy Barber, a […]
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“Don’t you get scared?” Yes and no, I think. Many things frighten me: a decline in my health, the loss of my spouse, something happening to one of my family members while I’m so far away from home. This is not what my mother is referring to, though. At 90, her view of the States […]
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November 16, 2012, I penned: Cancer, it turns out, it is a powerful proponent of simplicity. Faced with uncertainty, one is forced to examine the complexities of life and cull. Our lives are reduced to three priorities: – Making healthy choices – Caring for relationships – Reducing financial burden. Necessity demands that any extraneous commotion […]
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One Woman's Quest II 