“Defending Jacob”: Review

November 25, 2017.Reading time 1 minute.

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 […]

RV-Able: The Fear Factor

November 20, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

“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 […]

Five Year Review

November 16, 2017.Reading time 1 minute.

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 […]

Dancing In Heaven

November 8, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

“I’m in trouble!” My sister’s voice was weak but charged with panic. “Help me!” “What have you done?” She’d locked us all out of her apartment that weekend; said she was tired of being sick, tired of people hovering over her. She wanted to be independent. Reluctantly, we gave her space. I’d held my breath […]

Developing Intuition

November 6, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

Making sense of chaos is difficult for young minds, and yet, often necessary for survival. I could not have recited the list of causes for my family’s particular brand of dysfunction, I just knew from an early age that I needed to be on guard. So I developed what I called ‘body radar’. My parents […]

Curiosity is the Mind of a Child

October 29, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

“Grandma, you are just like my mom!” We are snuggled in against the cold night air, having a sleep over. “Well, I am your mom’s Mom.” “Yeah,” she says hugging me tighter, “she’s your kid!” At five, Sloane likes to explore connections, turning things over, understanding things from different angles. The next day, she finds […]

A 5-year-old Muses

October 1, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Grandma, do you drive?” “No, Love, not right now.?” “But you can drive, right? Do you have a license…actually, what is a license?” “It’s a little piece of paper that says you’ve passed your driving test.” We’re snuggled into bed for the night, the second of a two-night sleepover. She is five, and I am […]

Do Grandchildren Prolong Life?

September 19, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

A recent Facebook post suggested that babysitting contributes to prolonged life for grandparents. Given how exhausted I am after spending time with my granddaughters, I find that hard to believe, and yet… there is an undeniable glow that lingers for days every time I am exposed to those precious little souls. “You spend all of […]

Blessing Of Interracial Union

September 16, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

“What’s her name?” “I can’t tell you.” “What? Why not? Do I know her?” “No, Mom. If I tell you her name, you’ll ask too many questions that I’m not ready to answer yet.” “Oh.” “A son is sweetness and strength and mystery;” Call it Mother’s intuition, but I could tell there was someone special […]

Codependency: The Role Of A Father

September 1, 2017.Reading time less than 1 minute.

FREE FROM CODEPENDENCY As I work longer with clients, it is clear that the parenting style that they were subjected to as a child is extremely important in determining how they see the world. This conditioning is often taken into adulthood and causes dysfunction in relationships and in life generally. This includes anyone who feels […]

Imagine

If we could lift understandingto indigenous teachingsexpand our loveto earth, sky, and seaMake personal gain tabooand Ancients a weigh point If we could witness the mountainsslow floating across the skyand touch the dolphin’s soulanxiously swimmingwhere tuna are netted Would we cower at our insignificanceor move forward, learning to acceptthat all of life is deeply woveninto […]

Dear Child

I know a little girl,whose hair in ringletsfalls, unkempt from lackof brushing; who standswhen she should be sitting;who laughs with defiance whenchallenged, her dark eyes gleamingwith mischief; who holds her chin uphigh and stamps her feet, arms foldedin protest when she does not get her way. I see that little girl,have watched her play,with a […]

Re-de-fine-d

Ask me how I’m doingand I’ll say “fine”, notbecause I’m actually fine,but because “fine” is the onlysocially acceptable response. If I said that I have been lyinghere, for three hours now,willing my body to move,that would elicit unsolicitedadvice and tarnish my “fine”. I’d berate myself for breakingmy promise not to moan,knowing that complainingprovokes a compulsive […]