Curly

April 30, 2023.Reading time less than 1 minute.

My newest granddaughter has a shock of curls on top of her head and it reminds me of me when I was a baby. Of course, I needed proof, so yesterday, while visiting my mom, I went through old photo albums, and found this photo of my dad feeding me.Apparently, history does repeat itself. Have […]

Dark and Light

July 3, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Her water broke!” The moment we’d all been waiting for, in fact; we’d had a betting pool going: who could guess the date and time of birth. No one had picked the first of July. By 4:00 they were headed to the hospital. By 6:00 my daughter-in-law had an epidural. At 11:30 I messaged for […]

Our August

August 5, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Augustine was the name chosenshould this new arrival be a girlbut as her mother labouredshe knew, with certaintythere would be no “ine” She is August, born in Mayesteemed and venerablea name fit for a leader –I can attest to her abilityto run the show – definitely rules my heart. (For Eugi’s Causerie Weekly Prompt: August.)

Pausing to Revel

December 19, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Remnants of wrapping paper peek out from under the sofa. Leftover goodies tempt from the countertop. In the aftermath of our family gathering, I pause to enjoy the peace, processing the sweetness of the day. So many precious moments: “Grandma, can we have another present?” Three-year-old August, so enthralled with the magic of the day. […]

Candid Moments

September 17, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

In candid moments much is revealedthe curiosity of youth, unabashed A mind constantly processing the exuberance of a playful soul. (For Cee’s Black & White photo challenge: candid)

A Child Glows

September 8, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Child,delightful youth,my heart’s jewel,you are light-bearer,hope for the future – antics haphazard,laughter contagious,spreading joy,sparking imagination – I pray that your spiritremains joyously vibrant,that reality dawns gently –polishes the radianceof your glow. *** I wrote A Child Glows in November of 2018 in celebration of my granddaughters. I have edited here, slightly. Image from personal collection. […]

Grandparents Are Blessings

July 11, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Great Grandma (my mom) lives on at 92. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren adore her. I never knew my grandfathers – both having died the year before my birth. I remember my grandmothers, and was particularly close with one until she died when I was eleven. I still have her last letter to me. My other […]

Nailed It Dad!

January 11, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Did you try some of the soup, Mom? I glanced around at the many pans, ingredients, and baking paraphernalia lining the kitchen counters; not to mention my son-in-law and granddaughter who where firmly planted at the stove. No, I messaged back. It’s a little busy here. An unexpected trip back to Ontario landed me smack […]

Photo a Week: Whimsical

October 13, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Wasn’t quite sure if this crowing rooster was whimsical or forlorn, now that the flowers that had previously blocked it have been cut down. Whimsical is lying in the grass with a pink helmet on trying to roll your tongue: This past weekend we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with a family gathering. A full-length mirror provided […]

Photo a Week: Ready…

September 23, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Set…Go! Ready, set, go: I miss summer already! Thank you to Nancy Merrill for this week’s photo challenge: Ready, set, action.

Discord

Does illness have a voice,and if so; is it melancholy,or dark and dank, divulgingdeepest despair, or revealinga vileness of nature? Discord creeps along my veins,disrupts muscles, systems failingunder the oppression –“Stay strong,” friends counsel,cannot hear the gathering storm,feel the heaviness cloaking me. I am not myself, but then;who am I? Is disease a mutationof the […]

Save Us

Discharge the gun –protection a vesselthrough which our depthsare undefined…adrift Fear is a burrowerwears a false crownbirths losstrusts danger Hearts beg,amid this trigger-readinessfor a guardian – unafraidto court this meaningless Futility unchecked –to study productive optionsunimaginable in the current state of chaos on repeat. (Art my own)

I Am Willow

These bones, they saywill finish me – too brittleto withstand the race But I am Willowrecollection wispymy dance defiant Porous as a sea spongesoaking up each daymettle despite the rattle (Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own.)