Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
“These Christmases never cease to amaze me and make me feel so special!!” messaged our daughter-in-law after this year’s family get together. With five adult children, their partners, grandchildren, and exes to work around, finding time to get together is always a challenge. Plus, just how many turkey dinners can one eat in a week’s […]
Read More“Can we watch something?” My four-year-old granddaughter climbs onto the bed and snuggles in. It’s been a routine we’ve shared as long as I’ve been ill. The question makes her parents cringe; they are trying hard to raise their child without excessive screen time. Cable TV does not exist in their world, so coming to […]
Read MoreGo play in traffic, kids! was a favourite direction of one of my aunt’s. This particular aunt was snarly, often critical, and never filtered in her commentary on life. Her favourite point of contention was how spoiled we children were, how unappreciative, etc. She also frequently threatened to move to Alaska to get away from […]
Read More“Are you guys brother and sister?” the question came from our soon-to-be five-year-old granddaughter. Dropped off by her mother for an overnight stay, we had a day of cousins and uncles and aunts, and of course, Grandma and Grandpa. I brushed off her comment with a: “No, we’re married”, but the innocent observation shook me. […]
Read MoreFrom the time I was preteen, I was obsessed with drawing the same cartoon over and over; the first illustration showed the shapely backside of a long-haired temptress, and the next frame revealed the fact that the things are not as they appear – a woman with a monstrously ugly face. It was a self-portrait, […]
Read MoreHad my third Ozonotherapy last week, and apart from feeling flushed and slightly dizzy afterwards (I then realized I was likely dehydrated) I have felt increasingly stronger. “Or is it that you have a new granddaughter?” my husband likes to play Devil’s Advocate. Having a new grandchild is definitely an energy boost – the motivation […]
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“Did you know that I am a big sister?” three-and-a-half-year-old Sloane is quick to offer to anyone she comes into contact with. If asked her sister’s name, she quickly replies: “I call her Cutie Duck”. Small for her age, Sloane has wispy, white blonde hair, big brown eyes, and talks with a high-pitched, squeaky voice. […]
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One Woman's Quest II 