Celebration

August 10, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Celebrate wins:you will excel, even surprising yourself at times;make sure you celebrate it. (Image mine)

Take Risks

July 20, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Go for your dreams:apply for those jobs that you think are beyond your reach;take risks –Don’t reject yourself; let the world reject you.There is no shame or blame in trying. (Image mine)

Passion

July 13, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Follow your passion: pursue the things that lift you up, and trust that what you learn, whatever you do, will all add up to something worthwhile – so share it with the world. (Image my own)

Alina’s Dream

June 17, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

“Will you please write my story, V.J.?” fourteen-year-old Alina asked me recently. She and her family have now been living with Ric and I a month. Alina is a striking young woman, calm and poised, and over the past month, I have come to appreciate the strength of her determination. We talked about interests the […]

Something to Love

June 1, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

I met a woman once, so debilitated by disease that my impulse was to recoil. Then I remembered the words of one of my teachers: “There is something to love about everyone”, and I checked myself, and realized that this woman must have an incredibly strong will to live. I told her so, and noted […]

After the fear…

May 25, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Everyday Miracles

April 29, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

Can you help my friend, please? She is 32 weeks pregnant. The text came in mid-morning. I said I’d look into it. Mom, husband, 10-year-old, and baby on the way. Afraid of the encroaching war, they gambled their money on tickets to Canada. I thought of my own daughter-in-law, happily registering for an upcoming baby […]

Just a thought…

April 13, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

(Image mine)

Heart Warmed

April 4, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

“Hi Mrs Knutson,Hope you are well!I saw that you and your husbandare hosting a family of refugeesfrom Ukraine….“ The writer of this message attended a school where I once taught. He was not a student of mine, but I did coach the boys’ soccer team, with this young man’s help and direction (he was our […]

Breathe…

March 30, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Earth connectedbreathe deep… sky awarefind a centre… calm and strongequilibrium restored. (Image my own)

Be As the Bloom

Are we awakebarely breathing? Mounting raucousshattering sensibility Hatred buildingrights withering Who will survive? I, chirps the solo bloom Timid-voicedoverlooked radiant in her fragilityconfident Breathe (Art my own)

Wren (haiku)

Resilience

Boxes are filling up around us. We’re making a dent in our to-do lists. Doubt seeps in. Are we doing the right thing? Then I remember all the reasons behind making this choice and affirm: We are dismantling one life to build another, purposeful existence.