Hang In

July 27, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

All life is struggle.Stay in the game and don’t back down.Trust that you have the inner strength and resources.Have faith that life will bring you what you need. Besides, life is full of surprises and you don’t want to miss out. (My image)

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.

Not Everything is Defined by Age

May 4, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

As a child, I knew no limits, setting out on adventures with never a fear for how I’d find my way back home. Now, nestled in my home, I limit myself to certainties, fearful of risks. Some days, I wonder about that child, and how it would feel to wander freely, and it makes me […]

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 […]

Reminder for a rough day

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

Life is transition. Be open to the process. There is peace to be had. (Art mine)

The River, My Heart

April 18, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

She holds my heart, this river followingthe ages, seasons measured by her flow Acknowledging change, she bears Winterregally, swells with confidence as Spring rains Will walk beside me in sunnier times, andstay loyal as Autumn charms us with her flames. My heart, my faith, always knows,that at the end of day, the river glows. (Image […]

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 […]