The Tattooist Of Auschwitz: Review

The atrocities of Auschwitz are no secret, and yet, every surviving story reveals another angle, not only of suffering and inhumanity, but also of the incredible endurance of the human spirit and kindness in the darkest of moments. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is about a young man, Jewish, who volunteers for work duty and finds […]

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Cee’s Flower of the Day: Sunflower

Cee has invited me to join in even though I don’t know the name of many flowers.  I do love to photograph them though, and this sunflower really spoke to me on my walk a couple of days ago. Sadly, as I passed it by this evening, the petals are all gone and the stalk […]

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Nurturing Thursday: Thought for August 2

Originally posted on Cee's Photo Challenges:
I decided to play with along with Becca today and participate in her Nurturing Thursday. For the Love of Challenges I’ve gathered a list of challenges and their hosts.  So if you know a challenge host, please direct them to my blog.  Feel free to contact me anytime.…

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One Word Photo Challenge: Positive

Positive is my granddaughter’s signature thumbs up! Or the enthusiastic greeting of a beloved pup: A visit from a favourite bird, can set my day up right: As can the sudden appearance of a butterfly so bright: (Thank you to Tourmaline for this week’s challenge: positive.  All photos are from my personal collection.)

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Celebrating the Gifts of Life

At 10, I ruled the world – hard peddling up steep roads and letting go on the other side thrilling to speed and risk. At 20, I felt the pressure to define my life, marry, and be somebody – driven without much compassion At 30, I relaxed a bit, celebrated having birthed three children, confident […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #8: Celebration

By the time you read this, my celebration will have begun.  The family and I will have met for a casual dinner at a local restaurant, and I’ll be glowing from pride to think that two generations all started with me.  Miraculous, isn’t it? Today, we are headed up north, where I will celebrate my […]

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VJWC: Driven to Succeed

Children understand the mechanics of accomplishment:  take a risk, try and try again, and bask in the accolades that follow. As I grow older, I wonder at what point in life I lost that simple understanding.  Now, as I watch my granddaughters, I feel compelled to regain some of that old spunk:  tackle the new, […]

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Learning From Bowls

“We’ll give him a few more minutes, shall we?” The kindly old man seated across from me crossed one leg over the other and sat back as if he had all the time in the world to wait. “The thing is…I mean…,” I hung my head in shame. “I don’t think he’s coming.” “Ah, yes.” […]

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V.J.s Weekly Challenge #3: Nurturing Wonder

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats Travelling across North America and back this past winter, every day was filled with discovery, awakening new passion for life. The challenge, I recognized, as our trip wound down, would be to keep this sense of wonder […]

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