Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
It is easy to engage in surroundings when vacationing: all travellers belong, having escaped (even if momentarily) their scripted lives. We project friendliness onto strangers – mothers meeting outside our day-to-day – have new things to discuss. Dare to confess concerns, or approach the personal, and the shunning is immediate. Only peripheral conversations are expected […]
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“Fasten your seatbelt,” Ric told me fourteen years ago when I first agreed that we were a “couple”. He wasn’t kidding. We’ve barely just settled in after a six month journey across North America and now we are looking for a home. We’ve narrowed it down to one of three. Option #1 is in a […]
Read MoreThe hockey game blares from the front of the bus with a confidence I am not feeling. Yesterday, I had two cracked and very infected teeth extracted, and my jaw is in intense pain. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” the dentist told me. Apparently, I had clenched so hard that I split my back […]
Read MoreThe sign on the community pool clearly indicated that the pool was closed, and the gate was locked, but that didn’t stop my friend from scaling the fence and jumping in. Our other friend hesitated only briefly before joining her, and I stood by in disbelief. It was day one of our girls’ getaway, and […]
Read More“It feels like my heart and my thumb changed places,” five-year-old Sloane says carefully guarding her injured digit. I can’t help but laugh. She can be a little dramatic, this one. “Can you get us a tissue?” I ask her older cousin. “I don’t need it! It stopped bleeding.” The blood has bubbled up on […]
Read MoreThe buzzer on the dryer startles me and I jump up, eager to change over the wash, only to find I have forgotten to start the washer load. I feel a tug of annoyance at myself. I am not functioning well today. Have been awake since well before 4:00 a.m. and am wired with non-sleep. […]
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She wears black slacks with a tiny white flower motif and a rose three-quarter sleeve top. The shoes on her feet glisten with rhinestone and an array of beaded bracelets on her arm rattle as she gestures while she talks. “I’m ninety-one-and-a-half, you know.” “I know Mom. It’s impressive.” She smiles and nods. Ric is […]
Read MoreJen at Tripping Through Treacle has inspired me to rewrite my bucket list. Instead of focusing on loss, I can rethink my aspirations. I love it! This is a perfect activity for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness month. Actually, I feel like I’ve just had a bucket list year. Thanks to my husband’s determination and constant willingness […]
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“I’ll take you for lunch if you like.” Of course, I’d like. “Can I bring my camera?” “Sure.” So we head downtown with no particular destination in mind, other than to find a place near the water. At the harbour front we find a park with manicured gardens, concrete walkways, and plenty of parking. “Let’s […]
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Pippy has driven down from Campbell River with her girlfriend, Sandy and her dog, Sam. We decide to leave the men to bond while we women go out for lunch and some catch up time. I take them to Gabriel’s Gourmet Cafe, where Ric and I ate on our first day here. It is busy […]
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One Woman's Quest II 