Portland, On Hold

March 30, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

From Eugene, we are moving on to Portland, and as it’s only a two-hour drive, Ric leaves me to sleep in as long as I need. When I stir, around 11:00, he tells me that we are headed back to a repair shop at 2:00. The engine warning is still showing up: ” Water in […]

Is It Just Me?

March 23, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The absurdity of some things just make me smile. Is it just me? He’s got the pose down pat. Ric wanted to know if the AW Pottery is expanding: This one just makes me smile. Who needs to spend a lot of money on entertainment? Hope your day is full of smiles.

RV-Disabled, Take Two

March 19, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

It is Tuesday morning and we are sitting in the truck, in the parking lot of a repair shop waiting for news of our RV. The tow company who rescued us off the highway in the early hours of Sunday morning, and delivered us to a nearby motel – RV and all – moved the […]

RV-Disabled

March 16, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

“The bus is ready to be picked up,” Ric announces as he gets off the phone. It’s ten a.m., earlier then we’d expected the repairs to be completed, so we decide to forego the site we’d booked for tonight, just twenty minutes away, and start the journey north today. As it goes, 10:00 turns into […]

Pep Talk

March 12, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’ve faced worse, I told myself when the diagnosis came; I’ll get through this too. And I believe it. Whatever it takes, I am committed. That doesn’t mean that the struggle is lessened in any way. The struggle is very real. It begins with knowing self. I’ve never been one to accept anything at face value. […]

Thriving Under Pressure: TEDx Talk

March 4, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

One of my favourite bloggers is Dr. Andrea Dinardo whose posts offer straightforward, and sometimes tough advice for how deal with stress and develop resilience. Especially poignant for students, her message is now available through TEDx video. Dr. Dinardo’s blog, Thriving Under Pressure is available here.

The Spirit of Wild Horses

February 12, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

We’ve come back to Coon’s Bluff in hopes of seeing the wild horses. The day is crystal blue, without a cloud in the sky. My heart is heavy. I woke up in the middle of the night, with the lines of a poem running through my head. Without turning on the light, I reached for […]

Art (Life) Lessons

February 11, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

The how-to’s of watercolour, I am discovering, are applicable to other areas of our lives. Inspired by classes I took in Texas, I have continued to try my hand at this art form. This is what I have learned so far: Begin with a plan. We used carbon paper to trace the image’s outline, although […]

Lines of Control

January 21, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Why do you always wear black; you look so much better in colours.” Then when you wear colour: “You look like your mother in that outfit. I prefer you in black.” “You’re not going to eat that, are you? A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” “You know if you loved me […]

The ‘C’ Word

January 2, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

“I sat in the waiting room, naked from the waist up save for the hospital green awkwardly tied in front. This was a call back: not the kind you pray for after an audition. “In nine out of ten times, it’s nothing,” the voice had said over the phone. She added they wanted to do […]

Present Distance

I’ve lived the fog of distance –life’s highway a series of hillsdestination without promise Have learned that acceptance gains perspective,that climates change, and hope sustains,and that in the stillness dreams renew. Now I travel quieter paths, appreciatespace, have surrendered to a slower pace –certain that this too will change. (image my own)

Floral Balm

Of Trauma Born

Goodbyes tarnishfaith, like ashesscattered My heart grows dismissal,craves a balm of connectionseeks quiet harbour Remind me what it feels like to be safebreath nurturing life,love a rhythmic flow In meditationI reach for peaceimagine salvation But this wayward chaosunrestrainedcements me in doubt Tainted intentionsI lift up to the Universea tempest without hope My soul incubates malicea […]