What Is In a Name?

March 10, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

A touch of history, a personal insight, a vision – all of these form the basis for how we have chosen to name our blogs. Reading the back stories has made this one of my favourite challenges. Each of us has put thought and care into finding names, an act that speaks of our dedication […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #34: reaching

February 4, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“…she singled out a cedar, wide at the base, narrowing as it grew. If there was any kind of portrait worth doing, it would be the portrait of a tree. But a portrait had to convey character. The channels in this cedar’s raw umber all stretched upward, reaching toward light. It was more than a […]

An Upside Down World

February 3, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Two things happened this week, that sent me into a spiral of despondency. Two postings, actually, by people I consider friends. It’s not that I believe we should all share the same opinions, it’s that I would hope we are open to discussion. I guess, in retrospect, I am an idealist – I want the […]

Like a Rainbow

February 1, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is to find images that portray at least four colours of the rainbow. This garden of snapdragons, taken last summer, is a breath of fresh air, storm or not. Stained glass from the parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. A heart rainbow!

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #33: Upside-Down

January 28, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Strong-minded, I am not easily swayed. In fact, I like to say that life has to hit me over the head with a frying pan in order to get me to pay attention. Another analogy I use is that I have to be tied around the ankles, dragged to the fire and hung upside-down – […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #32: Stillness

January 21, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

It is not in my nature to be still. If there is a current, I will push against it. When my body fails me, my mind is churning. Emotionally, I am in a constant state of restlessness. Stillness does not come naturally. And yet, when I take time to calm the body, release the mind, […]

Getting Where?

January 20, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

I’m lying here with the heating pad, altering it’s position every so often to ease the pain that has set in since my trip back home. I can’t quite shake the lingering exhaustion. Three things are running through my mind, disrupting sleep: the book I’m working on (and have set aside for far too long) […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #31: Destination

January 14, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.” Martin Buber I walk to the kitchen, planning to put the kettle on, but as I pass my purse, I remember that I meant to write myself a note, so phone in hand, I return to the couch and type up the memo. Satisfied with that […]

And So, We Turn the Page

January 6, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Years gather as links in a chain, some unremarkable, some adorned with jewels, and some bearing the marks of hardship. 2018, for me, would have an arrow shaped charm, pointing upwards, as this year heralded many firsts – a rebirth of sorts. For 2019, I pray to keep the momentum rolling – that I will […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #29: Transition

December 31, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Setting New Year’s resolutions is not my thing. I do, however, honour the passage of one year to another by reviewing what the passing year has entailed and consciously deciding where I would like to focus for the next. For example, as a young mother of three, having returned to work, I learned to prioritize […]

I dream that I am teaching again, and having assigned the class independent work, I am spending time connecting with each student to see if they are grasping the material. It’s my favourite part of teaching, and I wake up wondering if I’ll ever have that feeling again. So rewarding. It is bittersweet, growing old. […]

Fatal Fury

Really wasn’t your faultthis fury that overcame –Words evoked onslaught,a raging river of pain. Didn’t mean to push you,miscalculated my aim,swimming in swamp watersnot a recommended game. You floundered, gurgled,cursed me by name –our love story, now viralbrought an alligator fame. (Image my own. Tale is totally fictional, I promise.)