FOWC: We Couldn’t Hide Our Excitement

June 10, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Five-year-old Sloane came for a sleepover with Grandma and Grumpa this weekend. Imagine the delight when we Sloane and I came upon this mother and her little ones: Mother Mallard was not as delighted to see us and ushered her ducklings into nearby brush: but new life, once revealed, is seldom content with being hidden, […]

RV-Able: Don’t Back Up!

November 15, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

The English language is full of expressions that have more than one application. To back up – along with its many forms – is one of them. For example, as in my last post, backed up is a euphemism for excrement that is not following the protocols of natural processing – or in our case, […]

Churry

December 20, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

Cognitive functioning is currently down a notch. (I know I’ve complained of this before, but bear with me – I think it merits understanding.) I found a recipe for Easy Lentil Curry on the blog: Simple Vegan. Since I love curries and lentils, I decided “easy” must mean it is doable even for me. Part […]

Inner Voice of Autism

November 23, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

Just finished listening to “Carly’s Voice” by Arthur Fleischmann with his daughter, Carly. Carly, unlike her twin sister, did not develop normally, and after a barrage of tests and consultations was determined to be developmentally delayed and mentally challenged – autistic, non verbal. Having stumbled across ABA, Carly’s parents hired one-on-one therapists to work with […]

Educational Walls

August 1, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.

I have this recurring dream that I am teaching a class, composed of adults and adolescents, which is spread out over three rooms. Try as I might to build community through ice breaking activities, it is physically impossible to reach all the students at one time. I am reminded of how it feels to teach […]

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 […]

Hawk (haiku)

Relevance of Story

Stories have power. Parents, teachers, public speakers, and therapists understand that the secret to engaging an audience or connecting with others is through illustration: storytelling. I see it in the eyes of the my grandchildren, who love to hear tales of family history. I’ve seen in the eyes of students, when recognition and understanding light […]