Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
I was aiming for the bird, my fingers wrapped around the lens, ready to zoom in, when the scene spoke to me. “Sometimes”, I reminded myself, “you need to look at the larger picture.” The larger picture, in this case, was stunning, almost as if the sky had a message it didn’t want me to […]
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“Did you believe that war would happen?” We are sitting around chatting with some Ukrainian friends. It’s three years since the war in Ukraine started and we are remembering how unreal it all felt in the beginning. Surely Putin was just putting his troops through a military drill, we all thought/ hoped, when the tanks […]
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Our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter can read. On a recent visit, her older cousin carried her about the house testing her skills with random bottles and things she would not have seen before. She read them all, with total nonchalance while we looked on amazed. One thing she read was a Christmas greeting: May […]
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Wading through the muck of internalized blame, I stumble across a fault line, where the light breaks through. Old patterns are breaking up. My worth is not tied to how others feel, I realize. I am not the Queen of Everything. For the umpteenth time, I tell myself: I am enough. Permission granted to follow […]
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My father used to say that my biggest problem in life was my Maggie Mason, his play on the word ‘imagination’. Anne of Green Gables was definitely my role model for an overactive imagination. I loved the way her mind worked and the antics that followed. Lately, I’ve been wondering if an overactive imagination isn’t […]
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During our last visit, the doctor prescribed a new medication to manage migraines. We discussed not starting it until I was cleared of other issues that I was facing at the time. Turned out, I was able to start the medication on Christmas day. Fast forward a few days and I notice no signs of […]
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Our third Ukrainian/Canadian Christmas will take place this Sunday. Two hundred and forty guests have signed up. It’s just amazing how much our community has grown, not just in numbers, but as a whole. My role as an ambassador – helping Ukrainians get started in Canada – has morphed into a support role. Our latest […]
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Trying to muster up enthusiasm for holiday gatherings, but it’s no where to be found. What has helped me get inspired in the past, I wonder. The first thing that comes to mind is snow. There is something festive about waking up to that initial dusting of white. Today, however; the bareness of the trees […]
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Still consumed with tests and medical appointments. Thought we had come to resolution on one issue, but the treatment didn’t work, and so we start again with another biopsy. Likely as frustrated as me, the doctor is now pointing fingers at other medications as being the culprit. Trouble is that I need those treatments to […]
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Now that it’s dark early, putting the dogs out for their last ‘duty’ of the day, means taking extra precautions. We are always on the lookout for skunks, raccoons, possums, foxes, or even coyotes, as our backyard, unfenced, opens up to woods and farmland. The other night, I opened the door, made my usual noises […]
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One Woman's Quest II 