V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #37: Story

February 25, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

My very first blog post on this site is entitled “Relevance of Story“. It was inspired by the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie whose Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story, challenged me to think differently about how, as a teacher, I approached my craft. Her words are also a recipe for living compassionately. Each time we open a blog post and read, we are touching a part of someone’s story. Every time […]

A Fresh Approach

February 23, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

It started with a tree. Something about the texture of the bark appealed to me, so I took a picture. Then I examined the image on my computer, and pondered what the image was saying to me. Did it need altering? Was it worth keeping? Every time I looked at it, I was drawn to […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #36: Wild Card

February 18, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

This week, I am giving you a carte blanche…well, sort of… there’s a catch. Go back over the last week’s worth of posts or so, and notice any words or phrases that repeat themselves. I’m talking adjectives, or verbs, maybe nouns. For example, when I look over my posts leading up to writing this one, […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #35: Balance

February 11, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

I don’t think I’ve possessed good physical balance since that time I went down in tennis and cracked my kneecap, despite physiotherapy’s best efforts. Now that chronic illness has been added to the mix, I’ve learned to live without that certainty. I’m wobbly; what can I say? Balance in other areas of my life, however; […]

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 […]

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 – […]

Inspiration Evokes Stillness

January 27, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Days slow down as physical challenges demand. I am so blessed to be in this place, water just steps from our door. The Great Blue Heron remains a constant companion. He is a master of stillness, a quality I have challenged myself to achieve this week. I have brought out the paints again, as too […]

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, […]

Coastal Dreams: Watercolour

December 28, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Oceans hold particular allure for those of us who live mid-country and have certainly been the subject of many of my recent paintings. The beach scene featured, I painted for our middle daughter, who loves all things coastal. I tried to feature colours that would match with her current art pieces. Painting for another is […]

Art Inspires Hope

November 6, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

There is a painter inside of me busting to get out. She talks to me, while I am working – makes suggestions, helps me pick the right brush, encourages different strokes. I like it when she is present. Listening to her is an act of letting go. It is a form of trusting. A growing […]

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.)