Blessed Curiosity

October 10, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

“Do you know what Grandpa and I saw yesterday, at the lake? Swans! That was a first for me.” “Grandma, I’ve never even seen a swan.” “Well, we will just have to do something about that.” So we took a little drive into Stratford where the swans are permanent residents. While Mom was nosing about […]

Frames

August 29, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

I’m trying to frame my life with gratitude, adding structure to the chaos I’m experiencing within. So much of life is a gift, and the troubles, minuscule by comparison. Life changes, and along with it, so do our perceptions, our abilities, and our dreams. Sometimes it is a hard pill to swallow, and then; other […]

Feathered Blessings

August 22, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

My sick bed – where I was confined for three years – was on the main floor, with a window at my feet. Just outside, my husband installed bird feeders – a condominium of choices to draw feathered friends. Now, I am able to get outside, and commune with the birds in their own settings, […]

Mother Willow

August 15, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Twisted arms, Willow’swelcome – cross child’s refuge,Mother Nature’s balm. There is magic in a Willow’s presence – so many hours spent, hidden in her arms as a child. Even today, the sight of a willow pulls on my heart. Just one of Nature’s many blessings. (For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: trees; and RonovanWrites Haiku Challenge: […]

Creativity Remains a Blessing

August 1, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

The child embraces creativity without limits. I have memories of tucking between my bed and the wall, hidden from view, surrounded by materials for drawing, writing, and colouring. I kept the chaos at bay with my creative endeavours. Life happened, and the pencils and crayons disappeared. Journals remained, but only for private. Mundanity and routine […]

Blessings Plus a Year

July 25, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Sunflowers and chocolates kick off my birthday week. Delivered by daughter and her family made it all the more special. I share my birthday month with now seven-year-old Sloane and our youngest, so July is filled with blessings. We are adjusting to the role reversals here – I now drive Ric to appointments, and do […]

Creativity Is A Blessing

July 18, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Ideas follow me around like little children tugging on my pant leg, begging attention. I’ve been brushing them aside, too unwell to give any them any energy, but with summer’s arrival and pending visits at Grandma’s camp, I push myself to get out the paints. Untrained myself, I watch videos to gain knowledge and inspiration. […]

Grandparents Are Blessings

July 11, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Great Grandma (my mom) lives on at 92. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren adore her. I never knew my grandfathers – both having died the year before my birth. I remember my grandmothers, and was particularly close with one until she died when I was eleven. I still have her last letter to me. My other […]

Blessing of Serenity

July 4, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Settling in a small town, especially a senior’s community, is not something I would have ever envisioned, and yet; here we are. Funny how life works like that, and thank goodness it does. I appreciate this place that we have landed more and more each day. It has not been without difficulty, this move away […]

Big Little Blessings

June 20, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

A 6:15 a.m. phone call changed my life: “Hello Grandma…it’s a girl!” There is no describing the thrill. I packed a hasty bag and drove the hundred kilometres in record time, scooping up that little bundle immediately on arrival. Her little tongue moved in and out rapidly as her gazed fixed on mine. I could […]

This Life A Road

This life a road –the way preparedsigns to guide me,and still, I get lost. Construction, distraction,disobedience – throw me off –tendency to choose tougher routes,broken down and been sidelined And yet, the road still beckons,invites progression, thrills.A rolling stone gathers no moss,my father liked to say, and so… I push ahead, keep motoring,trust the obstacles […]

Wings

(Written during my bedbound years with ME/CFS)

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

May is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness month. Also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, this disease is characterized by exhaustion after exertion. The exertion can be physical -taking a shower; emotional – worrying or obsessing; or mental- filling out forms. The best source of information about ME/cfs, as we call it, is the Bateman Horne Center. They […]