One

July 3, 2023.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A birthday celebration was the highlight of our weekend. One-year-old Tima could not believe we would leave her alone with a cake that size, lol. She also could not fathom why so many people crowded around to watch. A swim afterwards with her Dad brought her around to her old self.

Curly

April 30, 2023.Reading time less than 1 minute.

My newest granddaughter has a shock of curls on top of her head and it reminds me of me when I was a baby. Of course, I needed proof, so yesterday, while visiting my mom, I went through old photo albums, and found this photo of my dad feeding me.Apparently, history does repeat itself. Have […]

Arrival!

August 26, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Coming to Canada is like landing on an alien planet,” my friend Svetlana tells me. She arrived a month or so ago, and even with her perfect command of the English language, she struggles to make sense of our way of life. “The bus system, is going to drive me crazy,” she adds. Svetlana and […]

A Home of Their Own

June 22, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

Five weeks ago, a family of five arrived on our doorstep, distraught and teary-eyed after having fled the war in Ukraine. The dad started working the next day, and the rest of us sorted out beds, groceries and necessary paperwork. Within a week, the kids started school and Mom applied for jobs. It didn’t take […]

Where is Home?

February 28, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

I ask my three-year-old self to show me her home, and she points to the floor beneath the formica-topped table in the kitchen. There, caged within the chrome legs of table and chairs, she is out of the path of adult legs, whose movements are as unpredictable as their moods. I ask my four-year-old self […]

Are you pregnant, or is that a mouse in your pocket?*

December 25, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

A heavy fog greeted us this Christmas morning, but nothing can dampen the mood. Ten negative COVID tests brought a group of us together to celebrate Christmas Eve. Not the whole family, but all the grandchildren, which made this Grandma’s heart sing. My son and his wife were delayed by work, so we let the […]

That Face!

April 6, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

(For Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: That Face!)

The Mystery Cousin

September 30, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

The boy at the door was tall and slim, and although I had no idea who he was, he said: “You must be V.J.!” A whoosh of Mom’s skirt obliterated my response. She was hugging and kissing him and exclaiming: “Oh my! Can’t believe it is you!” Then my sisters were there, crowding our small […]

The Numbers Don’t Tell All

April 10, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

“We only test the front line workers.” This from Public Health. My daughter has been sick for days with cough. Via video chat, her family doctor says she likely has COVID-19. She prescribed inhalers and cough medicine. It didn’t really help. So she called the doctor again. “I can’t see you in my office if […]

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 […]

Blossoming

It may be foolish of me, at my age and in my current condition, but I hang on to the hope that the pain of this effort is leading somewhere: renewal, new purpose, or at the very least, a blossoming.

Monday Mood: Stretched too far

Saturday we packed up the garage (with help). Dusty, dirty, and exhausting. Sunday we attended and then hosted a farewell party for our Ukrainian roommate, who is going back to Ukraine despite all our protests. Yes, two separate gatherings. Heart wrenching. This morning, we visited our new apartment building to get set up with a […]