Blended Blessings

June 6, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Marrying for the third time entailed blending families – not always an easy task. I had three; he had two – bookends to mine. Falling in love is one thing, but the chances that all parties will be enthused about the idea is another. Ric’s oldest, a son, was already an adult when we met, […]

Three Times Blessed

May 23, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Recent upheaval has plummeted me into a dark space, where I am not willing to settle. Depression has followed me throughout life, and while I acknowledge it has a place, I am not willing to let it drive. I learned long ago that the only way for me to counter the clouds is to be […]

Framing Moments

May 12, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

“I’m going no matter what!” Two nights of no sleep has made me even more determined to live life, so I shower, fuss with my hair, and even put on makeup. Clothes are not comfortable right now, so I choose a skirt made from cotton t-shirt material and dress it up with a blouse, and […]

Birthday Art

May 2, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

I started the tradition – a challenge really – to create a painting for each of my family members’ birthdays. The challenge continues, as the birthdays keep coming. What to paint for my daughter-in-law, who has already claimed many of my art pieces? I wanted something personal and meaningful, so I decided to tackle an […]

Ducks in a Row

April 2, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Lining up our blended ducks on our wedding day. Many years later, ducks old and new, line up with our ‘baatis’ – Somali pyjamas. Featured image is Whistling Ducks. Submitted for Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week challenge: getting your ducks in a row.

The Father I Miss

March 23, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Father abhorred laziness. “The idle mind is the Devil’s playground!” he’d say. Or: “What are you trying to do; win the horizontal championship?” Well, I’m the horizontal champion now, thanks to illness. Wonder what he’d say about that? Still, I’m not lazy. To my face he was hardcore, unless he was soppy drunk, then the […]

The Book Club

January 29, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

“I’ve just been reading about you in the bathtub. That is you in the bathtub, right? At least that’s how I read it.” It’s Mom. Calling to check up on how I’m doing. She’s been worried about me since I travelled home to see her. She’s referring to a poem I wrote: A Body in the Bathtub. “Yes, it […]

Bedside Conversations

January 8, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Mom, I want you to know that I don’t harbour any ill will toward our past. If I seek to know what happened, it is only to understand myself so that I might heal.” Mom nods, considers my words. “There is so much I could have done differently.” “No. You did what you could with […]

Plans Change

January 3, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

‘Transition’ is the focus of my challenge this week. At the time of composing, I thought I would be reviewing last year’s lessons and gifts and preparing myself to greet the new. Life, of course, seldom fits into our neatly packaged plans. As I write this, I’m sitting in a hotel room, with my alarm […]

Celebrations

December 13, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is celebrations. I can think of no greater celebration than when loved ones gather. Featured image is Ric & I on our wedding day.

Ukraine

Planted seeds for prosperity –images of children frolickingthe delight of yellow horizonstradition setting our fields ablaze Till greed came knocking –brother turning on brother Rhetoric and lies shrapnelshattering our dreams Only the deer frolic nowunwitting participants inthis unprovoked slaughterland mines defiling landscapes But seeds are not lost,nor are the legacy of generationswhose soil has known […]

Winter, Please

(Image my own)

Sing Along

Dove’s mournful cryspotlights Nature’s calling –Let us find a harmonic notesing along for conservation,for preservation, for a strongtomorrow – find our voicesand join the chorus. (Image my own)