Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
“Wait till I tell my Mom I’m having hot chocolate for dinner! Do you have marshmallows, too?” she’d excitedly asked the waitress. “No marshmallows, but we have whip cream.” “Oh yum!” Children are so easy to please. I’d been in emergency all day, but didn’t want to cancel plans, so Ric picked her up from […]
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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. […]
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Swallows line the wires that run beside the river – a brief respite from their constant swooping and diving. Even at rest their little bodies fidget. Mares and their offspring gather together – a heartwarming sight. And, then, there is my brood, offering an “I love you” to the camera: (For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: […]
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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 […]
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“I’m losing my baby!” my daughter laments while planning our youngest granddaughter’s birthday. The birthday girl is three. She is losing her baby fat, wants to do everything “by myself”, knows her own mind and can articulate it. Like this unicorn costume she insisted on wearing instead of the party dress her mother bought her. […]
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“Tell us a story, Grandma! Tell us about when you were a girl?” The question throws me. First, because childhood is so far away, but secondly, because my stories are tainted with pain and hurt. Looking into this pair of eager eyes though, I know they want a story filled with good will and hope. […]
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Did you try some of the soup, Mom? I glanced around at the many pans, ingredients, and baking paraphernalia lining the kitchen counters; not to mention my son-in-law and granddaughter who where firmly planted at the stove. No, I messaged back. It’s a little busy here. An unexpected trip back to Ontario landed me smack […]
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Everyday is composed of moments, some insignificant, others worth savouring. Â Time spent with grandchildren is the latter – their presence, always refreshing, the interaction guaranteed to leave a warmth that glows long past our parting. Through them I alive again, reminded of my own childhood, and how pleasure is to be found in the simplest […]
Read MoreSome stories are better told with pictures: Making memories with Grumpa.
Read More“It feels like my heart and my thumb changed places,” five-year-old Sloane says carefully guarding her injured digit. I can’t help but laugh. Â She can be a little dramatic, this one. “Can you get us a tissue?” I ask her older cousin. “I don’t need it! Â It stopped bleeding.” The blood has bubbled up on […]
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One Woman's Quest II 