Shadows Speak

July 14, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Shadows stalk our conversations, Mother and I. It’s not so much what is said, but what hovers between the lines spoken. Fear stalks her – death so close – and I sidestep darkness. It’s an illusion, of course, this thought that we can think ourselves well, or avoid pain by focusing only on the light. […]

A Dog Knows

July 9, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A trip to the river never fails to surprise –this dog with life-jacket caught my eyes. Ready, he was, to set off downstream,happily dependent on his human team. (Lens-Artists have left their weekly challenge open – the perfect chance to share this sweet photo story with you.)

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #56: Language

July 8, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“We need language to tell us who we are, how we feel, what we’re capable of – to explain the pains and glory of our existence.” – Maya Angelou “Do you not like the book you are reading?” My granddaughter shrugs in response. Normally an avid reader, I wonder why she keeps setting this particular […]

Sometimes Risk Is Called For

July 7, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Jane Juska has been on my mind all week. At sixty-six, the divorced, mother of one, decided it was time to reclaim her sexuality, so she posted an ad in The New York Review of Books: Before I turn 67 – next March – I would like to have a lot of sex with a […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #55: reclaim

July 1, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

In July of 2013, I contracted pneumonia. After a course of treatment, I continued to experience weakness, shortness of breath, and frequent tachycardia. By January, I had seen a gamut of specialists, received no answers, and was worse. Test after test eliminated obvious possibilities. In the end, I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. The doctor […]

Hope My Appreciation is Not Subtle

June 30, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Subtle, not-so-subtle, we choose to listen or turn away; attempt to decode – a look, a scent, a nuance – Is this invitation,judgment, oran opening?Seems subjectivityinterprets subtle. The focus this week has been “subtle”. For me, it was a commitment to pay attention to my body – rest when I needed it, and attempt to […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #54: Subtle

June 24, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Subtle is: 1. not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way; 2. small but important; 3. achieved in a quiet way that does not attract attention to itself and is therefore good or clever. Cambridge English Dictionary Subtlety is not my strong suit. I am outspoken, exuberant, and often joke that I have to […]

Lottery for Life

June 23, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Lottery has been the focus this week. In Canada, our LottoMax now has two draws a week – the dream is apparently alive and flourishing. My mind has turned to the immigration process, part of which is a lottery program. Although, I am not fully versed in this process, I remember hearing the story of […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #53: Lottery

June 17, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

A psychic told Ric that he would win $33 million in a lottery. “Good,” he responded, “because I have no retirement plan.” Always the joker. Still, it’s something we love to fantasize about: what would we do? Ric felt as if he’d won the lottery when diagnosed with Stage III cancer. Six months later, the […]

Orange Is An Anomaly

June 16, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

ArtisticallyNaturedOccasionallyMadAlwaysLearningYearning… According to the True Colours system of analyzing personalities, I am flaming orange, with the least amount of gold, and a balance between green and blue. What that means is that I dislike structure, am highly creative (and a risk-taker) and in equal measure crave order, and feel inadequate. In other words, finding balance […]

Of Trauma Born

Goodbyes tarnishfaith, like ashesscattered My heart grows dismissal,craves a balm of connectionseeks quiet harbour Remind me what it feels like to be safebreath nurturing life,love a rhythmic flow In meditationI reach for peaceimagine salvation But this wayward chaosunrestrainedcements me in doubt Tainted intentionsI lift up to the Universea tempest without hope My soul incubates malicea […]

Hawk (haiku)

Relevance of Story

Stories have power. Parents, teachers, public speakers, and therapists understand that the secret to engaging an audience or connecting with others is through illustration: storytelling. I see it in the eyes of the my grandchildren, who love to hear tales of family history. I’ve seen in the eyes of students, when recognition and understanding light […]