V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #25: Un-lived Lives

November 26, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

“I met one of my un-lived lives at a party last night” is the title of a post on bone&silver’s blog. I loved this post, and idea, so much I decided to make it the focus of my challenge this week. How precarious are our lives, or are they pre-charted? Does destiny hold all the keys, […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #24: Deviation

November 19, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. – Frank Zappa For several years running, I was invited to speak to the Sociology of Deviancy class at our local university. Each visit, I opened by joking that I was never quite sure whether the invitation was a good thing or not. Truthfully, though, I […]

A Bevy of Characters

November 18, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

“The light is not very good for taking photographs,” Ric remarks as we turn onto the road along the river which has fast become our favourite drive. “I know.” It’s not in my character to give up just because circumstances are not ideal. In my mind, there are always photo opportunities. The river flows […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #23: Character

November 12, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

It’s a funny thing, character, the way it brands people as they age rising from within to leave its scar – Kate Morton, The Distant Hours The school board I worked for introduced an initiative to promote character education in the classroom. Acceptance, caring, honesty, respect, empathy, perseverance, and responsibility were among the traits targeted. At the start […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #22: Sacrifice

November 5, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

“What do you pray for?” “Inner peace.” “And what are you willing to sacrifice in order to achieve this desire?” The question startles me. “What do you mean?” “To achieve the sacred, you must be emptied of that which obstructs its passage. What stands in the way of receiving your highest good?” I have to […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #21: Veil

October 29, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

I thought about skipping over Hallowe’en, but who doesn’t like a good, spooky story? And I have a few…just have to shake them out of my memory bank… Meanwhile, let’s write, photograph, and have fun with the paranormal. And if that doesn’t work, then use the word veil in another context. I know you will […]

Reflections on Gathering

October 14, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

The forecast for last night was a frost warning. “The rooftops were white this morning, did you see?” a neighbour asked me at our communal brunch. I hadn’t noticed, but I am feeling it in my body. Things are seizing up. We’ve had a week of get-togethers, starting with Thanksgiving. Tuesday, we drove into town […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #11: Point of View

August 13, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

We recently attended a dramatic version of To Kill a Mockingbird in Stratford, Ontario. Written by Harper Lee in the late 1950’s, this has been one of my all time favourite reads. Although some of the language is antiquated and no longer acceptable, the themes of the novel are timeless. Atticus Finch, the patriarch extraordinaire of the […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #4: Relationships

June 25, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

“The people we are in relationships with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors, reflecting their beliefs.” – Shakti Gawain A friend of mine used to say (and I paraphrase). “May you experience as many relationships […]

Currently Unavailable

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

I apologize if my attention appears to be lacking, but I am currently immersed in creativity and the ability to focus, otherwise, has plummeted. (Inspired by Daily Addictions daily prompt: plummet)

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)