Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
The celebrations started last Sunday – dinner at a Greek restaurant with the family. It was a double celebration, Sloane having turned six just days before. Then we headed North to a friend’s cottage and had a meal rich with the summer’s harvest: corn on the cob, potatoes cooked with garlic on the barbecue, and […]
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At 10, I ruled the world – hard peddling up steep roads and letting go on the other side thrilling to speed and risk. At 20, I felt the pressure to define my life, marry, and be somebody – driven without much compassion At 30, I relaxed a bit, celebrated having birthed three children, confident […]
Read MoreBy the time you read this, my celebration will have begun. The family and I will have met for a casual dinner at a local restaurant, and I’ll be glowing from pride to think that two generations all started with me. Miraculous, isn’t it? Today, we are headed up north, where I will celebrate my […]
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To know I have accomplished something each day, is as important to me as the first cup of tea in the morning. It is the satisfaction of knowing I have contributed, that I have made a stamp (no matter how minute) on the passage of time. Prior to illness, I didn’t think much about accomplishment; […]
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Children understand the mechanics of accomplishment: take a risk, try and try again, and bask in the accolades that follow. As I grow older, I wonder at what point in life I lost that simple understanding. Now, as I watch my granddaughters, I feel compelled to regain some of that old spunk: tackle the new, […]
Read More“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Prior to […]
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Inspired by a question about why a certain flower has five petals, this week’s challenge was born: mystery. The responses have been varied and all equally intriguing proving that life continues to be full of mystery. I started us off with a tale about a suspicious death in the family, pre-dating my existence. Like any good […]
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Her name was Mary, the one that they say shot herself. Although I never knew her, it is a stretch to believe a woman would kill herself this way. Far too messy. “What was she like?” I asked my mother once. “Timid. Not a particularly happy woman.” She had been married to my mother’s second […]
Read MoreDon’t Hold Your Breath’s byline is “tripping the world, slowly”. The author, I.J. Khanewala, documents travels through images and delightful commentary. I have begun to look forward to these snippets from other worldly places. In a recent post: “Flowers of the Middle Heights” The Young Niece asks why a certain flower has five petals. Khanewala, […]
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“I’m too old to change!” Father snapped at me when I suggested that some of the stress Mother was suffering might have to do with his behaviour. “Look in the mirror, Dad. If you see a reflection, it is not too late to change.” It was a line I borrowed from Alan Cohen, an author […]
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One Woman's Quest II 