VJWC: A Week of Mystery

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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VJWC #6: Family Mystery

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 […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #6 Mystery

Don’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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Weekly Challenge Wrap Up: Books

“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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Learning From Bowls

“We’ll give him a few more minutes, shall we?” The kindly old man seated across from me crossed one leg over the other and sat back as if he had all the time in the world to wait. “The thing is…I mean…,” I hung my head in shame. “I don’t think he’s coming.” “Ah, yes.” […]

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Relationship Wrap Up

Relationship, I realized after posting my weekly challenge, is too broad of a subject.  We need a lifetime to examine and appreciate our interconnections, and then, likely, we’d need to begin again – such is the nature of relationship.  It slips and slides, rewards and betrays, teaches and takes away. That said, I appreciate those […]

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The Gift of Friendship

I am the one who put forth the relationship challenge this week, and I have to confess, I am struggling with how to articulate my feelings.   Fast approaching my sixtieth birthday, I find I am sentimental, or maybe, it’s that after years of isolation due to illness, I now treasure relationship more than ever. […]

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

“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 […]

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VJWC#3: Nurturing Wonder

On the road, everyday is defined by a sense of adventure and discovery – an attitude I feared I’d lose on returning home.  In truth, these past six weeks of settling back in have focused on family and friends and doctors visits.  All good, and yet, already, I notice that carving time for writing is […]

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V.J.s Weekly Challenge #3: Nurturing Wonder

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats Travelling across North America and back this past winter, every day was filled with discovery, awakening new passion for life. The challenge, I recognized, as our trip wound down, would be to keep this sense of wonder […]

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