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 […]

Unveil Me

November 5, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

We’ve discovered a drive along the river where Great Blue Herons, Red Tail Hawks, and Bald Eagles come to hunt. It’s a dirt road with little or no traffic, except for the odd bird watcher like us. After a week of inclement weather, the sun peeked out yesterday morning, so I convinced Ric to take […]

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 […]

No Stopping the River

October 28, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

The first rule in interpreting dream messages, is to recognize that the meaning of a symbol varies with personal experience. This is why dream dictionaries are ineffective. This week’s responses to the river prompt clearly demonstrate this principle. For me, I have always envisioned the collective unconscious as a river whose flow encompasses all – past, […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #20: River

October 22, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Everyday, in the aftershock of losing a seventeen year marriage, I sought out the river. I would say a prayer, then walk off the grief and strife, until I came to a bench, where I’d sit and contemplate the message of the flowing water. “Finding my inner peace”, is what my son called it. A […]

A Week of Distances

October 21, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

The distance between one Sunday and the next is always the same, time wise, and yet this week felt so much longer than most. Wednesday brought emotional upheaval, and subsequent exhaustion, and then Friday morning my 91-year-old mother was admitted to hospital, while Ric and I attended a funeral for an extended family member. Life […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #19: Distance

October 15, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Distance by Archibald Lampman To the distance! Ah, the distance! Blue and broad and dim! Peace is not in burgh or meadow, But beyond the rim. Aye, beyond it, far beyond it; Follow still my soul, Till this earth is lost in heaven, And thou feel’st the whole. How do we measure distance, between hearts […]

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 […]

Photo a Week: Whimsical

October 13, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Wasn’t quite sure if this crowing rooster was whimsical or forlorn, now that the flowers that had previously blocked it have been cut down. Whimsical is lying in the grass with a pink helmet on trying to roll your tongue: This past weekend we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with a family gathering. A full-length mirror provided […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #18: Gathering

October 8, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

It’s a long weekend for us here in Canada. Traditionally families come together, partake of a large meal and give thanks for the blessings in their lives. It is not difficult to feel blessed when family is gathered together. What else is gathering at this time of year? How does ‘gathering’ factor into your current […]

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 […]