A few days ago I went to a farm store for carrots and there were so many tulip bouquets at the checkout a rustic interior now seemed bohemian. What is the appropriate response to a cashier who ends your transaction with the words, “Happy Mother’s Day!”? I am a mother […]

I’m not a poetry person, but every now and then I bump into a poem that I understand (rare) and love (even rarer). Here’s one I came across a few days ago – I hope you like it as much as I do!   The spoken word Has always been sanctified […]

Breaking from my usual end-of-the-week posting pattern, I thought I’d share with you, today, memories of a personal Valentine’s Day disaster and lessons learned from said disaster. We’d been married less than a year and ranting, for days, about the perils of unfettered capitalism in general and, more specifically, the […]

What is the thing you are most afraid of? Do you mentally spin endless versions of a scary future – slow, sad reels about a world not quite right, or maybe horribly wrong? Where are you in these projections? Off to the side, crying? Alone? Unloved? Hurt? If you were […]

Years ago I thought giving security items to my new baby was a bad idea. They offered only temporary comfort, and eventually that teddy bear or pacifier would have to be pried from the reluctant clasp of my little girl, who’d grown too old for such things. One year, on […]

Sadness at Christmas. It’s something we all struggle with. Lost loved ones. Less than perfect holiday plans. I think twinkling lights and beautiful carols lift our hearts, but they sometimes also stir bittersweet feelings in us. A few years back, I was captivated by a few paragraphs in a book […]

Omicron. Anti-vaxxers. Masks. Distanced visits. Empty workplaces. Closed businesses. Banned travel. Cancelled church services. Unethical clothing industry. Harmful pesticides. Pipelines. Colony collapse disorder. I could go on. Unrest. Anxiety. Fear. Sadness. Do you have your own list of words? Triggers? Fears? Do they sometimes shout louder than hope? They do […]

After a year and a half of at-home shifts, I worked, yesterday and today, on site. I feel unusually tired. My head aches a bit. But I am thankful – oh so thankful. Monday is Thanksgiving in Canada. This weekend I am thankful for flowers and colourful leaves. For work. […]

Do you shy away from situations that scare you? Try to keep life tidy to stay safe? Doubt that a mess has anything to offer? Recently an old friend sent me a card in the mail. At first glance, it seemed garish and ugly to me, but then I looked […]

It’s been ages since I’ve seen family face to face.  Although our province has, once again, initiated a state of lock-down for us all, we drove to see my sisters over the Easter weekend (visiting outside by a campfire with one and taking advantage of the chance to ‘join households’ […]