I spent nearly all day at my desk writing a funeral service; hour upon hour steeped in memories that aren’t mine. I spent my day holding the grief of a family in my hands and in my heart as I struggled to find the words to do justice to 94 years of living. I spent […]
Light Lessons
Sunday meditation on spring, birdsong, and grief…
I am sitting on the trunk of a fallen aspen in the woods behind our house. My eyes are closed and my face is lifted to the sun which is already quite high in the eastern sky. It was cold overnight; cold enough to freeze the water laying in the low spots on the trail. […]
Fear is a four-letter word…
I am standing at the top of a ladder that descends into the belly of a small submarine. By some bizarre twist of fate, I am the last person to enter the craft. I am probably the most reluctant passenger on this little voyage beneath the sea. Leaving me in the open salt air to […]
The tale of my magic shoes
There is one story that pretty much sums up my childhood relationship with my sister. It is a sad and tragic tale about my most favourite shoes ever. Practically magic I don’t remember how they came into my possession; they were probably hand-me-down shoes from my cousins, but they were the most ah-mazing shoes! Practically […]
Forget hot yoga, try cold meditation!
I am standing in the middle of our driveway, looking to the south, face tipped up to the sun, eyes closed. It has warmed up significantly the past couple of days to a balmy -10C, but in the sun it feels much warmer. My north side feels the chill bite of the north wind and […]
Robert Frost, winter woods, and letting go
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy […]
Beauty…much more than skin deep
Beauty is pain I think I was probably about 15 years old the first time I had my hair coloured. That was in the mid ‘80’s when ‘frosted’ hair was all the rage in the beauty industry. I sat in a kitchen chair with a plastic cap tied tightly on my head while my mother […]
Lean into the light
Robert Macfarlane – word of the day – phototropism – in plants and other organisms, the tendency to bend or grow in response to sunlight; in an animal or human, yearning for the sun, turning to the light. Sunshine makes me happy This summer I had a big pot of tiny bright orange marigolds on […]
A new lesson from the birds and the bees
Let me tell you ’bout the birds… The other day, I was sitting in the dining room, eating breakfast, and watching the birds at the feeder because you know how I love to watch the birds. There were three – three! – nuthatches at the feeder! At the same time! That’s never happened before! Sorry, […]
Wedding wishes – tying a knot that lasts
It has been a big summer for weddings. I just returned home from attending my third wedding celebration. That’s an unprecedented number of weddings in one season for us. Thanks, no doubt, to the influence of Pinterest, each ceremony was unique in its own way. Wedded bliss In July, it was a backyard soirée to […]
