I wrote this book for so many reasons: to help kids and parents gain skills and tips on what to do when they have big worries; I also wrote this book because I love to write, and I wanted to challenge myself; but I also wrote this book because I couldn't find a book on this topic and so I decided to write one myself; and also I wrote it because writing a book was on my bucket list! I could go on, as there are so many reasons I wrote this book.
After a long winter's nap, Reg wakes up in his snug little den, buried deep in the hillside---built under the tangled roots of a leafy tree.
When September days arrived this past school year, I again faced the reality that I was staring down the homestretch with my precious second oldest. As when my very Oldest was in Grade 12, my only son, it was again, a bittersweet milestone to be reached. I (as mama) was so proud and so grateful …
When I was nine years old, the bottom fell out of our family’s world with one, horrific phone call. The call that changed everything—it came on a December day, just before Christmas. I remember very little about the date—the common, everyday moments leading up to the call. But I will forever have imprinted in my …
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are …
I look out the double windows this evening at sundown, while wiping down the kitchen counters from a late supper. Noticing Husband out by the road, talking to an unrecognizable couple and their dog, I am drawn to the over-sized glass on our entryway door. Pausing for a moment, I take stock. Who is this? …
The old elm went deep, stretching twisted sinews ever downward, down through loamy, dark soil. Ever further, always searching. Seeking until finding that which was desired. Penetrating layer upon layer of sandy, coarse matter until the wooden talons finally obtained their probable rest. Reaching over and out toward the far reaches of the property line, …
Resilient. A word fraught with deep meaning and much complexity. For me, it signifies that one is faced with challenge and is able to withstand. It is about weathering the storm. Withstanding the pressure. Rising after the fall. It is how I feel most of the time, if I were being truthful. I often think …
I am not much for New Year’s Resolutions, as would be 2/3 of Canadians. Go figure. It appears I am in good company. However, two specific people, friends of mine, have unknowingly inspired me to write. That is, to write again. Without making much ado about this, shoving fanfare to the side (for if I …
Thirty-some years ago now, I lost my only first cousin on my mother’s side. He died in the hospital, left to await his burial in a emergency room sink- the decision of a hospital staff weighing the costs of rescuing his mother or saving him. They chose his mother, desperately trying to keep her alive …
She asked me tonight how the blog was doing. And I told her that it was not where I’d like it to be. After its second wind in early August and the contact I’d made with Arianna Huffington, I had been floating high on the hope that things would really fly. Really take off. Just …
I apologize to anyone who is still not on summer vacation. As well as to anyone reading this who has returned to school. I am Canadian and our summer vacation starts basically in July. So forgive me for still holding on to summer until the bitter end. The other morning, I had Youngest to the …
