This is Us. The wedding picture of the happy couple from another angle on blog about "Composting Heartbreak" showing the shade the children provided.

Composting Heartbreak

Husband and I were part of an article this week in the Globe And Mail: How Soon is Too Soon?  Zosia Bielski, a writer from the Globe, contacted me after reading about The Widower’s Club, and Visiting My Husband’s Wife’s Grave on the blog.  She wanted to write about finding love after loss of a spouse …

A Hole in the Celebration

My nephew was married last week to his beautiful bride, the love of his life. The one, above all other, that has captured his heart forever. Warm hearts shone bright through the frigid day.  Even the frozen pipes at the reception venue thawed a full 15 minutes before the wedding started! (Though I suspect it …

Problems become possibilities

I’ve been thinking a lot as we go into the new year about using the challenges of life as an opportunity to be creative, to grow, and learn, and make something even better than was before. Challenges can inspire creativity and options considered that wouldn’t have been otherwise been needed. This thinking started with a …

Hope in the darkness at Christmas

Today is the shortest day of the year.  The day of the year with the most darkness–just a few days before Christmas. The day I know annually as “So low down is up” day. I suspect that for many, it is fitting that day that feels bleakest and is, indeed, the darkest, falls around Christmas. …

New Book: My Marriage is Almost Dead…

I heard a story about some acquaintances  a few days ago…the couple had been married for several years.  The wife was unhappy, but she hated confrontation.  She didn’t want to say anything that would hurt her husband. She didn’t want to be the source that created long and difficult conversations. So she said nothing. The situation …

Heartbreaking News: Former Therapist, Rod Minaker

It is with heartfelt sadness that we grieve with the family of Rod Minaker, on his death last week. Rod worked with our counselling agency, at what was then known as Bergen and Associates Counselling starting mid-2007, and except for a brief break, worked with clients at our offices until 2014. Our hearts break at the …

Carolyn's Mistake. A blog about what I decided to do about a big expensive mistake I made.

A Mistake?

As I was going to bed on a Friday night a few weeks ago, it was quiet, and my mind lazily drifted back over the day. My mind went back to an email I had received earlier in the day, outlining next week’s schedule for Courage Camp, a conference for Certified Daring Way Facilitators.  I love delivering …

Pink socks are an expression of solidarity and support to my Junior Tribe Member whose mother died from breast cancer.

Socks of Love

My youngest Junior Tribe Member is my son.  He does refer to me as a parent, which I totally love.  I am not his mother.  His mother died. Out of respect for his mother, he wears pink shoes. Bright pink runners on the court. When his coach told him last year to make them less …