I will always remember Sunday lunch of the August long weekend with special fondness. It was the start of a somethin-somethin with Husband and I…though it wasn’t nearly the start of our romance. Husband’s wife, Car had died in late winter. In the months leading to her death, I had asked Car’s sister of how she …
Word Inspiration
I love words. My 15 year old self would not believe my current love of words to be real. I knew how to get a near perfect math mark because equations just worked. English was frustrating to me because of its subjectivity…how does one write a perfect essay? Words annoyed me in ways numbers didn’t. …
Introducing Ellie Jack and Ruth Shantz
Change…Hard and exciting. New opportunities and challenges. We like stability and routine, and knowing what to expect. Change is unpredictable, but creates unknown possibilities for new goodness! Change brings grief for that which we knew and loved and let go. Shifts brings excitement for things that are now possible that previously couldn’t happen. Two years ago, …
A Gratitude Returned
Husband has long invested in his Junior Tribe Members. More than most fathers, I think. One more reason why I love him so much. His is seasonal work. He works long, hard hours in the summer, and less so in winter. When his JTM’s were small, he was often at home during the parenting during …
An Open Letter to Indigenous Peoples of Canada
Update: In case you’re interested…more recent thoughts on the discoveries of the unmarked graves at numerous locations across the country was written for Canada Day, 2021 Dear Indigenous Peoples of Canada, I feel like I have to write this letter. I’ve been apprehensive about writing it because I fear that my white privilege will be …
Storyfull gifts
I have everything I need, and many things I would want. So…knowing my birthday was coming up, and knowing the Junior Tribe Members might ask me what I would want for my birthday, Husband and I cooked up a plan: I would ask for stories for my birthday. Several weeks ago, we gave each person …
Expansion of life through loss
Exactly two dozen years ago today was the very worst day of my entire life. No, that’s not melodramatic. That’s the absolute truth. That was the day that I found out that the little, precious lives inside of me had ended. Mine may as well have ended too…or so I thought at the time. I had …
Beautiful truths
Anne Lamott gave a beautiful TED talk recently. I love TED…but wow, sometimes it exceeds my already high expectations. Wow!! Regular readers know how much I love TED generally…and when it’s Anne Lamott…well…who can resist? I love how Anne gently and wryly speaks truth…sharing of her own beautiful, messy, now-sober, grace-filled experience to …
TEDx Winnipeg 2017
I love TED…I love listening to “ideas worth spreading”. TED has changed little things in my life: the way I tie my shoes, my posture before I go onstage for speaking at a public event the way I dry my hands in a public restroom TED also has changed my life in a fundamental way. …
“Fault?” Not relevant!
I often hear someone refusing to come to counselling because they don’t have the problem: “If I’m not the rebellious one, why would I need counselling?” “He’s the one that drinks, not me. He needs counselling, not me!” “My wife is the one that lost her parents in the accident. I don’t need help.” “The …