Holding On or Letting Go
Not sure where Autumn went! There is no doubt that the colours this year were breathtaking and we did have a few sunny days, but the weather changed rather quickly from late summer days to early wintry mornings. And as though to add insult to injury, Sunday was the first day this season we had to clean snow off our car before leaving for church! So it seemed appropriate to complain to a stranger in the waiting room of my chiropractor’s office about the “cold, damp, windy day.” Trying to...
Read MoreWhen the Unexpected Happens
To say that Doug and I enjoy feeding the birds at our summer trailer would be an understatement. Syrup water for the hummingbirds; niger seed for the red and yellow finches and chick-a-dees; black sunflower seeds for the blue jays, mourning doves, nuthatches, woodpeckers and very often the chick-a-dees; and various flavours of suet for anyone who can get to the cage first. Of course peanuts are a must for the woodpeckers and the occasional nuthatch. This year we’ve had families of blue jays,...
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Godbwye —“God be with ye”
On Saturday, October 22, the autumn sun peeked in and out of the clouds. The wind oscillated from gentle and accommodating to cold and brisk. The leaves radiated their brilliant fall colours. And my family said godbwye—goodbye—to my sister for the last time. Mary did not want any fuss, so family and friends stood at the edge of the Scattering Garden in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in London, Ontario as her ashes were scattered beneath her picture. And I sobbed. Saying a final goodbye is...
Read MoreChange
…and I’m not talking about the change you find in the bottom or your purse or in the pocket of an old pair of jeans, or what you keep in your car for parking metres or grocery carts. I’m not talking about a change of clothes after a sweaty workout or the refreshing change in the weather after a hot spell. I’m talking about the change that comes from choice. Having said that, allow me to digress for just a moment and speak to the change that comes when there has been no choice. In...
Read MoreMy Father’s Garden
Father’s Day is a special time to honour our dads. My father is in heaven and I’m left with only memories…like his garden. When spring arrived each year, my father would head for the backyard, rake and shovel in hand ready to unearth the “sleeping beauties,” as he would call his roses. As a young teenager on the threshold of discovering boys, I had no interest in his prickly flowers, wanting only to avoid the bees that rested on their petals to drink their nectar. I...
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