Yesterday, an ice storm pounded our area. Freezing rain and wind swirled in the streets outside, and the bushes near the window became coated with ice. “Aren’t they pretty?” said a resident as she walked by. Yeah. Pretty. From the inside. When 4:00 o’clock came, I checked the window again, frowning. It wasn’t letting up, […]

“Maybe I should give up the idea of the puppy.” As these words ran through my head, I experienced an overwhelming sadness. The thought made my face crumple and tears course down my cheeks. No. I’d been saving for months. But the reality on the computer screen couldn’t be denied. It was a luxury I

I can’t remember how the topic came up. I suspect it was one of the many times in the summer when I sat with a group of ladies on our patio, admiring the multiple colours of the flowers and turning our faces to the sun. Someone asked the question, “What is your favourite food?” Without

“Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.” 1 A powerful and radical statement. What does this look like? Mr. G. has become increasingly aggressive when care partners try to care for him. Although they can understand that he wants to be independent, and he doesn’t want a woman caring

The world is divided into two categories: the keeper and the non-keeper. I am not a keeper. I remember when my children would ask where a certain treasure was—a picture they drew, a one-armed clay figure they constructed, a half-eaten sucker from two weeks ago. I would look puzzled and reply, “I’m not sure.” The

I’m never very excited about New Year’s. Christmas is full of friends and family, fun and surprises, warm fuzzies and faith. New Year’s is a flip of the calendar, high expectations to do better, and resolutions to make it so. “Happy New Year” echoes hollowly everywhere I go, and I think, “How will saying it

Routines. We all have them, and there are ways in which they sew the fragments of our days together. Here are some of mine: ·      Up at 5:00 a.m., shower, dress, make the bed. ·      One cup of hot lemon and honey, my pain pills, one coffee. ·      Make my breakfast smoothie, make my lunch.

Do you ever dream of having someone look after you? After a particularly long and demanding day, I think about someone making me a cup of tea and giving me a foot rub. Maybe a neck rub, too. There’s usually a beach involved, with rhythmic, lapping waves, warm sun and a book in my hand.

                                       Our beautiful Lucy If a medication claimed to lower your risk of heart attack, and increase your chances of survival one year after a heart attack, would you consider taking it? If it lowered your blood

Hannah during a 2009 visit “Grandma, can I go to your work? I really like dressing up in a party dress and talking with everyone.” Since Hannah was six months old, trips to Christie Gardens have been part of her life. When she learned to walk, she would toddle, and then run, down the long