Supporting all who care for elders
The year after my husband died, I asked to make Christmas dinner. My sister-in-law and I went year-about with Christmas, and it was her turn. My coping mechanism, for the first few months, entailed keeping myself so busy, I didn’t have a lot of time to think. I worked full-time, made all the preparations for […]
The One Where Christmas Happened Without You And We Found A Way Read More »
The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle was “ninja.” Immediately, tears pricked my eyes and a thousand memories flooded my brain. I miss my favourite ninja. You may have read about the passing of my lovely niece, Jenn, this last August. https://smallmiracles.online/the-not-so-small-miracle-of-jenn-a-life-well-lived/ As a marathon runner, she would get up before sunrise during Manitoba winters to
The One Where We Lost Someone, And Christmas Came Anyway Read More »
Do you remember the excitement when the Eaton’s catalogue used to arrive? I could ask for one present. I’d always receive more than that, and my stocking contained all kinds of small treasures, but the one I asked for would be the “desire of my heart” present. The thing I couldn’t live without (or so
The Value of Good Choices in Your Elder’s Journey Read More »
Everyone in the family knew that Grandpa couldn’t hear well. The television roared when he listened to it, and the radio sounded at levels that rivalled his teenage grandchildren. In conversation, he growled about family members “muttering.” Why couldn’t anyone speak up these days? Conversations addressing the problem never went well. Grandpa would go off
How to Have Difficult Conversations With Your Elder Read More »
We’ve all done it. You’re calling one of your kids, and you run through the roll call of names, including the family dog. This is not that. This is when you sit beside your mother who walks with dementia, at a family event, give her a kiss and say, “Hi, Mom. How are you doing?”
How to Cope When Your Elder Forgets Your Name Read More »
“I have never had a day that didn’t sparkle in some way.” Jennifer Dawn Shearer (1974-2023) Forty-nine years ago, I worked as a teenager among the troubled youth in Ontario housing. I received a call one day that changed my life. It made me grin
The (not so) Small Miracle of Jenn. A Life Well Lived. Read More »
We turned a corner and giant metal flowers caught my eye. I also spied statues of people, but we were caught in the flow of traffic, and although I craned my neck, I saw only enough to know I wanted to return. We did, that night, and I experienced a piece of Ottawa which touched
If Dementia Had a Park, What Would it Look Like? Read More »
I’m planning a wedding for this fall. Yes, my own. (Insert wild applause here.) Amidst the joy (this man is the one I prayed for) the fun (getting in touch with my crafty side) the work (sewing four flower girls’ dresses) and the angst (will my “country-chic” wedding look like a kindergartener put it together?)
Can I Include My Elder in My Summer Celebrations? How? Read More »
Just because “receiving gifts” is last on my list of love languages doesn’t mean I don’t like them! More than any other love language, this illustrates how they mesh together and depend on each other. If your main gift is quality time, a gift has more meaning when time and thought went into
The Love Language of “Receiving Gifts” Makes a Gift More Than a Gift Read More »
The first Sunday in church when they mentioned that some people might feel reluctant to touch, I thought they were crazy. They demonstrated how you could hip bump instead (while turning your head away–that was before masks) and I cringed at the ridiculousness of it and turned to hug the person in the
Remember When We Couldn’t Touch? The Importance of Physical Touch to Express Love Read More »