Supporting all who care for elders
I love to beat the system. By that, I often mean spending far less (or nothing) on something that’s supposed to cost me a fortune. Two of the world’s cutest baby overalls, one for each new grandchild, fall into this category. The fabric was given to me by someone downsizing, and its primary colours of […]
How to Beat the System This Christmas and Choose Joy Read More »
Think back to other Christmas seasons. What part of the season bugged the heck out of you? And how many of those thorny issues don’t exist in 2020? Here are a few I thought of: Rushing around to malls to shop. No parking, no time. (I’ve done all of my shopping online, at my leisure,
Emerging From Pandemic Sorrow to a Creative Christmas Read More »
It’s time to get specific! As I plan for a mentally healthy winter, I need to do some introspection. What I discover won’t be the same for you, but the process is similar. Look at what matters to you, large and small, and what you can and can’t control. Then fill your life with what
How to Keep From Emotionally Drowning This Pandemic Winter Read More »
I always dread the winter. I’m not exactly a snow hater, and I recognize its beauty as long as I’m not driving or commuting through it. There’s something cozy about a fireplace and a book. But I struggle with two aspects of winter–lack of light and the absence of colour. Each year I stage mini
How To Increase Empathy While Staggering Through Life Read More »
You’re learning something new, something you’ve never tried before. Let’s say it’s French. What’s more, it wasn’t your idea. Your job requires it and although it wouldn’t be your choice, feeding your family isn’t an option, so you need to acquire this new skill. You gather every piece of support you can find in order
Stress: How to Survive the Pandemic With Your Sanity Intact Read More »
In my family, a conspiracy of silence existed when it came to me. A basic “don’t tell Ann anything” policy. I think the motivation came from an urge to protect, but it left gaps in my knowledge until adulthood. When I came home from school that day at nine and saw my mom and my
Did You Know You Have the Opportunity To Write History? Read More »
I always had a love-hate relationship with Twilight Zone. ( If you don’t know what I mean by that, you are too young to read this post.) A normal person or family, lived their normal life at the beginning of the show. You sat on the edge of your seat because you knew within a
How to Survive Isolation: Winning the Battle for your Sanity Read More »
All winter I watched it. The log on the side of the pathway had split from the freeze-thaw-freeze of our Canadian winters. Scarcely a centimetre wide, the split travelled the length of the log, and it looked like someone had stuck a twig in the crevice. Strangely drawn to the skinny, fragile twig, I checked
The Magic of Trees and Heroes Read More »
Are you going nuts yet? This question could probably legitimately be asked of every person on the planet. All of our emotions swerve over this rollercoaster of life each day. We are hopeful, then angry, frightened then grieving, sick and then improving–or not. We’ve gone beyond hoarding and wondering when this will be over to
My 5 Surprising Suggestions for Surviving the Pandemic Read More »
It began “over there.” My mental picture of China is busy markets and crowds of people. Most of them wearing masks. But I know people living in China, so I prayed for them and their safety. I lived my life while the storm rumbled in the background. At church, they cautioned us not to hug
Do You Know Your Word For This Year? Read More »