Tag: family
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Joy Sparkers Abound
What a great week it’s been. I was inspired to jot down a few things that have sparked joy in me the past couple of days and thought I’d share it here. A good haircut (at last!). Seeing and hearing kids playing outside and wearing shorts and t-shirts. Flocks of Canada Geese returning from their…
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Down By the Bay
I’m in Kamloops visiting our daughter and granddaughter for a few days. Totally lucked out on the weather! Yesterday, Laurinda and I went for a float (oh, pure bliss!) and then meandered down to Cooney Bay. We wandered, took photographs (mostly me), and looked for pretty stones (mostly Laurinda). It was simply a wonderful afternoon!…
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Letters From the Afterlife
A few weeks after she died, I opened her mailbox and found a letter addressed to my mom written in her own handwriting. Yesterday, I read a sample from Joy Williams’ short story collection, Ninety-Nine Stories of God and the first story, Postcard, reminded me of that day. It’s very short. I tried to find…
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I’ve Been Thinking About This Young Woman
I’ve been thinking about this young woman. This photo was taken in 1977 when she was 18-years-old. She thought she had things figured out, but had already chosen to let go of personal dreams and ignore relationship red flags. She would pay a steep price for those decisions, as would those around her and those…
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On My Way Home
I’m sitting in the Vancouver, B.C. airport—YVR—waiting for my next flight that will take me home to Saskatchewan. I’ve just enjoyed an overpriced sandwich and am sipping on a Starbucks. It’s almost like the old days. Young people are carrying on business on laptops and cell phones. I’m catching snippets of phrases that were once…
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Friday’s Fave Five – October 27
This week has passed at a comfortable pace. It’s a relief after a month of feeling like I had too many commitments. Looking back at a few things I’m grateful for this week with a Friday’s Fave Five post. It’s been two months since we brought Miss Molly home, but it feels like she’s been…
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Old Wives
We’re driving toward a place where I haven’t been for 55-ish years. I don’t know exactly where it is, and it’s unlikely I’ll recognize it when and if we get there. The road undulates, like the surrounding countryside. I’ve told stories about trips my family took on such a road, though it was gravel not…
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Constant, In the Face of Change
It’s early morning. Molly gifted both of us with a full night’s sleep and I stand, feeling relatively refreshed, looking out over the top of the window blind in our dining area. A crescent moon and Venus shine brightly in the southeastern sky. Constants. There’s a smattering of other lights—stars, or planets, or something else.…
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Friday’s Fave Five – September 8
After tapping out a newsy post here yesterday, I wonder if I’ll have anything to say for Friday’s Fave Five. It’s a challenge to look for little moments that spark joy and gratitude sometimes. I am sitting here with a freshly brewed mug of tea (Mother’s Little Helper from David’s Tea), Steve Bell playing on…
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Cousins
Returning to Moose Jaw was and is about reconnection—to the land, the family left behind when my parents moved us to B.C., and the family I didn’t know I had until I reunited with my birth family many years later. It’s about nourishing roots and encouraging new growth. It’s about remembering and learning—unlearning, too. For…
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Place, People, and Prairie
At some point, the way some people visit family starts to look different. I was young—in my twenties—when my parents died within 18 months of each other and the shift started for me. Not everyone gets it, but visiting the grave of someone who was once part of my life (or history, in the case…
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What’s On My Mind
We’ve enjoyed a great week that included a fun and fabulous visit from Gerry’s sister, Barb, and her husband, Laurie. Company means an opportunity to play tourist in the city where you live and we did that. We also just enjoyed spending time together laughing, enjoying good conversation, and playing a fun new game (Codenames.…