The Vulnerability of Mother’s Day
The Vulnerability of Mother’s Day We were all born to a mother, in vulnerability. I remember well watching a film of childbirth in a childbirth class, when I was seven months pregnant with my first child. I was shaken and I remember telling my doctor, with a mixture...
Wave upon Wave
Waves can be mesmerizing. It is such a treat to visit the ocean and watch them come in... wave upon wave, some with more force than others. But they keep coming. Storms come. I remember well a ferry ride we took from Vancouver Island to the mainland in late October...
Time to Blossom
We took a walk yesterday, one we take every day at this time of year, to walk under the blossoms on a street near us. The beauty is fleeting and we love to capture the moments. This street brings some tender memories for my mom loved these blossoms too. In the...
Curve Balls and Consolations
Curve Balls and Consolations I’ve had a few curve balls lately... unexpected happenings that have been unsettling. When you think about it... hasn’t this past year been that way? Who would have even imagined that we would still be facing restrictions, wearing masks,...
Learning from Vincent Van Gogh
Learning from Vincent Van Gogh I was intimidated by the challenge. The on-line group I belong to encouraged us to paint pictures following the masters. I’ve always had difficulty calling myself an artist, I’d rather say I love to be creative, and drawing and...
A Sacred Pause
A Sacred Pause I’m writing this on the eve of the eve of Good Friday. Have you ever pondered why this particular Friday is called good? Dr Google explained it this way: it comes from the obsolete sense “pious or holy” of the word “good”. For example, we call the...
When You are Sad or Discouraged
Some blogs are harder to write. It is much easier to put on a brave face and act like you have it all together. I was thinking of that last week when I posted some lovely pictures of my birthday, and truly there were some beautiful moments which I was grateful for....
Just Believe
Just Believe I’ve been collecting words and phrases for lent. Instead of giving something up, which I resisted, I decided this would be a good endeavor. Quite frankly, I’ve always thought that giving up chocolate or sugar or sweets in my birthday month was too much to...
Waiting Patiently
This might be the blog no one wants to read. Patience is not my favourite word, but something I've had to practice over and over again. I find it a bit of a joke when we talk about Patients and Patience. The two go hand in hand, for often being a patient requires a...
A One Word Prayer – HELP!
I woke up Monday morning, weary. You know, those days where sleep has not been great, and my chronic pain had flared. There was much on my mind; those we love who were suffering, I was to present a talk via video, and I felt the weight of not being enough. Do you...
The Gift of Redemption
I’ve been picking a word or phrase for each day of Lent, and am gathering a lovely collection. This week I was thinking of some RE words, Renew, rebuild, restoration and today my word is redemption.It is an old word, a biblical one, and a great word for Lent,...
Reflections in this Season of Lent
This week is significant in the church calendar. On Tuesday we ate pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, or as some know it as pancake day. Oatmeal banana pancakes with apricot preserves. They were good! Wednesday marked the official start to Lent, 40 days of reflection...
A list of 27 things – a Tribute to my dad for his 90th
My dad, Jake Friesen, is turning 90 this coming week and I wanted to give tribute to him on this amazing milestone. I like to tease him with a story from my childhood, on the occasion of his 35th birthday. He was quite morose that day, unusual for him, but being a...
Lessons from Penguins
I hadn’t really planned to write about the penguins. No, they appeared into this week as a prompt or idea to paint, and I thought I would give it a try. As I’ve shared before, I belong to this group online where we encourage one another to paint. The prompts are a...
Out of my Comfort Zone
I try to do something creative most days for a number of reasons. it brings me joy. It is therapeutic. It challenges me. I belong to a couple of groups who inspire me in my writing and my art. Yesterday the art prompt was “launch” which I didn’t quite know what to...
Live Deeply
This week has been challenging in my world, and I heard somewhere that this time of year, post-Christmas, is a time when many are feeling blue. Add to that the growing pandemic, weariness of restrictions, shortages of vaccine, and lack of social connections, it is no...
Be Brave
It fell out of a fat envelope a few weeks ago, this little plaque that said “Be Brave”. I stared at it, absorbing the words, and placed it in a place I could see it. It came as a gift, a prize for a weekly writing exercise my friend Glynis hosts to encourage writers...
Seeking a Star, and a Word
Have you ever experienced an epiphany? It is that moment where we are enlightened, perhaps a new realization or understanding. The light goes on! Today is celebrated by many as the feast of Epiphany, a remembrance of those wisemen or kings who followed the Star in...
Facing the Future with Hope
The first day of 2020 we woke up to see a beautiful deer resting in our back yard. In fact, he stayed for much of the day, to our delight. We have not seen deer in our neighborhood for quite a while, but this morning as I write...
When Christmas isn’t so Merry
It is the Eve of Christmas Eve as I write this. A day historically filled with anticipation, last minute preparations, deliveries and cheer. We experienced some of that today as we set out to deliver some Christmas packages. But I’ve been keenly aware that this year,...
Love, the Greatest Gift of All
As we approach the fourth Sunday of Advent our hearts turn toward love. Love is essential. We wither without it. I am uncertain about many things but on this I am sure. We are loved. And in this season of Christmas we remember that Love came. I wrote a simple poem as...
Joy intertwined with Sorrow
As we prepare for the 3rd weekend of Advent, we ponder the word joy. Joy wasn’t my strongest emotion this week, the week they cancelled Christmas. At least that is what a nurse told me when I asked where the Christmas trees were. Didn’t you hear? She asked... Yes,...
Seeking Peace
Peace Peace is not found In the war-torn In the arguments. in the pain. It is not found in those who are certain they are right or in those who dominate and seek control. Peace is not found in over-stimulation over-indulgence or hoarding treasures. Peace is found deep...
Expectant Hope
This is an advent like no other in my memory. All over the globe, we are finding creative ways to live, in the midst of holidays and celebrations, birthdays and anniversaries, significant events that bring meaning to our lives. Advent has a special place in my heart,...
A sacrament of Suffering
A sacrament of suffering I don’t use the word sacrament lightly. Sacraments speak of the sacred, something holy and precious, and often refer to Christian celebrations of baptism, Eucharist (communion) and marriage. God with us in the sacredness of life. It seems to...
Pursuing a Gold Star
Pursuing a Gold Star Stickers have become more fancy these days. I have a variety of them for when the grandkids come on their school days, it is great motivation. I realize I like stickers too; there are lovely stickers for adults and i like using them in my...
Gifts of Good Words
Gifts of Good Words Follow the Gifts of Good Words Blog Hop taking place from November 4-18, 2020, and find quality Canadian Christian books for those on your Christmas list! Then on November 18th, join the Good Words Virtual Book Fair on...
The Gift of Community
The Gift of Community It was around 1993 when my then husband Andrew, who loved computers, introduced us to the emerging Internet. I remember it was slow and tedious and amazingly fascinating. We had so little idea of how it would change our world. After he died, in...
Holding my Breath
Holding my Breath No, I don’t have the hiccups. We use funny phrases in our English language, challenging for those who are learning how to listen to it and speak it. We were talking about the upcoming US election last night and I said “I’m not holding my breath”,...
Ode to the Sloth
Ode to a Sloth It is difficult to feel sidelined. This is a typical feeling of those who are sick, or even hospitalized. What is scheduled often has to be cancelled or postponed. Of course this is not limited to illness. Our lives can come to a full stop when...
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