As much and as long as we want — The path of grieving is different for everyone. At least that’s what people tell me. And yet some judge us, tell us or others that they believe there is a finite quantity to what we should be permitted to feel. Some of them say the darndest things. Sometimes it is…

And in addition, she speaks baby — My granddaughter Eva turns five this spring. Where we live this means she will go to kindergarten in September. She is more than ready. While her mother filled in the paperwork her four older siblings had all kinds of advice for her. One of the more pertinent ones was the…

But the sun shines anyway — She hears the noises from her hospital bed In her room, in her house, down the hall Sedated but still here Her brain seems subdued Not quite up to the job of following all that’s around, but trying Some things are familiar The lid of the teapot climbing off Water pouring in…

They are a reminder of the one who is missing from the table — I visited with a friend yesterday. She served me warm milky tea. That’s not the only thing we shared. She lost a son this year too. Like my child, hers was an adult who had experienced years of addiction and living on the streets. While my son relapsed and died…

A life-changing, mind-altering trip of my youth — Stepping into Africa would change my mind about the state of the world in a much bigger way than I had ever imagined. I disembarked from a plane on that December day some 47 years ago with a sense of adventure and pure joy in the discovery of a new…

It will happen: probably, eventually, maybe? — “Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” — Opening line from the Radio/TV series Dragnet My son was visiting and had no pj’s with him so I lent him mine. It was no big deal…

In a boat we call home — Last year my husband and I took a 32-day trip in our home. No, not a motor home nor a camper van; the ancient boat we live on. She’s an almost 100-year-old vessel that was commissioned by the Anglican church to provide services to the coastal communities on the northern…

And I am still learning as I travel — The counsellor I’ve started seeing is helping me in my journey parenting adults. My oldest child is 43 so it’s not my first rodeo. But my youngest is 22 and there are more than a dozen in between so it seems it’s about time for me to get it right…

Because things could be different — I took a shower and washed my hair. I stood there a long time letting the water cascade down my back. Then I sprayed hot water over my lower back with the handheld nozzle. Finally, I got out and dressed which was a chore in itself. Putting my socks on…