Life by the Sea

The most difficult words I’ve ever written…

July 9, 2021 No Comments

Joan was born on February 27, 1948 in Liverpool and was the sixth child of the late Muriel Evans (nee Allen) and the only child of the late Joseph Mills of Milton, NS. Born under the sign of the fish (Pisces) she had a life-long love of the water. Growing up on the banks of the Mersey, she spent her childhood swimming in the river and always found herself happiest when spending time at the family cottage in Labelle on Ponhook Lake or taking drives along the coast with those she loved. After completion of the secretarial course at Liverpool Regional High School she worked as a Payroll Clerk at Liverpool’s Town Hall. It was there that she met Howard. An employee with Maritime Tel & Tel (later Aliant) he had been called to fix a telephone line which required him to crawl under her desk. In the process, he […]

Loss

Fare Thee Well, Love

July 9, 2021 No Comments

It is with a broken heart that I share with you the sad news that Mom passed away in the early hours this morning at Queens General Hospital’s emergency room following a quick turn of events. As many of you already know, she has suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes for decades which eventually led to kidney failure and the need for 3x weekly dialysis treatments for the last seven years. Trying to manage all of these complications was challenging and there were many bumps along the way, but she always persevered and bounced back as best as she could. Unfortunately, this was not one of those instances. When given the opportunity to seek potential further medical assistance at the Yarmouth hospital’s ICU – unsure she’d navigate the perilous journey there given her critical status – or let her remain comfortable in Liverpool with her family with her – […]

Memories, Reflections, Writing

Untethered Thoughts

May 23, 2019 1 Comment

It’s been two and a half years since I’ve written. My DSLR has been gathering dust. I haven’t been creative in the sense that there’s nothing to show for that time. I’ve been introspective. I’ve spent that time absorbing everything instead of finding ways to step outside myself in a tangible, tactile way that others can see. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve evolved and moved through different versions of myself but its all been an internal metamorphosis. There’s no external proof of these changes. Nothing to chronicle them or provide a record of those journeys. Those memories are mine but can be conjured and relived and played like a montage of key moments on my mind’s movie screen. The past week I’ve been spending a lot of time reading and giving my mind a space to stretch and bend in unfamiliar ways with new information and methods of thinking. I’ve […]

Loss, Pets, Reflections

Grief Is The Price We Pay For Love – On Losing A Pet

November 3, 2016 2 Comments

I’m a cat person I’ve lost a few pets in my life – it is the unfortunate cost of loving an animal. Their lives are much shorter than ours and it is inevitable that we will lose them, yet we commit to loving them despite the heartbreak we’ll endure. It was November of 1998 and I had just moved from my rural hometown to the city. My first apartment by myself. I had left everything that was familiar behind. A fresh start. A new beginning. In only a few weeks, the silence of my solitude was deafening. I needed interaction. I needed a cat. The hardest part is walking away with only one I made a visit to the SHAID Tree Animal Shelter and spent some time in the cat room. I stopped in front of each cage and interacted with the various cats and kittens up for adoption. After about an […]

Health, Mental Health

The Cure For Everything Is Salt Water

November 2, 2016 No Comments

Water Water Everywhere I find it ironic that as a fire sign (Aries) I am so drawn to the element of water. The only explanation I have for this is the fact that by the time I was born I was nearly three weeks past my original due date. I should have been a Pisces. Water speaks to me in ways that I don’t fully understand. It calms me, it soothes me and is always a place of solace for me. I am happiest when I’m looking at water, listening to water or immersed in water. I could easily spend an entire day staring at the ocean or a lake or a river. Hours pass and I am lost in a reverie of my thoughts. I make all of my decisions in consultation with water. When I’m not near it I listen to soundtracks of waves or forest streams or […]