Reflections – Life by the Sea

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 […]

Memories, Mental Health, Reflections

Kindness costs nothing. So why don’t we extend it more often?

October 23, 2015 7 Comments

Extending kindness has to be part of your to do list I’ve been making a point of extending kindness to those I encounter this week. This came about because we always seem to be in a hurry wherever we’re all going and very rarely do we make a point to STOP and acknowledge other people we meet along the path. Traffic has been horrendous this week in Halifax due to a big project that will be ongoing for the next year or so to replace one of our lifelines across the harbour – the MacDonald bridge. Everyone has been late for work, tempers are being tried and we all feel very sick of being in our cars on a commute that should take a fraction of the time it has actually been taking. How many times have you sat on a side street trying to turn onto a busy street […]

Holidays, Life With Boys, Memories, Parenthood, Reflections

Celebrating Six – A Birthday Letter to Luke

April 24, 2015 No Comments

Dear Luke: This morning I quietly snuck into your bedroom. In the darkness, I crawled into your bed beside you and softly sang “Happy Birthday”. You stirred and your eye lids slowly opened – welcoming a new day. A new year. Six. You now have to use two hands to illustrate how old you are. 2,191 days since I became a mom. You’ve become so independent, confident and even more curious about the world around you this last year. After some initial anxiety about moving on to “big school” you found your footing and became more comfortable with your new surroundings, new routine and new friends. At times school has challenged you – you’re still much more fond of playing than doing “so much WORK”. You’ve expanded your mind in creative new ways and are grasping concepts that you find interesting and are eager to share at the end of […]

Holidays, Life With Boys, Memories, Parenthood, Reflections

December Dilemma – When New Traditions Overshadow the Old

December 5, 2014 No Comments

Christmas is a time for inclusion and giving to those in need Christmas is a time of year when we all seem to be acutely aware of those we share this world with. We try to give to others in a myriad of ways whether it be through moral support, monetary or material donations. We seem to have an underlying sense of duty to ensure everyone greets December 25th with a sense of joy. We aim to, even if for just one day, lighten the load of others so they can wear a smile. We strive to bring back the magic and wonder of their childhood for them or assist them in providing that to their own children. We have an innate sense of commitment to leave no man behind. December for me is an ever-changing mix of “then” and “now” I tend to spend the time leading up to […]