My mind was swirling with thoughts and ideas this morning but I didn’t think I had it in me to sit down and write a blog post. I find this a bit puzzling because I have spent the week planning, researching, and creating. I’ve been organizing my writing workshops for the year, working on a free give-away for my blog subscribers…

Do you sometimes let go of your noisy mind and sit in stillness? Or maybe, during a simple chore like ironing, you allow your head to empty of all thoughts and you just focus on the task at hand. Would you be surprised to know that at that moment you were practicing mindfulness?

I am sharing my blog post a bit earlier this week, as the year winds to an end and quietly slides into 2021. Winter solstice may mean the start of longer days but for me, it signifies a time to hibernate…

What books do you turn to when seeking spiritual inspiration or support? This is a question I ask the women participating in Women Rowing North: Writing Our Life Stories in week five…

Earlier this week I was on the phone with a friend, feeling a deep sadness as she shared some of the challenges she has been facing this last month. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a slight movement in the backyard…

The sky was still dark when I woke up this morning to pull the quilt, hanging off the end of the bed, over the two of us. I knew by the chill in the air that the temperature must have dipped below freezing during the night…

Hugh MacLennan and Louis Dudek, professors of mine in the late ‘70s at McGill University started me on the habit. And no wonder! MacLennan, in his early 70’s at the time….

I am curled up next to an adult – a parent, or grandparent – I’m not quite sure. I am about 4 years old, listening with deep concentration to a story about a tiny family living in the walls of a house…

Four years ago today, I was sitting on my hotel balcony in Marrakesh, enjoying my last Moroccan sunrise as I listened to a muezzin proclaim the adhan, the call to prayer…

Last week I began facilitating a new Women Rowing North: Writing Our Life Stories series, my first private group with six lovely women from Deep River and Toronto, Ontario who have a web of connections between them…

Earlier this week I shared Parker J. Palmer’s quote, “I am lost in the sadness and madness of the world.” And no wonder – with news stories of the rapid spread of COVID; headlines of beheadings and terror attacks; and only a fleeting mention of a schoolyard massacre in Ethiopia…

Many years ago when my babies were fussy, I would hold them tight and sing Elvis Presley’s song, “Are you Lonesome Tonight.” I would sing the same words over and over again in a soft, crooning voice. Maybe not a typical lullaby, but it would calm them…

Despite the anxiety it causes, I am a last-minute person, fueled by deadlines. It has taken me years to realize that this is a schedule that works for me. I’ve tried to change. I’ve bought umpteen planners…

My world is very quiet these days. I expect yours is too. Last night I stood on our island deck and there was not a sound to be heard. No cars, planes, or cargo ships passing through Georgia Strait. No tree frogs, owls, or rustling leaves – even the crowing rooster on the neighbouring farm, whose internal clock is out of whack, was silent.

After a night of heavy rain, the sun peeks out from behind the clouds this morning and a blustery wind blows the leaves off the oak tree in the backyard. It is Thanksgiving weekend.

I woke up this morning to the sound of foghorns drifting across the Straight of Georgia. What a mournful sound to wake up to after a night of undisturbed sleep, a rarity these days. I stretched luxuriously and opened my eyes to see fog blanketing our field.

This has been a wonderful week! On Monday I escaped to our island getaway, all by myself, with only my old dog for company. I am here for a couple of weeks, nurturing my soul with some much needed solitude.

Transition is simply the path between possibilities. I’m swimming now in the middle of some minor transitions. This is good because while I’m midstream, I get a better view of the shore.

On Friday, if you had peeked into my life, you would have found me curled up in bed, with my book, and my dog, and the fan blowing cool air. At what time you ask? Well, pretty much all day!

I have spent most of this first week of September sitting at my desk. I am delving into new projects, cleaning up files, and replenishing office supplies – indulging in my favourite Pilot fineliner pens and bright, coloured Post-its.