Consider the crazy idea — it might be the right one. In late summer 2020, Dad told me his cancer had spread. I longed to see him. His doctor said we could count on Christmas, but not on Easter. Travel for him was out of the question. But my work was portable: all I needed […]
I’m a big fan of lists. When I have too many ideas and plans swirling in my mind, a list helps. Putting items on paper or in an app helps me quiet my mind. Making a list makes me feel like I have a handle on my life and my responsibilities. Like I have a […]
Any desire to grumble fades in the face of grief. I’ll always love you, Dad. Robert Bruce Desson Liddle, born April 20, 1938, died in the very early hours of February 28, 2021. He was sleeping, as he had been for several days, at Country Meadows long-term care home in Neepawa, Manitoba. He would have […]
When I was growing up, I often gave things up for Lent: caffeine, chocolate, romance novels. I don’t remember if doing so made me more reflective and penitential; it was just something we did as a family. It did make me look forward to Easter (chocolate), though. It’s been years since I’ve given anything up […]
When my credit card number was stolen this summer, Husband pointed out that since we didn’t know where the security breach took place, I should really change all my passwords. I agreed with him, though I didn’t look forward to the work involved. I used to be adamant about not letting websites remember my username […]
I was up early on a recent Sunday morning, delightfully alone. Being the one morning person in the house has its perks! Waiting for coffee to brew, I looked outside and saw everything dripping and fresh from the night’s thunderstorm. In the quiet of the living room I worked on my latest crochet project, a […]
About a year-and-a-half ago, Thing One told Husband and me she was transgender. How she came to understand that and how she found the courage to come out to us and to the world is her story to tell. The story I can tell is about how I handled this big change to our family […]
Some 14 years ago, I started crocheting a blanket for Thing Two. We chose the pattern and colours together. (To my relief, she assures me that she still likes the colours.) Sometime over the past few years, she told me she wasn’t moving out until I finished the blanket. We laughed. But one never knows […]
Sometimes a place just feels right the moment you walk in. Sometimes that place is a comfortable and welcoming coffee shop, where the delicious aroma of coffee and baked goods enfolds you. That’s how it was when Dad and I opened the door to Roy Lane coffee shop in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. It’s located in […]