Blog

I talk to myself. When working in the kitchen or thinking hard at the office, speaking some of my thoughts (quietly) aloud helps me stay focused. So one aspect of wearing masks against the coronavirus which I’ve appreciated is that, while masked, no one in the grocery store can see my lips moving while I… Continue reading Open Lips

In the chapel of an ecumenical retreat house I've frequented there stands an enormous potted succulent, a Jade plant, that makes me think of Moses' burning bush from Exodus 3. It sits next to a small altar topped with carved cherubim and holding the Eucharistic tabernacle. The space feels sacred, drawing me in. Early in… Continue reading Turning Aside

I have an old photograph that means a lot to me although the picture quality is disappointing, grainy and dull. Taken in our dark, Vancouver basement rental, it shows me as the tired new mother of our firstborn, Evan, who is held competently by our friend Kit, with her husband Jim smiling beside her. Dean took… Continue reading A Friendly Goodbye

This February, at age 93, my mother’s health necessitated her move into a care home. Short weeks afterward the Covid-19 lockdown arrived to where she lives in British Columbia, and since then she has not left her new building. As the lockdown continued, she, my brothers, and I agreed that her apartment of 30 years… Continue reading Moving On