Blog
An Eclectic Life
Overwhelmed and Unplugged- My weekend without technology (sort-of)
First off I have to say that it isn’t as radical as it sounds. The only things I unplugged myself from were my smart phone and my laptop- I felt I had to. After several days of great task completion followed by an emotionally difficult Friday I had gone from elated to...
Raising children is NOT a gender issue
Every so often there is an article in some newspaper or magazine that “reveals” the challenges of being a father who is involved with raising his kids. Every time I come across one of these the little voice in my head asks “why are we still having this conversation?...
Questions to Ask When Working with Public Support Agencies (i.e. CCAC)
Public support agencies can be a great asset to any community. They can provide much needed support to those who cannot otherwise afford it and they can act as a bridge service in times of crisis. However, there are many limitations you will be want to aware of if you...
Christmas letter 2013
Thank you to those of you who have written and wished us well this holiday season and also for asking how we are doing. I thought I’d do an open letter to answer your questions. It’s a bit of a kick back to when I actually enjoyed writing in that it’s a list and I...
Grace
Once upon a time I was ultimately impatient and quick to find fault. Today I like to think I’ve evolved. Today I was reminded that one of the few things I truly cannot tolerate is when someone’s reason for being intolerant of another is based on the other person’s...
Stories of Bullying
Today my heart goes out to the parents of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons and all those who loved her. It makes me shake my head and tears do fill my eyes to acknowledge she is the latest victim of uncensored bullying who has seen no alternative to her situation other...
I hate the word “Widow”
One thing every “widow” I have met agrees about, and I have met several since becoming a widow eight and half months ago, is we all hate the word “widow”. It conjures up images of “The Black Widow” who kills her mates, old frail ladies who will now need to be taken...
A Man’s Man/Woman
(noun) a woman who has adopted values and policies that support patriarchal beliefs that limit women’s participation in the public realm. Behaviors indicate a lack of knowledge and understanding of the complexity of women’s lives and the ever present need to create...
Aren’t Women Amazing- Keller’s Shirt Apron
The world is filled with extremely talented women. My sister-in-law Keller Easterling is an architect, urbanist and writer who is also a professor, designer and master seamstress. Some months back a woman in my hospice walking group was telling me about a local woman...
Happily In-between
My 17-year old daughter, Emily recently said to me “Mom I don’t believe in happily ever after anymore. But maybe there is happily in between.” Hmmm. It took me but a second to think, “Yup, she’s right”. Since then I’ve pondered what that means and what that would look...