The recent winter wonderland in our region resulted in a flood of social media photos of rime ice, heavier than hoar frost, on trees, on everything, and many shared ‘wows’ and ‘awes’. This sense of awe got me thinking about other times I experience awe and wonder. The first thing that came to mind was a photo of Colton, my great grandson, who just turned one, and had learned to respond to ‘how big... Source ..read more

“ To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a Pilgrim.” Mark Nepo, The Exquisite Risk Since Earth Day, April 22, I have been visiting a green space in our prairie city every day. Winding through the green of our city is my ‘nature fix’. It is nourishing my body and soul... Source ..read more

Devastatingly Beautiful, coauthored with my stepson Andrew Hatala, was published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). It is my life story this past three years, navigating a life-threatening illness, becoming a widow, and all the accompanying losses and grief, and in time, emerging with profound gratitude, love and joy. I am grateful for a lifetime love of learning, yoga... Source ..read more

Recently, I asked my granddaughter, Meghan, what she’d write about if she was putting together a blog post. She quickly identified three topics: the value of her Motherhood Community, the importance of perseverance, and the value of gratitude. I was struck by the life-giving description of her motherhood community: “ I really feel as if my motherhood community has kept me sane and saved me from... Source ..read more

Over the past couple of weeks, a delicious part of my wellbeing sabbatical, was reading two novels about women that I just could not put down. One was Isabelle Allende’s new book, Violeta (2022), set in South America, and the other was Lisa See’s historical fiction novel, The Island of Sea Women(2020), set in Korea. Like Isabelle Allendes previous books, Violeta includes themes of political... Source ..read more

Guest blogger, Callie B. Elwayns, has taken on brave new work over the past few years. She tells her remarkable story in the post Your Story Matters In this post Callie reminds us of the potential of telling our true-life stories, for ourselves, and for our communities…. Callie writes….Over the years I have had the privilege of curating hundreds of accomplished women onto the stage with their... Source ..read more

We are delighted to welcome dear friend and colleague, Callie Elwayns, as guest blogger. Callie has supported and encouraged us personally and professionally for many years. Callie has taken on some brave new work over the past few years and as Lillas says ‘ Callie embodies and imbues a radiant beautiful depth of presence she brings to life and all around her’. We all have a story to tell and to... Source ..read more

I am imagining my almost four-year-old great-grandson Jack, asking his mom if there’s any mail for him. Other times, I picture this tall and lanky boy, who so often appears delighted, walking out to the mailbox in the relative warmth of a Virginia winter to see if there’s a postcard for him, from me, his Gigi. As most of my friends know, I haven’t seen Jack in person since December 2019 and I... Source ..read more

For many years, Lillas and I started the year by gathering with others to connect to life intentions and set inspiring intentions for the coming year. This is just one of many powerful tools we have used over the years to focus inner work and remind ourselves of what is important to attend to in the year ahead. My friend Debra Stobbe recently shared the process she is using this year... Source ..read more

Over the past few months, I have been harvesting my soul, gathering up the joys and sorrows, the richness of my life, in memories, writings and photos. I have been prompted to dig deep in this harvest, partly as a result of my participation in the two-year program Growing in Wisdom. This program, sponsored by several retreat centres across Canada, is aimed at those seeking a spirituality for their... Source ..read more