(This message was originally on the InScribe Christian Writer’s Fellowship Blog, Dec. 22, 2021) This post is an effort to give a voice to those unwelcome within the greater scheme of life. Even at a holy time, there are those who live in the shadows. I am a Leper I am one of the least of these. No status other than one of no use. I live among shadows. I am not one to be envied, but neither am I to be feared. I am no more a sinner than anyone else. I wander around the streets at night seeking food from the garbage of pretty people. I sleep often during the day under a bridge or other place of ..read more

Scars of Cancer The purpose of my Scarred Joy post in February each year is to highlight experiences with cancer. On December 4, 2017, my wife, my darling, received a diagnosis of uterine cancer. This became her second experience with cancer. On January 9, 2018, she had surgery to remove the cancer. She has been in good health since then. Lord willing, we will celebrate our forty-third wedding anniversary in May 2021. Although she came through the surgery well, there is still the thought of how an illness like cancer leave its emotional scars on one’s life. In a previous post I included the f ..read more

An opportunity came up for me about a month ago. The opportunity came in the form of an invitation to register for a webinar on “Processing Grief Through Photography and Writing.” The webinar is a presentation of North Van Arts and the instructor is documentary photographer and educator, Felicia Chang, from North Vancouver. Registrants attended the series for four weeks broken into ninety minutes per session. https://northvanarts.ca/. http://www.feliciachangphotography.com The webinar is designed to give ideas of how loved ones may be remembered through the combined mediums of photography and ..read more

It is estimated that in 2020: On average, 617 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer every day. On average, 228 Canadians will die from cancer every day. Lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer are the most diagnosed types of cancer in Canada (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer). Based on 2020 estimates: These 4 cancers account for about half (48%) of all new cancer cases. Almost 1 in 2 Canadians (45% of men and 43% of women) may develop cancer during their lifetime. About 1 out of 4 Canadians (26% of men and 23% of women) may to die from cancer.[1] This Scarred Joy post is all about hu ..read more

Disclaimer: All Scarred Joy posts reflect the author’s view of the world. This one is no different. I dedicate this Scarred Joy post to my close friend and Covid-19 teacher, Nurse Candi. In March 2020, the world changed forever. Terms like, “lockdown,” “self-isolation,” “Coronavirus,” “Covid-19,” “virus,” and “pandemic,” became a permanent part of the vernacular. Conspiracy theories became rampant whether the virus posed a genuine threat to anyone or was part of a global plan to take over the world. Misinformation on social media platforms added to the bombastic and overkill of information re ..read more

(First posted on April 22, 2020 on InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship Blog.) My wife and I live in British Columbia, Canada, in an area known as the Fraser Valley. We live in a small community called, Deroche. We love living here. Farmland, mountains, and the mighty Fraser River surround Deroche. There are evergreen trees as far as the eye can see. There are also countless deciduous trees. This morning (April 10, 2020) I climb out of bed with a specific purpose in mind. Around six-thirty get dressed, grab my camera, and head for the dike. The dike is a five-minute walk from home. My purpo ..read more

I am not new to blogging but I still have a lot to learn about it. Please allow me to give you an idea of who I am and why I blog. I have forty years of experience of supporting people in their grief. This includes professionally and volunteering as well as in my education. As a boy people fascinated me. For the most part my fascination continues today. Through the years the ways people process their grief is of particular interest. I maintain every person I come alongside who is grieving is my teacher. The same applies to those I have sat with as they near the end of life. Each person is u ..read more

NOTE: This is a revised message of one originally posted on June 10, 2017. With this particular post I would like to highlight more of the “joy” than the “scarred” part of life. A few years ago a song hit the charts on the radio people still sing today. The song is, “Unchained Melody,” and became a hit due to the singing duo The Righteous Brothers. The song begins, “Oh my love, my darling. I’ve hungered for your love, a long lonely time.” Who is your love? Is there someone your heart longs for? Is this an easy question for you to answer? I’m sure some people will immediately want to answ ..read more

This Dec. post is a brief reminder the Christmas season isn’t without times of grief and sadness. As a boy I remember being excited as Christmas drew near. My imagination worked overtime as I anticipated the fun of Christmas. To me, there was no greater time of year than Christmas Day. Now I am older I still love Christmas. As years have gone by I recognize the Christmas season has its share of emotional scars. For the most part these scars healed but have not disappeared. During our forty-one years of marriage my beloved wife has experienced cancer twice. She has survived each time but, of ..read more

Scarred Joy is primarily devoted to raising awareness and shattering the stigma around Autism. From time to time the blog will highlight stories of people living with autism. Today’s post includes one of these stories. Scarred Joy is presenting to readers a book entitled, The Autistic Author and Animator and its author, Janet Walmsley. As family members of people on the autism spectrum, we cannot allow the opinion of anyone place limits on our loved ones. As we read this post you will see what I mean.  Janet and her daughter, Jenny, are living proof of smashing the prejudiced views of ot ..read more