A Shit-Show Filled With Possibilities — I didn’t watch the Oscars. I don’t watch the news. And yet, I heard about the fiasco that completely eclipsed the 2022 Academy Awards and every incredibly remarkable story of the evening that I should have heard about instead. I Youtubed the clip, to see for myself. About a minute…

And I want that written on my tombstone. — I am the luckiest woman on the planet. I don’t say that to brag. Nor to be funny. Nor to attract attention. I say it as fact, because I believe it to be true. I live in exactly the house I would choose if I could choose any house I…

And I’m Working on #4 — I’m crying today. I woke up in a foul mood with my back on fire. I dumped yesterday’s coffee grounds all over the counter because I couldn’t be bothered to empty the green bin and really believed I could squeeze in one more thing. I put one contact lens in…

Remembering that time the world stopped for a moment to show us its wonder. — One of my favourite experiences as a mom of five was The Cleaning of the Bedrooms. For years, I spent one Saturday after another with my butt parked on a stripped twin bed, directing the cleaning, disinfecting, and rearranging of one of my kids’ rooms. With music (their favourite playlists)…

Red Light or Yellow? There’s a difference, and it’s a big one. — Not to be confused with the panic of immediate threat to life and limb, nor with the anxiety and paranoia that accompany so many debilitating mental illnesses, fear — the kind of dread that stops us from stepping forward into an unknown future — is one powerful emotion. I have…

What I Got Out of It Is Worth What It Cost Me — Two years ago, despite my best efforts, which, admittedly were never that great to being with, I had to admit defeat, swallow my reservations, and place my mom in a Long-Term Care facility. Luckily for me, Mom didn’t quite understand that LTC in today’s vernacular meant nursing home in hers…

And enjoy the process! — As the stay-at-home-mother of five kids, keeping the house in order was something I was either winning or losing. There was no in between. My husband had sculpted a family team when it came to the house. With seven of us, everyone had to be all in for chores. Dad’s…

Even though she has Down syndrome. — We were at the school’s open house. The gym was packed full of parents and grandparents watching raptly as a select few of our children braved their way up onto the stage to perform whatever little entertaining skill they’d worked so hard to perfect. The annual talent show was actually…

My friend’s mother is going to die tomorrow. A little after nine o’clock in the morning. And I haven’t got a clue how to feel. I am a very close friend of her son and his family; we have shared in each others’ weddings, children, and lives for more than…