Issues are hardly ever black and white. Yet, as in the case of the Ottawa protest, family and friends (riddled with confusing feelings) are being broken down. Hearts grow cold, and no one is listening anymore. I have friends who are pro-vaxers and anti-vaxers’; friends left-wing liberal and right-wing conservatives. Knowing what to say is […]
Time Will Tell
A study once reported that if your parents didn’t have children, you wouldn’t likely have any either. Go figure. Like it or not, we have been undeniably influenced by the circumstances surrounding us since inception. And, OMG, what an influential two years we have all shared. No one was exempt., not anywhere on this planet! […]
Hope Is A Change Agent
In the upper and lower atrium at the LHSC Cancer Clinic, occupied at its busy times by hundreds of individuals, there stands a tall gong and a smaller bell. Countless times each day, the atrium will be filled with their tolling. This marks the completion of either a course of radiation, or many weeks of […]
The Working Crucible
The crucible is a container that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and is essentially used for mixing chemical compounds at very high heat. In my counselling, I use the term ‘crucible’ to describe a marriage (or partnership) in which 2 people are fused by a love that changes them both. The change […]
Navigating Persistent Couple Conflict
Most healthy couples argue and fight. In her book ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’, licensed psychologist R. Durvasula writes, “fighting means you care about the relationship,”. She argues that, “when fighting goes away completely, sometimes one or both people have checked out.” Fighting can lead to greater intimacy. But only when the the […]
“Peace Be With You!”
My need to be at peace has transcended my need to be creative and useful. It is a different drive and I am not sure if it has been my recent (successful) battle with my health, or the fact I am into my 59th year and am naturally travelling a new path. There are a […]
Letting Go
CS Lewis is credited to have once said, “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” Such letting go often requires great exertion because, when in pain, we feel tremendously heavy. Even the strongest of us can drop to […]
Why Do We Do What We Do?
(Many thanks to my Clericus for stirring some of my thoughts in this article) Why is Apple so successful? Why did Martin Luther King rally so many followers? According to Simon Sinek in a Ted Talk (known as the author of “Start With Why”), it is because the “why” of their direction and purpose is […]
Must You Really Do It??
We begin a wonderful New Year: full of hope and expectation! And as the plans are made we must find the energy to accomplish those tasks. Many unwittingly discover that the first months of the year are staggeringly stressful. Reports indicate that people in leadership are particularly squeezed. Given the email, text messaging, and the […]