Things Mom Lost Along the Way

When I was a little girl, my pretty young mother used to go to parent-teacher meetings at my elementary school. To the best of my knowledge, Dad never accompanied her. Those were different times and children were primarily the mother’s responsibility. I know those meetings intimidated her: she had to quit school in her mid-teens so she could leave home and start making her way in the world and – although she later acquired her high school diploma by correspondence courses – her lack of a formal education always embarrassed her. I am sure she would have been grateful for my Dad’s company, but men didn’t ‘do’ those sorts of things back in the 60s and 70s.

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The Puzzle Pieces of My Mother’s Mind

My Mom has always been one of those pragmatic types who never wasted a lot of time worrying about the deeper meaning of the universe. White is white. Black is

Remembering to Thank the Volunteers

In my life, I have been a volunteer on a great number of occasions. Volunteering is either something you ‘get’ or you do not.

Clothing Labels and Parenthood

When my kids were little, I used to have to label all the clothing they wore to daycare.

The Real Reason You Boil Water When a Baby is Being Born

I am NOT good in a crisis.

I’m So Sorry…

The older I get, the heavier become my deepest regrets. I find myself making amends now, as often as I can: I do not want to die with the added regret of words unspoken. This is a story of a woman I met recently who must have waited too long… Poetry has never been my strong suit, but I have added – at the very end – my own plea for forgiveness…

Neighbours

They live next door to one another.

They are both in diapers; the pull-on kind. Their families help them practice using the toilet: sometimes they get there on time; usually they don’t. Neither one makes it through the night without an accident: every morning, the family washer is filled with bedding and clothing that was soiled in the night.