The process of life goes something like this: You’re born dependent – you’re taught as a child to become independent – you’re reminded as a teenager to grow up and become interdependent – you live your adult years living both independent and interdependent then in old age you once again become dependent (and may fight […]
And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud became greater than the risk it took to blossom (Anais Nin). Not all risk is created equal. What may appear like a safe decision or action may actually be the greater risk. How do you tell the difference between playing […]
When a bad wind storm hits the west coast of BC, it’s not unusual to see a tree uprooted with roots no more than a couple of feet in depth. The growth comes so easily due to plenty of rainfall. In Saskatchewan, the opposite is true. The winds blow hard and long combined with stretches […]
It may surprise you but pain is not always the enemy we make it out to be. When put in the proper perspective, pain can be our friend and ally. There is no doubt I am much more acquainted with pain than ever before. Some of the pain I’ve experienced this past year and a half […]
You may think it’s true but it isn’t. The last two lines of the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley puts it this way: I am the master of my fate/ I am the captain of my soul. These words couldn’t be further from the truth. On one level, we do have control. We do […]
Failure can become a spring board for success. In a recent study, it was discovered that setbacks can be the secret weapon that creates a breakthrough moment in our lives (Rick Newman, U.S. News & World Report). Our accident was one such serious setback. It was a failed attempt at driving a motorcycle down the […]
This week I saw from a distance my new normal and I was not impressed! Maybe it has happened to you. You look into the future and are shocked by what you see coming. The moment I saw this new normal was during my latest hospital visit. This visit was for surgery number eight where […]
The journey of pain and suffering is a lot like the journey Frodo was asked to take in the classic work written by J.R. Tolkien entitled The Lord of the Rings. In that series of books and award winning movies, Frodo was given the burden and responsibility of carrying the ring over treacherous terrain to […]
There is an amazing sight you see when you drive through Lytton, BC at the point where the muddy Fraser River meets the clean Thompson River. When this happens it is called “confluence” which means “a flowing together”. Let’s use this picture to describe two contrasting parts of life that often touch – the muddy […]
Grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding, and softens the heart (John Adams). Part of learning to dance with adversity and find hope in painful circumstances is to have a framework to help you deal with the losses that come into our lives (whether they be as traumatic as a death […]