Empowerment
A Time for Evaluation, Reflection, and Celebration!
Today, December 12th, is my birthday. As it happens, it is one of those special birthdays that only comes around once every ten years. Today I am sixty. (That boggles my mind somewhat. Where did those years go?) I’m writing this on the eve of my birthday. A friend emailed me this evening, asking if…
Read MoreTwo Kids’ Books That Bring Home the Harsh Reality of Residential Schools in Canada
Reading to learn, reading to seek justice — in the spirit of #WeNeedDiverseBooks, I’m exploring two books today about Residential Schools in Canada. First Nations children were still being taken from their homes and forced to attend residential schools when I was in school. I am grateful that these schools are no longer in existence.…
Read MoreSpring = Growth, Possibilities, Energy, Hope
On the prairies where I live, April is a time when we’re usually emerging from a cold, snowy, difficult winter. This winter was an anomaly, but there’s still the feeling of emerging from a tunnel into the open air. The sunshine is warm again, the birds are singing, and the crocuses (okay, croci) are blooming…
Read MoreWHEN to Read Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People — Part Five in the Series
In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…
Read MoreHeading into the New Year — and a book: Inventing the Rest of Our Lives by Suzanne Braun Levine
Near the end of 2016, I will turn 60. Although many people dread such a number, I am (oddly, perhaps) looking forward to it. Although my 50s brought great grief, they also brought great joy, learning, expansion of horizons, experiences beyond my hopes and dreams, and tremendous opportunities. I look forward to my 60s, wondering,…
Read MoreThe WHY of Reading Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People
In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…
Read MoreThe Amazing Power of Shredding
Shredding is empowering. Huh? I’ve been doing a lot of paper shredding in the past few weeks (my shredder’s message screen lights up with “overheat” if I go at it too intensely, so I have to spread the process out). I’m finding my spirits are lightening and I’m feeling more and more energized as the…
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