For Anne in her palliative care bed, every day is “Sweet Dessert Day” Rewind to the early 1980s: Like so many first-time parents, Anne and I were brimming with righteous resolve to shield our offspring from the evils of junk food. “Sweet Dessert Day” was our grand idea, a weekly treat so exclusive it..
Anne is Real Butter Back in the fabulous fifties and swinging sixties, Canadians were all but commanded to cast aside their beloved butter in favour of margarine – this so-called “modern marvel” that promised thrift, health, and, if you squinted hard enough, a resemblance to butter. But in its original form, margarine looked as appetizing..
Ramblings on January 25 to celebrate Robbie Burns’ Birthday Every year, on January 25th, the Scottish people, including the Scottish diaspora, celebrate Burns’ Night. This is the night where Scots highlight the life and works of Robert Burns, a poet and lyricist, and arguably one of Scotland’s most notable figures. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-burns In my..
Reflections on Christmas Sunday and Christmas Carol Season: A Loss of Innocence From an early age I have been obsessed with the Biblical narrative of the Fall from grace, with its vivid imagery of innocence lost in Eden. From the time that I turned 12 or so, the story has resonated deeply as..
A Child’s Christmas Carol Confusion Wonder and Bewilderment in Yuletide Lyrics* When I was a small child growing up in Georgetown, Ontario, Christmas carols embodied an enchanting mystery – a flurry of twinkling words and sounds that tumbled through the air as delightfully as snowflakes, yet made about as much sense as trying to build..
My Cup Runneth Over: A Home Care Vignette* A sticky moment of sadness, laughter, and vitamin E oil It began with hope and a small bottle of vitamin E oil, clutched in the determined hands of our personal support worker. Her voice was resolute as she brashly explained her plan for Anne’s hair, which had..
School field trips, 1958-1969, Chapel Street Public School, Georgetown, Ontario, Oakridge High School, London, Ontario When I was a child and an adolescent attending Ontario elementary and secondary institutions of higher learning, school trips were a primary source of pleasure and intellectual stimulation, starting as early as first grade. When students see the real-world..
Animal Dreams: Animal Therapy and Terminal Cancer When I was a small child, I had the gooiest of soft spots for all animal creatures, fictional or otherwise. Every night before bed, my dad would read me a story featuring the little forest and meadow people of Thornton W. Burgess, including Grandfather Frog, Jimmy Skunk,..
Tongue tied: Brain cancer as a stealthy thief A striking characteristic of growing up in southern Ontario, more specifically in Georgetown and London, in the 1950s and 1960s, was exposure to how my father handled the English language, especially idioms and expressions. Clearly Dad mimicked the movie actors and radio talk of his day,..
The author and photographer Doris Brocke is an extraordinary talent. https://dorisbrocke.wixsite.com/rhubarbtoroses/services Doris has kindly given my wife Anne the gift of her book, which offers solace and support, as Anne struggles with the incurable brain cancer that has befallen her: The tragically hip and the tragical blip: Anne faces glioblastoma, a fatal cancer of..