How a school play brought together a community
Manor Park School's production of The Lion King Jr was magic
One part art. One part story. One part love. Mix together: The result is magic.
Kids from Manor Park Public School in Ottawa brought together a community with their production of The Lion King Jr.
I once told my children to think of school as a community. Instead of the physical building and walls that . . .
Posted in: lion king jrschooltheatre
Living with depression sucks
I wonder why I put myself through the mental wringer
Editor's Note: Since time of writing, I've developed strategies to set priorities, respectful boundaries, and most of all, be kind to myself. Thank you to my family, friends and workplace for their support.
DEPRESSION TRACKS LIKE A NINJA, quietly plotting his course in the dark; muted footfalls, cagey eyes.
Living with it . . .
Posted in: depressionmental healthmental illness
Easter: Jesus or chocolate eggs and bunnies?
I talked about Jesus, but my kid's focus was on the Easter bunny
I'm not a religious person. But I know there are forces I can't even begin to understand in this universe—forces greater than anything I can ever fathom.
I'm a non-practising Christian, but I always reflect around Easter. Good Friday, especially. I was going through my journals and came upon a passage. A discussion about . . .
We got ripped off, but I'm proud my son was generous
A con artist left me feeling grateful and betrayed
I have to give her credit, she told a great story. Before my son and I realized she scammed us, we felt pretty good about ourselves.
We were enjoying a nice father-son walk around the neighbourhood. Came across a woman near the end of our street. She was hard at work, chipping away ice on her driveway.
A bit rough around the . . .
Posted in: con artistempathygenerositygivingscam
Some dude texted me by accident and said he was going to kill himself
I called him back—find out what happened
The call came at 5:09 on a cold January morning, waking me from a sound sleep. It was a text-to-landline message.
"Goodbye Nicole, I love you," the robotic voice said. An obvious wrong number.
I thought about the message. Maybe it was a husband sending a sweet message to his wife. But I felt a finality to it; five words can mean . . .
Posted in: mental healthmental illnesssuicide
Fuzzy Bunny and the Christmas iPod
A holiday story
Fuzzy Bunny was very excited to open his gifts on Christmas morning. Every day in December, he counted how many days were left until the BIG day. He wished very hard for an iPod, so he could play all his favourite games without having to share with his brother, Fuzzy Hoppy.
It was Christmas Eve. Fuzzy Dad worried about paying the . . .
Posted in: christmasconsumerismgivingipodkid stories
Some Jehovah's Witnesses got me thinking about faith, myths and stories
A morning diversion turned into a philosophical discussion
Photo: Freeimages.com – Prashant Jambunathan
People knock on my door. They try to sell me things, ask for donations, or impart some sort of spiritual wisdom.
One morning, the doorbell rang as I tidied the kitchen. I opened the door. Two well-dressed people kindly presented themselves.
“Hi there,” a curly . . .
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