I'm getting better at letting my kids fail
Sometimes it's better to step outside our comfort zones
I find it hard as a parent to let my kids fail.
My son was getting ready for soccer practice. I used to remind him, item by item, to pack all his things.
"Do you have your water bottle? How about your cleats? Your shin pads? Ball? Socks?"
I got tired of reminding him. To be more accurate, I got tired of needing to know. One . . .
Posted in: comfort zonefailuresoccersports
Forgiveness is a powerful thing
I damaged a friendship beyond repair. Years later something wonderful happened
This post contains course language, vulgarity and sexual references. Some readers may find certain passages offensive and/or distasteful.
SHE WAS A LOVELY PERSON AND FRIEND. But I had wrecked our friendship.
By no means was it intentional, she was more collateral damage than anything. Caught in the wake of my manic . . .
This is where they used to live
I wanted to stand in the same space my parents and brother used to, so I knocked on the door
The moment I stopped perceiving time as linear, a new world arose.
I jogged toward the little red bungalow. A man washed dishes behind the kitchen window, his silhouette bathed in dim fluorescent light.
This was my parents' home in the early 1970s, before I was born. Mom and Dad pointed it out to me a while ago. At the time, I . . .
Are you ready for Christmas?
I would love to stop feeding the consumerist orgy
"Are you ready for Christmas?"
I get asked this question often. I ask it, too. Around the holidays, it seems to be a run-of-the-mill inquiry, like "What's goin' on?" or "How are you?"
Christmas seems to be something we "do." We are busy "doers."
When I ask people how they're doing, a very common response is, "Good. Real . . .
A homeless man gave me the gift of perspective
We live in such a connected world, but sometimes I feel it's never been easier to be lonely
The door opened to a sidewalk of slush and grey skies. I exited the bus, negotiated my way around some hurried pedestrians, then crossed the road.
I saw him, sitting on his corner. Bank Street and Albert, downtown Ottawa.
Ruddy, pock-marked face, sandy-brown beard. And a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Many people walked . . .
Posted in: compassiongratitudehomelessnessloneliness
You Help Me Stand Up
A song dedicated to my first-born child
I promised my older son I'd write a song for him. I hope you like it as much as we do! Made with much love 
YOU HELP ME STAND UP
I watch you walkin’ down the street
To catch the bus and all I see
Is a boy who’s full of hopes and dreams
A boy who’s full of life it seems
Now you used to hang off every . . .
Chris Triantafilou taught me about compassion, caring and kindness
Coach "Tri" always had my best interests at heart
Chris Triantafilou with University of Waterloo Warrior Football Defensive Backs, 1994
IN THE END, football was just a backdrop for the lessons we learned.
When I found out that Chris Triantafilou had passed suddenly from cancer on October 25, my heart sank.
Coach Tri (pronounced "Tree") was one of the most caring, thoughtful, . . .
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