MEANINGMAKER

MeaningMaker

  • funerals and birthdays…

    Yesterday, I went back to my hometown for my aunt’s funeral. For my mom’s oldest sister, my Aunt Ruth, whose tiny body held death at bay for so long that no one could understand why or how she did it.… Continue reading

  • five things on a blue sticky note

    All my life, my mom kept a running, hand-written grocery list. Always on the fridge, stuck there in the top corner with a cocker spaniel fridge magnet. It was one of those simple things that moms do that are probably… Continue reading

  • on dreams and forgiveness

    For my friends who believe in the power of dreams & the gifts they can be. For those who relentlessly reach towards the light. For anyone who has ever felt they’ve needed forgiveness from the only person on earth you… Continue reading

  • on being 50

    I’m turning 50 later this week. People who know this seem to be approaching me cautiously wondering how I’m “taking it.” I’m taking it like the par-tay that it is. Like, I’m not getting senior discounts yet, but I know… Continue reading

  • an angel we could see

    A little over a year ago, my cousin Nancy gave me this aloe plant from her collection. I needed a good hair-do for this plant holder person and, by some miracle, it has stayed alive. Nancy & Benny came for… Continue reading

  • carried forward

    I sat in bed on this crazy, windy morning looking through old photos. I keep a stack of them in a wooden box in the bedroom that holds all manner of stuff that there is no real place for. A… Continue reading

  • run like hell

    This week, as I wrap up almost six months of being redeployed to a crazy-busy role on the frontlines of the pandemic, I feel the creative spirit coming back for me. This is my favourite story of how it can… Continue reading

  • standing in the light

    I mailed a copy of a hard-cover storybook I wrote last summer to my aunt in BC last week. It tells the story of her grandpa — my great grandpa — who came to Canada in 1887 as part of… Continue reading

  • thoughts from back in march

    “It’s so hard to just give in. I have fought with everything I have though and I just don’t think I can do it anymore,” she said, looking up at my dad from the couch. “The hardest thing is that… Continue reading

  • almost home

    “What’s wrong. What are you doing?” she said, looking at me confused. “Why are you waking me up?” “Because, it’s time to go to bed. You can’t stay on the couch all night,” I said. “Sorry, I know you’re tired.”… Continue reading