I am passionate about life, family, friends, and relationships. This blog is about survival. It's about the voyage through grief, and heartache, and joy, love and loss. It's about my experiences, and the very raw, and personal journey, and the highs and lows of living life in the best way I know how. It is honest, and real, and is often uncomfortable.
He was her first grandchild. He was due to be born on her birthday . He decided to make an early entrance. Unpredictable ..or so it would seem, and yet in the grand scheme of things, it feels like the masterpiece of a perfect plan . Zach made his entrance on March 21st..and Mum made … More The Forever Connection…
I sat down on the painted wooden bench in the mud room determined to brave the outdoor chilly weather . This requires intention and perseverance. I don’t want to go out there, at all, and every which way I turn, there are valid excuses that I don’t have to do this …except… I know it … More The call…
The absolute wonder of it all.. this fluffy white and intricately detailed snowflakes that are falling from a rather light grey sky. It’s a tad foreboding, and yet the grey is enveloping, and makes me want to create a blanket fort on the couch, and hunker down beneath layers of soft blankets. It’s quiet, and … More All snowed in….
“Don’t run the wrong race .” This phrase was so impactful this past Sunday . I sat in church alongside my good friend Laura. It was good to be back. She had a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and I had already finished two cups of coffee ahead of time, so I was woke…or so … More “Don’t run the wrong race…”
It started out as a want. The yearning for something that caught her fancy. It was out of her price range…but there was desire, and longing, and the hint of a little girl innocence, and excitement at the prospect of owning something of great value. I’m not sure when she decided that this was a … More “The Purse Fund…”
“If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise, If you go down in the woods today you’d better go in disguise, For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain because Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic” (Melody by American composer, John Walter … More The Teddy Bear Tea Party
It’s the yearning to celebrate, to be hopeful , to see things that are pretty and make me smile the Christmas decorating campaign has commenced for 2021. I’m hunting around in the dark, barefoot on a cool grey cement basement floor, when the mood strikes. I’m in the mood for Christmas . It’s 3 am, … More In a Christmas state of mind…
The nights are colder , the leaves are showing their true colors and just how brilliant they are, because they know undeniably, the chill of winter will be here in a minute . Sun blinks it’s flirty eyelashes across the waves, as a gentle breeze flutters a tattered Canadian flag upon the bending flag pole. … More The Magazine of Symphony ….
Laying in bed, surrounded by a plethora of soft cotton pillows, covered with an eiderdown quilt, that felt like warm scented air, my shoulder began to ache . I had not overworked it, or tweaked it the day before. There was no recent injury to the area. It was remembering, and it was mourning. The … More Jump in the puddles….
“Oh -Be- Joyful” is the name of a mountain trail in Crested Butte, Colorado . Discovering that this was the name straight off made me want to know infinitely more. It beckoned me forward to discover if “ Oh-Be-Joyful” could indeed induce joy for my soul? Daisy Pass Trail for dessert perhaps? If it wasn’t … More “Oh -Be -Joyful”
Jilly Brandon 