If you missed part 1 of this story, you can read it here. Part 2 of this story. Part 3 of this story. “The goal is to live a full, productive life even with all that ambiguity. No matter what happens, whether the cancer never flares up again or whether you die, the important thing is that […]
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“No journey is too great if you find what you seek.”Anonymous Since Dad rarely spoke about his background, almost everything I know about it was told to me by my mother (and inevitably coloured by her perspective), picked up through my own observations, or overheard when members of Dad’s family were talking. In addition, the Shaw […]
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“I’m just kind of taking whatever life gives me and hoping that I make the right decision.”Amy Smart Margaret MacDonald, my mother, left home when she was 16 to go to the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and start a new life. On the surface, her story was a simple one. Eldest child of a 17-year-old mother […]
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“You don’t stumble upon your heritage. It’s there, just waiting to be explored and shared.”Robbie Robertson Read my post about Bruce’s family – Our MacDonald / Casselman Heritage.Read my post about Alice’s family – Our Agnew / Shaw Heritage.Wapella, SaskatchewanAs I indicated in the two previous posts, Alice was born in Wapella, Saskatchewan, and had […]
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If you missed part 1 of this story, you can read it here. If you missed part 2 of this story, you can read it here. “With all due respect to my surgeon, in a perfect world he would be out of a job.” Russ Ramsey, Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death So Much to […]
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“Do not diminish who you are. Your gender, your heritage, your identity. That’s what makes you unique.” Strong by Kailin Gow The Agnew FamilyI realize this part of my story might be of interest to only a small number of people, so feel free to skip it. My focus isn’t on finding out all the details […]
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If you missed Part 1 of this story, you can read it here. “Breast cancer is being detected at an earlier, more treatable stage these days, largely because women are taking more preventive measures, like self-exams and regular mammograms. And treatment is getting better too.”Elizabeth Hurley We were driving across the northernmost tip of Newfoundland, […]
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“With over 3 million women battling breast cancer today, everywhere you turn there is a mother, daughter, sister, or friend who has been affected by breast cancer.”Betsey Johnson Winner of The 2019 Word Award for an individual blog post.When the unexpected happens…I’d been feeling the odd mild stab of pain for a couple of months, […]
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“All of our ancestors live within each one of us whether we are aware of it or not.” Laurence Overmire My mother’s heritage/ancestry was very important to her. She often reminisced about the few stories she’d heard. Especially her father’s side of the family.So, before we go further, I’m going to share with you some […]
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“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”Jane Howard, “Families” Of course, my parents weren’t all alone in the world. So I also gained two new extended families. While none of them lived near us during my first year, […]
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“My life has been shaped by the decision two people made over 24 years ago. They decided to adopt a child. They got me, and I got a chance at the kind of life all children deserve.”Karen Fowler, Reflections on Motherhood The wait was almost over…As I mentioned last week, I’m sure waiting for my […]
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“A baby is a little bit of heaven on earth.”Author Unknown Me at six/seven months. As you can see, I’m bundled up in my carriage with a sweater, hat, and blanket because I might get cold. It’s either June or July. Me at eight/nine months.Mom is in a short sleeved dress and I’m wearing […]
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“My idea of absolute happiness is to be in bed on a rainy day with my blankie, my cat, and my dog.”Anne Lamott Besides Mom and Dad, there were two other very important members of my new family.The first was a cat named Fluffy. She was a Persian, with long, white hair. Sadly, I have no pictures […]
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“There may be no secrets in small towns, but there are no strangers either.”R. A. Mathis My new parents lived in Indian Head, a pretty prairie town about 40 minutes east of Regina, Saskatchewan. Surrounded by flat wheat fields, the town was visible from a distance because of a dozen tall, white elevators filled with grain […]
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“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.” Anthony Brand On the stairway leading to our second floor, I have two photos of each of my four sons. The smaller pictures were taken at the hospital the day each one was born. Below each birth picture […]
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“Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on metamorphosis.”Martha Beck, O Magazine, “Growing Wings,” January 2004 Have you ever been in a room filled with adults when someone walks in with a newborn baby?Most of the people […]
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“It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard, if one has only lain in a swan’s egg.” Hans Christian Anderson, “The Ugly Duckling” When I was nine years old, I read two books for the first time.Both were titled Fairy Tales. One was by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm; the other by Hans Christian Anderson. I should […]
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No, I’m not a hair stylist. Just someone who suffered for years because I had no idea what to do with my unruly hair. So I’m offering some thoughts for anyone out there with curly or wavy hair who feels the way I did. I so wish I’d known these things when I was 5 instead […]
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