When we randomly came upon a photo of my late sister last weekend, T started to cry. It caught me by surprise, because while he’s expressed sadness about her death, this was the first time he’s cried. It was a reminder that grief is a process and that while so much has happened in theContinue reading “The Spaces in Between”
Tag Archives: love
Anahera: the Hidden Angels
While waiting for our flight home, an older man with a cross necklace sat in front of us. The airport was packed and very noisy and T was overstimulated and stimming (digging hands) and eating his Pringle chips messily. We told T to stop eating and save the rest for the flight and was metContinue reading “Anahera: the Hidden Angels”
Together We Are More
I recently thought about a bedtime story called “The Bundle of Sticks” that Pa used to tell me. As this Aesop’s Fable goes, an old man gathers his 20 dysfunctional sons as he nears his death. He gives them each a stick and asks them to break it – and they each do so withContinue reading “Together We Are More”
Family Traditions
Time spent and memories made with our loved ones are what really count in the end. When my sister learned her chemotherapy was not working, it was sad watching her come to terms with her time left. She said the saddest thing was not getting to spend more time with family and friends. Shortly afterContinue reading “Family Traditions”
The Wedding
We took our 7-year-old to his first wedding this past weekend. Well, at least the first wedding he’ll remember. He attended his first and only wedding in 2016, a friend’s destination wedding, when he was 1. As with all social events, we had some initial apprehension of how T will be. But we believe it’sContinue reading “The Wedding”
Marshmallow Halo
Processing and understanding death is hard for kids. Sometimes, stuffed animals can help. T’s Auntie’s – my sister’s – death a few days after Christmas was sudden and despite the unexpectedness, T is doing ok. I continue to check in with him every day to see how he’s doing. Kids often don’t tell you howContinue reading “Marshmallow Halo”
Everything Everywhere All At Once
In another universe, I’m a novelist and our son is disability free. Oh, the what ifs of the multiverse. I watched “Everything Everywhere All At Once” this weekend, the Michelle Yeoh-starring film that is generating major Oscar buzz. The film is about the multiverse, where infinite and different versions of the same characters exist. TheContinue reading “Everything Everywhere All At Once”
I’m Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Our little guy got his hair done and he’s blue like Sonic the Hedgehog. T had been talking recently about wanting to colour his hair. After swim lessons last Saturday – where he did his first two consecutive laps for the first time! – we visited the barber. T sat patiently for his turn andContinue reading “I’m Blue (Da Ba Dee)”
Walking Towards Hope
Inspiration exists in all forms and they are so important when traveling down unpaved road. Thanks to our FASD service provider, the hubby and I recently joined a cohort of parents and caregivers for a weekly support group. It’s an 8-week pilot initiative hosted by Surrey Place, an amazing organization that has supported T sinceContinue reading “Walking Towards Hope”
Crab Semetary
A child’s ability to find fun and enjoyment is as limitless as their imagination. The calming breezy saltwater bay ushered in the next wave of our family summer vacation. After a short visit from T’s aunt and cousin, we headed off early Friday morning on a 16-hour drive for our annual visit with T’s grandparents,Continue reading “Crab Semetary”
The Homeless Man
Slowly, our little one’s innocence will be tempered with lessons about the hardships of the world. On a drive home this weekend, we stopped at a red light and a disshelved man approached each car, with a cup in his hands. We found two loonies in our car and I rolled down the window andContinue reading “The Homeless Man”
Early Morning Goodbyes
One blessing during the pandemic was spending more time together as a family. When I was losing my mind with virtual schooling, I stopped to think when else could I take a break during work to go for a walk with T or to eat breakfast together when I’d normally be at work. This summer,Continue reading “Early Morning Goodbyes”
Gym Coach
I will soon add wannabe basketball coach to my CV. As a student, gym was not my strong subject. I did well in sports like cross country and baseball, but basketball terrified me. Similarly, participating in class, including gym, is an ongoing struggle for T in Grade 1, his first full year of in-person learning.Continue reading “Gym Coach”
The Giving Tree
A scary thunderstorm downed a tree and created unexpected treehouse fun for neighbourhood kids. Saturday started off like any other Saturday – with T getting up earlier than my brain and body was ready for; playing dead no longer works. After lunch, as I was about to head out for groceries, Environment Canada issued aContinue reading “The Giving Tree”
Sharing A Child’s FASD Diagnosis with Them
How do you share difficult life changing news with a young child? That’s a question I’ve been thinking a lot about since we received T’s FASD diagnosis in January. The hubby and I shared the info with the school right away as it would better inform the way they supported T. We’ve held off onContinue reading “Sharing A Child’s FASD Diagnosis with Them”
Mother
A few weeks ago, T randomly asked about his birth mother. We don’t know what prompted the question but we took out his adoption book and showed him the one photo we have of his mother. We asked him what he was thinking and feeling but he was quiet. Then he moved on to hisContinue reading “Mother”
Ice Cream Truck
Like a child hypnotized by the Pied Piper, so was T to the melodic chime of an ice cream truck. On Thursday afternoon after daycare pickup, it was sunny and beautiful, so T and I hung out in the playground before heading home. The melody of an ice cream truck appeared out of nowhere. TContinue reading “Ice Cream Truck”
Heaven and Hell
“What does heaven mean?” T recently asked me during bedtime. I believe in God but am apprehensive about organized religion. I had a hurtful experience with church in my teen years but I still believe all paths lead to God or however one calls them. I believe that those who politicize or weaponize religion causeContinue reading “Heaven and Hell”
Escape Room
“What am I escaping from?” asked the exasperated dad after the resort staff asked if he wanted to try their Escape Room game. The staff asked another dad, walking quickly with a kid in tow and he asked, “Do I get to escape from this?” He looked at me with T in one of hisContinue reading “Escape Room”
Finding the Bright Spots
Perfection is the enemy of progress. I thought about this expression by French philosopher Voltaire after T broke his four-week streak of perfect spelling tests. T’s teacher recently introduced Words of the Week; six words given on Mondays that he practices for a test on Fridays. T crushed the first four weeks and we postedContinue reading “Finding the Bright Spots”
My Life With T 