Quiet the clutter: sell it, donate it, change it or recycle it

Over the holidays I spent many a peaceful night admiring the Christmas tree lights in the dark, once the house was quiet. Now, with opened presents stacked under the tree in the daylight, all I can think is, “What’s that noise?” The noise is coming from the presents under the tree, it’s coming from the pile of papers on the …

Thanksgiving is a holiday for connecting, not collecting

Thanksgiving still remains my favourite holiday. When else is nature strutting her stuff so vividly? When else do you get a day off to spend with family that isn’t focused on buying or spending or doing laundry? When else do you find most families not cooking processed food? And perhaps most importantly, when else do you get pumpkin pie?

Wanting what you have IS getting what you need

Wanting and needing, getting and having. It seems that our thirst is never quenched. Why do we always want more? I felt small as a child and wanted to be big — worth-noticing “big.” I wanted to be wanted. I wanted to belong. I wanted to play. I wanted to learn. I wanted to see new things and try new …

Anticipation always beats expectation in the journey of life

Editorial & Opinion, Friday, December 28, 2007, p. A8 I am not a morning person, but last week I was wakened by my daughter yelling and I popped out of bed with a smile on my face like I’d had 12 hours sleep. She was hanging the next decoration on our advent calendar, made by her Nana last year, joyfully …

What would I like for Christmas? The spirit of Thanksgiving

Editorial & Opinion, Wednesday, November 28, 2007, p. A10 Christmas is coming and so are the queries from friends and family. What do you and the kids need? The short answer is: nothing. We already have too much stuff. I was looking at a toy from my childhood last week: a Fisher-Price school bus. The bulk of it was made …

The importance of remembering: if not now, when?

Editorial & Opinion, Wednesday, November 14, 2007, p. A8 Where did October go? I remember Thanksgiving and trick-or-treating, but if not for that, I’d think I’d been robbed. I simply don’t remember the month; and this is happening more and more to more and more of us. The busier our lives get, the more likely we are to miss out …

Magazine reading takes a backseat to other summer pursuits

Editorial & Opinion, Thursday, August 23, 2007 I am behind in my reading. I have a pile of magazine subscriptions and newspapers that I haven’t touched for weeks. The bigger the pile gets, the less I want to dive into it. I’m now at the point where I may just cancel my magazines subscriptions so that the leaning tower of …