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“I Want To Die At Home” — Part One
By Diane Schachter
 It was a Monday, October 7th. I know that because it would be my Dad’s last Monday, just four days before he died. My family had to make a crucial decision.
It began on the morning my mother poured out her desperate words to me on the telephone: “It was a bad night.” My head was spinning with images of Dad uncontrollably thrashing in pain throughout the night.
Seven months earlier, my father had made his desire strongly and clearly known to his family. He wanted to die at home. Read more
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Thriving In The Classroom
By Bev Schellenberg
 A revolution is underway in our classrooms. No one’s walking around with pithy statements on picket signs; no one’s blasting headlines across newspapers. But the reality is our school system is undergoing a monumental transition, and you may not even know it. Read more
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“I’m A Bit Of Alright”
By Diane Schachter
 Joan Campbell’s granddaughter loves to hang out with her 91 year old grandmother. Even when she’s about to go to a Lady Gaga concert, all dolled up in heavy eye makeup, see-through stockings and platform shoes, her grandmother smiles. The kids of today, Joan says, know how to have fun and laugh. And Joan believes that life should be all about joy and laughter.
I learned, however, that Joan’s life at times has been anything but a laughing matter. Read more
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I’m Separate/Divorced: Now What?
By Bev Jaundrew
 Recently separated? Divorced? Unsure what to do?
Here’s a To Do list. Think of it as a “bucket list” with a twist. I’ve already put each into action and will continue to implement the items on the list. I’m not going to check them off one by one until I’m dead. I’ve waited long enough already.
September 3, 2010, 23 years to the day I was married, I was granted a divorce. Read more
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The Happiness Formula
By Beth Rowles Scott
 PINCH ME. Why pinch me? So I can be sure that this happiness I feel is not a dream, that my life has really changed so much since I was a fat little girl in Saskatchewan.
Growing up, losing my fatness and leaving my home province was sometimes fun, sometimes painful, often challenging. There were times when I would experience happiness, but then I would lose it again.
But I’ve had enough sightings of this elusive, mysterious happiness to give me a formula. Perhaps you have found your own way to happiness. But if you have not, do taste the ingredients of the Pinch Me happiness brew. May they serve you well!
A FORMULA FOR HAPPINESS
To be happy you need these three things: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. Read more
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Expert Series: Your Job: How To Stay Personally Relevant … Now And In The Future?
By Steve Kayser
 “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler
I heard a couple of acquaintances talk about a person they work with that was “older” and no longer contributing to their business. This person apparently couldn’t, or wouldn’t, learn new skills. Or, for that matter, even keep up with the skill-set needed for the job. Age was mentioned, and not favorably. They thought this person should be “put out to pasture.” Perhaps this person was too “old” to be open to new ideas or learn new things.” Read more
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I Love Lucy…The Sweetest Dog In The World
By Dorothy Beavington
 Christmas, 1945. My mother and I stand in a long line-up on Christmas Eve to pay a bill. I cling to her side, a tired and cranky six year old. I want to go home. I hate this Christmas. Daddy won’t be with us. Daddy built a sailboat with my cousin, Johnny. They called it “The Skylark” and took it for its maiden voyage on Chestermere Lake, just outside of Calgary. It was the Labour Day weekend, Sunday, September 2nd. A wind came up, the boat turned over.
Daddy wasn’t a strong swimmer. Johnny made it to shore. He looked back, saw his uncle Kit was in trouble, and went back for him. They both drowned, caught in the weeds in the lake. Read more
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Wisdom Of The Innocent: A Poem
By Bessie Hiet 85 Years Young
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Bessie thriving at 84. Click here to see Bessie’s original 1943-47 love poems, including her drawings, to her husband, Harry Hiet. They are married 64 years..
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Wisdom Of The Innocent
Frail and old and all alone, Read more
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I’m Going To Live Until I Die
By Ed Griffin
 In the spring of 1996, my doctor, Todd Arnold, sent me for some tests. The normal range for the PSA is .0 to 4.0. Mine was 19.0 Dr. Andreou, an urologist and like Dr. Arnold, a human being, arranged for me to go to the outpatient clinic of Surrey Memorial Hospital for a biopsy of my prostate.
The terror of hospitals began. Only once since my birth had I been in a hospital and that time I was unconscious for twenty-four hours after an automobile accident. As I sat in the special waiting room, my imagination went to work. Strip, and put on this hospital gown. We are going up through your rectum and…. Your chances? Six months at best. Read more
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Expert Series: How To Ask For And Receive Guidance: IFSF Formula
By Shiri Joshua
 IFSF: *Intention *Focus *Surrender *Faith
are the ingredients necessary for this formula to truly work in your life!
On a peaceful Saturday in April, I sat in the sun by the river, watching the glittering rays bless the cleansing flow of water. I closed my eyes for a moment and took in the warmth and serenity of the space around me. I watched an Eagle sitting patiently on a tree top, gracefully trusting that the next meal would be provided. Not fretting, obsessing, or flying about frantically, Eagle showed me the importance of true trust and patience. Read more
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Incredible Friendship: The Orangutan And The Hound!
By Suryia and Roscoe
 Best friends, Surya the orangutan and Roscoe the Blue Tick hound dog, were recently featured on National Geographic.
The orangutan was out for his daily elephant ride when he spotted “a worn-out old hound dog.” They ran right toward each other and hugged like long lost best friends. Read more
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My Epic Journey From South Africa To White Rock, B.C.
By Ivor Block
 I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, which at 16,000 km. is the furthest place from Vancouver on Earth. Three years later my sister, Denise, was born.
Although I thought I was a cute child, my mother decided otherwise, which led to me being physically and emotionally abused until I reached my teens. Luckily my favorite Aunt, who is now 101, loved me and took me in almost every summer holiday. Read more
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I Can Cut Grass!
By Bev Jaundrew
 I know how to cut grass.
While that may not seem monumental to some people, to me it’s on par with navigating my way to the moon. There was only one time during my childhood that I was permitted to enter the sanctum of what my traditionalist parents considered the male domain of grass cutting. Read more
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Learning To Thrive While Learning To Run
By Angelika
 When I first began running, I had no idea how far it would take me. I was an overweight child. Throughout elementary and high school I hated P.E. Yes, I was the kid that got picked last, and I could hardly run half a lap around the track, let alone the 12 that were required to pass our yearly physical test. I would pray for rain, snow, anything to get me out of running the obligatory 5 minute warm-up laps before class begun. I hated running.
Fast forward 11 years or so and I thought I’d be the last person considering a marathon. Read more
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Expert Series: Overcoming Adversity. Some Survive. The Great Ones Thrive.
By Steve Kayser
 In a mall bookstore, I began flipping through a book at random. It could have been any book. But it was “The Beethoven Factor,” by Dr. Paul Pearsall. A random flip had landed me on page 101. Every once in a while, in one of those delightfully rare and magical moments of accidental discovery, a jarring thud of healing inspiration and hope occurs. I had one of those moments. Read more
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Thriving Parent, Thriving Child
By Racine Hiet: Publisher/Editor
 
There is a war raging. It’s fierce, hostile and tragic. It might be going on in your home at this moment.
It is a battle that has been fought for generations; the battle between Generations. Us and Them. Parents and Youth.
“You have to start early letting them know who’s boss,” one parent said to me. “Otherwise, they’ll take advantage of you and dominate. That’s the trouble with my wife–she always ends up letting the kids win all the battles. She gives in all the time and the kids know it.”
Does there have to be winners and losers? Must one generation submit to the other, scared and defeated, to lick the wounds inflicted on its pride and self-esteem?
Parent Effectiveness Training, (P.E.T.), the “no-lose” method of resolving conflicts, shouts “No!” Read more
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Expert Series: Service Is Our Only Purpose
By Shiri Joshua
 The other day on the bus I could not help but lock my eyes on a beautiful Black Lab dog that was guiding his blind human. The grace, determination, and patience with which he sat by his person was profound! In his quiet way, the dog would lovingly glance at his human’s face once in a while, likely to check in, while his human would smile at him and pet his head with gratitude. It was an honour to watch this exchange of energy. Read more
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Conversation With A Dog
By Diane Schachter
 In March of 1997, 5 months after my Dad died, my husband and I decided to adopt a puppy. We already had a wonderful 12 year old dog named Mitzi, a sheltie golden retriever cross whom we loved dearly. It had been a very long and arduous haul witnessing my Dad die. We had been enveloped in sickness, death and then mourning. After witnessing my Dad wither away and die, adopting a puppy seemed to be the perfect antidote to breathe life into our family. Read more
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Happily Ever After
By Sherry Bailey
 Once upon a time, I believed in fairy tale endings. I was married for twenty-six years, was still in love with my husband, and expected to stay that way until one of us died. I was a wife and mother, and mostly happy in these roles. And for a long while, my husband was happy too. At least he said that he was. Until the day someone else came along…. Read more
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