by Linda Stuart | Dec 24, 2015 | Marking Milestones, Ritual Moments
The festive room overflowed with friends and family as I watched my eldest son carefully light each of the 50 candles that had been bound together and adorned with sparkly silver ribbon. And all I could think was, “OMG we are going to set off the smoke alarm!” And...
by Linda Stuart | Nov 30, 2015 | Weddings
I froze with anticipation and fear. Could this be a cruel joke? Maybe the little box contained earrings instead of the engagement ring I longed for. A moment earlier, David had called over to me from the seventh tee—appropriately named “Triumph”—at Bell Bay Golf...
by Linda Stuart | Nov 15, 2015 | Marking Milestones
Mia entered the world on March 11, 2015, with, according to her mom, a “slightly ridiculous big crinkly-nosed smile.” Her parents, Melissa and James, came to me with wishes for a modern baby naming ceremony to honour their pretty little girl and to appoint four very...
by Linda Stuart | Nov 8, 2015 | Ritual Moments
The Brits are widely known for their impressive sweeping-under-the-rug skills. Especially the men. My dad is one of those men. He would argue that he doesn’t sweep anything under rugs – he just lets things go. He tried to train me on his method. “It’s easy,”...
by Linda Stuart | Oct 21, 2015 | Marking Milestones, Ritual Moments
They first appeared only 21 days before my perfect, meticulously planned wedding. The harpist was booked, the dry-ice machine rented and my ultra-puffy Sarah Duchess of York replica wedding gown fit like a royal glove. Hives. The pressure leading up to the wedding day...