It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year: Bright lights, cheerful greetings, the jubilant faces of excited children, and tasty treats everywhere you go. It’s a time for family to come together, for friends to celebrate, for treasured heirloom decorations to be dusted off and proudly displayed in places of honour. It’s a time for reflection and … Read More
Accepting the Season of Loss
I sleepily stirred my coffee while attempting to focus my blurry vision on the shards of ice that covered the backyard deck and patio furniture. I stared in disbelief out the window. The calendar said it was still autumn, but my feet, cold and bare on the porcelain floor, told a different story. A frosty surge of sadness travelled … Read More
It’s Time for Grandma to Come Out of the Closet
I know, I know. It was never your intention to keep grandma in the closet. She used to have a proper home: Lovingly perched on your parents’ rustic fireplace mantel, next to her bright smiling face delicately framed in antique silver. But when dad died and mom moved to the retirement home, you inherited the old-fashioned urn that has held … Read More
When Dust in the Wind Isn’t Enough
“We sincerely apologize for the unfortunate delay,” the pilot announced just after we touched down at Prestwick Airport in Scotland. I scrambled to get off the plane and through customs, but with over an hour drive to the Glasgow Crematorium, it was no use. I was too late. She was already gone. I was 23 and this special trip to … Read More
Why Choose a Life-Cycle Celebrant?
When my husband and I were wed in 2004, Celebrants were really not a “thing” in Toronto and Life-Cycle Celebrants were virtually non-existent. So what did we do? With David’s input, I wrote our ceremony, beginning to end and handed it to the officiant at our rehearsal party. He was an older gentleman, who had been leading wedding ceremonies … Read More
