Our lives are made up of stories. I would like to share with you one of my mother’s. Her name is Anne, but at the Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy, they call her Champagne Annie. You see, my mother loves to dance and she loves the sound of music that makes her want to dance but my mother’s most favourite sound in … Read More
Affordable Ways to Make Mother’s Day More Meaningful
“One day, you’ll miss this time.” she said, “They grow up so quickly.” Exasperated with my two young sons, one of whom was temper-tantruming in the grocery cart, I looked up in disbelief at the woman who stood in line in front of me. Really? I would miss changing poopy diapers and hearing the word “why?” 47 times an hour? … Read More
Scotland: My Father’s Untold Stories
I heard the key rattle in the front door and bolted from the kitchen table. Cartwheeling (for real) my way down the hall to the front door, I arrived just in time to leap into his arms. My Dad was home. A self-proclaimed “Daddy’s Girl,” I have always adored him. I’m not alone. As a schoolgirl, my elementary teachers were … Read More
Will you Marry Me…And my Children?
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 Course in Cape Breton. “Linda, can you grab me a ball from the sleeve?” As he … Read More
Pearls of Wisdom: Baby Mia’s Naming Ceremony
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 special “guideparents” to mentor her. In addition to welcoming their daughter to their family, … Read More