Poverty Prison

My daughter recently sent me this CNN article about how some poor, unsupported elderly women in Japan deal with their poverty and loneliness...

They commit a petty crime (on purpose) - like stealing food -  so that they will end the up in a women's prison, where they have companionship and their basic needs met.

Wow! For me, that's hard to fathom...! 

Would anyone get a prison sentence in Canada for stealing food?! I can't imagine!

It makes me wonder what we do in Canada to help those in similar situations who have limited resources and no family support - who, in some cases, can no longer live on their own.

This whole homelessness situation - in different places of the world - is really a shock to me... something I never expected.

Indoor Flower Update

I really appreciate my indoor flowers at this time of the year. One new one is the Christmas cactus, which has never bloomed for me. I was away from home for a few days... 

While I was gone, it started to bloom. 

Two of my three peace lily flowers dried up - so I trimmed them off. But the one in the third pot is still blooming - and a second flower bud is developing there, too. That's progress! Last year the plant only had one flower.

In another room with a north-facing window, my only remaining African voilet is still in bloom. I used to have a few of them.

Next to it, an orchid is growing buds. Half of the plant is a stem full of buds. The other half is a healthy-looking bunch of aerial roots that apparently absorb moisture from the air.

It's always a challenge to make sure that every plant has the right soil, water and light it needs.  They are all so different. Every flower is a little victory: "Yay! I got it right!"

Midwinter Break from the Ordinary

A few weeks ago, the priest at our neighborhood Anglican Church sent out an email about a one-day Ottawa-wide church conference called You Are Leaven. I signed up to go.

I didn't know what to expect... but it "called my name"! I knew I needed this!

So out we drove into the country one Saturday, a few weeks ago... to a little church in Winchester, Ontario. 

(As an aside, for those who know the name, Winchester is the hometown of George Beverly Shea - a singer of my mother's generation. Throughout his lifetime he returned to a cottage in the area.)

The day's program was organized and led by instructors from the Anglican Studies Department at St. Paul University in Ottawa - where Terry studied counseling when we first moved to Ottawa.

The day was wonderful! There was art... ("doodling prayer")... Singing... Great food... An introduction to writing a "spiritual autobiography." Also an interesting discussion on change, and why it's sometimes hard.

Sometimes - especially in winter - I need to do something totally different... This was just what I needed! A week later, I was still basking in the glow!

Busy January

January has been busy for me this year - in part because I averaged one medical - or dental - appointment a week.

For years I tried to not have any appointments in winter... in case the weather was bad.

Then last year, I got Covid in February - and appointments were moved around. To my dismay, a lot of things this year were scheduled for January.

But (on the plus side) the weather hasn't been that bad.

I was actually the first patient in the clinic for one of my appointments. So I took this picture of the empty waiting room. I may never see an empty one again!

Starting ... and Finishing

I have a habit of starting projects - at some point pausing, then leavng them - sometimes for long periods of time.

Often I encounter a difficulty that needs to be resolved - so I pause. Eventually I lose interest. My initial inspiration has evaporated!

I've always viewed this habit as a flaw of character that needs to be corrected.

But when I encountered this book title, I started to hunt for the book... I'd like to read it!

Good! Our public library has a copy! Now I have it on hold... I want to discover why this tendency isn't such a bad habit after all!

Rabbits or Squirrels?

Cats or dogs?! Rabbits or squirrels?!

Many people consider themselves "cat people" or "dog people." I remember one women saying that, when they got their first cat, her husband commented that their apartment now "felt like home"...

Two of our children live with cats...

Terry and I have both lived with cats and dogs as pets - in our younger years - but we now enjoy animals that fend for themselves... outdoors - like squirrels and rabbits... (as long as they don't damage anything)!

The other evening, as we drove onto the driveway in the dark, Terry pointed out a rabbit... then slowed down so as not to hit it. He often comments about seeing rabbits in the yard.

I don't share his enthusiasm for rabbits. I don't mind them. I mostly don't notice them. They're fine - a little boring, perhaps. But that's the way they like it.  They don't want to be noticed.

I get excited when I see squirrels - fast moving dare-devils - walking on wires, hanging on branches... They often make me laugh.

I wonder what that says about each of us: A "rabbit person" married to a "squirrel person"! (We're both definitely different!)

(Did I mention that I also like skunks?!)

Don't Worry!!

They say: Don't judge a book by its cover... But I sometimes buy books because of their covers - often because I find the title and/or illustration interesting or inspirational.

A case in point is the cover of this book I recently pulled out as I sorted through my books, wondering if I should get rid of any.

I've had it for years - but I've never read it. It's apparently about childhood abuse - a topic I don't enjoy reading about.

As a child, I was surrounded by a large, loving family - especially my mother's 10 siblings whom my brother and I were very close to. There were a lot of "cheerleaders" around us.

But as a child, I was also a worrier - I'm not sure why... Maybe it's a trait I inherited from my grandmother... And I tend to worry still.

The cover of the book - which I now have sitting out where I can see it - reminds me to focus on RIGHT NOW - not on an uncertain future. Everything is fine TODAY. Looking at it gives me comfort.

DON'T WORRY!

(But I do envy those born with a carefree spirit!)