I met an amazingly energetic and vibrant woman this past week who unabashedly admitted to having just turned sixty five.
Despite having just come off a weekend that included her daughter’s wedding and a house jam packed with visitors, she looked wonderful.

She shared that part of her joy was learning her thirty-seven year old daughter had found she was pregnant just prior to the wedding. While the couple hadn’t expected to have children quite so quickly, everyone on both sides of the family was absolutely thrilled.

In another conversation, totally removed from the first, a… More Posted on 09-04-07

Why Are Eight Year Olds Worried About Their Weight???

Her comment left me floundering for words and quite honestly broke my heart.

A recent road trip with a friend gave me the opportunity to spend more time with her delightful eight- year-old daughter.

Jennifer is frighteningly bright and mature, bubbly, energetic, and absolutely adorable.

Yet, as she was telling me about her friends, she told me that some of them didn’t like her.

One of them had told her she was fat. Another’s mother, obsessive about being thin, apparently told her daughter if she didn’t eat properly she would end up looking like Jennifer.

Even if it were true,… More Posted on 08-27-07

Leaving Welland

I probably should have written this particular column a while ago.

Unfortunately, I didn’t quite know how to start it or exactly what to say.

As our friends and family already know, my husband and I recently made the difficult decision to leave Welland.  We’ve not only left the building, we’ve left the region, and the province. We have pulled up stakes and moved to Edmonton, Alberta. 

Even though we don’t expect it to be a permanent move, it was still a tough call. The reality is that we love Niagara and we especially love Welland.

It’s more than just a soccer story.

Last week, despite odds of 50-1 against them winning the tournament, Iraq defeated Saudia Arabia to win the Asian Cup.

The win is even more significant when one considers that the eleven member team was composed of Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites – cultures known more for their violent clashes than for working together. Yet as a soccer team, religious and ethnic differences were put aside and they managed to do what over a dozen political parties and 275 members of their parliament have never been able to do. They united their… More Posted on 08-07-07

The Measure of a Man

The measure of a man. 

While I am familiar with the phrase, I hadn’t given it much thought until my favourite uncle, Bud Branson, passed away this week of cancer. Although he lived with verve and joy until the very end, it still seems his life was cut far too short and many are left to mourn his loss.

While thinking about my Uncle Bud, it occurred to me, that the measure of a man is ultimately determined by those who are left to mourn. 

So, while it may be that Bud Branson was neither famous or infamous,… More Posted on 07-31-07

Youth Leaders

I’m rethinking that African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child”. After last week, I think it may need to be reworded as, “It takes a child to raise a village”.

Of course the youth I met last week weren’t exactly children. They were leaders from Mayors’ Youth Councils and high schools across Niagara who were brought together to take part in “Talk, Teach, Take Action”,  a symposium for young leaders organized by the Business and Education Council.

The unique forum was designed to connect youth leaders in Niagara with local elected officials.

The politicians offered… More Posted on 04-24-07

Page 27 of 27 pages ‹ First  < 25 26 27