When I was growing up, I was proud to be American. I ate national pride with my breakfast cereal. I still love the country of my birth, but now I’m embarrassed by a lot of what I hear and see. Too much of what’s happening these days eats away at the values I embrace....
I feel tender toward the uncertain young woman I was when my life seemed to be spinning out of control. I want to tell her things will turn out all right. She’ll survive the crashes. Sometimes she’ll soar. There will never be a day when something good doesn’t happen. She’ll find happiness, not as...
Robin’s daughter, Michelle, once gently reminded me to be patient with people who had not yet wrapped their minds – or hearts – around acceptance for people whose sexuality was different from what they considered “normal”. She was right. She is a wise young woman, and that’s good. Because soon she will be the...
“We all deserve to have fun, live large, and be ridiculed by less imaginative people existing under the erroneous assumption they get extra credit for being prudent and safe.” Patti Digh, Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally I’ve spent a lot of time in my life...
One of many moves took me to Oakland, California. I’d spent the previous nine years living thirty kilometers from the nearest town. Sometimes that felt achingly lonely. I decided my next chapter would be walking distance to everything. I found a small, one-bedroom apartment in a neighbourhood that bordered Lake Merritt. I was in...
For a long time, I’ve known my communications deficiencies were deeper than being limited to English, with a smattering of French and German. My animal communication skills are weak. (I’ve written about some of my attempts on Catching Courage: Compassion of crows, Participating in a miracle, Standing broad jumps, Black Boy). Sometimes I mess...
Regular readers of Catching Courage will recognize the name of this poem’s author, Marilyn Raymond. This is the sixth of her poems to appear here. The others are Sunflowers, That Apple, Baba Yaga, Sucking on Stones, and Anne. Marilyn wrote the poem for a special Women’s Day service at the Unitarian Fellowship of Kelowna....
This video of Patrick Henry Hughes was uploaded just over four years ago. It bears re-visiting. Born without eyes and unable to walk or fully straighten his arms and legs, Patrick might have become just another sad story. His father’s fierce love and Patrick’s own determination changed the ending. Patrick showed an aptitude for...
Rick Hardman was one of the first people I met at the Unitarian Fellowship when I moved to Kelowna, British Columbia, in 2005. He was full of life and fun and was one of the most active volunteers in the group. He was also a talented poet, who knew how to turn a phrase...
Geert Chatrou used to drive his family crazy with his constant whistling. Then the Dutch whistler’s sister-in-law told him about the International Whistlers Convention in Louisburg, North Carolina. Life has never been the same. He won World Championships in 2004, 2005, and 2008. Now he whistles for his living. Chatrou’s talent is stunning, but...
Mother had modest expectations when she encouraged me to attend church college in Lamoni, Iowa. She figured Graceland College (now one campus of Graceland University) was the best place for me to find a husband who was a member of our small sect, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (which...
I don’t think I paid much attention to gender disparity until high school, when the differences began to annoy me. Boys could wear trousers, but unless the temperature dipped below 20 F., girls had to wear dresses. In all seasons, our bare legs were fair game for the guys who sat in the hallways...
Facebook
Twitter