The amateur photographer in me saw Rich Lam’s photograph of the kissing couple in the middle of Vancouver’s June 15, 2011, riot and thought, “Wow, lucky guy. What an incredible catch.” I was considering the photographer lucky, not the boyfriend. Canadian Alexandra Thomas and Australian Scott Jones have become media darlings as a result...
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...
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...
Earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. Floods in Australia. Battles in Libya. Rising food and fuel prices. The sobering news never ends. Our brief human history is rife with human and natural disasters. So how best to live? One of my role models was a small, fierce chicken. The chicken had nothing more to...
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...
It was the Baby who brought me safely home. Mother tucked the tiny plaster figure into my hand before she left me alone, in a hospital bed. She couldn’t stay with me. A single mother with two young children had to work. So she told me Baby Jesus would look after me. I clutched...
Farming was never on my bucket list, not when I was child, not when I was a young wife, and not when a second marriage set me down on a small acreage on Vancouver Island, with no prior knowledge of agricultural pursuits. However, sheep have no use for bucket lists. When a pregnant ewe...
Sometimes I look back at my life and wince, but mostly I trace the meandering path with gratitude. I’ve carried a bag of troubles, as everyone does, but these days it seems light. When I open the bag, I see shiny baubles instead of lumps of coal. They have been transformed by time. I...
by Lisa Bloom Regular readers of Catching Courage may remember that Lisa Bloom wrote a very thoughtful post on the nature of freedom that she agreed to let me post here. When the essay below appeared in her newsletter in early October 2010, I asked her if I could post it on Catching Courage....
Relaxing my skepticism John Robbins came to Kelowna last Thursday. He filled the Kelowna Community Theatre with his message of hope. A lot of us went home feeling a little taller, a little more peaceful. In spite of his being the author of seven best sellers, Robbins is probably the most modest guru I’ve...
Surf Dog Ricochet failed as a service dog. She excels as a surfing fundraiser. A link to the latest video about this special dog arrived on a day I was pondering the suicides of six young Americans. What all of the deaths had in common was that each of the young men had been...
Tressa Prisbrey was sixty when she began a building project that consumed another quarter of a century. Twenty-five years of daily visits to the dump to dig up bottles. Twenty-five years of creating buildings, shrines, paths, wishing wells, and quirky structures. Twenty-five years devoted to a hobby that was part art, part architecture, part...
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