Category Family
Grabbing Hold of Life
One year ago today, my mother died. I was with her as she passed through death into her new life. During her short illness I started a few posts about the experience, and have published a couple of them. I’m hoping to share the others when the emotions are a little less raw. Today though […]
The Cycle of Life
One year ago today my mother had her favorite pizza as her birthday meal. We had a family gathering in the palliative care unit of Ottawa’s Bruyère Hospital. We didn’t know it would be her last meal. We knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer, but her spirits were good and she loved the food. […]
Unexpected Fruit
Sometimes you miss things that are right in front of you. Like lemons. We live in the warmest part of Germany, something I have been told many times. I do miss the Canadian winter, but there is something to be said for the assortment of fruits growing locally. I’ve mentioned them before: apples, pears, cherries, […]
Price Gouging?
About a year ago I re-posted this piece from 2015, mostly so that my mother could read it – she didn’t get online until she turned 88 in 2017. I’m repeating it today because my sister sent me a late-night text. It was a real estate picture of the house and the question, “isn’t this […]
Envying The Children
When I was a child my favorite play structure was near the model homes in the housing development my family moved in. No swings, no slides – but there were tunnels. Somewhere back in Canada I have a black and white photo I took with my first camera in 1964. It was basically a couple […]
Trendelburg Castle I
Living in Germany, it is easy to reach the conclusion that if you have seen one castle you have seen them all. There’s a ruin on practically every hilltop. I told my wife earlier this year that I was done with castles, we didn’t have to go looking for new ones. However, Trendelburg Castle was […]
Side Benefits
The past few days may wife and I have been visiting a few members of her extended family. Great fun for her, somewhat of a challenge for me. They are all nice people and I have enjoyed renewing acquaintances or, in some cases meeting them for the first time, but it is hard work. German […]
Mother’s Day 2020
I’m not sure how I am feeling this morning. It is Mother’s Day, both in Canada and Germany. Much as I appreciate mothers, I’ve always thought of it as a semi-artificial holiday, designed mostly to sell flowers and cards. Not to mention boosting the restaurant industry. Not sure how many mothers are going to be […]
Inflation!
I was chatting with my cousin last night, which naturally had me thinking about my mother and hers, sisters who died weeks apart in 2019. So it seems appropriate to share this post again, reflections on an outing my mum and I took in 2015. We pulled over to the side of the road so […]
Time Passages
I glanced at the calendar yesterday and realized today is my paternal Grandmother’s 127th birthday. Or would be if she hadn’t died just a couple months short of her century mark. My father’s birthday is this Friday, which is also the anniversary of his death. He went out on his 85th, and I think he […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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