Category Family
Five Years Later
There are days you always remember. Sometimes they are momentous for society. Americans of my generation remember where they were when they heard JFK had been assassinated. For a younger generation it is probably the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Then there are other days, important only to you and your family. Like […]
Thanksgiving 2020
What a difference a year makes. Have you said that recently? Things are so unlike 2019. Last year the Canadian Thanksgiving fell less than two weeks after my mother’s death, so we made it a family celebration and time of remembrance. This year instead my sister will deliver a turkey meal to my daughter’s doorstep. […]
The No-Brainer
This is a holiday weekend in both Canada and the US and people don’t know what to do – at least if you believe media reports. I think it is more likely that people know what they should do – but they don’t want to do it. After all, why should COVID-19 disrupt holiday plans […]
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 […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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