Go to the Water

It seems the word, "Village" became popular after Hilary Clinton wrote her book, "It takes a Village". I have never read the book, but I believe it was about raising children and how important a village is during that time. The saying, "It takes a Village" emphasizes that a child's upbringing is a communal effort involving many different people or groups. Often parents are involved but so are neighbors, teachers, grandparents and friends just to name a few. The concept is a collective involvement of a community essential to achieve a goal or to complete a task, like raising a child.  Following her last curling game, the announcer interviewed Jennifer Jones. He said to her, "it takes a village". Over the years we have all watched as Jennifer's village cared for her children, supported her and made it possible for her to achieve what she did for the world of curling.  When I was writing this I was thinking, what makes a good village? Many y...

Today, I am sitting on my Bestie's couch and writing. We are together celebrating her 10 years from diagnosis. It is not the celebration we planned, but that is a very small detail, we are spending much needed time together.  I feel empowered to write this tribute to her and all the women out there that have been told they have breast cancer.  I look at Breast Cancer Survivors as warriors. These women have fought a battle; some have won others weren't so lucky. I have heard so many stories about a chemo journey. Being nauseous, throwing up and weak are things I don't like in my life. But for many those symptoms and many more were part of the battle. I can't imagine sitting in a chair watching toxic medications go into my body. But that is what may need to be done for a chance at survival, also part of the battle.   The statistics are staggering in that one in eight women will have breast cancer. The weather lady, who is breast cancer survivor, says there are over 50 ...

A dream is described as: an aspiration or desire to achieve a goal or specific path. It is also described as an inner longing that motivates us to act, overcome obstacles and work towards making our dream a reality. Examples that were given were: travel, starting a business, writing a book. A dream fuels our passions and drive, pushing us to do things we never thought we would do. A dream is different than something you want to do. If you have the physical and financial ability, you can achieve something you want to do. A dream is often something you have thought about for a very long time.   Saskatchewan should be so proud of Rebecca Strong. Rebecca's last song "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, secured her the winner of Canada's Got Talent and $1M. Rebecca is a 20-year-old indigenous woman from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I was captivated by her right from the start. Rebecca said just before her last performance, "If you want something you have never had, you hav...

Here we go again, more declutter information, I just can't seem to stop myself. I just love information about decluttering and when I found "The Rules", well my fingers were on fire. Everyone has topics they are naturally attracted to, and I guess this is mine. Here you go with the newest information.    "General Rules of Decluttering" 1 . Remove 1 item/day. When you make the decision, the time has come to part with items, you can start small by practicing the one item/day rule.  2 . Don't get caught up in the selling cycle. I had what I thought were really nice decor items that I don't need anymore. Yep, changed them out with the new renos. I rarely sell anything; I usually just donate to a thrift store. But every now and then I think I should sell. I staged everything nicely for a picture, I wrote charming things about my items, I was convinced they would sell quickly. Nope, I was wrong. I didn't even sell half of my wonderful things. I hope the th...

One of the performances on Canada's Got Talent, was 5 rescue pets doing amazing tricks. Two of the five performers were cats, yes, cats were performing. One of the judges said, "if everyone took only one passion and worked tirelessly for it, the world would be a better place".  I loved what she said. Some people are very generous and support several causes which I think is wonderful. There is certainly enough need to go around. I am not ashamed to say that when I did my income tax this year, I didn't have one receipt under donations. I was kinda surprised, but I realized that most of my donations go to smaller financial requests. I like to focus my donations on the small fundraising events. I love it when people put a request for support on Facebook. A quick etransfer and it is one and done.    I often reflect with fondness how my former community knows how to raise money. The soup and sandwiches, the pie sale, Fireman's dinner, the many funeral lunches and the li...

Today is the day we celebrate "Moms". Anna Jarvis  was the founder of Mother's Day in the United States and the leading advocate for Mother's Day in Canada. Anna wanted to commemorate her mother, who was a peace activist and cared for wounded soldiers during the American Civil War. As the founder of the modern version of Mother's Day, Anna fought against the commercialization of the holiday, working to protect it from "the hordes of money schemers".  On May 8, 1914, the US congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Canada soon followed and recognized the first Mother's Day in our country in 1915.  The true meaning of Mother's Day is "a special day to recognize the women who have given us so much". We celebrate Mother's Day to honor the accomplishments of the women in our lives. It's also a time to cherish the relationship between a child and a mother.  I recently got a text from a new friend ...

We now live in a world where everything is in a category, has a percentage and is a descriptor for behavior. That includes types of male personalities. By typing men's personalities, it makes it clear to themselves and to others who they are and why they behave as they do. Here is an opportunity for you to think about the men in your life and what personality type they are.     Alpha Males are strong-willed leaders who love to take charge. They are known for their natural confidence and exceptional leadership abilities. Alphas know what they want, never back down from a fight and aren't afraid of making waves to get it. Their personality is one of brave, high-achieving and sociable. Careers they excel at are CEO, manager, military general and politician. Alpha males are always at the top of the pyramid. Although at the top, they place third in overall number of males at 24%. Beta Males are extremely kind and down to earth. They are shyer and more reserved, valuing perso...

                                      Rebecca Strong from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan sang on "Canadas Got Talent".  She won the golden buzzer from Lily Sing which gave her $25,000 and advancement into the next round. To say Rebecca's voice was amazing is really an understatement, it was absolutely beautiful.  Rebecca is First Nations, and as she spoke through tears her words were profound. She said, "no matter where you come from, no matter the hardships or limitations you face, you can do anything".  Triston, the 15-year-old on American Idol that is following his mother's words and is trying to "Be Something", continues to do well on the show. He has captured my heart and the heart of others. His talent is incredible, his showmanship is far beyond his young age. He has gone from living on the street and sleeping in his mother's car, to performing in Hawaii. He has gotten a cha...

                                      I recently watched the animated movie, "Kung Fu Panda". An animated movie speaks to all age groups and hidden within the movie are messages. The message I took away from this movie was, the three rules of the street.  1. Trust no one 2. Somebody will get hurt 3. No one cares about your feelings Trust no one . I am a scaredy pants, especially of the dark. I would never be one of those people that spent a night on the street to promote awareness. I want to walk with the Bear Clan, but they would have to have one of the members walk with me and that defeats the purpose. My point here is, what I write about living on the street is only an assumption or hear say. I think there has always been street communities. With the closing of the large Mental Health Hospitals, some people chose to live on the street. I don't think this is the case anymore, many have ...