Dear Reader A Bright, bright, sun-shiny day For the past few weeks Neil and I have both succumbed to this terrible cold that seems to be plaguing half our little community. Then I woke one morning feeling like the clouds were lifting. My cough wasn’t so bad. My head, not so achy. I started doing…

Dear Reader Every year around this time … … I remember that nineteen years ago I was on a Buddhist pilgrimage with a group from California where I was living at the time. This trip had been planned by the group for years. I was a last minute addition when a place in the trip…

Dear Reader Where are you from? Recently my friend reminded me of an exercise we did several years ago titled Where I’m From. The exercise came in the form of a template – fill in the gaps. I modified it a little, as you do, and was pleased that when I read my response today,years…

Dear Reader A planned event is successful Life is never boring. And life is always open to sharing learning opportunities wherever I look. It gives me joy and pleasure to grow and learn. What is often hardest is how these lessons come. “Always look for the silver lining” – that’s an underlying mantra for living,…

Dear Reader I’ve shared quite a lot during the past few newsletters about how I’ve struggled with having lost my sister a few months ago. Today I want to share how something unexpected can bring a ray of hope and sunshine when the clouds gather, literally in our wintery days, and metaphorically. An unexpected prize…

Dear Reader Are you using AI apps? In my writers’ communities there’s a fear of how writers might be using AI to write their stories. This fear is so prevalent that many decry its use for any part of the writing process. I’ve lived a long enough life now to have seen several inventions that…

Dear Reader Lessons Learned It’s not always easy to recognise a mistake we make. I recently had a lesson in the consequences of not paying attention. My oldest daughter and I take the opportunity to spend a few hours together nearly every week. Sometimes we hang out at my place. Sometimes we run errands together.…

Dear Reader Autumn – My favourite time of Year Autumn ends in a few days here in the southern hemisphere. I have a tiny feeling of regret and disappointment that the blue skies, the beautiful colours and the crisp cool days will soon be gone. I’ve always loved this season above others. To me, Autumn…

Dear Reader Gently releasing I’m not going to pretend life without my sister’s presence is easy. It’s not. There’s not a moment she isn’t in my thoughts. Little things, big things, and nothing at all bring her back into my mind and heart. I’m no different to others of us who grieve. I’ve lived long…