26 years ago, I watched behind a screen door as Mum and Dad pulled out of the driveway and headed to the hospital. I’ll be honest, I was 4 years old and afraid of becoming irrelevant in a family that already had three vivacious boys bouncing off the walls. I wasn’t very happy about your arrival, and I took that disapproval out on Mum. In the same breath, I adored you the moment I met you. You were soft and puffy, and you looked a lot like me. I loved taking care of you, though I didn’t want Mum toContinue reading “For my sister”
This is how it will go; the rest of the afternoon and evening will be simple. It is exactly how any birthday is to be spent in our home. I know I will miss it, but I do not yet know the pain of how much.
As I write this, I’m coming to the end of my day—my birthday— and I am officially 30 years old. I have been so excited for this new chapter, new decade of my life but I do not feel flirty and thriving; it’s more like “Thirty, and Surviving and Trying.” It’s a good thing, trust me. Learn about my gratitude list on my special day.
Let me lay in the hollows of my soul, face the abandonment, pay the toll. Let me grieve what I’ve lost, hold the pieces I forgot. Let me reach the depths of my darkest sea. Way down there, The Knowing shall be.
‘Holding space’ is to create a space that is supportive and without judgement. It is where a person feels heard and held. It’s not a new thing, we’ve been doing it for as long as we have had meaningful connections to others and self. The concept of ‘holding space’ is intentional, grounding and healing.
Seasons come and go. And, some seem so quiet, barely a season at all. Fragments float in the wind. Mine, they get away as I come undone. Reach out— they disappear, Be still— let them return. Come and go.
In May 2022, I received a phone call that my father, had been struggling with COVID-19 and was likely at the end of his life. It was completely unexpected. My heart sank, my stomach fell heavy, and the air around me grew thick, but my body, my entire being, felt as though I had been dropped into a deafening, swirling abyss.
I recently created a collection to share my favourite quotes, and I posted a passage from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship in a Republic” speech, which he delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910. The passage is called ‘The Man in the Arena.’ Learn what it means to me and why it’s an important lesson I’m taking from my twenties.
‘Man in The Arena’ — a passage from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech “Citizenship In A Republic” delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910.
I’m thinking about
the moments we spent together
within our daydreams.
My memories
of the family room in the back,
the hazy days
when the sun shined
through the windows
are fading.
Share yours with me,
and I’ll share mine.
Mother’s Day isn’t quite what it used to be. For as long as I can remember, I have always known that I had a very special mother, that apart from strange blips in my adolescence, i always believed I was incredibly lucky to have had her. She was my life’s greatest blessing.
This is how it will go; the rest of the afternoon and evening will be simple. It is exactly how any birthday is to be spent in our home. I know I will miss it, but I do not yet know the pain of how much.
As I write this, I’m coming to the end of my day—my birthday— and I am officially 30 years old. I have been so excited for this new chapter, new decade of my life but I do not feel flirty and thriving; it’s more like “Thirty, and Surviving and Trying.” It’s a good thing, trust me. Learn about my gratitude list on my special day.
‘Holding space’ is to create a space that is supportive and without judgement. It is where a person feels heard and held. It’s not a new thing, we’ve been doing it for as long as we have had meaningful connections to others and self. The concept of ‘holding space’ is intentional, grounding and healing.
Seasons come and go. And, some seem so quiet, barely a season at all. Fragments float in the wind. Mine, they get away as I come undone. Reach out— they disappear, Be still— let them return. Come and go.
Sometimes, to feel is all that is needed. © 2023 H. WEND, Dear Jo-Anne
In May 2022, I received a phone call that my father, had been struggling with COVID-19 and was likely at the end of his life. It was completely unexpected. My heart sank, my stomach fell heavy, and the air around me grew thick, but my body, my entire being, felt as though I had been dropped into a deafening, swirling abyss.
I recently created a collection to share my favourite quotes, and I posted a passage from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship in a Republic” speech, which he delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910. The passage is called ‘The Man in the Arena.’ Learn what it means to me and why it’s an important lesson I’m taking from my twenties.
‘Man in The Arena’ — a passage from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech “Citizenship In A Republic” delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910.
I’m thinking about the moments we spent together within our daydreams. My memories of the family room in the back, the hazy days when the sun shined through the windows are fading. Share yours with me, and I’ll share mine.
Mother’s Day isn’t quite what it used to be. For as long as I can remember, I have always known that I had a very special mother, that apart from strange blips in my adolescence, i always believed I was incredibly lucky to have had her. She was my life’s greatest blessing.
Dear Jo-Anne, 