This morning I received this beautiful testament of care from a devoted daughter, Jasmin Jeevanjee. I am delighted to share her story and how her ‘Most Prized Possession’ came to be. Thank you, Jasmin! I was born and grew up in Nairobi. After completing my secondary education, I went to
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THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Mining for Truth and Meaning in Caregiving and Memory
My sister Karen Thomson painted this portrait of our Mom and she titled it Partly Who She Was. Karen painted this from a photo that we took of Mom just as she got out of the car at Hovey Manor, a lovely country hotel in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: Guest Post By The Girl Who Waited: I Am Not Mad As Hell, I Am Just Tired Of Your Bullshit (Redux)
I am finished. I am done. I try to stay rational, but cannot stay quiet any longer. I know some will try to dismiss me as yet another angry leftist woman – and if so? None of what I write further will matter to you, so hit the back button
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: Who Is Andrew Scheer? Lesson #1
I was having a conversation with a good friend that I worked with in politics (names are hidden to protect the innocent) years ago, he is still fairly plugged in to the Ottawa bubble. He asked me an interesting question, “Who is Andrew Scheer?” I laughed at first thinking he
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: A Letter To 16
Dear 16; I do not write this to embarrass you, or to overshare. That’s the great thing about remaining anonymous on the interwebs. I do not write this as amateur Buddha looking to impart valuable and sage advice. I write this as a parent who loves you and cares, looking
Continue readingcentre of the universe: I wish I were joking
But I’m not. If I wrote this as fiction my editors would cross it out as too far fetched. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/comedy-holiday-horrors-jillian-bell-1.4960005
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: THE EMPTY CHAIR AT OUR CHRISTMAS TABLE
It’s funny how the threads of our lives intersect sometimes to create meaning, sometimes giving us a clearer view of what is before us, or what is missing. Our daughter Natalie Wright is a curatorial assistant at a Milwaukee arts research institute called The Chipstone Foundation. One of her recent projects involved writing about
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A Time to Feel Grateful, Sometimes After Loss
My husband Jim and I are packing this morning – we’ve got an early morning flight tomorrow to Dayton, Ohio. Our daughter Natalie’s boyfriend grew up there and we’re all meeting at his family home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Sipping my coffee, I began to think of all things I’m grateful for
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Back to Back to School
A Story of Parenting, Told in School Supplies Kindergarten, First Child: I purchased these school supplies over a year ago, have been awake since Friday labelling every pencil, every marker, every individual crayon, every eraser, and every individual tissue in the box. I have labelled every article of my child’s
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: DO FAMILIES BELONG IN HEALTH CARE?
If you have ever been in the same room with your loved one and a health care professional, you’ll know that it’s disorienting. I say that because it’s like going to the principal’s office, or having a business meeting when what you really want to do is have tea and
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS…and more!: National Coming Out Day 2017
It’s October 11. In the United States, at least, it’s National Coming Out Day. I know of no such celebration in Canada but we’ve been ahead of the pack inn most ways having to do with lgbt-2 liberation. For me, Coming Out Day was sometime in February of 1981. I
Continue readingcentre of the universe: October 6, 1999
It was a Wednesday. My back had been killing me ever since the games convention on the previous weekend. Wizard’s Challenge (North); we’d just pulled off the con – I’d been part of the planning team – and all reports were good. I spent much of the night stretching and
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: What A Week
A week ago my Dad passed away from complications due to his cancer treatments. I last saw him in person 3 weeks ago on Labour Day Sunday, and he seemed to be doing about as well as anyone who has been through months of chemotherapy. Earlier in the week my
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Moose Jaw Reunion
I was in Moose Jaw for a family reunion on Sunday. My Dad was in hospital fighting off another infection, while his immunity is compromised by chemo. The rest of the Kleins who could make it were in Wakamow Valley Park. Some other family had taken over the pavilion we’d
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Acting Your Age
Here’s the thing. We live in a society that values youth over experience, wisdom, ability and knowledge. I’m not sure why we do that, but children are more valuable to us than non-children, which also translates into vilifying people who opt not to breed. There’s a whole bunch going on
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS…and more!: 24 April 2007 – 24 April 2017
I’m feeling some anticipatory trauma, if there is such a thing, as we approach the tenth anniversary of the mishap which would, soon thereafter, take the life of my brother Craig. Maybe it’s a heightened sense of awareness that this sad anniversary is upon us. It was April 24, 2007,
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS…and more!: Connecting with ‘The War To End All Wars’ – Pte. Thomas Butler
Originally posted on My journey with AIDS…and more!: There is tragic irony with the news that Canada has suffered our greatest single-day loss of troops in Afghanistan with the deaths of six soldiers in a roadside bombing. A seventh Canadian suffered serious injuries. Regardless of our views on Canada’s role
Continue readingWe Pivot: T***p, the Inauguration and Our Kids’ Mental Health
Now that T***p’s inauguration is 2 weeks away I’d revisited a great piece from 2 months ago that explored how to help our children deal with what America is becoming. Beyond all these great ideas to address kids’ anxiety and … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: Christy Clark is the Anti-Carrie Fisher
Don’t be fooled. As we pivot into a challenging 2017 with a provincial election on May 9, a tale of two tweets: Be Princess Leia in 2017. Fight on the front lines. Strangle fascists with the chains they would have you wear. Be a motherfuckin' general. — K O'Shea (@osheamobile)
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: For Caregivers, It’s All About Gratitude
My husband Jim and I are in Milwaukee visiting our daughter. Natalie works here at an arts research foundation and we really wanted to see where she lives (it’s so important for us parents to visualise our kids in their surroundings!). It’s a wonderful city and we’re excited to leave
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