I wish...

I wish Prime Minister Harper was more like President Obama.

Exhibit A:

New Job

I started a new job this week and here is what I know about my new co-workers:

Gillian is into yoga. And she looks like a modern, brunette Molly Ringwald.

Kate lived in the convent at U of T for a summer.

Tiffany likes natural supplements, a lot.

Mark is biking in the Tour de France this summer. Amazing!

Hugh really likes the plants in the office and refuses to get rid of the ones that are dying. (I like that.)

Rob sprints for the GO train most evenings.

Susan has two kids, born 9 years apart.

Jennifer, Marissa and Karen I already knew and have the goods on.

What my co-workers learned about me: I really like plants, coffee and nice pens. My family shares a cottage that my Papa built and I don't like how quiet the office is.

So far, so good! To be continued...

All About Nie

A couple of weeks ago I discovered nieniedialogues.com.

But first, let's start at the beginning.

I was re-reading some of my favourite posts, from one of my favourite blogs, A Cup of Jo. (You might even say that Joanna and her blog inspired me to start my own). Joanna got married this past summer and while she was on her honeymoon, she invited some of her favourite bloggers, writers and friends to post their secrets to a happy marriage marriage while she was away. Quite clever, wouldn't you say? It's a really sweet idea and some of these posts bring tears to my eyes. So, while I was re-reading these posts recently this photograph caught my eye:


This picture is Nie Nie and her lovely family dancing together in their living room. This photo tugged deep at my heartstrings because it's an image I have seen over and over again in my head. For a long time now, I've carried the image of my own dancing family in my head. I can see my husband, my beautiful children, our living room, everything. I even know what album we're dancing to. This picture of Nie Nie struck me because it is exactly what I want.

Naturally, after seeing the picture and reading Nie Nie's secrets to her happy marriage, I wanted to know more about her. I clicked on the link to her blog and discovered a whole world that I did not expect to find. Most of the blogs that I read or have found are written by people who are living their lives and sharing the details of their days or the things they buy or the music they're listening to, etc. And Nie Nie is sharing too, but the difference is that Nie Nie is going through something that most people only fear but never have to face. Not only is she going through it, she's sharing it with thousands of people, daily.

My original intention was to post the picture I found of the Nielson's dancing together and share how amazing it felt to see a photogragh so closely resembling my heart's desire. But after learning all about Nie, how could I not talk about Stephanie herself?

This post has taken a long time to put together because everytime I started working on it again, I would look at the nieniedialogues and get lost for hours in the archives. Needless to say, I am now a regular follower of all things Nie.

Like most of us, the thing I love most about Stephanie Nielson is the joy, positivity and fun that can be seen on her blog everyday. She treats being a mother and a wife with reverance, honour and dignity. Before her plane crash, she was inspiring thousands of people by just being herself. Now, "AC" (after-crash as she calls it), Stephanie's life has become inspirational because of what she has endured and continues to endure day after day. But as always, Nie Nie writes with a sense of grace and humour that I find truly humbling.

I could keep talking about Nie Nie, but I think you should just go to her blog and see for yourself.

Can you feel it?

The feeling of Change in the air is palpable, my friends.

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Toronto, change-with-a-capital-C seems to be happening everywhere. There are big things happening within and without me.

For instance, my grandmother called me on Saturday and asked me to come visit her. When I arrived at her house a few hours later, we talked on a more genuine level about one another and our family than we ever have. This is the grandmother that usually laments that no one cares for her anymore, no one calls, no one comes over, etc. Something in her has shifted and allowed her to make the call to me and simply ask for what she wanted. This is a big deal on my mother's side of the family.

I don't know what is causing this ripple of change, but I do have one idea. Often, in the spring, with warmer air blowing through the city, everyone (including me) gets all riled up and ready to go. This makes sense, no? People were meant to be outside, so when they can finally go outside comfortably again and everything is lush and green, it makes you want to try for things. The blood starts pumping in your veins and all of the sudden you can quit your job or pick up that instrument or call that person or whatever. Well, this winter (January in particular) has been unseasonably warm. Today the temperature reached a balmy 7 degrees celcius. If I had to guess the time of year, without any knowledge of what the calendar date is, I'd say it's near the end of March. And that is right on schedule with that amped- up feeling that comes with the beginning of spring...the one that makes change happen.

What do you think? Is there change all around you too?