From the Shores of the Ottawa River

 I am blessed. Today I started another year around the sun. As I look back on what I wrote on my siblings. I feel sadness.  I started out with ten brothers and five sisters. Over the years, I have experienced the loss of five brothers and one sister. Many nieces and nephews. a nephew, Sean John just two weeks ago. And my brother Roger one year ago today. It’s difficult not to feel sadness and grief. I am forever grateful to have  walked part of my journey with some of my siblings. I’ve learned from them, I  laughed, and  I enjoyed meals with them. Death is a part of life.

All we have is this moment. Be kind and compassionate  and forgive every day, start a new day without resentment and anger.  Through the years I’ve pondered this question.

Have I been lucky or unlucky in life?

1. When I was a toddler, I got very sick. bad luck, they said.
2. I went to the hospital off and on through my childhood. good luck they said, I was fed   and there was running water. I got to watch TV.
3. I was sent to Indian residential school, bad luck they said.
4. There I cultivated lifelong friends. I was introduced to the library and fell in love with books. Good luck they said.
5. A few years ago, doctors discovered I had myxoma ( 5 centimeters tumor in my heart. bad luck they said.
6. I had a right brain stroke during surgery to remove the tumor. Bad luck they said. I learned about neurology And discovered it could have been far worse. Good luck they said.  It’s up to me how I interpret my life journey. 

We should be consistently curious  about our worldview.  Things happen sometimes bad things, but nothing is personal. it just happened, and your perspective makes it either a bad thing or a good thing. You are in control.

The truth is that life happens, and sometimes bad things happen to good people. Simply put, life happens, and we attach the reason. Your mind is powerful it can either make you happy or unhappy.