Category: Grief
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Mama
Mama: Matriarch of Strength (1919–2016) “What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers…
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A Journey to Australia: 2008 Beauty, and the Shared Grief of Stolen Children
picture of my niece, elder Summer, Daniel, Nanton, Australia has always held a special place in my heart. Though it’s a 27-hour trip from Ottawa, I’ve been fortunate to walk on that beautiful land four times. Each visit has left a lasting impression. Yet, this particular journey was different. It was deeply personal, profoundly emotional,…
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From Grief to Action: Fight Against Addiction
I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day it is found is the day I will stop missing you. – Unknown It shattered my world when you died. The world as I knew it changed forever in an instant. Tears cascaded down my face as I try to process that your beautiful spirit is…
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Mama – Therese Deranger (1919–2016)
Mama, whose full name was Therese Deranger (née Adams), was born on May 8, 1919, in Old Fort, Alberta. She married young—at the age of 14—and became the matriarch of a large family of sixteen children. She raised us with discipline and strength. She could be as strict as a drill sergeant. Once, my brother…
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Life’s Value: Lessons from Loss and Love
We search to find meaning in someone’s life. We search for answers to their existence. At times, especially during moments of loss and grief, we look for meanings in their life to ease our pain. That is the human condition. We search because we think if we can attach value to their life, then their…
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Transforming Bad Luck into Good Lessons
I am blessed. Today I started another year around the sun. looking back on what I wrote about my siblings, I feel sadness and grief. I had 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…
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The Impact of Family Deaths: Reflections on Loss and Legacy
The first time I heard that someone I knew passed away, it was my grandmother, Christine Adam. She died on the operating table. I had a quick and visceral reaction to the news of her passing. I was a 21 year old student with my life ahead of me and my grandmother’s life ended. It…
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Rambling-Rose: An Inspiring Activist and Survivor’s Journey
Rose is providing me with invaluable life lessons by example. We don’t get to see each other often but when we do get together, her stories and laughter sustain me for months, the sub text is we love and support one another. No matter our differences we will always encourage and support each other in a loving…
From the Shores of the Ottawa River 