Quebec


On her way to university

On her way to university

We didn't have an expectation that Céline would start university straight out of high school, or that she'd go to university at all. But last year she set a course for costume design programs.

Living in no-man's-land

Living in no-man's-land

In my attempt to understand my life path, to explain the inevitable sense of loss and regret with midlife, I sometimes think "maybe I made a mistake, went the wrong way." But I didn't take a wrong turn that landed me in a place, physically and spiritually, where I feel the pain and loss of a broken world. I grew up. I woke up. I left the nest. I landed in no-man's-land with eyes to see the truth.

Worldschooling (and family travel), developing a growth mindset, and discovering your inner artist

Worldschooling (and family travel), developing a growth mindset, and discovering your inner artist

Exploring the edges of what is possible in our lives with intention and open-mindedness, cultivating gratitude and creativity, re-framing failures and setbacks, building a family culture and living a legacy are just a few of the big and beautiful ideas from this interview with my friend Severine.

Solidarity at the margins

Solidarity at the margins

We have to experience what it's like as the outsider, the minority, the one without rights, to know what it feels like to be marginalized.

Moving to the margins

Moving to the margins

I grew up in the happy bubble of secure ignorance. This is not a bad thing for a child to experience. In fact I think it's one of the most developmentally supportive conditions, for childhood. But eventually you have to grow up and become aware of your own privilege.

Winter is my country (but then there's March) ~ Part one

Winter is my country (but then there's March) ~ Part one

I love the rolling mountain winter landscapes of Quebec, the ski hills and all the snow. I haven't had a strong sense of "home" as a place since leaving Alberta as a twenty-three year old wife and new mom, but winter mountains come close.

A refuge in the Laurentians

A refuge in the Laurentians

This sense of possibility, this large swath of low-rise mountains just to our north full of trails that go over over peaks and through valleys, by lakes, rivers and waterfalls, with places to stay along the way (summer camping and winter cabins) has infused me with a sense of hope that I might be able to call southern Quebec home for the next decade of my life, maybe longer.