Hi! Welcome to my blog which I hope will give you some new insights and occasionally, tickle your funny bone.
It might be helpful for you to know a bit of my background (selected bits, of course). Understanding where the other person is coming from helps to understand what they are saying and what they’re trying to communicate.
For me, it’s that I am a senior citizen, a woman who grew up in Western Canada during the 1950’s and 1960’s. I had a good childhood (not perfect, but good). My family consisted of a father, mother, two older brothers and later, a sister, in addition to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins to play with. My father was a pilot and had his own flying school and charter service. Devastatingly for my family, he was killed in a helicopter accident when I was in my early teens.
I got married, had a child, and got divorced. Pretty typical for that time.
I got married again. This time to a wonderful man, George. Handsome, gentle, kind, with a dry sense of off-beat humour, and a brilliant mind.
I also got a law degree, became a lawyer and practised for over 30 years. As George and my brother would say, I kept practising to get it right.
For this last while, George is being taken away from me, bit by agonizing bit. He has vascular dementia, a disease whose horrors are beyond understanding until you’ve actually experienced it. It’s hard to describe seeing someone you love disappear bit by bit while there’s nothing you or anyone else can do about it.
George is still in there, somewhere. He usually recognizes me. I tell him about all the progress I’m making with gardening and house maintenance, as well as the troubles. When I complain that he made it look so easy, he invariably smiles. Sometimes, it’s his almost-smirky smile accompanied by twinkling eyes.
I can tell you that going through this journey with George has changed me. Or should I say, allowed me to learn the lessons life had put in my path. My Christian faith has become deeper and more solid throughout this torturous time.
I accept that I am basically a solitary person, one who wants to make a positive difference in other people’s lives. I want to use the multitude of mistakes I’ve made to help others (and no, I won’t discuss those and let’s not compare notes).
Many of those mistakes came from the anxiety that was my constant companion. I used words as weapons to fight the battles that came my way and to keep others at bay. I used to say my tongue was registered as a lethal weapon. I became an expert in FistFull Language™. Which is why I can detoxify it by using FistFree Language™.
I hope you find my blog helpful.
May you have a joyful day filled with peace.
Anne
