I had to face my own demons before I could love him with his — As the languid days of summer gradually give way to autumn, I’ve found myself reflecting on memories of my father, who returned to the spirit realm in 2004. I don’t know why, but I felt the recent anniversary of his birth more keenly than any of the others, and as…

How on earth did we get here?? — I don’t know when it happened — that precise moment when I knew it was just a matter of time. That moment when I understood — to the depths of my soul — that I’d lost my little boy forever, and the heart of a killer had taken his place. …

How easy it is to make a huge difference… — “Hunger is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice.” — Jacques Diouf I was just remembering a little kitty I met when I was living in my sweet stone cottage in rural England. Her parents (owners — as if people ever really “own” cats) had chucked…

It took decades to figure out why I preferred them to the “nice guys” — I should have been safe at home. All kids should be. But for many of us, we weren’t. In my case, a hostile, frightening environment in childhood left me primed and ready for the bad boys to do their worst. Some kids will respond to that sort of upbringing with…

Let’s crank up those reads, quick before the end of the month! — We’ve all got ’em. Those stories that no one seemed to notice. The ones that are like the new kid sitting by himself at a big lunch table and everyone is ignoring him. Maybe you published it when you were the new kid here and you didn’t have many followers…

It’s sure to keep me from ever visiting your profile again. — I suppose there are some writers here who aren’t bothered about anyone reading their words. Maybe they’re truly happy to simply write for the sake of it. I’m guessing it’s probably safe to say, however, that the majority of us would also love to have people read our words. We…

The world is up in arms about the ways in which it’s coming to an end. — Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears…

In the words of Sam Cooke, “A change is gonna come” — As some of you will know, until recently I was away from Medium (apart from a handful of posts) for more than a year, beginning when I was preparing to move from England last spring and return to Canada. I was moving to Ontario to stay with a dear friend…

I became a “serial bride” in my desperate, futile search for love — “Always the bride, never the bridesmaid,” I muttered to myself. Some girls get all the luck. I’ve been married so many times, I’m running out of dress colours to choose so I don’t repeat them from one wedding to another. It’s getting tricky to find great wedding music and be…