tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311765022024-03-14T06:20:44.180-04:00Body Soul and SpiritObservations and reflections from without and withinRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.comBlogger1272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-48842749421889812462021-01-31T17:14:00.001-05:002021-01-31T17:14:46.766-05:00Blog Migration to "The Other Side of Sixty-Five"I started this blog in 2006 and over the next several years, chronicled my journey through life on a personal and spiritual level. The next 15 years brought many external changes and I changed as well. How unnatural it would be if maturity did not bring any transition, preferably growth over decay!My mother was the biggest fan of my first blog and when she died in 2013, it became more difficult Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-80002525755642191342019-04-28T23:17:00.000-04:002019-04-29T07:02:06.278-04:00Looking for Stateswomen and Statesmen
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Statesman -noun, a person who is experienced in Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-45189846170137207652019-04-21T21:21:00.000-04:002019-04-22T09:50:30.148-04:00The Passage of Time
Six years ago I sat with our mother during her last night on earth. In some ways it seems like yesterday but in other ways the passage of time is very real. Our father is living with significant cognitive and physical challenges and each day in itself is an eternity for him. There are three new great-grandchildren who will never know her but two baby girls carry her name.
The Queen Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-7801565961863444722019-02-03T10:19:00.001-05:002019-02-04T10:32:58.407-05:00Groundhog Day Adventures
Housebound!
I decided a trip to the Ottawa area would be the best way to celebrate my end-of-January birthday so with a coupon, the senior’s discount and “cheap Tuesday” sale, I landed a ticket price with VIA Rail that was much cheaper than driving the distance in my car. As it turned out, the weather was bitterly cold and we were hit with a snowstorm the night before I left. Strangely enoughRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-79504149836363552722019-01-20T23:55:00.000-05:002019-01-21T11:12:33.455-05:00Full Wolf Blood Moon Total Eclipse
It was exciting to watch the full moon eclipse tonight under clear, cold skies. Being relatively close to the Great Lakes, we generally have more days and nights with at least some cloud than without. The temperature is very cold but it could be colder in mid-January. This moon comes with plenty of labels. As well as being a Wolf Moon, it is a Perigee Moon (super moon), a Blood Moon as well asRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-20521130526483559702018-12-21T18:20:00.000-05:002018-12-21T21:26:24.204-05:00Winter Solstice
After six months of shortening days, we make a U-turn and enjoy the gradual lengthening of daylight hours. The change is barely noticeable at first but by mid-January the longer days make a difference.
There are numerous holidays around the world that celebrate light. We live about 90 minutes from Niagara Falls, Ontario where there is a Winter Festival of Lights from early November until the Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-30435312520852691202018-12-19T23:23:00.000-05:002018-12-20T07:51:03.059-05:00The Basis of Belief
What do you see when you look at this picture? If ten people wrote a story about it, there would be ten very different accounts.
A groom or horseman may focus on the horse, analyzing its health, gait and performance.
A sulky driver would notice the cart and harness.
A farmer would see the horse in a different light than a race horse owner.
An Old Order Mennonite would notice the distinctiveRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-72338802483790825432018-12-05T22:12:00.000-05:002018-12-05T22:27:22.780-05:00A 2018 Resolution Kept!
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My main resolution for 2018 was to read one book a Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-90453650216624212462018-12-02T20:00:00.000-05:002018-12-21T21:32:49.353-05:00Wishes or Hope
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One of my daughters teaches English as a second language to adults at a community college. She said the subtle Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-52732919802442914402018-11-13T11:50:00.001-05:002018-11-21T21:58:55.210-05:00Retelling a Story
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Humans are innate story tellers. From oral histories Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-90818699262605026672018-11-11T09:53:00.000-05:002018-11-11T21:18:23.688-05:001918-2018 Lest We Forget
My grandparents lived through two world wars. My paternal grandfather turned 14 in 1918. He came to Canada from Amsterdam in the early 1920’s as a young man. Several members of his extended family died as civilians during the world wars in Europe.
My maternal grandparents attended medical school at the University of Toronto during World War 1 in the graduating class of 1918. Grandma Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-65735178108791932992018-11-05T10:25:00.001-05:002018-11-05T13:11:43.136-05:00A Visit to the 9/11 Memorial
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We enjoyed a 5 day vacation in New York City this August. I booked the trip mainly because I wanted to Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-38337647355762732342018-11-02T09:13:00.000-04:002018-11-08T15:44:36.068-05:00My Day Zero Discharge Post Hip Replacement
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I went on a wait list for an elective total hip replacement in October 2017. I had nagging pain in my right hipRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-69495800776442969202018-11-01T21:28:00.001-04:002018-11-02T09:42:30.492-04:00Reintroduction
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18 months….
the age difference between me and my eldest brother
1/42 of my life in years
time enough to Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-40825837324667446672017-06-16T11:25:00.000-04:002017-06-16T12:27:45.464-04:00Insomnia
The waning gibbous moon plays
hide and seek behind thin clouds as
humid mists shroud street lights in the
windless, dark hour before dawn. The
city sleeps
final vivid dreams while robins,
hidden in shadowy trees, start their
morning chorus, the smell of roses heavy
in the night air. A single dim light
slowly approaches,
the old lady on a scooter scrounging through
Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-807217105013096112017-05-12T12:47:00.000-04:002017-05-13T20:54:09.726-04:00Eagles and Vultures
On January 1st I wrote a short poem which included this repeating line;-
“Whatever this year may bring I will remember…"
After I wrote it I almost hesitated to complete the post thinking I was tempting fate. But I am not overly superstitious and now recognize those words have grounded me over a few months of turmoil and change. Not that anything completely devastating has happened, but likeRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-6919468726803339462017-05-10T17:18:00.000-04:002017-05-11T19:41:00.214-04:00May 10th
Grandma Devins was born 121 years ago on May 10, 1896. Her life and mine overlapped for over 30 influential years and a day seldom passes that I do not think of her. Her sister was born on May 10, 1908, on Grandma’s 12th birthday. I did not spend as much time with Great-aunt Dorothy as I did with Grandma but I have fond memories of her as well. She and her husband retired in Guadalajara Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-31574280266897986212017-04-22T12:13:00.000-04:002017-05-12T18:57:19.952-04:00Four Years
I went to Mexico in January to stay with my father while my brother and his family were away. Some things are different, but many things in the house are still the same since Mom died. The kitchen was her domain and the drawers and cupboards are mostly unchanged. My teapot still sits on top of the fridge and pots, utensils and containers are in their rightful places. Her handwritten Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-10831800601050305552017-02-09T23:18:00.000-05:002017-02-09T23:30:34.156-05:00Circles of Control, Influence and ConcernI like to think of myself as a calm and rational person, and people who see me may believe that to be true. What they do not see is the turmoil I sometimes internalize which leads to distraction, fatigue, insomnia, inner turmoil, stress and anger. The amount of information we have to process in real time is often overwhelming and our responses can be emotional “knee-jerk” reactions. Complaining Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-78503185990494866132017-01-15T22:41:00.000-05:002017-05-12T18:54:27.486-04:00Deep Winter
Northern Cardinal (m)
Winter arrived suddenly after a hot summer and long autumn season. We have received a lot of lake effect snow from the relatively warm, open waters of Lake Huron along with days of dreaded "mixed precipitation". Just before Christmas I bought snow tires for my 4 wheel drive vehicle and I have been thankful for them several times in the past month. I also bought "snowRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-18317345132599740562017-01-02T10:06:00.000-05:002018-11-17T23:30:52.043-05:00New Year's Welcome
Whatever this year may bring I will remember
that it started in perfect harmony with a bubbling
brook that sang as it rushed over rocks
and chickadees who chortled before
taking seeds from my hand.
Whatever this year may bring I will remember
sunshine on fresh unmarked snow a
crescent moon beside Venus
in the twilight sky and the
exhilaration of a walk in Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-74623697628434560072016-12-31T22:19:00.001-05:002016-12-31T22:34:15.133-05:00Reflections on 2016
As I sit here on New Year’s Eve 2016, I am reminded of the Psalm that says,
“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so we may grow in wisdom" Ps 90:12
I am fortunate to have daily reminders of numbered days, and the harm that springs from petty quarrels and greed. It is customary to make New Year’s resolutions but it is also good to reflect on growth and changes in the Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-64110731893607573732016-12-17T17:17:00.001-05:002016-12-17T23:30:14.812-05:00Whimsical Diversions
The old man on the dementia ward held a cabbage patch doll, a boy, dressed in a blue sweater and overalls. I watched as he cupped the doll’s head in his hands and stared lovingly into its face.
“My little boy, my dear little baby,” he said as he raised it up and kissed its forehead before bringing it to rest on his shoulder. The tenderness he showed toward the doll was very real and Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-75548305091199414362016-12-13T09:37:00.001-05:002016-12-13T09:50:11.783-05:00Earth's Crammed with Heaven...
TRUTH, so far, in my book;—the truth which draws
Through all things upwards,—that a twofold world
Must go to a perfect cosmos. Natural things
And spiritual,—who separates those two
In art, in morals, or the social drift
Tears up the bond of nature and brings death,
Paints futile pictures, writes unreal verse,
Leads vulgar days, deals Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31176502.post-14926868437844310662016-12-05T20:34:00.000-05:002016-12-05T21:29:51.149-05:00Christmas Customs and Culture
Christkindl Christmas Market
We attended the annual Christkindl Christmas market in our city this weekend. Our area was settled largely by German speaking immigrants a couple of centuries ago and while we are far more diverse now, Oktoberfest and the Christmas market are well attended events.
Traditional German band with an alpenhorn
I asked a Hindu nurse at work if there Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15892804871759397018noreply@blogger.com3