Blog Archives

music and the human spirit

6/28/2017

In this uplifting short film, directed by Max Thurlow and Nick Trumble, Noisey meets 93 year old jazz pianist Edward Hardy. Ed was given a new lease of life and relief from dementia and depression, when his care home discovered he was a talented pianist in his younger days. They reunited him with his ex-band members for a special performance, which proved the power of music for people suffering cognitive disorders.

long afternoon at the edge of little sister pond

6/28/2017

“Every day,” says Mary Oliver, “I walk out into the world / to be dazzled, then to be reflective.”

by Mary Oliver
As for life,
I’m humbled,
I’m without words
sufficient to say
how it has been hard as flint,
and soft as a spring pond,
both of these
and over and over,
and long pale afternoons besides,
and so many mysteries
beautiful as eggs in a nest,
still unhatched
though warm and watched over
by something I have never seen--
a tree angel, perhaps,
or a ghost of holiness.

Every day I walk out into the world
to be dazzled, then to be reflective.
It suffices, it is all comfort--
along with human love,
dog love, water love, little-serpent love,
sunburst love, or love for that smallest of birds
flying among the scarlet flowers.
There is hardly time to think about
stopping, and lying down at last
to the long afterlife, to the tenderness
yet to come, when
time will brim over the singular pond, and become forever,
and we will pretend to melt away into the leaves.
As for death,
I can’t wait to be the hummingbird,
can you?

3 things to do in the morning

6/18/2017

Jaggi Vasudev, commonly known as Sadhguru by Isha yoga volunteers, is an Indian yogi, mystic and author. He founded the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organisation which offers yoga programs around the world, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia, Uganda, China, Nepal, and Australia. The Foundation is also involved in various social and community development activities, which have resulted in the Foundation being granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

fraser health: Moments to milestones

6/17/2017

Alcoholism in older adults has been called the “invisible epidemic.” It has been estimated that up to 10 percent of the elderly adult population meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence, but healthcare providers often mistake symptoms of alcoholism for dementia, depression or other problems. Even when they ask for help, many older adults have difficulty getting to A.A. meetings; they may have trouble driving or walking, and shrinking social networks can sometimes mean that fewer friends are available to help them. This is why elderly outreach programs have become so important.
Check out the resources at: Abbotsford In Recovery

one small character, one big purpose

6/15/2017

Project Semicolon was born from a social media movement in 2013.They describe themselves as a "movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction, and self-injury. Project Semicolon exists to encourage, love, and inspire."
But why a semicolon?
"A semicolon is used when an author could've chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life." Originally created as a day where people were encouraged to draw a semicolon on their bodies and photograph it, it quickly grew into something greater and more permanent. Today, people all over the world are tattooing the mark as a reminder of their struggle, victory, and survival.
Source: www.upworthy.com

anne lamott's 12 truths

6/10/2017

A few days before she turned 61, writer Anne Lamott decided to write down everything she knew for sure. She dives into the nuances of being a human who lives in a confusing, beautiful, emotional world, offering her characteristic life-affirming wisdom and humor on family, writing, the meaning of God, death and more.

sometimes

6/3/2017

literary snapshots