ARTICLES

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas The starting point for a better world is the belief that it is possible. Norman Cousins My grandson tells me with certainty that lettuce and apples don’t go together. He’s talking about my purple cabbage apple dish on the table for...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes you do to accomplish it. This will always be far greater value that what you get. Jim Rohn If we told someone our highest priority is our family, would they think it by looking...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas In Flanders fields the poppies blow. Between the crosses, row on row.That mark our place; and in the sky. The larks, still bravely singing, fly. Scarce heard amid the guns below. John McCrae Remembrance Day is a day to remember...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Your journal is like your best friend. You don’t have to pretend with it, you can be honest and write exactly how you feel. Bukola Ogunwale Unwavering faith and extraordinary effort lead to great things in our lives. One of the worst...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. Sylvia Plath What an interesting weekend! On Saturday I attended Breakthrough To Writer’s Success put on by the Mississauga Arts Council and hosted the last event of the day, the...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas The bond between a sister and a brother is sometimes tightly woven, sometimes loosely held but never broken. Unknown Today my heart is filled with gratitude. My daughter went into early labor and delivered a healthy baby girl. She’s a...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Take one thing with another, and the world is a pretty good sort of a world, and tis our duty to make the best of it and be thankful. Benjamin Franklin People are gathering in their homes to celebrate Thanksgiving. We give thanks for...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open. Natalie Goldberg Has creating an Illustrated Journal been something you’ve done or would like to do? I’ve kept...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas What you do today can improve all of your tomorrows. Ralph Marston The world wasn’t simple during my childhood, we had the Cold War going on but it seemed like a wonderful safe place. Living in this world is safe where I am, but...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare Do we have faith we can deal with the challenges ahead of us? No one knows what is ahead, but we all know it will be different than it is now. We see...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer What if we made thank you a bigger...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill School is starting soon and children will once again walk past my door with their mothers, fathers, grandmas, and grandpas on their way to...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas If we lose freedom of speech, it’s never coming back. Elon Musk What does a free and open society mean? When is it free enough and open enough? How do we square the views of, “No one is illegal” with “Close the borders?” Somewhere in...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Building community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the individual. Grace Lee Boggs What if asking questions on social media becomes against the law? What if wanting to know what is happening and why it is happening is...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Don’t minimize the importance of luck in determining life’s course. Alex Trebek Where does luck fit in our lives, do we consider ourselves lucky, or unlucky? When a situation could have been terrible but isn’t what can we call it but...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas We can find common ground only by moving to higher ground. Jim Wallis Finding common ground is something we have to focus on during a conflict. When we focus on what we have in common, we can see eye to eye. If we focus on what truths...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them. Gene Roddenberry What does one write about after an event like the attempted assassination of Donald Trump? How...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas We are not punished for our anger; we are punished by our anger. In other words, anger is its own karma. Eknath Easwaran Is unexpressed anger toxic? Is this what leads to a lot of problems in our lives? Is anger management part of our...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas I have one love – Canada one purpose – Canada’s greatness, one aim – Canada’s unity from the Atlantic to the Pacific. John Diefenbaker Oh, Canada! Our home and native land.  What can we each do to build Canada? Alone we can do so...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for. Norman Vincent Peale Don’t worry, be happy. We’ve all heard it but it isn’t easy to calm our mind when something keeps going round and round. I was...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Remember, the choices we make today shape the people we become tomorrow. Victoria Osteen Are we lifelong learners, or did we quit learning anything new long ago? What counts as learning something new? Does doing something we’ve never...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be. Unknown “It’s okay, don’t worry.” Our two-year-old grandson says to us.” Does he know what he is...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Either your troubles make you better, or they make you bitter. We must always examine what’s going on in our hearts. T. D. Jakes I’m looking at my garden and the squirrels are eating the beans. My neighbor’s beans look untouched from...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson Where does luck play in our lives and what role does god management play? When we hear about the lives of the rich and the famous it...

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas There is something about losing a mother that is permanent and inexpressible – a wound that will never quite heal. Susan Wiggs Mother’s Day without our mother, for some of us happens early, and for some of us it happens late, but for...