Their Shoes #3

Tell me about living in poverty, Barry. What is your biggest struggle? “It’s difficult trying to make ends meet; to have enough money for clothing and food to survive. I got this shirt and these pants and my shoes here at the shelter. That left me with some money for groceries. I skip breakfast every…

One Sure-Fire Trick!

  “I want you to do this. Every morning before you get out of bed, do this.” My family doctor offered his wisdom on how to deal with stressors in my life. Stress over things I couldn’t change. Stress ate at me. You’d think I’d be thin by now but actually the cortisol from being…

Thousand Word Thursdays- #2

Halloween, nursing and flowers. These are a few of my favourite things!   © Rita Jacques 2016

Their Shoes- #2

Kelly wears steel-toed shoes donated to her by the homeless shelter three years ago. “I’m so grateful for them. I wear them everyday.” Tell me about living in poverty. What is your biggest struggle? “The hardest thing has to be trying to make a plan or a schedule. I’m always thinking, “What do I need…

A Translator, a Soldier and an Orphan

My parents would kill me if they knew. I should know better. Weed-whacking the lawn in sandals. And, me a nurse, to boot. Well, it happened. Nope, no toes were lopped off along with the tall grass. No injuries were sustained. However, a wayward doggie-doo ended up splattered on my foot! Ahkkkkkk! As I cleaned…

Thousand Word Thursdays- #1

New feature for Thursdays! Smiling for the camera at Wheatley Provincial Park.   © Rita Jacques 2016

Their Shoes- #1

Sarah-Lynn’s shoes and clothing were donated by the shelter. Tell me about living in poverty. “One of the hardest things about living in poverty was learning to accept getting by without enough money on a daily basis. Dealing with bill collectors. Having to borrow from friends and then losing those friends in the process was…

Consolation

An isolated chair in great condition sat in the alley near the homeless shelter. I wonder if any homeless people rest a spell there. Christine, the shelter’s administrator, approved of  my sister’s idea to raise awareness of poverty in Windsor. My sister is a successful writer. It’ll be an every Monday blog feature titled: Their Shoes.…

Eulogy for Dad

Our family of six kids was raised in an era when children weren’t coddled. We were aware of our parents’ expectations. If you knew what was good for you, you did it. Without complaining.  I remember showing my parents a challenging test marked 98%. Dad looked at it and said, “What about the other 2%?”…

Peaceful Poppies for Dad

Mom, two of my sisters and I were ushered from Dad’s bedside into the ICU quiet room. On the wall was a large painting of whimsical poppies on thin stems. Strong stems to support big flowers of crepe paper texture. Delicate yet strong. I’ve always loved poppies since watching The Wizard of Oz as a…