WATER GIVES REFLECTIONS

I love taking photos with reflections. Such a symbolic concept! To see any image in another way. Water one of the main elements of life gives lots of opportunities to reflect. Sitting by it on a beach. Riding in it on a boat. Walking along a path near it. Ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans are places that conjure up thoughts and memories for most people. Water allows us to live! Images near water are picturesque and well- just lovely! Do you have some favourite water pictures? What about reflections?

SEPTEMBER AND FUND RAISERS FOR CANCER RESEARCH

September ending with a flurry of warm weather. No more time to eat dinner outside. Time to clean up more of the garden. Time to finish some projects. Being busy and enjoying the month made it enjoyable. Going to a fund raiser last Saturday with my younger daughter and grandchildren to watch my son-in-law participate in the Road Hockey-Game On Cancer event for Princess Margaret Hospital was a good day with family. Seeing some sports celebrities old and young made the day even more interesting.

Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. So wherever you are in Canada or in the world, find a way to honour those loved ones and help researchers to continue to find ways to treat cancer and eventually find a cure. If cancer is not your cause, find another one- like drugs for the Ebola crisis! No one person can save the world. But each person one event or idea at a time can make a difference.

FUN BRINGS JOY TO LIFE

Life is too short not to have some fun. However many serious and important things need to happen everyday. Avoiding dealing with them can make it difficult for people around you. There is a time for fun and a time for work. If possible, a good trick in life is make the work one does- fun. So then work at having Fun?

LIFE IS LIKE A LANEWAY

Walking allows us to slow our energy to observe places and things we would not see if we were rushing by in a car or bus. Sometimes a laneway reveals an inner court that is interesting and pretty. Taking a camera and searching for those images brings a deeper level of viewing. As people know about me, I like symbolism. A laneway brings us to another place. Like our laneways in life. Be adventuresome and taking a different path-safe of course. Not going into dangerous places!

City laneway with a modern flair. Country laneway leading to an operational farm. Laneways! Opportunities! The nice thing about a laneway there is a clear path back to the beginning of the trip. Do you venture on laneways?

FAITH IS LIKE A CHURCH DOOR

Faith is like a church door waiting to be opened and go inside. Asking and praying for an event in one's life to have a peaceful and positive resolution. Do you have faith life will work out for you?

HANDLING BAD NEWS

How do you  handle bad news? Some people like to tell the world to get lots of sympathy. Some people share with trusted friends or family that will honour their feelings and keep information confidential. I like to take the news and keep it close to my chest until I feel like sharing and if I do. In my job, I hear bad news all the time. Patients are experiencing many life changes. So being available for them and counselling around their feelings and giving support is part of what I do. Knowing too much can be difficult to handle at times. So finding ways to redirect the energy with positive activities and interactions are part of what I do. Compartmentalizing really helps. Concentrating on the task at hand then going on to the next one. Trying not to dwell on any one thing too long. When it comes to family, my energy triples for them. I decided many years ago not to give the best of me to others, strangers and colleagues but to save it for the ones I love. So when bad news strikes close to home, it does make matters worse but is also manageable. I can be helpful, keep it confidential and contain my energy. Of course the bad news of the world can be shared collectively as one discusses politics and tragedies with others. Bad news is part of our lives. It can arrive without warning. It can kick us in the gut. Even make us cry! Does it make us stronger? Not necessarily. Some events change our lives forever. Survival happens but at a cost. So if you are receiving bad news today- hug a friend, family or even your dog. Finds ways to process the event. Life is full of bad news. But it can be full of good news too!!

NANA SAYS CHILDREN CAN LEARN TO DECLUTTER TOO!

Bringing in children's outdoor toys to be ready for Fall and Winter play can be a dirty job. Cleaning off dirt and stains takes time. It is also a good time to start to weed out items no longer needed or used. Charity organizations, day cares and other places would welcome your used toys. Even as a Nana I have discarded things my grandchildren no longer use. Of course, my craft room is full of supplies for new artistic projects. Taking time to determine what children and teenagers really need in a home can help to eliminate household clutter. Some things could be a child's treasures that stay. Amazing how each person can have much more than is useful for daily functioning. Using the change of seasons for some cleaning- like Fall cleaning- can be markers in any home to keep abreast of tidy homes. Teaching our children to clean and declutter and reorganize at a young age is important skill building.