First Person

Goodbye old Maple, you’ve served this neighbourhood well

Retirement? I’d rather call this time of my life ‘inspire-ment’

Why we decided to give a praying mantis the run of our home

I died and came back to life during surgery. Did I see God? Sure, but not how you’d think

I followed my passion – and it led to a new one that actually pays the bills

I didn’t care about being on the long list, until I began obsessing about winning

When my son moved to a new country, I learned how my mother felt when I came to Canada

Every ‘Yes, chef!’ I give my grown son really means ‘I love you’

Dad’s old timepiece reminds me that Remembrance Day is like a watch that needs winding

The war stories my father told me are even more relevant today

Reading Dad’s wartime letters introduced me to a man I thought I already knew

I can never know my great uncles, but I can visit their names at war memorials in Europe

My kids’ Remembrance Day ceremony hit me harder than I thought it would

I got a proposal. My best friend got a diagnosis. We went through it all together

I‘m loud and proud about this menopausal time of my life

Spending time in a cemetery soothes my soul

Birding in Guatemala taught me to stay present - no matter where in the world I am

Tuesday nights with my sister is a balm for my soul - but it wasn’t always that way

After seven years of fertility treatments, was it still possible to hope?

Not everyone gets to love a cat. Phoebe was special

Great neighbours are rare. I don’t know what I’ll do without Walter

Once the kids moved out, our house no longer felt like a home

A teacher’s role is to let students develop their own opinions (not force feed their own)

My father chose to live with his dementia, not just die from it

After 50 years with my husband, I feel like I’m the last married woman in my social circle

A seniors’ home where creativity rules? This is some kind of paradise!

In Canada, I miss the art of haggling over prices

Fall colours help prepare me for what comes next in life

An impromptu Thanksgiving in the park with strangers made me feel less alone

My son is back from school this weekend. His return eases the grief of his leaving

A rotting deck and stratospheric contractor quotes turned me into a handyman at 68

One ice-cream shop can make a difference in a community - even in a big city like Toronto