Once again a summer has flown past and I’ve hardly noticed. This morning I awoke with the need to fly around the house and close all the windows. I think it had something to do with the 50F temps outside and no heat on inside.

I’d say fall has arrived in all but offical form. We’re not getting the trees turning yet but that will come soon enough. I actually turned a heater on in the house today. Which means I can hear the cash register running at the Hydro company since it’s currently the expensive part of the day.

Well, I may have let summer fly by but I am getting ready for an upcoming event early, Halloween. No, I’m not putting up decorations or planning on buy candy to give out to kids who never appear at my door. I”m building a Halloween blog which I hope to have released in a few days. I have the content, just need to get it loaded in.

In the meant time, hope you enjoy this:

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Who Stole Summer?

I just added a new link to a blog. As you can see, I don’t add a lot of blog links, so I really like this one. Gail Hyatt’s daughter Megan Miller wrote about Brené Brown a week or so ago. I’ve gone back and read that post and watched the video a few times. I learn something every time I do.

Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. Now, one would think that she’s pretty dry and boring. She’s anything but, she’s witty, candid, shoot from the hip and talks to you, not at you.

She also talks about a subject we all experience but rarely talk about, vulnerability and shame. Forgive the pun but a lot of us are just ashamed to talk about shame, our own that is. Anyone who knows me offline, knows I’m pretty reserved. I don’t often let people know what I’m feeling or struggling with. I’m vulnerable, just like anyone else is, I just throw a shield up in front of it.

I’ve done such a great job of shielding it over the years, that other than the gut feelings, I don’t even articulate to myself. I’m aware of that need, that I lose a part of living by not being in touch with that part of myself. For me, it’s been this mystery, when a counsellor has said you need to be more in touch with your feelings and to express them, I’ve often said… how. The usual response is you know, you just need to do it.

I guess that gave the counsellor the wiggle room to not have to guide me into space she wasn’t sure about. It threw the onus on me to answer my own question out of thin air I guess.  While exploring Ms Brown’s blog I decided to check out which of her books was available on Kindle (I have the app for that). I purchased and downloaded “I Thought it Was Just Me”, came back to explore the blog further and discovered a read along program for the book.  I’m going to explore that further as I read the book.

So, go to Megan’s blog and listen to the TED talk of Brene’s she has there, look up her name on YouTube and listen to her talks and visit her blog. I think you’ll find her real interesting.

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Ordinary Courage

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s been so long since I last posted here. I haven’t been doing blogging on most of my blogs for the last while. I’ve been busy, aren’t we all. The reality is, I just kept putting off posting. That’s not really an excuse, it’s just plain honest.

We’re busy at the Legion these days, which is a really good thing. There is a great team of people there who really care about the place and want to see it not only survive but also to thrive. Volunteering can make you rich in ways money can never measure.

Unfortunately, my bills require money to pay so I have to work on actually making some money. I’ve wanted to do that online for several years but never seem to really make it work. It’s me, I know that, I don’t work consistently enough at putting the infrastructure in place to make that happen. There is no overnight success methods, it takes deliberate action.

So, my primary goal for this year is to take deliberate action, consistently. One of those deliberate actions includes posting more regularly to this blog. This is my place to hang out and share what I feel like sharing.

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Time Flies

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

Spr Brian Collier – Afghanistan July 20, 2010

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

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We Will Remember Him

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

Sgt James Macneil – Afghanistan June 21, 2010

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

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We Will Remember Him

When a Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan, or any where else they are serving in the world, the Legion branch I belong to lowers their flag to half staff. The usual protocol for a period of mourning is 10 days or the day of the funeral, which ever comes first. On this blog and one fo my other blogs, Out of the Shadows, I post a memorial entry which stays at the top of the blog for the same period.

The month of May has been a bit difficult to get that flag back to the top of the pole. In fact, we haven’t succeeded yet. We’ve had four Canadians killed in Afghanistan, which for my American readers is a very small number, spaced out so that 10 days has not passed without a death.

As some American friends have noted, if the Americans lowered their flags like we do, they would never fly at full staff. As much as I wait and pray for the day when the flag can be returned to the top of the pole, it flying at half staff reminds me that Canadians are putting their life on the line for me every single day.

Each of those ten days of flag flying at half staff means that I’ll be making a trip to the bridge to honour our fallen Canadian. As the motorcade makes its way from CFB Trenton to the coroner’s office in Toronto along the Highway of Heroes, I’m among the hundreds of Canadians who turn out to show the families, Canadians care.

The waves and acknowledgement from the military escorts mean a lot to those on the bridges but it is when the hands of the family waving as they pass by that we know, at least for this part of their journey, they know they are not alone.

Join me in prayer that the flag reaches the top of the pole and no more families will have to make that long journey.

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Praying to Get the Flag Up the Pole

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

Tpr Larry Rudd – Afghanistan May 24, 2010

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

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We Will Remember Him

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

Col Geoff Parker – Afghanistan May 18, 2010

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

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We Will Remember Him