Your Words
And so we meet again Island women. It is once again my pure delight to share with you. I want to offer another poem and this one came after a writing drought. I have been taking great strides in preparing to launch my own spoken word show called “Spoken Love with Carlie Kilduff” and I can assure you that, behind the scenes of any artist baring their soul, are some shaking knees and tender hearts. As I move forward, I constantly nurture the voice that tries to encourage me to keep going, rather the one that says I should just pack it in and keep my passion hidden. There is a part in all of...
Read MoreWhen A Dream Becomes Reality
October 28, 2014 was one of the best days of my life. It was the Middle School graduation ceremony for 23 students in Chukumuk, Guatemala. These students, dressed in traditional Tz’utujil splendor, were so elated and their families so proud; they were one step closer to graduating high school. I am wearing a beautiful guipil (shirt) that was embroidered by the Home Economics teacher as a gift. All the students looked fantastic and so proud in their traditional clothing. To a Canadian, this does not seem an exceptional feat. However, when one considers that less than 1% graduate high...
Read MoreFarewell To The ‘Gentle Giant’
In what best can be described as awe-inspiring, the military funeral of Sergeant Mark Salesse on February 28 drew crowds in the hundreds at 442 Transport and Rescue (T&R) Squadron. On a vibrant sunny Saturday afternoon, the squadron hangar floor was filled with family, friends and colleagues, both military and civilian, from near and far who gathered together to pay respect to a fallen soldier. Mark Salesse, 44, was killed during a military training exercise at Polar Circus near Banff, Alberta. He and three other Search and Rescue Technician (SAR Tech) from 435 T&R Squadron, Winnipeg,...
Read MoreA Good-Hearted Man
My mom married a good-hearted man because she was used to that in her father. Both men were an interesting blend of mind and heart. My grandfather, Dr. Isaac Erb, was a pathologist and a colleague of doctors Banting and Best, the Canadian medical researchers from the University of Toronto who discovered insulin a century ago. Grandpa testified in the few murders that occurred in Toronto back in the 1920s and was revered by many (my mom used to joke that he – a pathologist – had been told that he had an excellent bedside manner). He also had a soft heart. In a 1907 letter, he wrote...
Read MoreIt’s Time to Save My Life!
I want to talk about something important, but I didn’t want to write about it in January. January is a time of endless promises to ourselves to make changes, improve our lives, and become wonderful human beings. While they are all great New Year’s resolutions, we all know the statistics … most of us fall off the resolution wagon very quickly. Hop to site to know more. I want to deliver my message at a time when there is less chance that folks are into ‘resolution’ mode, because I want you to listen to me well and take me seriously. Here it is: we HAVE to start...
Read MoreSweet Heart & Fiery Conviction
“Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” – Marie Shear, 1986 The year turned with anticipation, followed shortly by the passing of a friend. Admittedly I didn’t know her that well, but Jackie did. In fact, Jackie had to run out after the Board interviewed her so she wouldn’t leave too quickly, being absolutely the best person for the job. The Board of the newly formed Haven Society for the protection of abused and battered women, back in the early 1980s, was about to hire its first staffers, and Sharon Hirt would be a mainstay, a force to be reckoned...
Read MoreGive Up The Wheel?
Some time ago one of those photo jokes appeared in my inbox. The single frame showed an intent and apprehensive ‘grey hair’ hunched at the wheel; in the passenger seat sat a small dog with a look of abject terror on its face. The caption? “How you’ll know when it’s time to stop driving.” Yes, humorous, but an unsettling message for those of us who might be approaching ‘wheels loss’. While we’re still safely in charge of a vehicle is the best time to consider the evidence that could lead to hanging up the keys, as well as some simple steps that can maintain, or even improve...
Read MoreDear Consumer
I am a spoken word artist and I have been performing in open mic nights at local coffee shops over the past five months. When I started, I had eight poems and a timid heart. Now, I am happy to say that I have over seventy poems and my heart soars more and more as I share. People offer their encouragement as I step into my calling. In the upcoming year, I have plans to begin my own show that I am calling “Spoken Love with Carlie”. I will share this at coffee shops along with some musician friends who may join me and make a spoken word and musical sandwich, which happens to be very...
Read MoreCreating Christmas Spirit
Christmas … portrayed in folklore, the media and commercial hype as a time of peace, happiness and goodwill. Unfortunately, the reality is that for many people, the reverse is true; it is a time of loneliness, grief and regret. The suicide rate increases over the Christmas holiday period. Why should this be so? For some, this will be the first Christmas they will be without a spouse, a child or a loved one. For others, it triggers memories of Christmas past. For me, December 23rd brings back the pain of my father dying when I was 15 years old. The unrelenting commercial pressure at this...
Read MoreStuffed Full
Well it’s almost that time of year again. The holidays are just around the corner. Just in case we weren’t aware of it, Christmas ads on TV and newspapers stuffed with flyers are an ongoing reminder of this year’s latest and greatest gifts. Every year it’s the same old stress. Am I going to buy the right gift, who do I need to include on my gift list, and why didn’t I start my Christmas shopping earlier? This might be the perfect time to pause and take a look at what you already have in your life. How much stuff do you already have? Do you really need a new one...
Read MoreA Day With My Mom
As my mother’s 93rd birthday approached, I was getting excited. I was flying across the country to spend her birthday with her. I had a two week visit planned and was thinking up fun things we could do together. It occurred to me to share my garden with her through videos. Mom loves the garden. So, a couple of weeks before my departure, I did a walk around the property, as we had done so many times when she visited me several years ago. The professional’s reviews at page. Through my camera lens, I pointed out what was new, what had evolved since she had last seen it, and shared...
Read MoreYour Dance With Disarray
A home full of clutter can affect your health. Do you sometimes look at your storage room, desk, closet or kitchen countertop and feel absolutely overwhelmed at the ‘stuff’ that needs to be sorted, filed, paid or disposed of? The reason you may feel overwhelmed is because you are reacting to negative life force energy – or Chi – and you are weighed down by the depressing impact of clutter. Clutter comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be stacked on tables, crammed in closets, stuffed in file cabinets or packed under the stairs. Wherever it finds a home, there will be an invisible...
Read MoreMuch To Learn
I have much to learn. Shouldn’t learning come naturally to a teacher? After all, I put myself through seven years of university after my thirteen years of public education. But alas no, I am only recently experimenting with how to learn through the hard places when one might otherwise want to shut down, point a finger, or run away. I am learning that this is where we can learn the best of gems. I am recently using the word ‘artist’ to describe myself. With many other words of suitable definition, this is a new one. I was always an artist … drawing, coloring, crafting and writing,...
Read MoreA Muse-Driven Business
It finally began at the kitchen table of an old house in James Bay, Victoria. With a stack of sketches, a sewing machine and some material, and from a deep well of inspiration, Laura Bemister launched Victoria’s Muse Clothing Company. Seven years later, powered by hard work and inspiration, her company continues to grow. Laura Bemister is a petite, energetic, self-assured woman in her early 30s with a sparkly enthusiasm, a great big smile, and a ready laugh. Optimistic, cheerful and driven, she epitomises the enthusiastic self-starter. Her interest in fashion can be traced back to when...
Read MoreA Safe Haven
I had the chance recently to re-visit my 1980 roots in the movement to assist abused women when I attended the 2014 Annual General Meeting of the Haven Society and had the opportunity to meet and reconnect with current and past Board members and volunteers. Back in 1978-79, shortly after I moved to BC, I began working to stop violence against women, and helped start Haven House in Nanaimo. Within a year or so we’d raised enough attention to society’s quiet permission and shameful silence that we attracted the attention of Rosemary Brown, the only MLA brave enough to speak up for women and...
Read MoreWomen Empowered in Rwanda
When I told family and friends that Rwanda was on the itinerary for my visit to Stephen Lewis Foundation funded projects in Sub Saharan Africa, many expressed concern, wondering whether it was safe. For most of us, the gruesome pictures and stories of the genocide are our first thought when Rwanda is mentioned. I didn’t really know what to expect when our bus entered the Village of Hope, the Kigali center of the Rwanda Women Network (RWN). I was prepared to be serious and empathetic in the presence of women who had gone through severe trauma. Instead, we were greeted by exuberant song and...
Read More