As a young divorced mother, working hard to support two children and myself, I always had the fear that I might not live long enough to see them grow up and start out on their own.
Today I was reading about a young father who has a similar fear, although he is lucky enough to have a wife who could take over if he passed away. I understood his angst as I had gone through it myself. It brought back that memory to me of long ago.
In the days that my children were small, I carried as much insurance on my life as I could afford in order to provide for them should I pass away. Although that would have been financially helpful, who would raise my children? Who would provide the day to day guidance in order to stay on the straight path?
The children would be so vulnerable to unhealthy influences unless they were placed in a Godly home which would be a shield against the temptations all young people must face. Peer pressure, especially in the teenage years is so powerful.
If I had died, the children's father might have been awarded them but he was not a good choice as he had gotten into drugs and alcohol in a big way. To this day, more than forty years later, he remains in such a state, poor fellow.
I know of a situation right now where the mother has died, leaving two children, age 12 and 14 behind. They live with their grandmother who wishes to keep them with her but the father has the priority to have them even though he has similar problems such as my poor ex-husband has.
If I were the grandmother, I would fight tooth and nails to prevent this from happening. I would represent myself in the court even though I am not a trained person. I know there would be very little chance of me winning over a person who is trained but at least my grandchildren would know that I cared enough to fight for them and this would remain in their minds forever.
This, of course, would not be a wise decision to represent yourself, but on the other hand, is it a wise decision just to let the children go into a situation where there is danger to them?
I think my heart would rule over my head in this case and I would do everything in my power to save my grandchildren from a detrimental environment.
In my situation, I was fortunate that I lived and was able to see my children stable and living good lives which is all that I ever wanted for them.
I hope for the sake of the young father that he lives for many years to come and that, like me, his fears do not come to pass.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
ESL TUTORS AND STUDENT PARTY
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I showed an apartment to a nice young lady and her mother, showed them the building, and told them a little bit about life in Hamilton. They were from Toronto. It is my friend's apartment who moved away to Toronto and I usually show it for them so they won't have to come all the way to Hamilton each time somebody wants to take a look.
Then it was my regular tutoring job at the library after which I scurried home and made a couscous salad to bring to the party.
People brought many dishes which I was not familiar with and it was fun to try them. There was more than enough food for everybody and we all sat around in the library staff lounge and enjoyed chatting with each other.
Lorraine, our co-ordinator had taken a month long trip to China and she talked about this trip and showed us pictures.
I really got a kick out of how the many Chinese folk there ( adult students) corrected her pronunciation of the places she had been. We were all laughing about it as it was the opportunity for the students to shine and to correct their teachers when it came to their own language!
Great fun with much laughter.
As it was Chinese New Year, each guest at the individual tables got a little red package to open. Inside was a piece of chocolate made to look like a golden coin.
There was a group of Chinese elders who are also students and they read together and demonstrated their skills to the audience. They got a real round of applause and you could see how pleased they were to have their work noticed.
All in all, it was a lovely evening and very, very well attended.
Fortunately, the promised snowfall held off well into the night as right now it is raging all around Hamilton and vicinity as well as in Kitchener and Toronto. As a totally practical person, I had gone to do some grocery shopping in between my teaching job and preparing a dish for the pot luck so I am well prepared for whatever nature throws at us.
Thanks for dropping by.
Then it was my regular tutoring job at the library after which I scurried home and made a couscous salad to bring to the party.
People brought many dishes which I was not familiar with and it was fun to try them. There was more than enough food for everybody and we all sat around in the library staff lounge and enjoyed chatting with each other.
Lorraine, our co-ordinator had taken a month long trip to China and she talked about this trip and showed us pictures.
I really got a kick out of how the many Chinese folk there ( adult students) corrected her pronunciation of the places she had been. We were all laughing about it as it was the opportunity for the students to shine and to correct their teachers when it came to their own language!
Great fun with much laughter.
As it was Chinese New Year, each guest at the individual tables got a little red package to open. Inside was a piece of chocolate made to look like a golden coin.
There was a group of Chinese elders who are also students and they read together and demonstrated their skills to the audience. They got a real round of applause and you could see how pleased they were to have their work noticed.
All in all, it was a lovely evening and very, very well attended.
Fortunately, the promised snowfall held off well into the night as right now it is raging all around Hamilton and vicinity as well as in Kitchener and Toronto. As a totally practical person, I had gone to do some grocery shopping in between my teaching job and preparing a dish for the pot luck so I am well prepared for whatever nature throws at us.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
CARMEN'S PARTY
Today I co-hosted a party in our party room. My friend Carmen is now selling Mary Kay cosmetics and we held a party in my building. It was to introduce her new endeavour to a group of ladies from St. Paul's.
Carmen was amazing with her energy and she did a very good presentation. The ladies had a good time trying the various cosmetics and many people bought her products. I was very glad for that.
I also had a display of my jewellery and I sold quite a few pairs of nice earrings. It was not the reason for the party but just an added attraction. Carmen asked me to display some of my hand crafted jewellery which I did.
I was quite pleased with the results of the party. It was a very compatible groups of ladies who came as well as they all knew each other.
Thanks for dropping by.
Carmen was amazing with her energy and she did a very good presentation. The ladies had a good time trying the various cosmetics and many people bought her products. I was very glad for that.
I also had a display of my jewellery and I sold quite a few pairs of nice earrings. It was not the reason for the party but just an added attraction. Carmen asked me to display some of my hand crafted jewellery which I did.
I was quite pleased with the results of the party. It was a very compatible groups of ladies who came as well as they all knew each other.
Thanks for dropping by.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Turning 20: Local reading series got its start in 1994
Turning 20: Local reading series got its start in 1994
This is a wonderful milestone in the life of the literary arts in Hamilton.
This is a wonderful milestone in the life of the literary arts in Hamilton.
Turning 20: Local reading series got its start in 1994
Turning 20: Local reading series got its start in 1994
This is a wonderful milestone in the life of the literary arts in Hamilton.
This is a wonderful milestone in the life of the literary arts in Hamilton.
Coroner releases identity of woman strangled at Fabre metro | CTV Montreal News
Coroner releases identity of woman strangled at Fabre metro | CTV Montreal News
I, myself, have never felt comfortable on an escalator ever since I fell on one in Toronto and my hair was so close to the jaws of the machine when a man heard me yelling and ran and pressed the emergency button.
Thanks to his quick action, all I suffered was a broken arm. It also was in a station where not too many people go especially at off hours.
My heartfelt sympathies go out to this woman's family. The poor husband, first his mother's death, then his wife's - so much to handle. The little children who have lost their Mom in such a tragedy. Newcomers to Canada - strangers in a strange land with different customs and habits. Fortunately in Morocco, French is spoken as well as Arabic, the same as it is in Algeria. Having French will be helpful for them to fit in the Quebec society.
May God comfort the family.
I, myself, have never felt comfortable on an escalator ever since I fell on one in Toronto and my hair was so close to the jaws of the machine when a man heard me yelling and ran and pressed the emergency button.
Thanks to his quick action, all I suffered was a broken arm. It also was in a station where not too many people go especially at off hours.
My heartfelt sympathies go out to this woman's family. The poor husband, first his mother's death, then his wife's - so much to handle. The little children who have lost their Mom in such a tragedy. Newcomers to Canada - strangers in a strange land with different customs and habits. Fortunately in Morocco, French is spoken as well as Arabic, the same as it is in Algeria. Having French will be helpful for them to fit in the Quebec society.
May God comfort the family.
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