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This article is brought to you by a quiet Sunday morning—fresh air, soft snowflakes drifting down, chickadees calling from the woods, and a gentle breeze moving through the trees along the trail. And, of course, by our beautiful golden retriever, Billie Rose. Every morning, Jim and I pull on our dog-walking clothes, add our bright orange hats and vests for this time of year, and head out the door. It’s how we choose to begin each day. Our intention is simple: to move our bodies, breathe fresh air, and care for our dog. But as the years go by, I’ve realized that these small rituals nourish far more than our muscles and lungs. They support our minds, our spirits, and that quiet inner light that needs tending just as much as anything else in our lives. We all need habits that remind us we belong—to nature, to one another, and to the great, unfolding story of life. What nourishes each of us may look different, but the need itself is universal. When we do things that connect us to our essence—our magical, spirited selves—something inside brightens. I’ve noticed that when my “to-do” list grows too long, I stop feeling that magic. If I spend too many hours on my phone or computer, I start to feel weighed down, tired, even a little worn out. It’s easy, especially as responsibilities grow and the world becomes noisier, to drift away from the simple act of being present. But when I pause—when I give myself even a moment of quiet—I reconnect with the energy that inspires me to be who I want to be: a caregiver, a teacher, a mother, a wife, a friend. A small force for goodness in whatever ways I can be. Creating a life that nourishes us takes intention, but the reward is a steadier, kinder way of moving through the world. Last weekend, I attended the Haliburton International Film Festival at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion—now in its seventeenth year. The theme was Elbows Up, Chins Up, Rise Up, and the films came from Germany, France, Italy, a small village in Macedonia, and the United Kingdom. Each story showed people stepping up for one another, often in difficult and uncertain circumstances. It was a comforting reminder that even in a world facing so many challenges, there are countless individuals choosing compassion over fear, generosity over greed. This week, I also had the pleasure of speaking at the Eagle Lake Women’s Association. For nearly ninety years, this remarkable group has supported their community with steadfast kindness. They focus on the hopeful. The good. Their belief in the power of generosity has never wavered. And perhaps that is where everything begins—with intention. With a desire to stay connected to the quiet magic around us and within us. When we choose to notice the small beauties of a morning walk, or the kindness in a community, we rise up in our own gentle way. And from that place, goodness has room to grow.

My friend Coosje, Jim and I just spent a couple of weeks in Europe. Our first week was spent in Austria where we were hosted by Austrian relatives in a small village in the mountains. We did lots of hiking and ate really good food, drank fine wines and delicious beers and ate lots of homemade strudel. One day, after a hike, we arrived back in our village to find that a music festival was going on. Every village in each valley has a community band and on this day they had gathered for a music festival. Every band had at least 40 people, some had kids, all had teenagers and young adults and seniors. Every band was dressed in traditional Austrian clothing. The men wore lederhosen and the women wore traditional dresses. I felt like I was at the music festival that we all watched at the end of The Sound of Music. There was so much energy and delight as the bands roamed the village in between performances. We went into the auditorium and watched a couple of the bands perform. It was so fun. We really enjoyed it. I was grateful to experience the local music culture. Later on in the evening one of the bands was in a pub across the road from us, and came out onto the street and sang a traditional Austrian song to us as we stood on our balcony waving at them. These beautiful encounters are what I love about travelling. After Austria we travelled to The Netherlands for a week and had many more adventures. We met kind people everywhere. We returned home and the next day, in my jet-lagged state, I was back at rehearsal with the Voices Rising choir (formerly the Highlands Harmony Choir). Laurel McCauley directs the choir and we have a lovely group of women who have been gathering weekly since September. I sing in the mezzos and I stand beside Debbie who has a beautiful voice and I follow her lead. I know some of the songs better than her, so she relies on me for the words sometimes. We are a great little support for each other. I love our weekly connection. Debbie and I stand close to the back of the mezzo section and I can see and hear the beautiful sopranos to our left. When they add their voices to the songs I always feel like there are angels singing. The altos, to the right of us, add a deep rich sound to our songs. Our choir doesn’t read music. We learn by listening and singing together again and again and again. There is a lot of joy in our group. Voices Rising is having their annual year-end concert on Friday, May 24 at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion. They will be joined by a live band for a couple of songs. Tickets are $20 and are available at Cranberry Cottage, Canoe FM and Let’s Get Local in Minden. You can also get tickets online at kim.quigley@outlook.com . Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 7:30. All proceeds made from the concert will be donated to the Haliburton Music Exchange. I hope you will come and enjoy our performance. Music connects us and uplifts us.

Jim and I were in Orillia on the weekend for his brother’s wedding. It was such a happy occasion. Rob has had a lot of tragedy in his life and we were so happy to celebrate with him. The morning after the wedding we headed up to his farm. It’s where he and Jim grow their 5000 bulbs of garlic every year. Rob isn’t living there anymore, he rents it out to a young family. The young family have 3 boys aged 10 months, 5 and 7. The two older boys love Jim and Rob. We arrived at the barn and the boys and their 2 dogs came running down to meet us. “Jimmie, Jimmie, Hi Jimmie.” They really love Jim. They were so excited to tell us they were heading off to the Coldwater Fall Fair. They wondered if we could go with them. They wondered if we liked rides and candy apples. They asked where Rob was and when he was coming to the farm. They love Rob too. Rob has a big tractor that he uses to cut his lawns and the boys love to ride with him. The boys had been at Rob’s wedding, running around all night. Their parents had catered the event and the food was gourmet. Jim and Rob spend days at the farm preparing the soil for planting and then planting and harvesting the garlic. The boys are glued to them as they work. I was meeting the boys for the first time and the 5-year-old took me aside to show me his supplies for the fair. He had his money, his juice box, sunglasses and a card for his mom all stored in his little pink sparkling purse. He was ready for a great day. When Jim and Rob work at the farm, this little guy comes out to help dressed in his favourite flowing blue and pink and colourful dresses. He runs around pulling garlic, or digging in the soil or riding in the tractor in his dress. He is happy and loved. This is what we want for all kids. To be happy and loved. Henry is loved and he knows it. He’s not trying to be something or someone he isn’t. He isn’t trying to get his brother to wear a dress. And no one knows what the dress is about at this point anyways. He might just like playing dress up. Maybe he feels more comfortable in a dress or he likes the colours. It doesn’t matter. He is allowed to dress as he wants without one comment from anyone. If Henry is straight or gay, it’s the way he came into the world. And our responsibility as friends, parents, grandparents, teachers, siblings, co-workers are to love him and encourage him to grow into a loving, caring person. When kids aren’t accepted for who they are and aren’t free to express who they are, their mental health can suffer and that can lead to all kinds of issues. If Henry grows up in a loving family and society anything is possible. Love will always be stronger than fear or hate.

John Lennon said “We can’t help everyone, but we can help someone.” In these challenging times in the world we are living with wars, poverty, climate change, artificial intelligence, discrimination, an overwhelmed health care system, homelessness etc. There is a lot going on and it is easy to wake up and turn on the news and feel hopeless, worried, depressed and anxious, or we can choose to place our attention elsewhere. We can acknowledge there are challenges worldwide, and challenges on our front door. And while most of us can’t do anything about the war in the Middle East or the Ukraine (of course some protest, pray or send blessings and that helps) what we can do is get involved with something right in front of our noses and help out. And it will make us feel better. We can each sew little seeds of hope in our own community through our work and volunteering or by being a good parent or grandparent. There are a million ways to do this. Right now people are donating and raising funds for the Heat Bank. Groups are clearing trails to get ready for our ski season. Others are rehearsing for upcoming Christmas concerts which will lift everyone’s spirits. Some are volunteering at our local schools or for our local land trusts. I know people who make soup for their neighbour on a regular basis. Others share their firewood. People are making a difference every day in small and significant ways in their own communities. My family has recently been the recipient of 2 angels that have come into our lives to support my dad John, who turned 95 last week. I am like one big bubble of gratitude when they come because by doing their work, they are helping our whole family in ways I can’t put into words in this article. One of the things I love about these angels is that I have known them from a distance for pretty much their whole lives. Jim taught them and they are both graduates of our Haliburton Highlands Secondary School. Abby Gordon is 23 years old and was born in Australia but pretty much grew up in Haliburton. She started her own business called Karinya which is an Australian Aboriginal word that can be translated to “a happy and peaceful home.” Abby works with seniors and people with special needs. I can tell you that she brings peace and joy with her when she comes to help my dad. He loves her. When she is in my parents’ place, I can overhear her chit chatting with both of my parents. She is laughing and telling them stories and answering their many questions about her life. She is a bright spot in their week, every week. And that helps Jim and I so much. Abby sews little seeds of compassion, caring, warmth, friendliness with every visit. We are all uplifted by her. Thank you Abby! Our second angel is Courtney Bishop, who is a mama, wife, daughter, mother in law, sister, friend and a fantastic nurse who is on top of her game! Courtney has been coming to work with my dad who has leg issues and is in pain. She is so bright and smart and gets things done. She doesn’t judge his beliefs and she gives him so much confidence in his body with every visit. And again, by her sewing her seeds of caring, kindness, attention she uplifts our whole family. And when I feel uplifted I can go and teach my yoga classes which inspire me, and hopefully the people who attend. And the ripples expand from there. The world needs all of us to sew our seeds of compassion. Thank you Courtney.

We all love times when we feel looked after. That we matter and belong. When we are welcomed with open arms. I often contemplate how I can go into my day with a big open heart, with kindness and compassion to whoever I am going to be in contact with. In whatever circumstances arise. I also take the time to really savour the moments when I receive kindness. I marinate in it. It happened many times on our recent adventure to the Azores, which are 9 islands that sit out in the Atlantic Ocean and belong to Portugal. Jim and I and a group of our friends spent a week on Sao Miguel, which is the largest of the islands, and a week on Terceira which is home to the oldest city of the Azores, Angra do Heroisimo. Both islands offered great birding opportunities which is important to our group. I have many stories to tell from our adventures, but one that I have told many times since coming home involves a family owned restaurant in a small town called Mosterios. The restaurant is called Restaurant Gazcidla. Our group had been out on a morning adventure swimming in one of the natural hot springs located in the ocean. When we arrived to go swimming it was raining but we persevered because the weather moves through quickly. It was a short walk, in the pounding rain, to the hot spring. There was a ladder down into the water and ropes that we could hold onto as the waves from the ocean came in and out. We had a lot of fun. After we dried off and had a good coffee (there are little cafes everywhere and the coffee is delicious) we headed into Mosterios to find a place to eat lunch. We had worked up an appetite and were grateful to find Restaurant Gazcidla. At first when we said we were a group of 10, the owner/greeter bartender didn’t think he could fit us in, but then he did. He and his staff quickly put together a table and welcomed us. Almost all of us ordered seafood. Swordfish, shrimp, octopus and seafood chowder. Every meal always comes with delicious, really delicious, homemade bread and cheese from the islands. Our waitress was lovely and her English was much better than our Portuguese. Throughout the meal the staff checked in on us and made sure we were well cared for. Towards the end, Jim got up to thank the owner and asked a few questions about the food we ate. The owner then brought out his dad who was the co-owner chef and Jim thanked them both and gave them a hug. There was lots of laughter as they tried to communicate through sign language. And then as we went to pay our bill the owner came out with a round of homemade moonshine for all of us to share. We laughed and toasted the good food and the owners toasted us. We felt so welcome and full of good food and that is exactly how you should feel when you are on holiday. We always feel happy when we are welcomed with kindness and friendliness.

Ok, this might be too much information. Don’t read on if you are looking for my usual uplifting stories. Well, this does become uplifting but it is messy to start. I have had a very rough week. My dad, John, who is 95 is in pretty good health except for his legs which are weak, swollen, painful and full of fluids. He can barely walk. We’ve had nurses coming in to care for him, but last Monday he couldn’t walk and so we sent him into emerg where he stayed for 4 days. The nurses and doctors do their best there, but it is crazy. I visited my dad 3 times a day and I observed the staff working really hard to try and care for too many people. I have no expertise in health care, but I could see that they are really struggling. They don’t have the time to attend to a 95 year old guy who is ok, except for his legs. My dad so desperately wanted to get home and I want the best solution for him and it is so complicated. It honestly breaks my heart to watch him struggle and at the same time neither of us wants to be a burden to the system. All week I questioned the decision we made to have him come and live with us when there are so few supports. The wait list for long term care is long. I don’t want to be pushy when I can see the health care people are overworked and at the same time I want to advocate for my dad. He’s 95 and everyone deserves respect and dignity and care at that age. To complicate matters, Jim and I are leaving in a couple of days for a trip to Portugal with our long time friends. We’ve had this planned for a year. My sister is coming from Vancouver to stay with my parents, but it all seems so tenuous. I have been stressed all week to say the least. Trying to accept what is, advocate for what is needed and take care of my parents and my marriage and my friendships and myself. I have waffled between going on the trip and not going. How can I left my sister and my parents when my dad is now home, and even weaker than when he went into emerg.

Jim and I have been married for 33 years and for 33 years we’ve been visiting our local LCBO. We do love a delicious glass of wine with our friends on a Friday evening or really any evening that we gather. I remember when our daughter Madeline was little and we used to walk into town every Saturday with her. One day we walked by a house 2 doors down from the LCBO that was for sale and Madeline turned to us and said “you should buy this house it’s right beside your favourite store.” We laughed. Obviously she saw we were regulars. Bare with me now as this story diverges. It will come back to the LCBO, Lisa, Wendy, Barb and all of the staff that work there. In the wisdom traditions it is known that each of us must take care of our inner well being and it is suggested that we do this by gladdening our minds every day. Three specific practices are recommended and are easy to build into our lives. The first one is to have a daily practice of gratitude. Each day acknowledging 3 things you are grateful for. The second practice is to really savour the moments when you feel a sense of awe, joy, love, connection, belonging and delight. Maybe sitting with friends by the campfire, attending a concert or sporting activity, being in nature etc. When you notice you are in joy, take at least 30 seconds to savour it. Let it fill you up. It is like a sacred pause to be really present with what you are experiencing. The third way to gladden your mind is to do small acts of kindness throughout your day. You could smile at someone, you could hold open a door or drop off a salad or a loaf to a neighbour. The possibilities for small acts of kindness are endless. And even if the person you extend the kindness to doesn’t know that you are doing so, you know. Your heart knows and grows. And so it is here in the article that we loop back to the LCBO. I was in the store the other day buying a bottle of wine for my weekend. Lisa was serving me and I just happened to mention that the LCBO brown paper bags were a thing of the past. I laughed and told her how my husband would especially miss the bags because he, we and our friends save them throughout the year and he fills them with garlic that he sells. The brown bags have been the perfect size. Lisa looked at me and got a big smile on her face and said “hey, Wendy knows that Jim uses them for his garlic so she put the leftover ones aside for him. Wait here and I will get them.” And so Lisa went and came back with a pile of bags for Jim and his garlic. Barb, Wendy and Lisa have always been so friendly, welcoming and professional in that store. And they have always made everyone feel like they are preferred customers. They extend kindness every day and these paper bags were another example. Kind acts connect us, hold us together and make us feel like we matter.

We all have the potential to send strands of goodness, positive energy and support out into the world. Every act of kindness, generosity and love sends ripples to the collective. A kind word, a smile, volunteering to help someone or a cause, donating to help a situation or person, holding the door open for someone or giving up the parking spot to the person who pulled in at the same time as you. The list can go on forever. These strands of light and love and goodness hold us all. They connect us to each other and we rely on them to get us through our days. They give us hope. 52,558 strands are currently floating around us in this county. These strands are made up of 19 teams that include 57 participants who are moving to raise awareness and money for the Abbey Retreat Centre (ARC). Every team is unique in what they are doing. People are lifting weights, hiking, biking, seeking beauty, paddling, doing yoga, swimming, walking their dog and some have been known to dance in their kitchen and at the dump. There are 19 generous sponsors who have stepped up to support the event. Further, there are an incredible 339 people who have donated to our challenge so far. We are a generous county! So far we have raised $52,124.00. When you add all these numbers together you get 52,558 strands of commitment floating around us. I am on a team called After Coffee and Tea and what I love about this event is that every team is doing something unique. Every person is contributing in their own way. It is really fun to read the bios of the teams on the Haliburton Highlands Challenge website. People who have had cancer are participating. Some are moving in honour of someone they have lost. People are participating from across Canada. Our goal for the fundraiser is $80,000 and we are going to make it! More and more strands are added daily. And then the real celebration begins when we add the participants who will get to go to ARC with their caregiver because of the money we have raised. Their strands are extra super strong because we all know how grateful a person is when they are sick, and get to be looked after. Get to be loved. Get to be cherished. Get to be in the beauty of the Haliburton Highlands. I am so thankful that I have not had cancer, but I have lost a father-in-law and sister-in-law and in this past year a dear friend who I loved. We all know people living with cancer and our love helps in every way that we can give it. If you want to read more about the HHC and ARC check out https://abbeyretreatcentre.ca/haliburton-highlands-challenge/ . I bet you will know someone who is on a team, or someone who has donated! I really don’t like asking people for money, but I am asking you to consider donating a strand or 20. Every single strand helps us. Thank you.