Holly Dickson-Ramos's Blog, page 5

Today

I went to a funeral yesterday. A co-worker. Four years younger than me. Cancer. She is gone. I am still here. A miracle. Life is fragile, not just for her or me – for all of us. Those who are sick and those who are not can be taken at any time. Control is an... Continue Reading →

What We Carry

What do you carry? I mean, really carry? In polite conversation, with a stranger, I might say that I work and I cook. You might tell me about your job, or your chores. When I ask what you carry, though, this isn’t what I mean. What heavy things linger from your past? Are there unseen... Continue Reading →

A Trip With Holly

This past week, for the first time in my life, I ate brussel sprouts. It’s all because of a trip to Tobermory. We left in the rain and arrived, after a few hours of driving, to a moody island in what some would call Northern Ontario (officially, it’s still Southern Ontario – you need to... Continue Reading →

Sweet Spot – The Eye of the Storm

“Wherever we are always accepted and never alone, never abandoned, our deepest dreams can come true – even in the midst of nightmares.” (Ann Voskamp – Waymaker) In a paragraph about addiction and loss, death, betrayal and rejection, Ann Voskamp writes about dreams coming true. We expect our lives to be easy roads, she muses,... Continue Reading →

My Etsy Shop

Who knew that a Christmas gift from my husband could lead to this? A shop? Me? Making paintings at the kitchen table, then wrapping them with care and mailing them out… out… into the world! So fun. I shared with you, a while back, how much the discovery of painting meant to me. There are... Continue Reading →

Smash That Mirror!

Do you obsess over selfies and photos and the image that stares back at you when you use the bathroom? Or maybe it’s the opposite… you never take selfies, make sure you’re the one holding the camera for group shots and you look as little as possible at any mirror you pass. We want love.... Continue Reading →

Daring to Hope

“How do you get up day after day to face a world of brokenness and hurt and failure? You murmur the question and you hope that no one hears you: Is God really good, does He really see me…?” Katie Davis Majors asks hard questions in her book, Daring to Hope. It’s not a new... Continue Reading →

We Love You

Yesterday I went to a farm store for carrots and there were so many tulip bouquets at the checkout, a rustic interior now seemed bohemian. What is the appropriate response to a cashier who ends your transaction with the words, “Happy Mother’s Day!”? I am a mother and I have a mother, but what about... Continue Reading →

The things others don’t know

Have you ever glanced around at a social gathering and noticed how easy it all seems for everyone else? The light chatter? The casual bite of cake? Sometimes I people-gaze from the window of our car, envying the jogger who runs with ease, the elderly home owner who prunes a bush, the father who bikes... Continue Reading →

My Favourite Things

Do you have a stash of treasures? Trinkets from childhood, fabric scraps from special outfits… precious, tangible reminders of a moment or a person you don’t want to forget? I do, and today I want to share a few with you. I can hear your thoughts. You’re right. It’s a collection of teeth. My daughter’s.... Continue Reading →