Magic Is Magic

And just like that, November is gone!

The holiday gatherings have begun. Work parties, get-togethers with friends, and concerts put on by the littles that would rival any Broadway production.

My snowmen have successfully migrated from the basement and are doing well. Our grandbabies had the opportunity to participate in the "Friendsmas" at their Auntie and Uncle's house, and will be beginning their rehearsals for the concerts very soon.

Work parties are... well, work parties. They provide all kinds of opportunities, good and bad. Just remember, as you attend, everybody has a camera, and they aren't shy about using them.

For us, added into the holiday madness, are the final few of the tradeshows at which we will be selling and signing books.

Tomorrow, we head to Moose Jaw. For those of you not from here, yes that is the name of a real city. Next week, White City, also real, then Kindersley. 

Throughout the fall we've met, and continue to meet, incredible, gifted artisans who display an incredible variety of talents that produce everything from handmade hats, mittens and plush toys, to home-baked goodies of every kind you can think of, We've seen hand-tooled jewelry with mind-blowing detail, wood carvings big enough to sit on and tiny enough to fit in your dollhouse. We've had the privilege of seeing beauty framed, some painted, some put there through the eye of a lens.

Over the next little while, if you have the opportunity to attend one of these shows, the craft fairs, the tradeshows, the extravaganzas, do yourself the favour, and go. It would be hard to be disappointed in the treasures you will find. 

Now I hate to write and run, but I have to get ready for tomorrow's tradeshow, and I have some squares that need to be cut and taken to the freezer before my hubby gets home,

So go, take it all in, spread some joy, or, if you are in need of some, take yourself to places where you can bathe in it. 

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On a sadder note, our son-in-law lost his Granddad early this morning. Although he lived a long and full life, it's never easy to say good-bye to someone you love.

When you are 7, 5 and 3, it can be particularly tough. It hurts to know our grandbabies are having to deal with this depth of grief at such a young age. In their sweet innocence, they have decided to leave extra cookies out for Santa this year, with a note to ask Santa to bring one to Granddad.

Magic is magic.

Time spent with loved ones is precious. A gift, not a given.

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May you embrace the magic of the season, take it all in through the eyes of a child.

May you let it carry you through any heaviness, let it make the mayhem mild.

May you share the magic, sprinkling it generously over everyone you meet.

May the warmth this brings keep you toasty from your head to your feet.

May the magic from others find you, if you are having trouble tapping into your own.

May you see the depth and breadth of your magic are vast, yet untested and unknown.

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Until next time...

Books can still be shipped in time for Christmas!

Check them out at www.margyreidbooks.com 

For a digital copy of Once Broken click the link below...

https://www.amazon.ca/Once-Broken-Margy-Reid-ebook/dp/B071HTFTX6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35TL5NB4B0CG6&keywords=once+broken&qid=1575067573&sprefix=once+broken%2Caps%2C346&sr=8-1

Make It Better...

Hi!



The Holidays are just around the corner!




Whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, wherever, however, whatever the name of your holiday, Cheers!

Personally, we celebrate Christmas, and with that comes the homemade treats that only get made at Christmas.

Tarts, pies, squares, and cookies. Familiar smells bringing back memories of when our girls were little, there to savour the remnants of batter that clung to the beater, licking the bowls, my trusty taste testers.
Now, it's my babies' babies who light up at the bottomless cookie jar, the gooey tarts, the chocolatey goodness of fudgy delights.

For me, baking, putting together traditional favourites, creating new tidbits, is relaxing.

Everyone prepares for the holidays in their own way.

It's the time of year when things can feel a bit hectic, and stressful

Try not to let it. I know it's hard. It can seem like the list of things to do between now and then multiplies while the time to do it in shrinks.

It's a time of year that can be tough for many.


Maybe a loved one has passed, maybe your family situation is less than ideal, maybe finances are tight, maybe you're just not sure if you can make it happen at all.

One step at a time, one breath at a time.

Hang in, hang on, reach out.

So, let's do each other a huge favour, and just be kind. No one gets through life without struggle. A friendly voice on a phone, a kind act, a smile. These things that cost you nothing, require precious little effort, and can make a much bigger difference than you realize. Each person you come in contact with every single day is facing something they would rather not be facing. Although we may not have the power to fix everyone's problems, let's all, at least, agree to just do what we can to not make anything worse.

With every connection, an impression is made. How we make a person feel lingers on their soul.

Make it better.


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Until next time...


May kindness drive your every encounter, leaving smiles and light in your wake.
May any struggle you are facing become smaller, more walkthroughable, with every step you take.

May you see the best holiday memories are rarely made by dollar signs wrapped in fancy bows.
May you see it's the time spent in laughter, playing games, watching old cartoon holiday shows.

May you, if this time of year pushes you to shadowed places you don't care to tread,
May you find a way to hold on, hang on, reach out, see beyond today, to the brighter days ahead.


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To shop for great stocking stuffers, check out....  www.margyreidbooks.com


Digital version of Once Broken available at:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B071HTFTX6?pf_rd_p=46535598-d2e0-4bc4-8392-182d8c1e93fc&pf_rd_r=YHTDEH3PD62R6GNQCWQN

Make Your Soul Sing...

Hi!


Last weekend, we surprised our Mom with a party to celebrate her upcoming 80th birthday.


Under the guise of a jewelry fair, (Our mom loves her some jewelry) our niece lured her to the venue. As this was an 80th birthday, we thought better of the traditional hiding and screaming of "surprise!"

We, her six kids, four sons-in-law, three daughters-in-law, eighteen grandkids, almost all of their significant others, and eleven great-grandbabies, instead, waited in complete silence (a pretty incredible feat in and of itself).

It took a second or two for her to adjust from what she had expected to what was, in fact, happening. In true Mom form, once she began recognizing the faces that filled the room, her sense of humour always intact, "Well, where is the jewelry party?"

The rest of the day, evening, and, to be honest, into the not so early hours of the next morning, we celebrated. Celebrated Mom, of course, and just being together. The logistics of bringing everybody under the same roof can be tough when you have a big family. We tend to take full advantage when the opportunity presents itself.

Celebrations are important, and not just for the big things like weddings and big birthdays.


Celebrate.


Two very important chairs were empty at this party. That of our Dad, and that of our sister. They both have passed. Proof that time together is never a given, always a gift.

Celebrate.


Holidays, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new babies, game days, recitals, grads of all kinds, best efforts, lost teeth, potty training victories, learning to tie shoes, favourite movie releases.

Celebrate all of it.

The celebrations don't always have to include hall rentals, hours of travel and hilarious subterfuge, but it sure bumps up the fun factor when they do.

Sometimes, celebrations are phone calls, messages, hugs, meals, or sleepovers. Sometimes they are as simple as "I'm proud of you, you're awesome."

Families come in all kinds of shapes, are all different sizes, and, many times, go far beyond coming from the same DNA.

When you get the chance to spend time with family, whatever your definition, take it.


Life can be so chaotic, crazy busy, fraught with the white noise of running our day to day existence. The trick is to recognize the distinction between our existence and our life.

Existence is what you need to do to keep flesh and bone together. Life is what makes your soul sing.

Do yourself the favour of taking time to make your soul sing.

Manufacture some minutes for conversations, board games, cranking the tunes and dancing in the living room. Sculptor some seconds for laughing until your stomach aches, cuddling up to watch movies, and playing in the snow. Carve out some clicks of the clock to create memories, be goofy, and make cupcakes.

Celebrate.



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Until next time...


May you embrace every minute you get to spend with those that matter most.
May you celebrate everything that makes your soul sing, give a high five, make a toast.

May the white noise of life fade long enough to make some memories, have some laughs.
May you set aside time for long-ago stories, showing new eyes the black and white photographs.

May more of your precious time be spent soaking in what makes your soul sing.
May you treasure those who matter most, for time on this side is a preciously fleeting thing.





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To check out my books visit:

www.margyreidbooks.com

For a digital copy of Once Broken, visit:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B071HTFTX6?pf_rd_p=46535598-d2e0-4bc4-8392-182d8c1e93fc&pf_rd_r=R96TN4XDEVVNW7NFAMS9

We Have Yet To Deserve Your Sacrifice...

Hi.





It is with nothing but respect and remembrance that I write these words.



Our pomp and circumstance can't help but be dwarfed by your sacrifice.
There will never be a ceremony or moment of silence big enough to convey the depth of our gratitude.
You fought, and continue to fight for and protect, the freedoms we have the luxury of taking for granted.
Those who are wanting to discriminate can't recognize your gender or sexual orientation through the flag that drapes your casket.

In addition to pinning a poppy close to our hearts, how can we truly honour you?

I think it comes down to this.

We need to stand up for those who live in terror. Borders are but imaginary lines drawn in the sand by people who didn't know better. Humanity is bigger than that.
Those who live within our imaginary circles don't own exclusive rights to those freedoms. They should be shared by all of humanity, regardless of location, belief system, or skin tone.

We need to stand up for those who live in fear. Fear of abuse, fear of violence, fear of undeserved repercussions of imaginary wrongs.

We should fight against every notion that one group of people should have control over another. Women should not have to fight for, or defend, their right to make decisions about their own bodies. No adult should have to fight for, or defend, their right to marry. No race should have to fight for, or defend, their right to a level playing field. No one should have to fight for, or defend how they choose to, or not to, worship.

We should fight for those who have fought for us. The words struggling and veteran should never live in the same sentence with any truth.

Those who have, and continue to sacrifice should, when they come home, get to live in the world they are fighting for.


We have yet to deserve your sacrifice, to honour it properly. I'm hopeful that, in time, we will.

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To those who stand up...

May you feel our gratitude, even when, especially when, it's the most difficult to see.
May we, someday, prove our worthiness of your sacrifice, become the humanity we need to be.

May we honour you.


**************************************************************

Until next time...

For hard copies of all of my books: www.margyreidbooks.com

Check out the digital version of Once Broken...

https://www.amazon.ca/Once-Broken-Margy-Reid-ebook/dp/B071HTFTX6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25NSVQPDJS70L&keywords=once+broken&qid=1573233126&sprefix=once+broken%2Caps%2C396&sr=8-1

Happy Halloween And Other Stuff...

Hi!


Another Halloween in the books!


My house seemed to walk the scary line pretty well. Got a few gasps and squeals from trick or treaters but didn't make anybody cry. Just the right amount of scary! Yay!


I always get such a kick out of the creativity that goes into their costumes. I had everything from a Buzz Lightyear to a stop sign. Hats off to the parents who encourage and participate!


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On a more serious note...

There is a news story that came out of Barcelona, Spain.

Five men were acquitted of rape because their unconscious, 14-year-old victim didn't fight back.


Read that again, slowly, let it sink in.


They don't consider it rape because she was unconscious.

Their definition of rape involves violence, and somehow, in that logic, treating a 14-year-old girl like a sex toy you can buy on eBay doesn't constitute violence. I don't care that she didn't end up battered and bloody, she is a CHILD, and was UNCONSCIOUS! The violation of her body, her soul, her psyche is ABSOLUTE violence.

Violence: The unlawful exercise of physical force or intimidation by the exhibition of such force.


If raping an unconscious person isn't exercising physical force, I don't know what is.


This is in Spain, but if you look at the way society as a whole, treats survivors of rape, the way it is dismissive of the damage it does, this dismissiveness stamped over and over again on the paperwork of the under prosecuted monsters that commit these life-altering acts of cruel brutality, if you look at all of it, it's a shame all of humanity carries.


Are we where we were 50 years ago? Thankfully not. Are we where we need to be? Not even close.


How do we make a change in how society sees and treats rape? We, those who live regular lives, going to our jobs, running errands, racing through the nuts and bolts of life?


I think it starts with how we raise our men. Teaching them that women aren't prey to be hunted, that resistance isn't a ploy or a turn on. Teaching them to respect women, and not just on the surface, in front of other people, where there are witnesses. Real respect. In front of their goading friends, behind closed doors.


I think it includes calling out crap behavior. If you have a friend who has an aggressive attitude toward women, in their actions or speech, speak up. If you see someone vulnerable, in a sketchy situation, help them.


I think it continues with working to change the laws. Changing the courts' attitude toward rape. Educating judges as to the very real damage this violent violation does to every aspect of a survivor's life. It changes everything. How you make decisions, how you see yourself, how you see the world as a whole.


The wounds become scars, scars may fade, but they never completely heal.


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For those living with the scars...


May you thrive beyond your survival, may the nightmares and triggers fade.
May you see you are so much more than the hollowed-out version they made.

May those who hurt you collide with Karma, and enter their own version of hell.
May you go on to have a beautiful life, seizing the sweetest revenge, living well.


***************************************************************

Until next time...


www.margyreidbooks.com

Find your digital copy of Once Broken @
https://www.amazon.ca/Once-Broken-Margy-Reid-ebook/dp/B071HTFTX6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RH0BE8GYV4HI&keywords=once+broken&qid=1572635441&sprefix=once+broken%2Caps%2C438&sr=8-1

Sunrises, Sunsets, And Crocodile Clouds In The Sky...

Hi.



Sooooo, here where I live, we had our election. It went the way some wanted, and not the way others wanted. Such is life in a democracy.

The reactions have been, in a word, predictable.

There is a lot of doomsday talk of how we are all screwed, splitting up the country, a tone of speech fuelled by fear.


I am choosing to look at it this way. After this election, we have been left with a minority government. This will force co-operation. In the history of our Country, it's been when we have a minority government that the best and biggest changes have happened.

I am choosing to be optimistic. I am choosing to be hopeful.


The sun will still rise, the sun will still set, take a breath, and find the crocodile clouds in the sky.


We still live in a great country where you can go to the doctor without worrying about money. You can get mammograms, and ultrasounds, dialysis, and chemo. A country where you don't have to lose your home to save your life.


We still live in a great country where our kids don't have to suffer through active shooter drills, they don't have lead in their water, they aren't being chased from their homes by war, they can live a fearless life, laying on their backs in the grass, finding their own crocodile clouds in the sky. 


We still live in a great country where we can breathe our pristine air, swim in our countless lakes, explore our three oceanic shores, and celebrate every culture that chooses to call us home.


Are we perfect? Far from it. All you have to do is dip into social media to see that.

Fear breeds anger, anger breeds hate, hate can never be what we stand for.

We are far from perfect.

Case in point, the Noble indigenous peoples of this awesome place. A people to whom we owe every respect. A people who we can only hope will, some day, be able to forgive the heinous treatment they received at the hands of our history.

We all know what abuse can do to a single child, a single person. It breaks them. It weaves into the fabric of who they become thereafter. We did that. To all those who were living here, peacefully, before we showed up all those years ago. We continued to do it for years, for generations. We kidnapped their children and put them into institutions of abuse. The last 'school' closing in 1996.

We performed surgical cultural genocide for over 100 years. The last of the worst of it as recently as 23 years ago.

We all know what abuse can do to a single child, a single person. Imagine what it does to a century of generations of an entire culture.

"Getting over it" isn't an option.

Am I professing to have all the answers? No. But, I can do what I can do. Treat everyone with compassion, lifting others up whenever and wherever I can.

I have had the privilege of visiting schools all over this beautiful province. I have visited the schools in small towns, not-so-small towns, Hutterite colonies, cities, and indigenous communities.

This is what I know. The fairytale that all kids are playing on an even field when it comes to education is just that, a fairytale. Not all schools are created equal.

If we want our kids to do better. We need to give ALL of them the tools they need to do so. Period.

For now, the sun will still rise, the sun will still set, let's all take a breath, and find the crocodile clouds in the sky.


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Until next time....

May you, when you feel shrouded in cynicism, break free. allow yourself to see the sun.
May you give yourself permission to let the heaviness slide, grip the happy, have some fun.

May we all, in a world seemingly run by clueless clowns, keep in focus what lives closest to our hearts.
May we know we can still care deeply about the tragedies of the world without them breaking us apart.

May we all gain some perspective, no matter your situation, someone will look at your life and see a dream.
May we slip into the rosie glasses of our childhoods, for just a sec, nothing is ever as bad as it first seems.

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www.margyreidbooks.com






https://www.amazon.ca/Once-Broken-Margy-Reid-ebook/dp/B071HTFTX6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27ESPSCRS2OQ&keywords=once+broken&qid=1571949140&sprefix=once+broken%2Caps%2C311&sr=8-1

An Evil Traitor, Or A Complete Moron, You Pick...

Hi!


I know, more Autumn pics, but in my defense, it's pretty. The leaves are dropping at a rapid pace now, so there won't be many more. Really.


So......




In the part of the world I call home, we are days away from a federal election. This brings out all of the "They're worse than we are" speeches, big promises, and a lot of avoidance of answers to direct questions.

As interesting as our politics are right now, we can't hold a candle to the drama going on a bit south of us.

I've probably heard the phrase "Quid Pro Quo" more often in the past week than I have throughout the entirety of my life. I'm 53

The clearest definition of the phrase, so far,  was given by a Chief of staff guy named Mick. Apparently, he got his peepee slapped once he got off stage because later on, people were pissed off that cameras recorded what he said, played it back, and had the audacity to put that forth as what he said. How dare you record me at a press conference, ask me questions, and then publicize the answers.


Then. there is the scary matter of the guy in the Whitehouse making life and death military decisions on a whim one Sunday night. This, in turn, causes a shit storm of biblical proportions, with ramifications that will likely be felt for years to come.

Pull troops. check.
Pull them so quick they have to blow up their bases. check.
Roll out red carpet for Russians to take up residence in every base left. check. (videos featuring Russian soldiers goofing around in said bases are very popular)
Leave the door open for Turkey to basically extend their border like they have been wanting to do for years. check.
Leave second door open for Russia. check.
Leave back door open for Iran. check.
Guards keeping ISIS guys in prison are called to defend the border. A reboot of 'Escape from Alcatraz"  ensues. check.

Then, the guy who has just finished beating the living crap out of the smallest kid in the schoolyard wants some kind of credit for calling an ambulance.

Before you start slow dancing Pence and Pompeo around the Oval Office, you should probably look at some footage from the Syrian border, that so-called cease-fire lasted about ten minutes. 5 more dead this morning.

Then, through the chaos, by some miracle, both donkeys and elephants got together, voted and agreed, with the exception of a few, to condemn the insanity.

The Cheeto threw a tantrum. People who have served 3 or more presidents, donkeys and elephants alike, were freaked out by how he acted. That's probably not a good sign.

So to wrap up the week.

Cheeto,
You pulled protection away from your friends, so people who are not really your friends could stretch their borders. (How's that Trump Towers Turkey deal going, by the way, still a go?)
This gives Russia and Iran an in.

In doing so, a bunch of ISIS people are, once again, in the wind, free to reorganize, regroup, reboot.

In the time you were holding your breath, sitting on the money for Ukraine until they said uncle about Biden, people died. A lot of people. Moms, Dads, kids. People. Did they need to be cleaned out too?  (One of your new phrases about Kurds that's gonna follow your ass.)

Now either you know all of this, and did it anyway, which makes you an evil traitor, or you're a complete moron. You pick.

By the way, your mini-me giving a lecture on the evils of nepotism, was frickin' hilarious. Oh, and it looks like you should start shopping around for yet another 'fixer', looks like Guiliani might be keeping Cohen company soon.




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A side note. Apparently, there is some kind of counter-protest being put together by a bunch of grown people in Semi Trucks. They are protesting a 16-year-old girl who is traveling the world, trying to draw attention to what scientists are saying about climate change.

This baffles me a bit. If you are trying to make the point that the oil industry isn't the enemy of the environment, why protest against science? I guess I'm having trouble accepting this has to be an either/or situation.

I like to think that the oil industry and environmentalists will find common ground. No one's goal is to destroy nature. No one's goal is to live without heat. Start there?


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Fellow voters:

May you make your decision as it aligns with your heart.
May you align you vote with your passion, albeit finances, health care, or art.

May you not let apathy keep you from the booth, if your casting aside your right, make sure it's for a real reason.
May you understand, no matter the outcome, everything is temporary, everything has a season.

May we, once it's all over, once again be friends, not everything is politics, not everything needs to be argued to death.
May we, once it's all over, once again be friends, let's take a beat, a step back, a breath.


******************************************************************

Until next time...

www.margyreidbooks.com

https://www.amazon.ca/Once-Broken-Margy-Reid-ebook/dp/B071HTFTX6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=X3X0HRXCAF75&keywords=once+broken&qid=1571427042&sprefix=once+broken%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1