Living with Hope

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Imposter syndrome

This past weekend, I won a prize at the wrap-up event for the annual fundraiser of Hope Centre Ministries . I helped raised funds through my campaign with Hearts for Hope . Hope Centre is a beautiful organization that provides spiritual care and belonging for people who live with disabilities. But back to my prize. First, I won a draw! I'm notorious for feeling overly competitive about winning draws and then becoming the worst version of my immature and bitter self when other names are drawn. The prize included a lot of chocolate (that I can't eat but is being joyfully regifted), art gallery passes, passes to a game café (that Claire is excited about), a scented candle (that will be appreciated by someone else who doesn't have my "scents-itivities"), and best of all, a signed copy of a powerful book, Dancing with Max written by Emily Colson, daughter of Chuck Colson. I could not put the book down! It's the very definition of a page-turner. Emily ...

Endorser profile: Julia Stoesz

Julia Stoesz entered my life approximately three decades ago. She was part of a group of friends in the young adults circle at my church. She moved away years ago, and we lost contact. However, through the wonder of Facebook, we connected in more recent years. For the most part, this just meant hitting the like button once in a while on each other's posts. I talk about Julia in the March 2024 section of the Two years of writing post . She provided feedback on a very old version of my manuscript ahead of submitting it to the Braun Book Awards. I valued her input as a therapist, MRI Technologist, and friend. She kindly extended her love in the form of an endorsement. She lives and works as a counsellor in Southern Manitoba. Julia is an adventurous woman who has gone to Spain twice to walk the famous Camino de Santiago trail. She loves to travel and enjoys creative expression through watercolour and mixed media. The Endorsement Robyn's book is an eloquent...

A welcome week off

Three days ago, I sent my comments back to dear Kerry, my editor. The ball is in her court now, and she says that she'll get back to me next week. It's good timing because my body needs a break from sitting in a chair and staring at a computer screen. Ironically, writing about health isn't always the healthiest activity. My head needs a break from staring at a monitor, and my body needs to do more walking than it has lately and less sitting. So what am I doing now? Sitting at a computer to update this blog. However, I've been at the computer less all week and just came back from a walk. I'm looking forward to hearing back from Kerry and seeing things continue to move along, though. I spent a bit of time yesterday working on some bookmarks. I love the cover design that the graphic artist at Word Alive Press created for me and used it in the bookmarks. I welcome feedback on the bookmarks. I'm thinking they can be available at a book launch and also include...

Endorser profile: Andrew McPhail

For this post, I'm going to quote a fabulous up-and-coming author who wrote a future NYT bestseller and is also perhaps known for embellishment and sarcasm. You'll find these nuggets in Chapter Ten: #BabesWithMobilityAids. I made an appointment with Andrew McPhail, who has been my oustanding orthotist for a number years. He is skilled, intelligent, and also incredibly kind. He’s a master at his work and in making me feel like a person and not a patient. I’m thankful to have benefited from many different practitioners who treat me with dignity, and Andrew is a shining example of this. Andrew is one of my favourite healthcare people. I tend to make a lot of "best friends." When I connect strongly with someone, I will often say something like, "We should be best friends." I am not actually a fan of ranking the people in my life, so if I call someone a best friend , it's a compliment and means I hold them in high esteem. Many of my medical people...

Maybe I do need a governess!

I was so proud of the manuscript I submitted for editing. I worked diligently to clean it up and tighten it up. I was almost convinced there'd hardly be any work left for my editor. After all, I'm the person many of my family and friends go to when they need grammar advice. Ha! I heard from my editor almost two weeks ago. I was so delighted and excited to receive her email. But very soon after reading the annotated file with comments and countless red (deletion), blue (addition), and green (move) marks, I understood the advantage of hiring a professional. Yes! I do need a governess an editor! This process has taught me a lot about myself as well as what goes into publishing a book: Very quickly, I caught on that I was going to need thick skin. To quote an author I met yesterday, "You need skin as thick as an elephant's when you're in the editing stage." My editor's job is to help the manuscript be the best it can be, and sometimes that means sa...

Endorser profile: Dr. Georges Saab

The first endorsement I received arrived with impeccable timing. But let me give some backstory. I met Dr. Saab in October 2023. I'd been waiting for over two years to be assigned to a new neurologist after Dr. Marriott left Manitoba to pursue other opportunities. Kevin was with me for my first appointment with Dr. Saab, and we were both impressed by his professionalism, knowledge, and personable nature. I was confident I was in good hands. I was so thankful and encouraged to have him on my healthcare team that I thought it was only fitting to send him a thank-you card. Over the last number of years, I've been drawing cartoon animals on cards accompanied by a corny pun related to the animal. As we talked, we learned that Dr. Saab is from Lebanon. We were quite ignorant about Lebanon, so we asked questions about his country. Through our conversation, we learned that Lebanon is the only country in the region without a desert. I concluded there probably aren't man...