On the day that former Ottawa city councillor Diane Deans passed away from ovarian cancer, I take solace in this quote from Leo Buscaglia:
The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no tick...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 14th, 2024
"Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for."
— Seamus Heaney, Irish poet, playwright and translator
Seamus Heaney's quote popped up in my Facebook feed this...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 13th, 2024
For this Mother's Day, I decided to trace my maternal lineage, as far back as the records in Généalogie Québec would allow me to go.
The line of mothers above me (including the year each was born) begins in France.Florence Cantau (~1620) married Pier...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 12th, 2024
Today, my daughter treated me, my mom and my sister to Mother's Day Tea at the North Lanark Regional Museum. Located at 647 River Road in Appleton, a picturesque village between Carleton Place and Almonte, Ontario, this lovely museum collects, preserve...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 11th, 2024
I've been voraciously consuming episodes of Gyles Brandreth's podcast Rosebud. Brandreth—a British writer, broadcaster, former member of Parliament and TV star—interviews famous and fascinating people about their first memories and first experiences. H...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 10th, 2024
Today, I returned to Ferguson Falls to visit my mom and accompany her to the By the Falls Musical Social, a free, monthly concert in the village near my mom's farm. It's such a nostalgic way to spend an afternoon.
As usual, Wendy Roberts from Archives...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 9th, 2024
It's been almost four years since I heard the words, "You have ovarian cancer."
As lucky as I have been with my treatment for ovarian cancer, I still worry about the possibility of recurrence. As another cancer survivor expressed so aptly, once you'v...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 8th, 2024
"Nurses—one of the few blessings of being ill."
— Sara Moss-Wolfe
If there's a silver lining in having been ill so often in the last few years, it's the healthcare providers I have encountered along the way, especially the nurses.
Nurses have been p...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 8th, 2024
Today marks the beginning of Mental Health Week in Canada. This year, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is issuing a call to be kind, reminding us all that we have the capacity to be compassionate. CMHA National CEO Margaret Eaton says that...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 6th, 2024
I woke up this morning to a cloudy, rainy day, and I cheered a little inside. It was just the kind of day that gives me permission to while away the hours, researching and writing.
But my day of leisure would not have been perfect without being preced...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on May 5th, 2024
