November 23, 2025
How time flies! It has been way too long since I have prepared any blogs so figured that now is as good as time as any.
First off, I do hope that all is well with you my readers. The world can be a nasty and unpleasant place to be given the type of leadership being demonstrated in certain countries that unfortunately touches or impacts so many people. It is incredible to believe that there are such egomaniacs in so many positions of power and influence throughout the world who consciously decide to hurt and/or kill as if there are no consequences to their actions. So do take care, and ensure that you are staying true to yourself and the values which make the world a better place.
I thought I would provide an update on the ‘writing’ scene I find myself in. It has been an interesting year for me, and there have been times I have struggled to maintain momentum on my writing interests. And yet, life goes on and my writing continues to be a source of strength and inspiration for me.
In February, I took time to ‘publish’ my poetry. By that I mean, I compiled all the poems written in the preceding two year and pulled them into a publication. This is the third time I have undertaken to prepare such publications as I find it provides me the chance to review my poetry and to ensure that all my poetry is in one place other than my computer. In total, I am likely in the range of having written about 120 poems during the past nine years. I share these publications with a very small number of individuals, and really in some ways, they are legacy projects. If I did not carry this exercise out, I feel that my poetry would simply float away and be lost, and while I recognize that this would not really adversely impact that many people, I would at least like to know that perhaps it will touch someone down the road.
With respect to poetry, I have probably written about twenty-five to thirty poems this calendar year. Many have been ‘canadiana’ in nature speaking to our country, our values, and the world about us. However, I have also written on a wide range of other subjects as well and found a lot of joy in finding words that I could pull together in the hope that they capture my feelings and observations, and may even inspire others. Feel free to take a gander at my web site to read my poetry.
To complement the writing, I have enjoyed having the opportunity to read some of my poetry in public. Specifically, in collaboration with colleagues of mine with Ottawa Independent Writers (OIW), I have been reading poetry at a couple of retirement homes here in the Ottawa area. We do this given our interest in writing and reading poetry but are motivated by the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. In this case, we get to speak with those who might otherwise find their days less than inspiring. For instance, at the Chapel Hill Retirement Residence in my neighbourhood, a colleague of mine and I have shared our poetry with 15-20 people on two occasions and been welcomed warmly both times. We are set to return for another session in about three weeks, and then will look ahead to other opportunities in the new year.
And next week, at the annual OIW Christmas party, there is a poetry contest where we have the opportunity to read our poetry. I did this last year and found it a fun exercise particularly given the expertise and experience in the room. An opportunity like this pushes me to stand in front of my colleagues and to put my best foot forward. I have selected the poem I will read and am hoping it will bring a smile or two to those in attendance. I will be reading the poem, Christmas Party which I completed only in January of this year.
On the writing front, I wrote or completed a couple of short stories earlier this year. I find that even if I enjoy such writing, that when I get into such a project, that I have little inspiration and time for my poetry. That said, I am currently working on a project that will hopefully be completed in the coming months. I am writing the story of one of my grandmothers, and am aiming to write this as a ‘creative non-fiction’ story. In other words, I will be grounded and faithful to the facts of which we know but will situate her story in a broader context/world where I will then be creative or inspired by who she was to expand on the facts. I am finding this to be an opportunity to dig further into her past and into what was going on around her and to then write a story that is both non-fiction and fiction. Stay tuned for how this unfolds.
I also have an outline started, which I continue to re-visit, of a sequel to my 2024 book Stories from the Bench. My plan at this time is to get back into this project later this winter. As with my other writing project, stay tuned.
And finally, I am in the process of revisiting my http://www.momentsofreflection.ca web site. I am hoping to revitalize the look and feel of the site but my primary motivation is to more effectively present and share my poetry and writing projects. With so many poems and writings, I find that I need to categorize by theme or type of writing, which would then enable groupings of writings accordingly. The work has recently been initiated and my plan is to complete this project in the coming weeks. I am carrying out this work in the context that I have stepped away from social media such as instagram and facebook and am more reliant on the web site as the source of sharing. Feel free to share my web site with others as you so wish even as this reconstruction work is underway.
Thank you for registering to receive this blog, and for your continued interest and support. Take care.
George