Author: Angelina Lee

I was walking to my car after a beautiful, mindful movement yoga class last week and I was feeling extra blissful. The sun was hot and bright and all of the flowers and leaves around me were extra colourful because of it. It was glorious!

I then heard a sigh right behind me. One of the other ladies in the class was walking a few feet away and she lamented, “Now to get back to boring, old routine.”

I smiled briefly, debating silently whether I should say what leapt into my heart in that moment. I looked at the vibrant bougainvillea plant perched along the road in all of its glory and I decided that I would.

Continue reading “Oh, How Exciting it is!”

There has been a nasty bug going around for the last two weeks and, one by one, my little loves have gotten sick. My eldest hardly ever gets ill but, for some reason, he was hit the worst and spent almost a week home from school. A few days in, I noticed that although his symptoms were improving, he was still super exhausted.

Unnaturally exhausted.

Sure, his body had been through a lot, but I started to get concerned that someone who was getting so much rest could still be so tired.

Continue reading “Permission to Rest”

Although it’s late in the year, September always brings a feeling of newness – no doubt because it marks the start of a new school year. As my little loves navigated many changes this week – some big and some small – I noticed a constant theme underpinning many of our conversations. My little loves are experiencing a lot of newness: new classrooms, new teachers, new personalities, new subjects and, in one instance, a brand new school; one where my little love has suddenly transitioned from one of the oldest students in the school to one of the youngest. I’ve been savouring the conversations with them, deciphering their reports and trying to really get a feel for what they are experiencing and how they are managing it all.

Continue reading “The Meanings We Assign”

My little love attended Sports Day at her school recently. This was a big event for her, not just because she is very athletic, but moreso because this is her last Sports Day in primary school.

The nerves started to kick in the week before when she took a tumble while playing and ended up with a fracture in her left arm. One of the first questions she asked after the doctor placed the cast on her arm was whether she would be able to run for Sports Day. To her relief, the doctor gave her the all-clear with a warning that she could not afford to fall on her arm again.

Continue reading “The Mark of a Champion”

Dear Daughters,
You are stronger than you know.
Within your veins pumps the lifeblood of generations of resilience. I see it in the way you never give up – never back down.
And although this strength will serve you well as you forge your own way in this world,
may you always remember that the ability to embrace your imperfections and to honour your humanness is your greatest power.

Continue reading “A Love Letter to my Daughters”

There I was… right in the middle of what I can now say was one of the hardest times of my life. We were so far away from loved ones who were trying their best to manage a crisis of unfathomable proportions and there was no possible way for us to be present with them. As a family we were collectively believing for the miraculous, while physically being separated and feeling the distance of each mile that stood between us.

On one of those days when life felt like it was suspended in eternal limbo, a loved one who knew what I was going through called me on the phone.

“I have something for you”, she said excitedly. “I was in the grocery and guess what I found?”

I smiled, immediately knowing what she was talking about.

Continue reading “Extraordinary Love”

Every year for as long as I can remember, I’ve sat in the same, familiar spot on the living room floor, rolled out my wrapping paper, scissors and tape, and wrapped our gifts for Christmas. I would do this for one gift or I would do it for many. It never mattered the amount, I just always gravitated to this spot for this task.

In recent years, I noticed that my back would feel a bit sore from the bending and reaching once it was time to get up. I’d usually laugh it off with a quip about being another year older and move on.

Continue reading “A Remarkable Difference”

Something amazing happened last night.

But first, let me back track a bit…

Almost one year ago – on December 18th, 2021- I set a goal to meditate every day for an entire year. At first, it was difficult to quiet my mind for more than a few moments, but the more I practiced, the easier it was to gently draw my attention away from wandering and guide it back to my breathing.

I have been extremely diligent with this goal, and would often feel proud of myself when seeing the stats of my meditation sessions on the app that I use.

Continue reading “The Most Important Score”

Halloween has never been something that I have celebrated. In fact, the first time that I ever went trick o’ treating was when I had children of my own – and only because it was a planned part of a school-friend’s birthday celebrations.

This year, my son’s school allowed the children to dress in costume for their classes on Halloween. While chatting with my son, I asked him what he was planning to wear to his class dress up.

“I told Miss that I’m going to go as myself”, came his reply with a smart, cool smile on his face.

I couldn’t help but smile in return.

Continue reading “Unmasked”

My (not so) little love recently got braces. Never having worn braces myself, I was surprised at the level of care required to keep the braces and, of course, the teeth beneath them, clean. More surprising to me, however, was the level of discomfort that accompanies the first few days after installation while getting adjusted to the new appliance.

I knew that there would be some soreness associated with first having the braces installed, but I didn’t quite appreciate that for the first few days, pangs of sensitivity and pain would accompany each attempted bite or each stroke of the toothbrush.

Continue reading “Try Softer”