Judy

By Lynda Shadbolt Jim and I just arrived home from our first ever (and not last) trip to the beautiful province of Nova Scotia. We went for a vacation (with a really fun friend), and…

The garden, part 2

By Lynda Shadbolt This story begins on a mid March day in 2022. It was one of those beautiful winter days that felt like spring would soon arrive. The sky was blue, the sun was…

Miracles

By Lynda Shadbolt Someone recently said to me, “Look for miracles, not problems.”I was thinking about that as I worked in our garden starting to clean it up for the winter. A garden is a…

A man and his dog

By Lynda Shadbolt My mom and dad, John (who will be 94 in a few months) moved in with with Jim and I just over a year ago. John’s dog, Jester, came with them. John…

A strong spirit

By Lynda Shadbolt I am sitting on a magnificent rock on Beausoleil Island in Georgian Bay. I’ve been leading two spring yoga retreats for the London YMCA Camp Queen Elizabeth, and it is our first…

Welcome summer and new businesses

By Angelica BlenichWithout a doubt everyone is happy when the sun is shining.With winter being a distant memory and the arrival of summer just a week away, you can see an extra bounce in people’s…

Happily choosing

By Lynda Shadbolt Metta is a word in the Pali language that has been translated as boundless friendliness, general benevolence or goodwill, and loving kindness to everyone. There are many phrases that can be used…

Eagles and swallows

By Lynda Shadbolt It’s Earth Day and Jim and I are at our friend’s cottage. We spent the day outside walking and looking for birds. Spring migration is underway and new species arrive daily.Jim and…

Remember the deeper presence of love

By Lynda Shadbolt I just went to pick up my husband who had spent the day with his good friend, collecting and boiling sap. So far they have made four litres of maple syrup. They…

Peace

By Lynda Shadbolt This is how I start my daily meditation practice these days. I take a few moments to really arrive and settle onto my cushion or chair. I just sit quietly and sense…

A reflection on what grounds us

By Lynda Shadbolt One thing about a dog is that they love you every morning, whether it is 30 degrees Celsius or negative 30 degrees Celsius. They want your company and are ready to walk…

Grow!

By Lynda Shadbolt Happy New Year to everyone! I am wishing all of you the very best for a healthy and love-filled year!A friend sent me a quote that said 2022 is like a book…

PSS

By Lynda Shadbolt Jim and I live in our home at the end of Riverside where we have been for 31 years. It is our little piece of paradise in the world. We overlook the…

The blue heart

My good friend “D” was in a serious biking accident in September. He received outstanding care from the moment the Haliburton County Paramedics arrived to help him up, to our local doctors who took care…

Rudolph

By Lynda Shadbolt My husband and I have a new “shop” that was added onto our house when we built a place for my parents to live. Having a space to work and a place…

Highland Wood and Hyland Crest love

By Lynda Shadbolt Greetings readers of this column! I hope you are well and finding ways to stay connected, safe and focused on being positive and hopeful in these unique times. We all inspire, support…

Christmas happenings and a chance to win

By Angelica IngramA lot has changed in the past eight months and this column is just one example of something that’s different in Haliburton Village. As you may recall, the last time you read BIA…

Happy (as hell), part 1

How are you doing? How is your spirit in this first week of November? If you are anything like me, you have moments of worry, doubt, feeling disconnected, fear, grief, loneliness, anger, sadness and more.…

Seven hearts

By Lynda Shadbolt I was having a “terrible, horrible, very bad, no good day” (have you ever read the children’s book by Judith Viorst – it is a good one!). It was early September and…