A believer in everything happens for a reason and you’re never too old to change — Life has this magical way of guiding you in the direction of achieving your dreams. All you have to do is listen. When you don’t, it will find ways to open your eyes. It took me a long time to open my eyes. For years I allowed a very ruthless…

Right in front of me. — I had heard about infertility horror stories, but I never thought I’d experience one. It was a sad day. Miscarriage number four had left my body. At only 8 weeks and 2 days along, the gestational sac remained fully intact. Something I had never experienced with the previous losses. My…

And so was everyone else — It was a spa and it was so weird. I’m from Canada and we tend to keep our birthday suit for behind closed doors — Pamela Anderson excluded. Now I live in the Netherlands and use to live in Germany. In these countries, naked spas are popular. One day my…

Being in your forties truly is fabulous — You’re forty! You made it. Sometimes it does feel like an achievement on its own. I mean at 39 years old and 364 days you thought you were going to die of old age the next morning. But you didn’t! You survived the self-induced, wine-infused coma and came out better…

This is my story and what I’m doing to move forward — When I was growing up, my biological father would toy with my emotions. One day I was his best friend, wonderful daughter and little tomboy. The next day I was the bad child who was always misbehaving. Sometimes he’d punish the entire household when I did something wrong. He‘d disconnect…

An unexpected birthday gift from a seal — For my fortieth birthday, I wanted to do something I’d remember forever. At the same time, I knew it had to involve giving back in some way. As an animal lover, I’ve always wanted to release a wild rescued animal back to its home. In the Netherlands, there’s a seal…

The little things make all the difference — It’s like sunshine on a rainy morning. When I pour myself a cup of love my day instantly brightens. A beautiful English tea with a bit of milk sets my heart on fire. Seriously, it takes that little to make me happy. I used to think I needed material things…

The big cash giveaway — If I won 44 billion dollars in tax-free money, I’d give the majority away. I used to daydream about how this kind of cash would solve all of my problems. I now know it wouldn’t. It might help, but they’d still be there. Instead, what solves my problems is working…

It has everything to do with spelling and grammar — Imagine you started working with someone new to the job. This person sends you an email asking for your help. In the email, there are at least three grammar mistakes and two spelling errors. What’s your first impression of this person? Now imagine a close friend or family member did…