The biting cold did not stop me from bundling up and heading out on my forest trails for a morning walk, camera in hand. Since you could not join me on my trek, I thought I’d snap a few photos to share with you. I did not imagine lasting long, particularly with fingertips peeking out of my gloves. But beautiful spot after breathtaking view captured my lens and heart until I had 165 photos, as well as the frozen limbs to show for it. Upon returning to my century-old farmhouse, I stoked the fire in the woodstove and curled up by its warmth to defrost my icy self, my heart already warmer from the excursion.

Here is just one of my photos (many more to come!) that I hope will lift your s…

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From the first step I took in an apple orchard south of Ottawa, Canada, I was in love with them. I loved the lush green trees filled with ruby red apples and the heavenly scent that filled the air. I loved filling my basket and enjoying them in pies, crisps, muffins, or eating them on their own. From that first step, I dreamt of having my own apple orchard. Every autumn, I felt homesick for an apple orchard I had never owned.

I viewed properties in British Columbia replete with orchards, but they were always out of reach. Then, after a series of distressing experiences, circumstances necessitated moving across the country and to an unseen home, relying only on the photos and descriptions…

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The apple tree I named The Embrace, depicted in the photo above, was one of the most challenging trees to extract from the seemingly endless prickly ash and buckthorns surrounding it. Like guards surrounding a treasure, these invasive barbed gatekeepers seemed impossible to navigate and often left me scratched and bloodied in my efforts to do so. The tree takes its name from the trunk that appears to be lovers held in an embrace across time. But, The Embrace is also the botanical embodiment of overcoming the challenges we believe hinder our ability to attain our heart’s longings. Like barbed trees, the lies we tell ourselves that we cannot reach our heart’s desires are merely obstacles o…

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In large families, it may be easy to overlook the true significance of each person’s contribution. Such is the case with my Uncle Bill. He often took a backseat, which was typically a piano bench, to those bolder family members. My grandparents were larger than life, the kind of people who were unlike others of their time, held unique views, and were the glue that held my family together, albeit many people might have mistaken them for humble farmers. In the shadow of such bright lights, it might be easy to feel unnoticed, and I imagine that my uncle may have felt that way on more than one occasion.

But not at Christmas. It was as Christmas that my uncle truly shone. A rather shy a…

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