Author Archives: terrywiens

Thanksgiving 59 Years Later

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain.  It’s the loneliness of it.  Memories need to be shared” – Lois Lowry, The Giver CONFESSIONS – It is challenging to distinguish between a confession and whining however after two weeks of fighting for some hope it is time to lay out a confession.  There couldn’t […]
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Calgary 2026, Redefining Legacy

“Legacy is not leaving something for people, it’s leaving something IN people” – Peter Strople Calgarians will go to the polls November 13, 2018 for, what appears to be, a straight forward plebiscite on whether or not to pursue the bid for the 2026 Olympics.  True to form this has become a very polarizing issue with […]
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It’s the Not the Attention We Receive That Counts, it’s the Attention We Pay

“When you pay attention to boredom it gets unbelievably interesting” – Jon Kabat-Zinn I became a fan and follower of Jon Kabat-Zinn early in my career as a mental health therapist.  His teachings not only contributed to my job performance but blended well into my every day life.  Living with a disability while maximizing ones […]
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Remembering Wilson

“A lot of you cared, just not enough” – Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why CONFESSIONS – It is that time of year again when the idyllic days of summer begin to fade and we re-immerse ourselves into  the early trappings of fall.  This particular year we went from a record breaking heat wave in Calgary […]
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Democracy is Chess, Not Checkers

“People shouldn’t be afraid of their governments.  Governments should be afraid of their people” – Alan Moore, V for Vendetta I am blown away by the apparent pettiness of that sack of air the people of Ontario elected to guide their province.  I haven’t lived in Toronto for over 40 years and at the time […]
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Advocacy 101 – A Basic Introduction

“Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.  Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight” – Bob Marley I wrote a brief “rant” a couple of weeks ago regarding social justice.  I had a lot of feedback and a common theme was the request for steps on “how” to be a social […]
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No Bulb in the Socket

“Life is to short to drag a trunk of suppressed negative feelings around, dump that crap and travel life’s road with an overnight bag.  The trip is much more enjoyable when not weight down with old baggage.” – Terry Wiens (2018) CONFESSION – ALERT, if course language and angry outbursts affect your sensitivities you should […]
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The Building Blocks of Youth

“To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.” ~ Alfie Kohn We all like to see our kids enjoying themselves.  We all want to protect our kids however there is a big difference between “protecting” and “hiding” them from the realities of the world.  Too many […]
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The “Yes, But” Person

“Compromise is not about losing.  It is about deciding the other person has just as much right to be happy with the end result as you do.” – Donna Martini  I am sitting here engulfed in the fall out of the BC forest fires, thick smoke heavy enough to taste and that’s from five hundred […]
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The Road Forward, The Path Behind

“One can talk good and shower down roses, but it’s the receiver who has to walk through the thorns, and all its false expectations” – Anthony Liccione  I just read an article by a Chris Lenart describing the involvement of fathers in the lives of their disabled child.  I don’t know Chris personally and there is […]
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