Ripe Mango Chronicles

"Our problem is not that we desire too much, but too little." C.S. Lewis We began looking to buy a house in Canada in 2017. Anyone who lives in the Niagara Region knows it was around this time the market was heating up. (It was since exploded - we had no idea what was coming.) We met with a mortgage broker and figured out what we could even qualify for, and then assessed how much we thought we could actually afford and had our price range. After weeks of house searching we came to the conclusion that the best case scenario in our price range would be a semi-detached home (duplex) with 3 bedrooms. My dream home would also have a second washroom, or at least a half bath, and room in the basement for the boys to make into their area. Even if it wasn't a traditional bedroom.  Honestly, I wasn't dreaming very big but I felt I was being realistic. A family of 7 in a 3 bedroom home obviously isn't ideal, but I figured we would do out best to make it work.  As we continue

I had been a missionary in Haiti for a few years, when the opportunity to join another fellow missionary family on a week long all inclusive trip to the Dominican Republic with some of the other single girls we worked with. I JUMPED at the opportunity. There was just one problem the only clothing I had were my boring old missionary clothes. Absolutely not suitable for an evening at the resort disco or a fancy dinner at one of the resort restaurants.   On the drive from our home in Titanyen, Haiti to the resort in the Dominican Republic we were amazed at how different the Dominican was from Haiti, and how modern some areas were. Especially as we got closer to the resort. We made up our minds, that we would HAVE to do some shopping, and soon!  One of my fellow missionary friends and I made some Haitian/Dominican friends and talked them into escorting us on a shopping trip. We paid one of their friends to drive us around and we had so much fun. We went to this one store that looked like a

Am I living like I mean it? I sometimes imagine what people would say at my funeral, how many people would come and who. Would they say I lived a life of intention? That I lived a life that meant something and impacted people? Anytime I hear someone say, "so-and-so makes you feel like the most important person in the world when you're around them" I immediately think, "I want to do that!" I want people to feel like they have my undivided attention and that they are the most important person to me. I want to give people my undivided attention. I want my attention to be undivided. There probably isn't one person who feels like this is my presence. I feel like there isn't a moment in my life where my attention isn't half on what I'm doing and half on what I need to be doing next. I feel like there is never a moment in my life these days where I can truly just be present in the moment. I'm in a constant state of rushing from one task to the next.

I remember leaving my home filled with a sense  of adventure, excitement, and anticipation. I had been in Haiti about 6 months at this time and have planned a Saturday morning adventure to hike to the ocean along the foot path into the village of Simonette for the very first time. A backpack full of water and snacks and a heart filled with hopes and dreams I set out down the hill to meet my friend. It was as though the world was brighter this day, the long grass swaying in the gentle wind. We stumbled across a few items that looked so out of place under the shade of a lonely tree. My Haitian friend explained someone had come here to perform a voodoo ceremony and these items were the remnants of what had taken place. He kicked the items out of the path and as we continued our hike he told me stories of how his father had taken him to see voodoo priests many times as a child, and how when he was 13 he had to take a drink out of a glass bottle filled with what he assumed were human teeth

  Merry Christmas from our house to yours, 2021 was a year marked with loss for our family. We lost 6 family members within the first 8 months of the year. The 6 th death being my Auntie Helen. This one was the most difficult for me personally. Most of you will know my Auntie Helen played a major role in all aspects of our extended family life.  We viewed her as the matriarch of the BHAMM  Family. Her loss hit hard, especially as her passing came on the heels of so many other deaths. Our only consolation is that she passed surrounded by her loved ones. We stood around her bed, shared our favourite memories and listened to her favourite songs during her final moments. I’m thankful we could be there to send her off in this way, but also to support Mom, Jason, Christine and Uncle Kwai during this painful time.   Despite the heartache we all experienced the circle of life continues. Thanksgiving weekend our family celebrated a major event – the wedding of my cousin Jason to Sia Kuo.

Alright friends. It’s been a minute since I’ve written, and by “a minute” I mean, I haven’t written anything worth anything since we left Haiti 4 and a half years ago. The writing process is therapeutic, and Lord help me, I need some therapy right now. So here we go. It’s officially time to process the dumpster fire that has been the Covid-19 experience in Ontario, Canada.   Today’s topic of discussion is the dreaded pivot. To be clear, “Pivot” is a fancy word used by politicians that means flip flopping back and forth between two completely different forms of education, both sides of which hold heavy and sometimes debilitating consequences. For the record, I am not here to say which side I think is the right one. I’m just here to tell you my story.  So let's go back to the beginning.    The world starts hearing about this thing called the Coronavirus. It feels very far away, and to be honest I didn’t pay too much attention. This Coronavirus begins spreading and wreaking havoc