amiBro

More Than Tough — True

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about

Born, 1953, in The Hague, The Netherlands and immigrated to Canada a month after my second birthday. We stayed in Niagara Falls and moved when I was in Kindergarten. I grew up in St. Catharines and there I studied at Brock University where I graduated with an Honours degree in Biology and Urban and Environmental Studies. As well, I went to Teachers College. I taught for eight and a half years and retired at age forty due to complications with my health. I met my husband, Peter, in 1979 and we’ve been together for 46 years and counting!

Category: Uncategorized

  • Recovery and Resilience

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. Healing is rarely a straight line.It’s more like a tide — coming in and going out, pulling you forward, then gently back.Recovery and Resilience isn’t about perfection or never struggling again.It’s about remembering your own capacity to rise, rebuild, and rest when you need to. Recovery…

  • Daily Check-Ins

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. Small moments of awareness can help you steady your mind before the day runs away with you.Daily Check-Ins are not about self-improvement — they’re about self-connection.They remind you that you exist, you feel, and you matter, even in the simplest minutes of an ordinary day. You…

  • Seeking Support

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. Reaching out can feel scary, heavy, or uncertain — but you don’t have to carry everything alone.Seeking Support is a gentle space to explore ways to connect safely with people who care, and to know that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.…

  • Practical First Steps

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. When emotions feel heavy, the first step is often the hardest.Practical First Steps is a gentle guide to small, approachable actions that help steady your mind and heart — nothing rushed, nothing forced, just the simplest ways to care for yourself. You don’t need to fix…

  • Reflecting and Resetting

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. After a storm, even a small pause can restore perspective.Reflecting and Resetting invites you to take stock gently, honor what’s passed, and choose your next small step. Suggestions: – Note one thing you managed, one act of courage, or one comfort– Set a small intention for…

  • Caring for Emotions

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. Storms leave residue: sadness, anger, fear, or emptiness.Caring for Emotions is about noticing, naming, and gently tending to whatever is present — without shame or judgment. Ways to Care: – Journal a few sentences about how you feel– Draw or doodle what’s inside– Talk to yourself…

  • Soothing the Body

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. The body carries the storm even when the mind seems clear.Soothing the Body is about softening tension, inviting relaxation, and giving yourself permission to rest. Ideas: – Stretching slowly, noticing every muscle– Hugging yourself or wrapping in a soft blanket– Listening to grounding music, feeling the…

  • Calming the Mind

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. Thoughts can race, swirl, and loop like a stormy sky.Calming the Mind is about noticing them without judgment, letting them move through, and finding clarity inside the chaos. Techniques: – Counting breaths or silently repeating a comforting phrase– Visualizing a gentle, steady light in your chest–…

  • Grounding Exercises

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. When the storm feels closest, the body can be your anchor.Grounding Exercises are small, immediate ways to feel your feet, your breath, your presence.They help you notice that the world is still here — solid, safe, waiting. Examples: – Touch five things you can see, four…

  • Not Broken, Just Bleeding

    Let this play if you’d like company while reading. Pain can feel like it defines you, but it does not.Not Broken, Just Bleeding is a space to hold your hurt without judgment,to recognize courage in vulnerability, and to honor the heart that keeps going. Main Text You may be hurting.You may feel raw, exposed, vulnerable.…