Today, I was invited to give a motivational talk to a grade 8 class. I planned a 3-hour session sharing life lessons and the story behind ‘Hold on please, Emily.‘ This session aimed to encourage students to work hard and… Read More »Author Talk
“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.” ~ Richard M. Devos It’s amazing how a smile can go… Read More »Quote: powerful things
I’m a huge fan of Disney’s Mulan and when the animated movie came out, this song, ‘True to Your Heart‘ was my favourite. Granted, it featured Stevie Wonder, who I call a legend in the music world. But it was… Read More »Be true to your heart with 98 Degrees & Stevie Wonder
Rainbow are a symbolic icon with mixed meanings. As a child, it symbolized magic and was usually seen on feminine clothing with unicorns and peace signs. Although I never thought of it that way as a child, I saw the… Read More »What a rainbow means to me
“Never tell me the odds” ~ Han Solo When Emily was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour, there were moments when she felt lost within the numbers. But, hope was what guided her to fight and become determined to be… Read More »Quote: hope in Star Wars
“Hope is a renewable option: if you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver As long as you believe in hope, you’ll never run out. Wake… Read More »Quote: hope is renewable
Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful‘ holds a message that is both highly relevant and powerful to anyone who has gone through a difficult relationship that made them question themselves. It speaks about their inner beauty and that the definition of ‘beautiful’ is… Read More »Beautiful with Christina Aguilera
I can still hear Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions‘ ringing in my head from every championship sporting event. Growing up as a huge sports fan, this song was a classic. I remember it most from the movie ‘Remember the Titans’ and… Read More »We are the champions with Queen
“Walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone” ~ Shah Ruhk Khan Whenever you’re faced with adversity, there is always someone you can turn to. You are never alone even if that someone is in your… Read More »Quote: hope in your heart
‘Not Afraid‘ by Eminem is all about standing up for yourself. I’ve never been a huge rap fanatic, but I actually really like Eminem. Although he does have some explicit lyrics for many of his songs, the lyrical wordplay in his… Read More »Not afraid with Eminem