Everyone in life has baggage.  Some bigger and fuller than others, but it’s an unavoidable element of life.  The way I see it, we all walk around with these invisible back-packs that we wear.  Inside of them are a mélange of our strengths, fears, experiences, likes, dislikes…..one could say that these are the backpacks that sometimes weigh us down heavily and other times allow us to dig deep and find the strength to get through difficult situations.  They are the places we can store our special memories and useful tricks that can help to guide us when we are feeling the need for some extra help.

[caption id="attachment_7505" align="alignleft" width="300"]My daddy and me My daddy and me[/caption] Since losing my father at the age of 14, the fear of losing my mother has challenged me in many different ways. I was extremely close with my dad and his sudden death at the end of my grade eight year left me with a tremendous sense of loss and fear. I struggled with separation anxiety as a young child (from 4 until the age of 11) and this tragedy only resurfaced all of those fears.