June 2024 – Life with Charli

Anne with an E and Father’s Day

My father recently introduced me to Netflix’s Anne with an E. It’s a show inspired by novel series Anne of Green Gables by Canadian author Lucy Maud “L.M.” Montgomery. For those who are unfamiliar with Anne of Green Gables or Anne with an E, it is a story that follows the life of a very bright and curious red haired young girl named Anne. The story begins with her meeting an elderly brother and sister named Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.

My Dad loves Anne with an E. We watched it together several times recently. He just adores Anne and finds her so endearing. I love Anne too. There is no way you can watch the show and not fall for her charm. When the Cuthberts met Anne, they immediately loved her, especially Matthew. She changed their lives for the better. Matthew is shy and reserved, and is a man of few words. Meeting Anne helps him to come out of his shell a little. For her, he would do anything. It got to the point where Marilla often teased that Matthew spoiled Anne.

Matthew did not expect this change in his life. It reminds me of me of how my father wasn’t expecting his life to take the turn it did. My father was still in school, and expecting to continue school, when he met and fell in love with my mother. They got married and started a family. My father vowed when he had a his first child that he would do anything to make sure he was the best father he could be. Over the years, his children wanted for nothing. He was the ultimate provider. It was a struggle to provide everything his children needed and wanted, but his children never felt the struggle. Their father simply made being a parent look effortless. To my father, life was hard, but to his children, life was perfect.

I really enjoyed spending time watching Anne with an E with my Dad. It was lots of fun. As I mentioned before, Dad really loved Anne. I loved Matthew and his relationship with Anne. He showered her with love in his own special, quiet way, and Anne appreciated him for it, just like I appreciate my Dad for the sacrifices he made for me. I wish my father a very happy Father’s Day. He deserves my appreciation and so much more.

Guest Post: A Letter of Self Love and Strength

Last time, Arlene and I talked about self love. You can view our first collaboration post here. This time around, the focus is on trying to move on mistakes or traumas. We decided to write letters to ourselves, and post the letters on each other’s blogs. Below, you will find Arlene’s letter to herself:

Dear Angie,

Your life has been about overcoming challenges, breaking through barriers, and moving

forward. Ironically, I know you’ve never asked for much, yet the love and support you’ve longed for seem out of reach. I want you

to realize how proud I am of your resilience and how far you’ve come. I can’t think of anyone else who has faced the trials you have and decided to rise above them. You’ve had the perfect excuse to give up if you wanted to.

I understand how exhausting and draining it can be a

t times. Seeing how much of a journey still lies ahead can be disheartening. It’s like swirling the entire ocean, only to find that the shore is still

far away.

Now that you have the incredible tools and knowledge you wish you had from the beginning, it brings up an inevitable question: If you know what you have left to do, why don’t you do it?

Morpheus

expressed it more eloquently in his response:”Sooner or later, you’re going to realize, just as I did, that there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.”

We both know you know better, so What’s holding you back from moving on, dear?

I know you’ve been trying to take care of your mom for as long as you can remember.

Despite your efforts to detach, surrender, accept, honor, and support her, it seems there’s still a small yet big step to take.

Acceptance and

resistance both have many layers. You might think you’ve moved past something until it catches you off guard.

Spending each day by your mother’s side causes you sorrow and drains your energy. It’s challenging to accept that there’s nothing more you can do for her

, and both of you need to move on. With numerous changes and challenges, you need to continue with your life, while she needs to follow the natural course of life as well. The days seem long and unbearable for her.

Facing the inevitable, especially knowing she wants to move out of your home

, feels like you’re pulling a trigger in a way. It’s like a one-way ticket.

The thought of a care facility is burdensome and unpleasant to you. Ironically, your mother would be better cared for there than at home, and it would also give you a break from the

the constant stress of dealing with nurses, medicines, and everything else.

Maybe deep down, you know it’s not just

about her; it’s about your whole life

changing. The uncertainty of what’s to come is

both exhilarating and terrifying. Perhaps you’re using the situation with your mom as a shield, almost a symbol.

She is the last link you have with your known life of origin. Everything else seems to be spiraling. It’s a positive spiral, yes, but a dizzying one. Your whole life is new.

I understand you may feel alone in the world

.I encourage you to continue your spiritual journey, filling the void, and moving on with love and purpose.

Keep moving forward, Angie.

About Arlene

Arlene is a blogger, Systemic & Family Constellation Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Trauma Specialization student. You can click here to visit her blog. You can also visit Arlene on social media and say hello!

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Thankyou for reading!

A Thankyou to a Wonderful Teacher

I’ve talked a lot about dealing with mental illness on here. I’ve been dealing with mental illness since early childhood. I was a very happy and talkative child. I can’t fully remember when that started to change, but I do know that I got bullied a lot in school. I’ve always been small for my age, so I stood out like a sore thumb.

This did not change when I reached to high school. When I was in primary school and secondary school I had the same classmates. I had different classmates when I went to high school, but the bullying still continued. My self esteem took a deep dive due to the bullying and only made my depression worsen. By my senior year, my depression took a tool on me and I stayed home from school a lot. I just didn’t like being in school. Then I saw my grades. The moment I took a look at them I went in to a bathroom and started crying. I was failing. If I didn’t shape up, I was in jeopardy of having to repeat my senior year. I started going back to school regularly.

Fortunately, I had very understanding teachers. One teacher in particularly was very helpful. I talked with her about my situation and that I was dealing with a lot. She decided to give me an open book test and to help boost my grade. She gave me a 75 for her class. I was grateful, but I don’t think I showed enough gratitude at the time. Looking back, I don’t remember even saying Thankyou. If I had a chance to see her again, I would give her the gratitude I didn’t at the time. I would tell her Thankyou. Thankyou for giving me a chance to explain myself. Thankyou for being understanding. Thanks to you, I graduated on time.