2022-09-27 14:48
I adopted a cat a week or two ago from the Dumb Friends League. He’s a four-year-old male tabby named Ben.
I’ve never owned a cat before, so this new acquisition is a big dea… Read More
Blog Directory > Life Blogs > Observations Blogs > Christopher Foster author observations Blog >
2022-09-13 18:36
Editor’s note: I’ve been having a lot of trouble with my blog. I am republishing this post with a change in the title to see if this revised post does get published .
Aging ha… Read More
2022-09-12 20:33
My dear wife JoAnn passed away recently. How grateful I am for the gift she has given this world, and to me personally. What is that gift she has given, you may ask? It is the gift of… Read More
2022-08-27 16:55
My dear wife JoAnn will be departing this world sometime soon. How grateful I am for the gift she has given this world, and to me personally. What is that gift she has given, you may ask? It… Read More
2022-08-17 10:38
My dear wife has been continuing her journey toward the transition we call death, with both of us appreciating very much the hospice care that we receive at our home.
Thrust into the role of… Read More
2022-08-02 15:32
As I’ve mentioned before, my dear wife, JoAnn, was diagnosed recently with ovarian cancer, and is receiving hospice care at our home.
As I ponder this journey that the two of us are on… Read More
2022-07-19 09:10
Dear reader,
I shared with you recently the sad news that my dear wife has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I would like to update you regarding my wife’s situation.
A week or so… Read More
2022-07-01 13:52
So here we are, my dear wife and me, with a new challenge to face. JoAnn was recently diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer.
A day or two ago, we had our first visit with our gynecologic onc… Read More
2022-06-04 12:18
Aging has its drawbacks, of course, drawbacks that can sometimes be painful and challenging to say the least. Yet, as a newly minted 90-year-old, I find that aging can open a door to a… Read More
2022-05-11 10:55
It was a beautiful fall day in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Walking in the peaceful countryside, my friend and I came upon two horses standing placid in the sun. One looked arou… Read More
2022-04-15 15:06
Editor’s note: I was browsing some of my blogs and came across the first blog I ever wrote, on May 1 2009. It was a step into the unknown, for sure. I wondered if you might enjoy readi… Read More
2022-03-30 14:36
I recently published a blog entitled, “Did my deceased mother pay me a visit?” I was a bit nervous sharing such a personal post, but the response was so comforting and heart-warm… Read More
2022-03-06 12:21
“Birthless, deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit forever; Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the house of it seems.”–The Bhagavad Gita
I was a seven-yea… Read More
2022-02-22 12:57
I stand in the stillness of the great timeless Being that brought me into this world, and I know now that we are one, and we will always be one.
It is my own stillness, and it has found me a… Read More
2022-02-02 12:38
I feel hesitant sharing the following story with you, because it touches on such a delicate, sensitive topic, and I don’t wish in any way to infringe on your views on life and death. I… Read More
2021-12-31 13:46
A few words from my heart to you and your family as a New Year dawns.
My wife got up before me this morning. I was still in bed when she called out, “Chris, you’ve got to s… Read More
2021-12-12 12:26
Our body ages, this is for sure. I’ll be 90 in May, and my body reminds me every day that, for example, it can’t walk as fast as it once did, and it can’t walk as far as it… Read More
2021-11-21 10:46
Editor’s note: I came across this beautiful piece of writing on Facebook. I offer deep thanks to the author, who is unknown.
At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we b… Read More
2021-11-10 15:26
It’s a special moment in my life.
There’s never any warning. But every now and again, as I sit in my office staring at my computer, thinking about this or that, perhaps sen… Read More
2021-10-28 16:13
Editor’s note: This is a prose poem I wrote some years ago that I hope you will enjoy. Do you have a story about a meeting with an animal or animals that you would like to share? … Read More
2021-10-06 14:20
Editor’s note: I wrote this post a year ago and thought I would republish it. I do hope you will enjoy it.
It was one of the best days of my life. I was 23, proud owner of a sma… Read More
2021-09-08 15:47
I don’t think we will ever understand truth. Truth is too big. Truth is the miracle that keeps the stars and the galaxies in alignment, and oversees the growth of a flower, and activat… Read More
2021-08-19 16:30
Long, long ago, when I was about 11 or 12 years old, I was waiting for a train on the London underground when I noticed a quotation from the Bible affixed to the side of the station platform… Read More
2021-08-05 09:37
Suspended in the out-of-doors, with the sun illuminating each delicate, silken thread, his web traces a near-perfect circle. From the center, a series of rings reach out, tied together… Read More
2021-07-14 11:33
What a wonder life is. I’d like to share with you, if I may, some of the wonders that I have experienced or am experiencing in my life. At the same time, I’d like to invite you t… Read More
2021-06-26 13:12
My Dad, Reg Foster, was a well-known and highly respected British reporter who, shortly before his death, was honored by the London Press Club for “75 years’ brave journalism&rd&helli…Read More
2021-06-14 14:07
A small, three feet tall, thoroughly nondescript green bush, which I am going to call Jane, grows in front of our townhome. I’m not a gardener, and I have to admit that until rec… Read More
2021-05-27 10:43
It’s not always easy to live a happy, meaningful life in this world the way it is, especially as we age. And that’s putting it mildly. How grateful I am, therefore, that in the… Read More
2021-05-05 13:05
I’ve been thinking how grateful I am for my physical body. It’s getting on a bit, mind you–in fact according to the calendar it will be 89 in a few days–but how fait… Read More
2021-04-18 14:29
JoAnn and I live quiet lives. It’s not surprising, I suppose, as we are each approaching 90, and our days in the ‘fast lane’ have long since faded into the past… Read More
2021-03-29 20:10
I was in my early 20’s, working as a reporter on the Daily Express in London, when an urge arose in me from out of nowhere to leave Britain and move to British Columbia, Canada. … Read More
2021-03-19 17:41
I was born and raised in London, it’s true. But I moved to Canada in my early 20’s, then moved to Denver, Colorado 25 years ago to marry my dear wife JoAnn, and I’m 88 yea… Read More
2021-03-09 18:22
I had a fall a few days ago. Perhaps the first real fall I’ve had. What an interesting experience it was, and is.
I had just started out for a walk. One moment all was normal. And… Read More
2021-02-25 23:16
The Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged so many lives in so many countries is probably not finished with us yet. But as we stand our ground, so to speak, in the face of this pandemic and cont… Read More
2021-02-03 20:49
JoAnn and I were very moved this morning as we watched the funeral service for Officer Brian Sicknick, the capitol hill police officer who gave his life defending the capitol building in the… Read More
2020-12-12 17:54
I was on Ambien for a long time, 12 years at least. I can’t remember exactly when I began the process of quitting this particular medication, but I’m guessing a couple of months… Read More
2020-12-05 19:01
Editor’s note: I wrote this poem long ago while living in the Cariboo,
a beautiful, forested plateau in the interior of British Columbia.
The wind that stirs
in these dark C… Read More
2020-11-16 18:19
I’ve been thinking about joy for some reason this morning, what it is and what it isn’t, and the importance of joy in our lives in these challenging times.
I love bei… Read More
2020-10-17 19:13
So I was out for my morning walk earlier today, and a small miracle occurred. I have a love affair with ravens. A lot of people look down their noses at ravens, something a bit dark and… Read More
2020-09-30 22:57
So I was on my morning walk this morning when for some reason I stopped to look at a tree. The tree was still clad with green leaves despite the approach of winter.
As I was looking at… Read More
2020-09-25 12:15
At 4:00 a.m. a couple of nights ago, I awoke to a strange but magical sound. “Is that what I think it is,” I said to myself. “Is that an owl that I hear?” I got out o… Read More
2020-09-15 11:37
Kindness is a great virtue, for sure. One of the greatest. But the older I get, the more I realize that it’s not only a matter of being kind to other people.
That’s important, o… Read More
2020-09-04 13:03
We have a really great walking trail near our home, where I walk pretty well every day. I especially like to spend a few moments in a little patch of forest that exists beside the trail… Read More
2020-08-18 12:32
Yes, there have been challenges, of course, some big, some not so big, in my life. And the challenges will continue. But challenges, I have found, and continue to find, can help us grow, ca… Read More
2020-08-09 12:25
On the whole, as a society, we don’t talk too much about death. We change the subject as quickly as we can! And I can understand this. When you begin to really get up there in your 80… Read More
2020-08-07 11:55
This is a dog story. I was out for my early morning walk on our nearby trail. There’s a spot on the trail where a bridge crosses over a small stream.
I was approaching the bridge when… Read More
2020-07-23 15:17
I find that the older I get, the more I appreciate the joy of little moments. Having a hug with my dear wife, for example. (JoAnn puts no limits on how many hugs I am allowed in a day:-).
Wa… Read More
2020-07-11 11:36
We live in difficult times, obviously, with Mr. Covid and other troubles hanging over our head. I find for myself that one way to cope with these difficult times is to discover a special spo… Read More
2020-07-03 11:45
Editor’s note: I published the following post in 2017. I’ve updated it a little and hope very much it will give you hope and courage as you face this difficult, perilous year of… Read More
2020-06-22 12:14
Ed’s note: Love and best wishes to you all in these difficult times. I hope you will enjoy this poem about a brave little sparrow I wrote some years ago when I was living in Vanc… Read More
2020-06-08 12:49
Hi friends: This is a poem I wrote a few years ago that I’d like to share with you, entitled “Character.” If you have any thoughts on the poem you’d like to sh… Read More
2020-06-04 10:16
Ed’s note: I wrote the following post years ago in the early days of my blog. I am hoping its message will be helpful to you as we face the dark and scary times that are upon us. … Read More
2020-05-23 12:43
Hard to believe, but I’ve been 88 for five days now. Yet I realize that I don’t feel all that different than I used to feel when I was 87, or 86, or perhaps even 76.
I don’… Read More
2020-05-04 12:36
Editor’s note: I was feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to look through some old posts I wrote in the early days of this blog. The following was written in 2012 and I think has a mes… Read More
2020-04-16 10:43
I’m not sure when I first became conscious not only of the blessing of stillness, but also the power of stillness to help us navigate the challenges, great and small, of our lives.
I&r&hell…Read More
2020-04-01 11:32
Here’s the truth about the coronavirus as I see it, and as I begin, albeit tentatively, to experience it.
The virus presently sweeping America is a frightening phenomenon, no question… Read More
2020-03-16 11:44
How heartening it is to see the courageous, clear-thinking efforts of so many U.S. leaders, officials, doctors, nurses, first responders and others across America to face the spread of the c… Read More
2020-03-05 11:40
Editor’s note: Sandi Oliviero is a long-time reader and supporter of my blog. She is also a lover of Nature who recently witnessed a very special scene involving a family of deer that… Read More
2020-02-22 11:41
A fond memory from long ago came to mind recently. It was a fine fall day in the Cariboo, a beautiful region in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, dotted with lakes, cattle ranches an… Read More
2020-02-04 11:16
I have never once deviated in my love for you. From the moment you were conceived I have loved you with a love that is changeless, endless and irrevocable. There has never been a day, an hou… Read More
2020-01-15 12:26
Such a tumultuous world in which we live. Whether we think of ourselves as an individual, or as part of a larger whole, a family, perhaps, or a nation, or indeed humanity itself, so many dif… Read More
2019-12-18 18:22
I love my body. I think to myself often that my body is my best friend. What adventures we have shared through the years. What dreams we have dreamed, and continue to dream.
But there is som… Read More
2019-12-08 11:42
Death is a subject that makes many people cringe, understandably, of course. Yet it does appear to me there is a movement these days toward a more positive outlook, or expectation regarding… Read More
2019-11-23 13:34
These are some words of Confucius that I came across recently: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”
What a wonder it is, this source of wisdom and strength within us all th… Read More
2019-10-29 18:24
Truth first began calling to me when I was about 16. Following this call, the best I could, led me one day to a small village called 100 Mile House, in the Cariboo country of British Columbi… Read More
2019-10-15 21:24
I can’t remember exactly how old I was when this happened. Perhaps 12, or 13. But although I did not realize this at the time, it was an event which changed my life.
I was standing… Read More
2019-09-23 18:43
First of all, I’m sorry my blog has been a bit quiet the past few weeks. There has been a lot going on in my life, including the very important task of renewing my green card. JoAnn… Read More
2019-08-13 16:27
We live in a troubled world, and a troubled country. Hate is on the rise, it would seem, in America. Mass shootings are becoming more common. Certain elements of our society are being haras… Read More
2019-07-15 17:42
Every now and again I like to remind myself that, as an old friend once said, “this world is not the only place.”
Don’t get me wrong. On the whole, I’m enjoying m… Read More
2019-06-11 20:46
It was one of the best days of my life. I was 23, proud owner of a small 21-foot sailing boat named ‘Vision,’ and I was about to sail solo across the Georgia Strait from Na… Read More
2019-05-24 20:13
I’ve tried to follow my intuition for quite a while now, certainly since at age 23 I followed an overwhelming compulsion to leave my family and home in Britain and find a new life in… Read More
2019-05-03 18:37
Do the politics of America—or any other nation—get you down at times? Do the challenges that life brings to us all get you down at times, the experience of aging, the loss of a… Read More
2019-04-12 18:54
I am so
grateful for this life I have been given. And the older I become, the more
years I put on my odometer, so to speak, the more grateful I become.
It’s not
that my life has a… Read More
2019-03-28 18:00
I sometimes think worry is knocking at my door a bit more often these days as I age.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in my upper 80’s, and I have to admit that I t… Read More
2019-03-14 18:02
I want to write about a tree that grows in our neighborhood. This tree means a lot to me–for reasons I’ll explain–but to be honest, any normal person walking past it on th… Read More
2019-02-19 18:58
As I may have mentioned before on this blog, I didn’t get along too well with my parents when they were alive. I think it’s possible that the chaos of World War Two, and being e… Read More
2019-02-04 18:32
I’ll be 87 in May. My wife, JoAnn, will be 88 in July. Hey. Wait a minute. That can’t be true, can it? Yes, I murmur to myself, it can be true, and it is true.
We talk about… Read More
2019-01-23 18:04
Yes, we are human. We have our foibles and fears, our habits and heart-aches. How I love my afternoon visits to the coffee-shop. How distressed I was recently when some back pain paid me a… Read More
2018-12-29 00:14
I was
wondering what to write about for this post, beyond, of course, wishing you a
very Happy New Year, when my wife JoAnn came to my rescue. “Why not write about
how you met Skye&rd&helli…Read More
2018-12-04 21:42
Life is an uncertain business at any age, but perhaps especially as we age. Who knows what is going to happen next? For example, a couple of weeks or so ago I set out for a walk, one of my m… Read More
2018-11-08 19:31
JoAnn and I don't have a pet in the normal sense of the word. But we do have some pets in the natural world, a family of wild bunnies who live beneath our front porch and enjoy hanging out… Read More
2018-10-29 20:27
The sun rises each morning somewhere on the face of our planet to give its gift of warmth and light and no doubt will continue to rise despite whatever tumult may be going on in America and… Read More
2018-10-15 18:33
Wonder still lives. It really does. You may or may not have seen the following story that was on ABC news recently, concerning an incident that occurred in a quiet neighborhood street in Bro… Read More
2018-10-03 21:04
Friendship covers a lot of territory. I consider the big blue spruce tree that grows outside our front porch a friend. The bunnies that find shade and protection beneath this tree are friend… Read More
2018-09-18 21:02
One of my most treasured mementos is a poem that my mother, Kate Penny, wrote long ago shortly after being present for her father's death.
Mum, who was born in North Devon, England, on Septe… Read More
2018-09-11 17:54
I didn't go to college. I followed in my Dad's footsteps, and at age 16, became a junior reporter on a weekly suburban newspaper called the South London Press. Dad was a veteran British jour… Read More
2018-08-06 23:21
The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to listen to the quiet, silent voice of intuition. It's a gift that exists within us all, but of course it doesn't do us much good if… Read More
2018-07-20 22:14
I’m happy to say that I’m feeling much better following my endovascular surgery May 1 to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. I’m not sure I’m completely out of the w… Read More
2018-06-16 13:21
Does our spirit change as the aging process catches up with us?
I was thinking about this, for some reason, while sipping my latte in Peet's coffee shop this afternoon. And the answer I got… Read More
2018-05-15 16:02
I send you love and blessings, and I hope that all goes very well for you. Life is not only a very interesting (and at times perhaps scary) experience, it is also an opportunity to grow, and… Read More
2018-04-09 21:26
They are among my most treasured mementos--some words that my mother, Kate, wrote after witnessing the death of her father.
Death is the ultimate taboo, isn't it? The "elephant in the… Read More
2018-03-21 16:59
Four or five days ago, out walking on my favorite trail, some trees bordering the trail and a stream flowing happily by, I saw my first robins of the year. There were about half-a-dozen of t… Read More
2018-03-01 16:46
Editor's note: Hi all. This may be the first time I've published a poem on my blog, but here goes. I'd like to share a poem with you entitled Pax, a Latin word meaning "peace," written by th… Read More
2018-02-11 18:39
I woke last night to go to the bathroom, nothing unusual there, but as I was getting back into bed I experienced a thought, or realization so encouraging and uplifting I wanted to share it w… Read More
2018-01-15 17:41
Jeff Flake, a U.S. senator, is due to give an address on the Senate floor this week in which he will denounce President Trump's "unrelenting daily assault" on freedom of the press and point… Read More
2017-12-12 21:38
A favorite quote comes to mind as Christmas 2017 approaches: "If you continue in my word...you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8: 31-32.
JoAnn, my wife, w… Read More
2017-12-05 16:45
I'm anxious to make some changes to my blog, and, as far as possible, add some more vigor, and some new ideas, while yet preserving the basic structure and integrity of the blog.
I'm 85, and… Read More
2017-11-04 20:36
Friendship, true friendship, the kind that endures, and grows, comforts and inspires, is one of life’s greatest gifts. It has a bit of magic to it. It draws forth from within us the na… Read More
2017-10-19 17:18
So there I was, 22 years old, standing with my Mum and Dad on the platform at Victoria station in London. All kinds of excitement in my heart. All sorts of sorrow and pain in the hearts of m… Read More
2017-09-14 18:08
I'm experiencing two things at the same time that might seem contradictory but I don't think are contradictory.
I'm slowing down in some ways, at 85, without a doubt. For instance, I don't w… Read More
Subscribe to Christopher Foster Author
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!