Sister Triangle Staff
Change
I am in a certain stage of my life as a woman in her late forties. I am a Gen-Xer; I smirk, but also reminisce when I see something deemed retro from the 80s and 90s. Today, I received my first mammogram, something that will become more routine because that is part of life as a woman who is “midlife.” Despite the discomfort, I want to know my body. I will soon face what some have dubbed The Change. The moniker for menopause seems a bit much in my mind: isn’t that life, change? King Solomon’s words come…
Read MoreLearning to Reconcile When Hope Dies
By Trinda Jocelyn It was abnormally late when I picked up the phone. My mother’s name was lighting up the screen. I tapped the green dot, put the phone to my ear, and heard her voice say, “Your dad passed away today.” That was five years ago. I don’t remember much of the conversation after that, I do remember the feeling. Sadness and relief at the same time and then guilt for feeling the relief. My father and I were not close. He was not close to any of his daughters. He left shortly after I…
Read MoreThe Gift of Reconciliation
By Katelyn Stamler Reconciliation has always felt like a heavy word to me. I was first introduced to the concept in university. As a student in the education program at the U of R, we were presented with the topic early and often. I still remember the horrible feeling in my stomach as I sat through my first ECS 100 lecture. There was a guest speaker that night and she came in to talk about reconciliation with Indigenous people. The entire point of her lecture seemed to be that as white Canadians we were responsible for the atrocities…
Read MoreLetter from the Editor 2020
January 13, 2020 Dear Readers, Today is your lucky day! You’ll wake up to not one, but two messages of encouragement this Monday morning from the staff here at Sister Triangle Magazine. Make sure you don’t miss our newest article, “The Gift of Reconciliation” by Sister Triangle Editor, Katelyn Stamler. Before you take off and read Katie’s fantastic words, may I borrow a moment of your time? I’m here to connect with you on all things Sister Triangle Magazine. I want to begin by wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are so excited…
Read MoreRemember Me?
By Deanna Cook We look forward. We wonder. We dream. We count days with excitement. We don’t know the end of the story. We only know what we can see. And that can be exhilarating or terrifying. I always anticipated that I would be married and have a family. I am content with my life – I have found purpose as a single woman. I have been a mentor to younger single women. I have a job I love, where I get to mother many teenagers. I have more opportunities and flexible income to do things that…
Read MoreOur Adoption Story
By Victoria Utman Four years ago, I learned that a quickening is the feeling an expecting mother has when their child moves beneath their breast- a stretch felt through the very muscle, sinew, and core of the woman as her baby develops inside of her. It’s a beautiful, active word and was brought up in a writing workshop I attended. Around this time, my husband and I had just begun our first serious conversations about beginning a family together and I instantly fell in love with the concept. “Quick” meaning alive or lively; the emotional made physical…
Read MoreBare Beginnings
By Jenn Wallace So many of our beginnings start this way—two individuals who were bare and vulnerable, who trusted. There is something attractive and exhilarating in allowing someone to know you—it can feel like a big risk, opening to someone’s touch, gaze and trusting that person. The vulnerability in partnering and building trust is so needed in parenting. Whether or not a couple is able to conceive, raising a child requires naked vulnerability. If living with someone does not bring out all the details, good and bad, then raising a child certainly does. Babies produce all kinds of emotions…
Read MoreThe Diagnosis
By Sheena Koops It started with squirrels at the end of his bed, and sometimes he would make Mom get up and see what those tall people in the corner were doing. He saw horses in a field and riders wearing tall hats with stovepipe points; he saw all this through the walls of his own home and through the houses along the streets. Not long before he passed he said, “Why is the little girl crying?” referring to the empty chair at the round kitchen table of their new home in Fort Qu’Appelle. Dad had neuropathy, a…
Read MoreQ&A Featuring Sheena Koops
Forward by Victoria Utman Full disclosure: When we set up this interview, I was frustrated. Tonight’s guest is our Talent Scout, my mother, Sheena Koops and it took three phone calls to hammer this out. If you know Sheena, you know that she is a game changer, move maker, and earth shaker. I often describe her to people that don’t know her as a “high power woman” and with that comes her God-given energy for justice, education, and advocacy. Yes, sometimes it’s challenging to get a hold of her, I never know what kind of adventure she’s on, but when…
Read MoreQ&A Featuring Deanna Cook
Forward by Victoria Utman Our editorial team wouldn’t be the same without our fantastic Copy Editor. You heard her speak about courage at Sister Triangle Retreat, but we just wanted to give you more! She is an educator with a big heart, a quiet leader in our loud world, and the authority here at Sister Triangle Magazine on all things grammatical. Please put your proverbial hands together for the one-and-only, Deanna Cook! Victoria: This is the most important question, which is why it is first: Coffee or Tea? Tell us why. Deanna: First thing in the morning, I…
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