Tag Archives: Christmas

Be Writing a Christmas Letter 2023

December 20, 2023 Be Enough 4 Comments

I have ALWAYS sent out Christmas cards. I love the physical act of looking for and purchasing special cards plus writing a personal note as I think of the friend that I am sending the card to.

This year, I was inspired by my friend, Rae Swire, to write a Christmas letter. Last year, I really appreciated reading the update on her family and the highlight from her year. I believe that everyone has received theirs in the mail now, so here goes the digital Christmas letter.

Drum roll…. the first ever Cann family Christmas letter! I pray it brings connections and community through what I chose to share.

Merry Christmas 2023

Family ~ Change ~ Fun

These are our words from this year! We have made changes to create more family fun time and we are reaping the benefits as we finish off the year. We continue to love spending winter weekends at our Apex ski condo overlooking the t-bar, summertime around the background pool as well as time golfing, biking and horseback riding at a trailer we inherited from Steve’s family that is on the sixth hole of the golf course at “The Ranch”. With the age of the boys, we feel grateful to have found the perfect balance of activity and leisure time. We enjoyed a fifth summer hiking adventure with our good friend’s, the Sharpe’s, who have kids the exact same age. Both Steve and I moved into new jobs this summer. We were devastated by the wildfires in our city, which burned down the church camp the boys have been attending the last few years. In the fall, we enjoyed a 3 day trip to Disneyland and clocked over 70,000 steps and went on over 50 rides!

Family Update:

Steve – continues to love backcountry skiing, the Canucks, spending time with the family and is now coaching U14 Club volleyball. After spending time in International Educational since 2004, Steve resigned from his position in Kelowna and now works up the road as a Vice Principal at North Glenmore Elementary School. He even has a song about “Mr. Cann”. Steve took his last International work trips to Germany, Halifax and Thailand last spring. He dearly misses this calling, but is enjoying this season at home and working on his health.
Joanna – I am in my fifth year homeschooling the boys and I love every second being able to design their learning. I added on a new role to my work with Heritage Christian Online School and I am now the Regional Administrator for the north overseeing 15 teachers and 400+ students north of 100 Mile. I had the opportunity to do a northern road trip with Colby and Owen for work in October. It’s been a dream come true! With the busyness of all the boys, health has taken a bit of a backseat, but we have joined a gym so that we workout regularly now and we are loving ski season, both alpine and nordic.
JC (Grade 11) – attends school at Kelowna Secondary part time doing Math, Science and electives plus HCOS doing online English, SS and other electives he can’t get at the campus school. He played ultimate frisbee at KSS and got his Learner’s license in April. Since starting Trampoline gymnastics two years ago, Jackson has had incredible success. He competes in all three events: trampoline, double mini and tumbling. In July, he qualified and competed in his first Nationals, which was held at the UofA. He stayed in my old residence at Lister Hall and competed in the Butterdome. This year, his goal is to qualify for his first International competition. In Jackson’s free time he loves making movies, refereeing soccer and hanging out with his brothers.
CC (Grade 9) – currently has many diverse interesting including: spearfishing, F1, racing go-carts and doing taekwondo. Colby is two belts away from being able to test for his black belt. He competed in Trail, Salmon Arm and SFU. This year, Colby started his journey with braces, refereeing soccer, found a wonderful Youth Group, finished his red cross swim lessons and continues to work with his voice teacher, Janel, to write his second album. Colby sang a song live on the radio and got his first stitches in a ski crash! Colby continues to learn at home, but this year he is attending a one day class that covers Science and Social Studies.
OC (Grade 7) – loves Lego building, Star Wars, RCMP, dogs, playing with his brothers, skiing and soccer. This year, he also tried taekwondo and is playing Club volleyball for the first time. He also decided to start playing the trumpet and takes weekly lessons. Owen also loves learning at home and attends a one day in-person class.

In 2024,

This summer, we are excited to be taking a trip to the Yukon with our new-to-us 16 foot Hybrid Cubs trailer. Both Jackson and Colby will be in high school. We don’t foresee any work or school changes, other than that!

As we move into this new year, we pray that this letter finds you full of hope, peace and love! As the boys grow older, we truly see how precious each day (and year) is and are really living each day to the fullest! We are grateful for your friendship in this world we live in.

Xoxo Joanna + the blue crew.

Sidenote: This is post 48 of 50 for 2023… Eeeek, I am going to reach my goal of writing 50 posts this year. Thanks for coming along on the ride.

christmas, encouragement, God, Grief, Parenting, philosophy

Be Keeping SH*T Real

December 14, 2018 Be Enough Leave a comment

There is a pervasive message in our culture that is saying “stay positive”, “think positive”, shift your mindset to be more positive and everything will be AWESOME!

Those that know me, know that I do have a positive mindset, but I did not, I repeat, I DID NOT, get there by being positive all the flipping time.

Let me tell you a little story about these three geniuses above:

My boys were 7,4 and 2 years old when my mom was dying. This grief experience would become the greatest gift that our family has been given! Plus, isn’t it amazing to know that we all having the incredible Nana waiting for us in heaven. When we were given this gift of grief, I spoke with my counselor, a tremendous amount, about how we grieve as human beings She taught me, and my children showed me, that the very best grievers are actually children. What they do is feel things very deeply, stay in each moment and move in and out of grief very quickly. This was exactly our experience. They would see or remember something from Nana, wham, the tears would come. Then they would see their favourite LEGO and wham, they are smiling and playing again. My counselor taught me that the best thing I could do for them, and myself, was to sit with them in their grief, feel things with them and wait for them to shift or helps them slowing shift after being present with them. Rarely, did I need to do anything but merely sit and be present with them.

Imagine this same grief journey, if I constantly put on a positive face, ignored their feelings and told them to be positive. “Just be positive” said over and over and over again. In a child’s world, this would be completely invalidating their feelings and not give them the permission to feel or grieve. I wonder what counselling they would need later in life to get over not feeling the feelings they had during this time?

This year is going to be our fifth Christmas without my marvellous mama and I must admit that I have become an expert at negotiating grief. I sit with myself. I feel things deeply and then gently move myself when I know I am ready. I cried in the pool this morning while swimming lengths. I feel the feelings, I let the tears flow.

I am blessed because I can now see and sense this grief process working in others and I easily give them space to move through the process. We do this often with relationships, situations, and even with our food. I can see people giving themselves lashes for not being positive enough or at all. I can see people trying so hard.

This brings me back to the positive rah rah that is overpowering our culture. I WANT TO BE A PERMISSION BEARER. As I observe and grow a business in this culture of a constant positivity, my message has clearly become “keep sh*t real”. The more honest my customers can be with me, the more I can walk with them. The more we can sit with each other in the real sh*t that exists in this world, the more we can move each other into positive places. We have to sit together, listen together and then move!

Feel the feels.

Sit in them.

Then look, seek and find solutions and that positive place.

When you look around and feel like sh*t because you aren’t positive enough, pretty enough, doing enough or…. <insert what it is for you here>… keep it real and sit with your sh*t. And realise that when I look around and see the pervasive positivism overwhelming my feed, it’s usually being put out into the world by men, young couples or empty nesters. You don’t often seen mom’s waking up to puking kids or having to put every single thing they had planned that day on hold because of a child with a fever, spewing the positivity message 24/7.

It’s about keeping sh*t real. Finding a way to keep taking one step forward every day towards where you want to go. Surrounding yourself with people who will cheer you on and be positive even when you have spit up on your shoulder and haven’t combed your hair. Find that tribe that keep things real and can be positive when you can’t be.

If you aren’t feeling that you are good enough, positive enough or that you are doing enough, STOP that sh*t. Remember my lessons from grief that my boys taught me.

God has given you many talents that you may not be able to see right now.

That’s okay.

God is taking you through a season that is going to give you great strength.

That’s amazing.

God is going to reveal everything to you in EXACTLY the right time.

That’s incredible.

BUT, life isn’t always okay, amazing or incredible.

But you “Cann”:

Always hold hope.

Always brings peace.

Always hold love.

Always keep sh*t real.

Even when the positivity police try to overtake you.

Learn from my greatest teachers, my boys, in this upcoming season.

Sit exactly where you are.

Feel things deeply.

Move when you are ready.

Always hold hope.

Always bring peace.

Always hold love.

Always keep sh*t real.

😘 Joanna Cann

author, christmas, Flexibility

Be “UnBusy”

December 19, 2016 Be Enough Leave a comment

Right now, I can sense a whirling of energy around me.

Fluttering here and there.

Cars driving quickly.

People walking swiftly.

All around the city.

This way and that.

Me, I choose to be “UnBusy”.

Busy is the swear word of the season.

Right up there with the f-word.

Beside the bar of soap that my mouth got washed out with.

Busy?

Keeping ourselves occupied?

Have a great deal to do?

These are a choice.

Being busy is a choice.

What’s on the ‘to-do’ list is a choice.

Yes, it is 100% up to us.

Fluttering here and there.

Driving quickly.

Walking swiftly.

All around the city.

This way and that.

Or not at all.

I used to rock the ‘to-do’ list.

This list would make me feel productive.

Make me feel occupied.

Now I have created space to be.

Sitting here.

Moving there.

Talking here.

Wondering there.

I purposely move slowly and with ease.

Walking quietly in the crackle of snow.

All around my beautiful city.

Wherever my boys or mind take me.

Incredible beauty surrounding us in this season.

Ready to envelop and shower us with peace.

Right now, I sense a purple energy all around me.

Loving.

Being.

Seeing.

Allowing.

Peace in this season.

author, christmas

Be Celebrating a “Cann”tastic Christmas 2015

January 9, 2016 Be Enough Leave a comment

Celebrating friendship, Jesus’s birth, family, and just being together! We had an amaaaaazing Christmas. Love a duck, I do have to say it was “Cann”tastic!

There were so many coincidences and blessings that came our way. The opportunities we have to talk and sit with people were inspiring.

Skiing.

Skating.

Bowling.

Road Trip.

Lego.

Sleds.

Food.

And discovering a ski sign with our last name on it.

A “Cann”tastic Christmas!

christmas, health & fitness, mindset, psychology

Be Finding Solace on Skis

December 23, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

Being present to what we are feeling and thinking takes awareness, especially during the holiday seasons.

It is easy to let time zip by in busyness, unaware of our body, mind and spirit. It is easy to get wrapped up in wrapping just doing without being.

Holidays are often wrapped up in a beautiful package of past memories and experiences that create our present life. In my book, I talk about my ‘be enough’ mindset and allowing myself space to care for my soul.

This year, I continue to unwrap past Christmas seasons, grieving the loss of my mom while being aware of my desire to create magical memories for my brood of boys.

I chose to be enough by strapping on my sticks! Heading off in the early morning on cross country skiis, solo. Allowing the thoughts float on by, in silence, in beauty with birds chirping me on as I pass by.

I chose to be enough by strapping on my boards. Heading off during the day on downhill skiis with my boys. Allowing laughter to pour out, looking for jumps, in beauty with my boys hooting and hollering as I go by.

Creating space to be.

Exactly where I am.

In body, mind and spirit.

Finding solace on my skiis.

Being me.

author, Book, friendship, writing

Be Knowing What DRIVES You!

August 31, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

Have you ever wanted something so bad that all you could do was talk about it, think about it, dream about it?

Perhaps you wanted a pony as a child.

Maybe it was to make it to the Olympics.

I wonder if it was thinking about getting married.

What was that “something” that just drove you into perpetual conscious and unconscious thought which caused you massive action?

This morning it started with a question from a personal development course that I am doing: What drives people?

Luckily I have an inner circle that is very tolerant of my philosophical questions coming out of thin air, so I started by texting one person.

Princess P ended up saying: “People that I love and enjoy, nature, adventures… Celebrations and traditions power me.”

Next I texted another person, Dr. K to hear what she had to say: “Before coffee: coffee”. (I must admit that I get up so early and excited for each day that I forget people may still be sleeping.) After coffee, she text back and said, “Health and Happiness”. And then Dr. K asked her mom and she said, “Live in the moment and look to the future… not stuck in the past with regrets. Also strive for excellence not perfection.”

Then I texted a few people more because I was oh so curious. I love PEOPLE and I loved hearing what drives them.

One friend shared that she was contemplating this exact question.

Awesome A shared, “Creating a loving home for my family.”

Double D (the one who keeps giving me back my hat!), said, “My family” and

RvZ said “Work, play, laughter, kinda combo. Achievement. Getting stuff done. But the days that I spend in nature are pretty top.”

When you have great conversations like that all day long and ponder such a question like “What drives you?” the answers come clearly.

What drives me?

Harmony.

Freedom.

I seek harmony in the world around me through relationships, nature, and within myself.

I move towards freedom to be my authentic self, freedom poured out for others to be exactly who they are, time and financial freedom for my family and friends.

What drives you?

Here is my “drive” story for today: Before dinner, my boys, spied a digger down end of our road. They had this incredible drive to go and see this digger. The talked about this digger and wondered why it was there throughout the entire dinner. They ate without complaint and then they were off out the door without a word, just so that they could get an eye on this digger.

Drive.

Target.

Success.

The boys reached their target!

Our brain is a cybernetic system and unless you pick a target, your unconscious brain will choose something for you. Think about these three boys and yourself as a child, what drove you? What did you love to talk about, think about, dream about?

Today, why don’t you find what drives you and then choose the target?

Go for it!

You “Cann” do it.

encouragement, Family, health & fitness, life

Be Hitting the Targets I Set!

August 27, 2015 Be Enough 2 Comments

One of the best hockey players in the world, Wayne Gretzky, was once quoted as saying: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!”

Before I wasn’t even in the game.

I was working very hard.

Going no where.

I was floating.

Listening to all the chatter around me.

Now, I am listening to the still inner voice inside of ME.

In my life right now I am taking a TON of shots.

Saying “yes” to new opportunities.

Being open to the possibilities.

Allowing myself to feel deeply and go deeper still.

This week, I was on the phone with M, someone that I have known for almost ten years… She is twenty-something and she is a FORCE.

I was sharing with M my last sixteen week journey of setting goals and achieving them.

Here is a photo of this first journey:

Now after a very fun sixteen weeks of achieving many goals, I was in a quandary. Weight loss is no longer one of my MAJOR goals. Hmmmmm… Now what? I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with this second challenge and I expressed my ‘unknowing’ to friend/business partner.

Later in the day, she send me her ideas via text. My ‘unknowing’ brought out a ‘knowledge’ in her that profoundly helped me and spurred me on. Isn’t it awesome that she even thought of having “party tricks” as a goal!!

Here is what I came up with because of her awesome inspiration:

And here is me getting started to see where I am at: (It wasn’t pretty!)

4 push-ups (the last one was with VERY shaky arms)

No chin-ups (I could barely hang there for 2 seconds)

And NOW I am off moving towards the targets that I set for myself.

The ULTIMATE goal is to be the healthiest ME and live the most energetic, positive-infused days of my life with my brood of boys, family and incredible circle of friends.

Grief, writing

Be on a Threshold

January 15, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

How do you explain something with words that is just a feeling?

What do you say to describe a place where only you may be at?

I have been searching for weeks to describe this sense of where I am as I begin 2015.

Suddenly, as I read another woman’s story, it hit me:

“Threshold.”

A word to describe where I am at.

The best one that I can conjure up.

I am neither living in my past, nor do I feel that I am moving anywhere in the forward direction.

Sitting.

Holding still.

On a threshold.

For those that know me well, they know that holding still is not my forte.

Give me a list.

Tell me what needs to be “done”.

Ask me to organize.

I am your woman!

But not now.

Maybe not again.

My head is still fuzzy.

The grief I feel is deep and raw.

The hole my mom has left in my life is vast.

So I sit, peacefully in my home.

Happy on the ski hill.

Surrounded by love.

Glancing back.

Looking forward.

Just being.

On the threshold.

"Be" ENOUGH