Jean MacDougall-Tattan 3/29/24 Jean MacDougall-Tattan 3/29/24

Do You get Along With Mom?

Mother and daughter relationships can be tricky. Did you have a good relationship with your mother when you were young? How about as an adult? While talking with a good friend recently, she confided that when she sees social media posts such as, “Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. You were my best friend and I miss you every day,” it’s hard for her because she never had that kind of relationship with her mother. Neither did I, so posts like that leave me feeling a bit cheated.

Jean MacDougall-Tattan 3/1/24 Jean MacDougall-Tattan 3/1/24

Still Thankful and Grateful

Earlier this month, on social media, I posted about a horseback riding injury I sustained 17 years ago that changed my life. The injury was serious. I broke my back. But I don’t regard it as a bad thing because the downtime my mind and body needed to recover became a gift. An opportunity to evaluate my life and make changes. I hadn’t thought about that accident in years, but for some reason, this year, it wouldn’t leave my mind. Why was it on my mind now? Because trauma does that. You never really know when it will rear its ugly head and bite you in the butt.

Jean MacDougall-Tattan 2/1/24 Jean MacDougall-Tattan 2/1/24

Does Retirement Scare You?

When you think about retiring does it provoke anxiety or make you happy? What does it mean to you? Some see it as the ultimate reward for a lifetime of hard work. No more business obligations. No more bosses telling you what to do. No more asking permission for time off. No more feeling torn between work commitments and the needs of your family. Retirement feels like freedom. But the practical side of the brain might have a different opinion. No more paychecks. No more overtime. Will you be able to make it on a fixed income? Will there be enough for extras, like vacations? What if? What if? What if?

Jean MacDougall-Tattan 12/21/23 Jean MacDougall-Tattan 12/21/23

An Overdue Honor for Dad Just in Time for Christmas

In 1964, when I was just eight years old, my uncle Tim passed away. He was a carpenter and roofer, and an avid hunter, fisherman, and farmer. We spent many days at his farm, and I liked helping him so much that he made me a pint-sized green wooden wheelbarrow and spray-painted my name in cursive on the sides — in gold. How I loved his garden, which was where he would mostly be when our family arrived. Sometimes, he waited for me in the rhubarb patch with a bowl of sugar. With his knife, he’d cut off some stalks, and then we’d dip them in the sugar and eat while sitting in the sun, talking. I adored that man.

Jean MacDougall-Tattan 11/21/23 Jean MacDougall-Tattan 11/21/23

My Mission Made Me An Author

After nineteen years of writing and trying to get a book published, I can finally say that I’m a published author, but would you believe me if I told you my goal was never to become an author? The writing began because I felt a need to deliver a specific message to children and it all unfolded from there. It’s true that I’ve always been a writer at heart. Professionally, I was a journalist, but I also had a deep love of horses and a burning desire to help children understand that horses needed to be treated with kindness.