RH♥︎M

Re-Humanization HeART movement exhibit May 2025

I invite you to join the movement for another exhibit 2026

https://www.createwithlynda.com/post/the-rh-m

12/14 portraits

Rooted in the soil: A story of Loss and Becoming

Before Covid, I was a palliative nurse and herbalist. I home schooled my kids on our homestead, surrounded by gardens, chickens, goats, and a greenhouse. Though I enjoyed nursing, I struggled to bridge herbalism with Western medicine. The divide was too wide, and I never fully aligned with my profession. Still, I followed my passion and opened a small herbal apothecary in town.

When Covid hit, I kept nursing. Suddenly, we were hailed as heroes. Then came the vaccine—pushed as our only hope. But something felt wrong. I knew I couldn’t take it. Quiet conversations began at work. Seven of us refused the shot. By October 14, 2022, only three remained. In my workplace we became a joke. At staff meetings, WE WERE laughed at and MOCKED bets placed on who’d “cave” next.

Eventually, I was told resign or be fired. I handed in my resignation on October 14.

At the same time, my mom was in long-term care. I could only visit her through a cold window. People avoided or sneered at me. To visit my mom became almost impossible.

Then came the call: “Come get her body,” the nurse said. “She’s been palliative for three weeks.”

I was DEVASTATED. The nursing home or my mom's doctor never informed me of my mom’s decline. She died alone—too young, isolated. We were denied closure.

We couldn’t keep the homestead. Friends offered land on their 320-acre ranch. We built a road, drilled a well, laid pipes, and bought a converted bus to live in year-round. Just as we were about to build a deck, they told us to leave. We were stunned. We had invested everything. With legal help, we filed a lien to recover costs and used our RRSPs for a down payment elsewhere. We only recovered some of the costs.  

We were HEARTBROKEN and EXHAUSTED.

After Covid

Despite it all, we came through stronger. During lock downs, I created a secret school where families could gather freely no masks. I even started a covert farmers market where the unvaccinated could share art, food, and music—since we were banned from public ones.

Looking back, I feel proud. We faced immense hardship but stayed together. We built a life from raw land. We kept our integrity. I followed my heart and received the most sacred gift of all—my family.