Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. It seems I still haven’t got to all the Harbor Pointe series books by various authors, but I did manage to read D.L. Finn’s book this past weekend –… More
Carl Jung on the Psychology of People Who Cut off Family and the D.G. Kaye Experience
I’ve been listening a lot lately to some of the works and essays of Carl Jung. Recently, I was listening to his thoughts on people who choose to cut off family for the betterment of their health, and because this is something that happened to me, I found it resonated well. For those of you who’ve read some of my earlier books on growing up with a narcissistic mother and emotional abuse, you may appreciate why this resonated with me.
If someone hasn’t worn the shoes of living stuck in a toxic environment and finally finding the courage to exit, they shouldn’t judge others. Jung says, “It is not weakness, but strength that helps us leave a toxic relationship.” Many choose to blame the person who exits a relationship without understanding the daily hell that person lives through being emotionally battered.
The fixer, the golden child, the blacksheep, whichever noun chosen, is a common target of the narcissistic mother. Family doesn’t always know us, we are who they need us to be, sometimes with no understanding of who we really are. Cutting out family is typically not impulsive, as Jung says, “It’s death by a thousand cuts.” After what can be a lifetime of hurt, after clarity strikes for the final time, I finally chose self and sanity. I love that Jung quotes this as, “Chosen bonds are stronger than biological accidents, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
Guilt operates on many levels – surface guilt, suffering in silence. And I can say that it stays quietly, despite the need for that separation. Staying in toxic situations doesn’t only hurt us, it carries down to next generation. Walking away is healing despite how it seems to outsiders. The world doesn’t understand self-preservation until our own is attacked. We are taught family comes first always. Society tell us to forgive and endure. But why should we stay in abuse when those who are supposed to protect us are our abusers?
Family estrangement is a choice to end a connection. It is pain that has reached the point of the last straw that fell, which finally invites the awakening. When you grow up mostly walking on eggshells, you learn young how to read a room, leaving us questionning why the people who are supposed to love us the most, hurt us most.
Some relationships will not move no matter what is done. After all the discussions, words of forgiveness, and many unfulfilled promises by the abuser, we learn we can’t change a sick person single handedly. We are not the fixers. It’s time to go. When the result is the same every time we try to make things better, the balance is off and the cycle repeats. But once we leave, the weight lifts, but don’t be fooled because the grief remains for what we no longer have – or sometimes, never had.
Judgments come. People who know nothing about emotional abuse preach how we only get one family, telling us we must go back. But what if you feel you aren’t part of or never felt like part of that family? Leaving is a painful choice, but less painful in the long run as we rebuild our lives and take care of ourselves.
Family isn’t always blood. Family are the people who stand by us through good times and bad. They offer their ears and compassion. But sometimes they don’t. Good relationships have love and care and concern. This goes for both – blood relationships and no blood relationship.Blacksheep often become happier and healthier when removing themselves from toxic environments and people. I know I surely did. There is no rule stating because we are blood we are condemned to taking abuse from someone for the rest of our life. The choice is ours, and ours alone. The heart and soul know when capacity has been reached from hurt. No other person can gauge that for us, and also has no right to judge.
Cutting contact isn’t necessarily about hating someone, it’s about self-preservation. Also, you can still love someone and not be in their presence. Sometimes we have to prune the family tree to either, stunt the growth of rot, or to give it a new life to grow stronger new branches.
It takes more strength to leave than stay. The estrangement road to healing can be a long road, but the healing price that overcomes us is worth the price of the journey. When you can look back on your life and see growth instead of continuing to minimize ourselves to fit in or appease, that’s peace.
The family curse ends when it’s cut off and when self-love begins, with the courage to walk away. I chose healing over pretense and hurt. Hurting people on purpose isn’t an accident, it’s a conscious decision. And blood or no blood, NOBODY should have to stick around it and endure – not a child, a spouse or even a stranger should have to put up with anybody’s verbal abuse – whether it’s from a parent or anyone else! So thank you Carl Jung for understanding this from the victim’s point of view instead of condemning.
Have you ever had to finally walk away from a toxic relationship or environment?
©DGKaye2026
Sunday Book Review – Bogie in a Human World: Life, Love and Letting Go – Book 3 #catitude #newrelease by Cheryl Spears
Welcome back to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m reviewing Cheryl Spears’ #newrelease – Bogie in a Human World – book 3. In this book, Bogie the cat is aging and re-evaluating life with his family – and maybe losing his sarcastic edge – a bit. This may look like a children’s book but this series was written for adults.
Blurb:
Bogie in a Human World (The Trilogy)
Step into the world of Bogie, a clever tuxedo cat with sharp wit, a soft heart, and a unique perspective on human life.
In this charming third and last book of the series, Bogie, once again, invites readers into his world — a place where the everyday chaos, quirks, and love of a family are seen through feline eyes.
Told with humor, honesty, and tenderness, Bogie in a Human World is a celebration of the bond between pets and their people — the small moments that make families whole, and the lasting pawprints left on our hearts.
Perfect for cat lovers and anyone who knows the joy (and mystery) of sharing life with a pet, thie book is at once playful, touching, and unforgettable.
My 5 Star Review:
In this third book of the Bogie the Cat series, Bogie is back, still sharing his wisdom, observances, and opinions. He’s maturing and seems to be going easier on his human family, appreciating their love for him now, as Bogie mellows with age and his sarcasm wanes.
As he analyzes his family members, he notices how the kids have matured with the years. The girl, tells Bogie all her secrets and Bogie now admits his compassion for his family instead of how he made sarcastic comments about them. He now appreciates The boy’s whacky science experiments. He’s found a rhythm with Dad, now comfortable, just being. Bogie reminisces about all the lovely things Mom does for him. But lol, Bogie has yet to warm up to Aunty Linda because she hasn’t learned to love Bogie on his terms.
Bogie still prowls the hallways at night, making the rounds, checking his family is safe and sound. As he ages, he’s taking stock of his life. Clever as ever, Bogie has become sentimental.
©DGKaye2026
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – #Life #Aging – As We Age – Use It or Lose It – Part 2 – Brain Health by D. G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
Use It or Lose It – Part 2 – Brain Heath
Welcome back to my latest post in my – As We Age series. In this article, I’m going to speak about methods for taking care of our brains to help in keeping them sharp and active.
This post is in no way speaking of dementia, Alzheimer’s or any other brain related disease, but focused on plain old aging and how to stay on top of our brain health.
Let’s begin with the little memory slips we acquire as we age.
I remember reading something long ago about associating something to someone to help remember people’s names we’ve briefly been introduced to. I admit to being the worst at that sometimes. I know I have a bad habit of forgetting someone’s name I was formerly introduced to because if I’ve sized up the person and had no interest in what they had to say, for me it’s out of sight out of mind. But sometimes it also happens that if I met someone and we chimed, and I meet them again, their name may still be stuck on the tip of my tongue, yet I know the face. If I can’t recall their name, I have no issues telling them politely, “I’m sorry I know we’ve met, but for the life of me, I can’t remember your name.” Plain old honesty works.
How to associate a name with a person you’ve briefly met: You can make up a rhyme for that person or add a name to their name in your head associated with something or someone who relates to their name. If you can remember a person by face only, try making up a rhyme in your head with something they do or enjoy. – Mike the bike (if you met biking), Carrie the shoes girl.
Another good idea to help remember where we put something down, is to make a mental and conscious note the moment we set something down. This is why it’s best to have a place for our items we use regularly. For example, every time I go out, my keys are on the credenza in my front hall. After putting on coat and shoes, I grab them and go, never having to look for my keys, because I always set them down first as soon as I come home – in the same place! Conscious effort, familiarity.
It’s also not difficult to misplace our glasses and/or phones. I do this stupidity at least a few times a week where I unconsciously put down my phone wherever I may have ended a phone call. Thank goodness for my landline because I use it to call my cell phone to listen for the ring. As far as glasses go, they can be left anywhere – often I’ll find them somewhere under the covers in my bed after passing out reading. Other times, I have to search a bit – thankfully while wearing another pair of glasses!
Another peeve of mine is my ability to forget what I was saying midway through a conversation. I find this happens when people interrupt what I’m saying – and the rest gets lost. Oh yes, it does come back eventually, but often too late to finish what I was saying. My friends have a habit of interjecting with questions while I’m telling them something. To help alleviate this blank moment of word stuck I preface a conversation or story with – “Okay, let me tell you the details and please don’t interrupt until I’m finished because YOU KNOW I will lose my train of thought.” It works mostly, but human curiosity sometimes can’t wait to interject.
Okay, so let’s get to the part about what we can do to sharpen our brains and keep smart.
It’s important that we challenge ourselves with doing things that we enjoy to keep the engines running smooth. Keeping sharp in our later years requires a good combination of various activities – Cognitive challenges, activities to keep us mobile, and another important component – social interaction. Mind and body go hand-in-hand when it comes to keeping brains sharp. Under that umbrella also comes proper nutrition and supplementation. If the body isn’t fed well, it affects both, our minds and bodies, causing brain fog and low energy. Keeping busy is the name of the game . . .
Please hop over to Sally’s blog to read the conclusion and my tips for keeping busy.
©DGKaye2026
Sunday Book Review – Death by Coconut by Susie Black – Cozy WhoDunIt #newrelease
Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m sharing a fun cozy read by Susie Black from her Holly Swimsuit Series – Death by Coconut. A fun bunch of women friends in the shmata (garment) business are at a tradeshow in Miami. When things get wonky, Holly Schlivnik is in full detective mode.
Blurb:
Obnoxious Mystique Swimwear sales rep Simon Posnick was universally despised by competitors and customers alike. So the question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating scoundrel dead. The question was who didn’t. Mariel Levine, Laurie’s Fashions’ swimsuit buyer and Holly Schlivnik’s career mentor, is wrongly arrested for murdering Posnick by impaling him with the jagged edge of a coconut shell at the base of his skull. The wisecracking, irreverent President of Mermaid Swimwear jumps into action to uncover the real killer. But the treacherous trail holds more dangerous human predators than the alligators and black pythons in the Everglades. Everything turns out differently than amateur sleuth Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a vengeful killer.
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My 5 Star Review:
A fun romp with the yentas (gossipers) in shmata (rag) land.
A group of female friends who all happen to be in the garment business, gather for the annual buyer’s trade show in Miami to sell their wholesale wares to retailers. Holly and her mom work for Mermaid Swimwear. There is a lot of cutthroat going on with who can buy who’s line and who can’t. At the center of it is slimeball, Simon Posnick, who nobody really likes. And in the midst of the show, Simon is murdered – by a rough edge of a coconut. And one of the ladies, Mariel, is blamed. Holly Schlivnik susses out the real killer, but can she prove it to Detective Mo Lehrman? After all, it was Holly who discovers Simon’s body. Mo is a local cop and past heart throb for Holly, and things get heated again between them as Holly tries to solve the murder, and tries to convince Mo who it is.
Every good cozy mystery must have a villain and in this story, Simon is it, along with his handsy shenanigans, having no women wanting him. Enter Avril, a determined young saleswoman who will stop at nothing until Holly’s mother will buy from her line. Some people have to learn you can’t make deals for or with everyone. Lots of people don’t like Simon – or Avril, for that matter. And don’t disregard some of the other possible shady characters. It’s really a mystery who killed Simon despite the lame blame laid on Mariel. Even Holly had to backtrack on her first suspicion, considering her culprit also gets killed!
Lots of action, confusion, and lots of clues to help figure out who killed Simon, while Holly keeps herself in the thick of things snooping around, and almost getting herself killed in the process. A fun fast-paced read that I really didn’t want to put down.
Heroic-a Series: Empowering Women of #WWII – Andree de Jongh – Code names – Dedee and Postman
Welcome to today’s post about empowering heroines of World War II. Today I’m going to share a bit about the heroics of one tiny, petite young woman of age twenty-four who didn’t even look twenty – Andree de Jongh – Code Names – Dedee and Postman.
Andree de Jongh was born in WWI, Schaerbeek, Belgium. De Jongh was studying to become a nurse. In 1940 she moved to Brussels and joined the Red Cross voluntarily and got involved with rescuing and hiding allied airmen. In total,776 stranded allied airmen were rescued through her creation of the ‘Comet Line’. This was the route she traveled over twenty-four times, 800 kilometres each way back and forth, to guide stranded allied airmen out of Brussels, taking them through the Pyrenees to Bilboa Spain’s British consulate. When De Jongh made her first journey through to Spain, the British almost didn’t believe this tiny woman led the allies to them, they were convinced it was a German plot! Interesting the route went to Spain, considering Spain pretended to be neutral in the war but kept a covert allegiance to Germany and Italy.
De Jongh’s team were also referred to as the ‘DDD’s’ because their surnames all began with the letter ‘D’, hence, the code name Dedee. De Jongh was known as a real firecracker. In fact, her father named her ‘little cyclone’ when she was just a little girl.
These missions took place because every soldier was crucially needed to fight the Nazis, so if uninjured, the soldiers were sent back to war. The first mission was the only one that wasn’t 100% foolproof. The soldiers were led safely to Spain, but not taken directly to the consulate, which caused several airmen re-arrested when caught trying to get to Bilboa. From 1941 through 1943, De Jongh had made twenty-four trips back and forth. British MI6 and MI9 got involved with the program and sponsored it.
There were 3000 volunteers for these missions, 70% being women. At the end of the war approximately 290 of those volunteers were captured and/or killed. The Comet Line route wasn’t an easy one. It began in Brussels to Paris by train, cross the Sommes at Corbie, Paris to Bordeaux to Bayonnne or St. Jean de Luz by overnight express. Bayonne to Urrugnu by bike or foot to the Pyrenees – an eight hour trek overnight of twenty-five kilometres climbing six hundred-foot mountains, in all weather. The dangers were weather, terrain – and worse, the traitors and betrayers.
De Jongh was caught and interrogated and the Germans refused to believe such a pretty and tiny young woman could possibly be capable of such journeys, so instead of killing her, they sent her to a concentration camp in January 1943, first to Ravensbruck, then to Mauthausen, and there she remained until Liberation Day. When the war ended, she was freed by the allies, weight under eighty pounds and dying from Tuberculosis. But she didn’t die!
After the war, De Jongh was invited to receive the George Medal at Buckingham Palace, in 1946. She also received numerous other medals from many allied countries who fought the war, such as the Medal of Freedom, the French Legion d’honneur, the Belgian Croix de Guerre, and a few more. In 1985, the king of Belgium made her a Countess. De Jongh completed her nursing degree then moved to Africa to help the leper communities. She died in Brussels at the age of ninety on October 13th, 2007.
Below is a video with more details how this incredulous woman became a heroine of WWII.
©DGKaye2026
Sunday Book Review – From B to A: Britain to Albania: The True Story of an Overland Van Life Adventure by Jacqueline Lambert #travel #memoirs
Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m sharing my review for Jackie Lambert’s latest release on her Beastly stories (The Beast is a vehicle) and the final take-off from Britain to Albania and beyond!
Get This Book on Amazon
Blurb:
The Comic Memoir of a Questionable Road Trip
“Don’t go there,” they said – but Jackie and Mark did. In their 16-tonne truck, The Beast – with four dogs. .
Looking beyond the headlines – and drawn by curiosity – they set course for a misunderstood country on the fringes of Europe.
Their slow, dog-filled adventure winds through France and Italy, where they seek out quiet roads, wild camps, and experiences you won’t find in guidebooks.
But the journey didn’t quite go to plan.
When they finally cross into Albania, a frightening incident forces them to confront the realities that come with choosing an unconventional life – particularly when others depend on you.
Rich in history and populated with unforgettable characters, this is not a glossy van-life fantasy. It’s a wry, honest, and witty memoir about choosing curiosity over fear – even when it comes at a price.
If you’ve ever wondered what lies beyond the well-trodden routes – and whether it’s worth the risk – this journey is for you.
Perfect for readers who enjoy: van life • overland expeditions • The Balkans • dog-friendly travel • slow adventure • funny, heartfelt travel memoirs.
Book 1 of Never Mind the Balkans– the hit new series from bestselling author Jacqueline Lambert.
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My 5 Star Review:
This is the third book I read in this informational and humorous telling memoir of the life journey of the author and her husband and their giant task of building their ‘beast’ and finally traveling in it after the Covid and Brexit debacles – and other interruptions. We’re heading to Albania via history, roads and stories through France and Italy.
One couldn’t even imagine all that’s entailed in building, living in, and traveling in the 24.5 ton converted to 16 ton, once, Green NATO truck – now, the Beast, but Lambert changes all that by taking us with her, her hub, four pawsome pups and the Beast on their trip to Albania, and the many stops along the way with some crazy adventures that had me laughing out loud many times. The journey from Britain, through France, and Italy, enroute to Albania, is full of fun and bizarre stories that keep us entertained. The Lamberts get plenty of looks and questions when their big Beast rolls into town, and that’s half the fun – that is, when they aren’t stuck in the mud somewhere, or even told to turn the Beast around on a ferry to Albania!
The book is action-packed with humor, mini history and geography lessons along the way through the towns and cities they pass through, as well as the town legends, and folklore. We’ll learn about the cultures and delicious cuisine from delicious descriptions along the way as they travel at a max of 45mph, holding up traffic when U-turns are necessary, getting stuck in narrow roadways – and mud, and anything else that can delay these two that you won’t think of until you read this book.
This is definitely not your glossy van life story, and most definitely, not your average roadtrip! But it’s a great adventure, and the most interesting are the people they meet along the way – or remeet. We’ll learn of some places we may never heard of, mishap adventures from bad advice, best places to buy SIM cards and find ATMs. And despite all the departure delays, vet stops, and mechanical issues, the Beast makes it to Albania!
Beware the Luggage Tags Swap When Traveling #airportscam
I was going to post something else today, but when I came across this article and video clip I felt it something that needs to be shared to spread awareness for travelers.
Today’s post is about a new scam going on at airports here in Canada, Toronto airport specifically, and no doubts at any airport globally. I’m sure you’ve heard of drug mules. Ya, it seems that’s the old fashioned way drug dealers get their goods across borders – using humans to transport drugs. But hey, why risk one’s life using that old method when you can be a criminal working as a baggage handler?
Yes, say goodbye to human drug mules and just snatch someone else’s tag off their luggage and if the drugs make it through, the suitcase is picked up at baggage carousel and walked out with a suitcase full of drugs. OR. The bag gets caught through screening and YOU are the one who gets arrested.
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Here’s how it works:
The criminal baggage handler tears off the destination luggage tag from anyone’s bag and sticks it on the bag full of drugs. Those airport luggage tags are fully coded in the barcodes with all our personal information. Then they either leave our bag with no tag at all, or, they stick a ‘rush’ tag on it as lost luggage.This works like a charm for them! So, if the drug bag gets pulled off the belt, it is us who gets arrested.
So far, this scam crime has happened to SEVENTEEN Canadians – and all occurences began at my own Toronto Lester B. Pearson airport. Some of those innocent Canadians are sitting in jails in various parts of the world. The luckier ones were detained in Canada as bags were caught before takeoff.
In the video below, Avery Haines, one of our better Canadian journalists, does a report on what is happening, on our Saturday night crime show – W5, how it happens, consequences, and what we can do to try and protect ourselves when checking bags at the airport. I’d say any airport because scams are like viruses, they spread like fire once the criminals catch on. Fortunately, our Canadian RCMP is quite aware of this new crime because of the Canadians who were wrongly arrested in Canada. One Canadian couple were released from detention after a few hours because of a brainstorm idea. They pulled up the feed from their Ring camera at home and showed authorities the footage of them leaving for the airport with THEIR BAGS. This is now what helps to protect our innocence. Other Canadians stranded in foreign country jails are being worked with authorities and our RCMP, but much tougher to get some out of jails.
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All our personal info is embedded in these tags
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Here is a great Recommendation:
When you place your bag on the airport scale when checking in, take a picture of the bag, the bag tagged, AND, what the weight scale shows. The drug suitcase with YOUR stolen tag attached won’t exactly match the same weight displayed. These three things will have the proof which is our bag and which is not. It’s a sad state of affairs when we have more to worry about when flying, not knowing if our bag will be the next chosen by criminals, putting us in detention – and possibly, jail. It’s imperative we stay ahead of the criminals!
It doesnt take much to pay off a baggage handler to pull off a tag and stick it on another. It’s noted that there is a crime ring attached to this new crime, these people are not working alone. The sad world we live in thrives on corruption because everyone else is doing it. Everyone seems to have an angle, a new way to steal from others so they don’t have to exert themselves in life. Crime and greed are everywhere now so please do your diligence my fellow travelers.
W5 Investigation exposes how drugs are smuggled through Canadian airports
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©DGKaye2026
Sunday Book Review – Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics by Jan Sikes
Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m reviewing Jan Sikes’s latest release – Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics. It’s a beautiful book with short stories and a few poems, sectioned in three categories: Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics. Wonderful stories that touch the heart, and take us to pause.
Blurb:
At the edge of the world, and the center of the heart, you’ll find stories that linger.
Fringes explores dystopian futures where survival is uncertain and hope is fragile. In A Foreign World, The Forgotten, and Yearning for Paradise, humanity is pushed to its limits.
Heartstrings turns toward the warmth of love, resilience, and second chances. Stories such as A Promise Broken – A Promise Kept, She Dances with a Memory, and When Love Isn’t Enough remind us that the human spirit endures.
Lyrics captures life in poetry—moments of longing, faith, and reflection in pieces like Comes the Dawn, Society, and The Blind Man in the Night.
From chilling possibilities to comforting truths, Fringes, Heartstrings & Lyrics is a genre-blending collection of short fiction and poetry that will make you think, feel, and return again and again.
My 5 Star Review:
I never met a book I didn’t enjoy by Jan Sikes – and still haven’t.
This is a book that will touch on heartstrings. The book is broken down into three categories – Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics. These short stories and poems all touch our emotions.
From the first story, Sikes captured my empathy with a beautiful love story, a violent episode leading to an elderly couple’s demise, yet a heartwarming reunion as they go to the light together, with their heavy hearts for the sadness and violence of the world they’ve left behind, despite them finding their final peace.
Magic is a beautiful heartfelt telling about a boy Jasper, out riding his horse hoping to find a Christmas tree that will bring his family the luck they so badly need. But Jasper lost his bearings, got off the horse Magic, and Magic knew his boy needed help so he whinnied at a neighbor’s door, and kind man Frank helps the boy, helps himself, and helps to make the boy’s family fed and full on Christmas Eve.
Insatiable Hunger – Emily is happily bored with her marriage until she goes out with work friends to a bar and is attracted to the lead singer, Levi. Lust takes over sane minds when Emily eventually uproots her life to be with Levi. And maybe it’s karma when you break someone’s heart and it hits right back.
She Dances with Memory a story about elderly widowed Gertrude celebrating her dead husband’s birthday complete with cake and music and memories.Gertrude’s memories take her back as she waltzes across the floor unknowingly, until the dance ends and she discovers she wasn’t dancing alone.
When Love Isn’t Enough – A beautiful story about a friendship in time of need. Jayden rescues Riley one stormy night, and Riley didn’t know that she rescued Jayden that very same night. As Jayden tries to help Riley with her big problem he realizes that Riley was helping him unknowingly.
This book is a beautiful collection of stories, shorts and poetry that leave an impression. And near the end of the book, we’re treated to some older poetry written by musician Rick Sikes (the author’s late husband), as well as some new poetry by Sydney Klein, the author’s teen granddaughter. This book evoked many emotions in me as we each will find something we can relate to from love to heartbreak, each story captured my attention. This is a beautiful book with a beautiful cover, and probably one I’ll pick up again and again from time to time.
©DGKaye2026
DGKayewriter.com 
