A few weeks ago, the night light in our bathroom needed a new bulb. When I went to buy one, there were several kinds of night lights to choose from. In the end, I decided on one that required no … (read more)

I recently sat down to dinner with a good friend. My friend grew up in Ireland, a country with a very strong sense of national identity. Irish people know what it means to be Irish. My friend understands what people … (read more)

Pruning has been a hard lesson for me to learn. I get so excited over doing things for Christ that I spread my fruits too thin, thereby producing poor quality fruit. It is so hard to say "No" when the … (read more)

During ginning season, one-eyed Deacon hauled cotton seed to the oil mill. Between trips, he helped me with my after-school and weekend chore — hammering together metal ties and buckles used to bind bales of cotton. I liked the old … (read more)

Here in England, we have had a bicentenary anniversary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade on the 25th March 1807. Despite the hard work by William Wilberforce, I cannot but have mixed feelings concerning the bicentenary. For how … (read more)

My two grandchildren are very competitive. The main phrase in their vocabulary is "It's not fair", referring to what one thinks the other is receiving that he's not getting. This is characteristic not only of little brothers and sisters, but … (read more)

I know a few families that have horses. Often they are in a pasture very close to the house. I have seen these people, when they get home, run out to rub their horse. Sometimes they take an apple or … (read more)

Each spring, the gym where I exercise sponsors a fitness challenge called "The Ironman". It is open to all adult members regardless of age or gender. With the encouragement of several of my instructors (though I am a senior citizen), … (read more)

I watched the little toddler as he fell over a toy in his path, making a bruise on his leg. For a few moments, his cries touched everyone in the room. Through his tears, he spotted his mother and ran … (read more)

When I read this verse recently, it reminded me of the beginning of an old nursery rhyme that always puzzled me. Perhaps you remember it as well: How many miles to Babylon? Three score miles and ten. Can you get … (read more)

My grandparents built their home with little money and much love. It became a monument of memories: meals in the kitchen, laughs in the living room, bubble baths in the claw-foot tub, bedside prayers, and occasional spankings in the laundry … (read more)

"Our prayer group will not meet this week, but come over to my house at the same time. I have a project I'd like you to help me with," said my friend. When I arrived, she was in the backyard … (read more)

After a recent surgery, I was not able to drive for six weeks, so between my husband, my son, and a friend, I was driven to do my errands. Then came the day for my first driving trip. To get … (read more)

My dad went blind early in his retirement, suffering from retinitis pigmentosis. It was sad to watch, as he slowly lost first the centre sight and then finally the rim. For a while, he could still weed the garden, for … (read more)

As I walked around the local lake recently, I noticed that there was a group of new ducklings swimming in the middle. What really caught my attention, however, was the lack of a parent duck nearby — as is the … (read more)

The elderly man sat across the table from me drinking coffee, relaxed and at peace with his world. "It took me a lifetime to arrive at my stage of contentment," he said. "I suppose it will take others that long … (read more)

I used to hate a guy called James [not his real name] who lived about five hundred yards from my home. I don't what started the rivalry, but his house was in a different street, so that automatically put him … (read more)

Last summer, we went raspberry and blueberry picking. After a short ride to the field on a tractor, we arrived at the designated place for picking the fruit. We were each given an area of the row to pick in. … (read more)

I remember well my childhood when money was hard to come by. Bread bought in a store was a luxury; cookies from the store were a treat; an ice cream cone was almost unheard of; a Dixie cup eaten with … (read more)

I used to play field hockey for my high school. Because I could run fast and score goals, my coach appointed me as the team captain. Field hockey is an aggressive game, played over two forty-minute halves, which means that … (read more)

How many of us live in anticipation? For some, the future might be a time of anxiety — we're not looking forward to what lies ahead; or it could be a time of exhilaration — something we have planned and … (read more)

I love playing the piano. I love finding hard pieces of music to practice. I love adding frills and floaties to music in order to make the music sound like I want it to. I love slowing down, and speeding … (read more)

It's amazing how much emotional baggage and physical damage we endure simply because we will not let go of our guilt or own up to our mistakes. Last week, I was at a coaching-counselling centre which works primarily with pastors. … (read more)

One of my favourite songs of all time is "The wind beneath my wings". This was written by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar and has been sung by many different recording artists. It never fails to leave me with chill … (read more)

My parents had a problem with some mice that made holes in their garden furniture. So they set up a mousetrap alongside where the foam-cushioned chairs were stored in the shed. A robin, however, managed to get to sample the … (read more)

My husband and boys decided to put in a sprinkler system for the front lawn. It would come on and water on our designated day in the early morning hours before the heat of the day. Installation of this meant … (read more)

We've made a lot of friends and acquaintances over the years. With that comes having to attend the funerals or "celebrations of life" of many friends, and of acquaintances who are well-enough known to attend theirs as well. Added to … (read more)

I learned how to pitch a tent with my Scout troop at a camp in Scotland called Auchengillan. Our scout patrol was full of tenderfoots like myself who knew practically nothing about camping, but we watched the older scouts put … (read more)

We live about forty-five minutes' drive from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. I have been on the lovely campus of Virginia Tech many times; our middle son worked there several years ago. The terrible tragedy on April 16, 2007, … (read more)

Relationships are interesting things. Some are kept as closely as the best bookkeeper's books. Everything that each person in the relationship receives from or gives to the other is mentally kept in their mind's column of debits and credits. Perhaps … (read more)