A little girl about seven years old tapped on a neighbour's door and waited. A lady opened the door, and the child held out a tiny box and said, "Would you please give something for the poor in another land?" … (read more)

In one office that I was once in, there was an interesting sight by the doorway. It really wasn't very unusual, but it was interesting. In the corner of the waiting room was a tall plant. It looked very healthy … (read more)

Have you ever dreaped a wall? "Dreap" is an old Irish word which means to climb, and the action required by dreaping is to run as fast as you can towards a wall, leap high into the air, and try … (read more)

Another humid summer day with scorching sunshine was challenging. A cold water bottle was growing hot, and a towel was needed to dry up the drips. The ground was sizzling as the sun kept sending more of its rays of … (read more)

Without giving away my age, I was thinking back to the times when we would venture up north for the summer holidays. I can remember walking along the sandy shore of the crystal clear lake and watching the fish in … (read more)

"So much to do, so little time to do it in." Do you ever have the feeling that time is running out and all the things that you have planned are never going to be accomplished? I guess I'm at … (read more)

Weddings are social highlights enjoyed by all and celebrated in many ways in my home town. Some are performed beside the fish pool at the courthouse, others in churches, and some around the Big Oak, a tourist attraction in our … (read more)

In the early morning, I went outside to get the newspaper that had been thrown across the driveway. It was a perfect summer day. The dew was sparkling on the lawn that my husband had freshly mowed the afternoon before. … (read more)

At this time of year, I find it difficult to type things on my keyboard. The dry heat of summer dehydrates my hands, and I end up with horrendously painful hacks on my fingertips. Ten years ago, it really didn't … (read more)

Often, we have heard that someone we know passed away peacefully. Never did I fully comprehend how this happened until I saw it with my own eyes. As my husband was dying on Easter Sunday, I sat at his bedside … (read more)

There is a weight loss program which gives a point value for every kind of food that we dieters eat. We quickly discover the foods with low point values. On the computer, all we have to do is enter what … (read more)

Recently, our Celtic band Glenfinnan played at a Scots-Irish festival in Dandridge, Tennessee, USA. We performed from the front porch of an old inn, right in the heart of the town. As well as listening to our music, people were … (read more)

The storm clouds were raging all across our state! For most of the afternoon, one of the network channels had suspended regular programming to broadcast information about the inclement weather. Over and over, we watched the radar light up in … (read more)

Do you remember when the automated teller machine (ATM) first came to your neighbourhood? What excitement! There were actually line-ups to try this new method of getting money without entering the bank. My dad and I went to town one … (read more)

Years ago, I used to go bramble picking with my brothers, usually during the fall. I think that brambles are called "blackberries" in North America. They look like dark-coloured raspberries, and they grow wild in Scotland. They have a bittersweet … (read more)

On Father's Day, my dad will have been gone for seven years. He lived a good long life; he served the Lord all his life; he was a kind dad. Each year in the spring, I reminisce about my dad … (read more)

When I was a child, we made a big deal out of Dad's birthday. Since it was celebrated in October, we would make a card or bookmark for him at our kitchen table with Mom helping us. At home with … (read more)

Four years ago, when our now almost-six-year-old granddaughter was "almost two", she and I found a feather together while out walking and exploring. Immediately, she wanted me to bring it home with us and put it on the aerial of … (read more)

One of the very first Sunday school lessons that I can remember was all about joy. My teacher asked our class what joy was, and we all answered with the usual "being happy", "smiling", and "laughing out loud". She then … (read more)

During my reading through the Bible again this year, the above verse jumped out at me. It reminded me of the olive trees I saw in Jerusalem at the Garden of Gethsemane. There are several there which are of a … (read more)

At a recent worship service, the congregation witnessed the baptism of a young child, with his parents and grandparents. The mother of the child had grown up through the ranks of the Christian education programme within the church. Now with … (read more)

When I first became a Christian, I found it tough to try to live up to Christ's standards. I wanted to remain the same and Christ to be different. I wanted Him to accept who I was, instead of me … (read more)

The principal of my rural school in the nineteen thirties and forties was convinced that the today's Scripture was the answer to all child-rearing problems. The parents, who supported him completely, backed up his theory of "tough love". In those … (read more)

Many years ago, when I was a young, inexperienced seminarian, my path crossed that of a woman who was consumed by guilt. Seeing my clergy collar, she wailed, "God may forgive you, but never me, never me, never me…" Her … (read more)

My mom used to make great steak pies. I loved to watch her make up the dough for the crust and pound upon it until the pastry was ready to be rolled. She would then get out the rolling pin … (read more)

I love watching wild birds — whether they are flying across the sky, or hopping around my yard, or swimming in a lake. Recently, while going for a walk, I stopped and rested on a park bench by a small … (read more)

I love to do crafts. It is not uncommon for me to be working on multiple projects at the same time, including knitting on my needles and doing counted cross-stitch. The reason that I have a few projects on the … (read more)

When I was a child, I used to love visiting Springburn Park in Glasgow, Scotland. It had three massive ponds, full of sticklebacks, minnows, and perch. The park was about three miles from my home, and, during the long days … (read more)

Have you ever gotten into a conversation with someone who does not go to church or does not know the Lord? I am amazed at how those of us who are part of the church can be perceived. Even though … (read more)

As I write, the birds in the nearby trees are singing their hearts out. Every evening as the sun is setting, they serenade the residents of our mobile home park, regaling us with their lilting music. It is springtime, which … (read more)