"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength — carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of sorrow; but it empties today of strength." – Corrie ten Boom Am I the …( read more )

During our evenings, my husband and I have enjoyed watching nature shows on television. We marvel over the professional, hi-tech motion photography depicting the world of wildlife. Recently, however, I felt the need for a break. It was …( read more )

Recently, the Lord drew my attention to this species of grass. The common name for it is carpet grass. It is often used as permanent pasture or groundcover, but mostly, it is planted in lawns. This is what I heard in my spirit: Look at …( read more )

Yesterday, I was standing in the queue, practicing social distancing, waiting to buy my fish, chicken, peas, and chips, when a man approached, singing his own version of a Nat King Cole song: "When I fall in love, it will be for money …" …( read more )

The broccoli was looking wonderful as my daughter and I discussed whether to cut it then or to wait and harvest it the next afternoon when we would have time to blanche and freeze it. We decided to leave it until the next day. The next …( read more )

The reality television program, Alone, concluded this season on Thursday, August 20th. Contestants had been taken to Great Slave Lake, about 250 miles from the Arctic Circle, and were they to survive on their own for 100 days, they would …( read more )

The other day, I received two emails from Google. The first one mentioned my privacy features; the second displayed my recent whereabouts on a Google map, as tracked through my cell phone. Both emails required my response — to protect my …( read more )

Our society bombards us with advertising for every imaginable need and want. When we order from online companies, we receive non-stop advertising from those enterprises. Our smartphones notify us about everything. We can strap on activity …( read more )

If someone peeked inside this mobile home's overflowing closets, they might wonder why stuff crams every corner. The answer is revealing. Gone-to-glory relatives leave stuff behind, like old family photos, to become the flotsam and jetsam …( read more )

In the blink of an eye, what once held us spell-bound in movie theatres is now our reality. The world reels and drops to its knees as the invisible COVID-19 pandemic sends blow after blow. Adults have gathered their children, like mother …( read more )

We were very poor, and the J.C. Penney store carried good quality clothing. Mamma would put them on layaway until they were paid for. What a happy day it was when she brought the clothing home for us to wear for school. We didn't have to …( read more )

Did you ever hear about The Great Gold Robbery of 1855? A train shipment of 200 pounds of gold was stolen on its way from London to Paris by four greedy conspirators. When I look back on 2020 and COVID-19, one event will stand out: I …( read more )

From my kitchen window, I enjoy the heavy, low-flying, distinctively coloured, quiet, slow-mannered pair of wood ducks that like to rest on their webbed feet awhile on the horizontal branches of my big, old maple trees almost every morning …( read more )

When my brothers and I were young, we avidly collected chunks of mica and pyrite. Because the minerals sparkled and were beautiful, we assumed that they were valuable. Pyrite is known as "fool's gold", because its metallic shimmer and gold …( read more )

You've likely heard the phrase, "It's against my religion", used as an excuse to avoid unpleasant tasks. You'll also know that religions tend to have forbidden practices. That's true across the branches of Christianity. Can you think of …( read more )

My dad has dementia. He started to wander and get violent in mid-November 2019. There were two trips to the emergency room in three days, admission to the hospital for twelve days, and then admission into a nursing home. During this …( read more )

Worry and anxiety are bedfellows that often show up together. Kelita sat in her car, gunning the engine but going nowhere. There was good reason. The gearshift was in neutral. She burned fuel and fogged up the garage in which the car …( read more )

God rarely opened His storehouse of snow in the place I lived at six years of age. But snow had been predicted for Christmas. I pressed my nose against the small window and watched in anticipation as the white snowflakes began to fall …( read more )

A friend told me that he was looking for a new therapist. "I thought you were happy with the one you had," I said. "Oh, I can't go back to him," he said. "When I thanked him for helping me, he replied that talking to me had been a …( read more )

Some years back, we were driving home to British Columbia from our daughter's place in Alberta. Having headed out much later than planned due to a family emergency, my husband decided to stray onto an unfamiliar route. This seemed like a …( read more )

My first visit to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, was quite amazing to me, considering the level of development, with a good road network, street lighting, and a very clean environment. To me, it was just like a …( read more )

The other night, my two-year-old son climbed up on the couch and said, "Read Bible." Then he reached over to the side table and took hold of my old, worn, brown Bible. Concerned that he might tear the thin pages, I handed him his …( read more )

Time is a continuum of the past, the present, and the future. We can learn from things that happened in the past, but we can never return to relive the past. It is history! We spend much time and effort trying to influence the future. It …( read more )

Last summer, a good friend died after a very long illness. We had attended the same elementary school. I had forgotten about her until I met up with her some thirty years ago. We became good friends, and we visited back and forth a lot. …( read more )

Every day, in numerous instances, be it personally, locally, or globally, there is an overwhelming need for prayer. An uncountable number of people pray for loved ones, for friends, for friends of friends, and for those not even known to …( read more )

Like many people, I have health goals: to walk daily, avoid refined sugar, get enough sleep. This month, I have been able to exercise every day. I've really enjoyed seeing the change of season come to the flora in my area, breathing in …( read more )

I look forward to spring, not only because of the work in my garden, but also for the many household chores involved. In a sudden surge of energy, spring cleaning includes washing blankets and polishing floors, reorganizing closets and …( read more )

In our Bible study group, we were reflecting on the reality of the temptations that we face as we seek to live Christ-centred lives. During the discussion, Ted offered some down-to-earth wisdom: "The birds are going to fly in and out, but …( read more )

I was sitting in the hospital room, watching my husband Kurt sleeping soundly. The last few days had been a nightmare for both him and me. It all started when he came inside our house after doing some raking. He told me that he must have …( read more )

One Sunday morning, I left home having my destination clearly in mind. It was an easy trip, so I used the time to enjoy lovely music and relax — until suddenly, I realized that I was heading the wrong direction — to my old stomping …( read more )

In mid-April, we in Ontario, Canada, experienced an ice storm that lasted three days and covered the previously showing grass with snow and then freezing rain. Over that same period, our mountain ash tree was inundated with robins that had …( read more )

Last year, I suffered from a concussion. As a young mom with a busy life, I did not give my brain the time that it needed to heal. In turn, this caused the concussion symptoms to drag on much longer than needed. I wasn't able to care for …( read more )

As I look out my living room window, I see snow falling again. The white stuff is coming down so heavily that I can't see the village across the bay. The large evergreen tree is laden with so much snow that the branches are touching the …( read more )