Year: 1997

"Okay boys and girls, here's the path," said Mr. Smith, the school teacher. "Remember, you can go anywhere you want on the main path or take the little paths that go off it. You have two hours to explore and … Read more

When my daughter and I attended a concert recently, we were disappointed to discover that our seats were quite a bit farther from the stage than the TicketMaster chart had led us to believe. "At least we're not in the … Read more

I shall never forget that letter. A few days before, I had conducted worship in an area church. At the door, following the service, there were expressions of appreciation and enthusiastic handshakes from departing worshippers. This letter, however, was special. … Read more

There goes one now – a tourist. All year they waited for this moment to simply relax and get away from it all. Oops, there goes another one. Holidays are a time to get away from the busyness and hecticness … Read more

OK, so I was stupid. I can be forgiven for a bit of stupidity. I sailed over to Pictou Island to spend the night in the safety of the Western Wharf with my family. The next morning I planned to … Read more

You have no idea how much work goes in to preparing for the sailing season. Hours and hours are spent on the hard stuff – scraping and sanding and smoothing and then painting and polishing. Making the boat look good … Read more

When you sail, everyone thinks they have instant gifts for you. All they need to find is something with the word in it and 'presto', an instant gift. Take the new mug in my office. It contains a picture of … Read more

It's the race of the year. Every bit of gear has been checked and rechecked, every piece of rigging gone over again and again. We are ready for anything. The starter's horn sounds and we're off! And there we sit, … Read more

OK. Why is the Church like a sailboat? Give up? Because so much energy goes in to keeping the thing repaired and so little time is left to do the activity it was made for. When I talk about sailing, … Read more

Recently I was talking with one of my neighbours over the back fence as we hung out our laundry. Suddenly the conversation plunged from trivialities into one of those deep places that are always there, just under the surface. She … Read more