Year: 1999

When I first encountered the Presbyterian stance on gambling, I was "gob-smacked" — a Yorkshireman's term for "very surprised". Having never had a problem with gambling, it had always seemed to me a benign activity. My lotto ticket never even … Read more

When I started my new job, last September first, I was given three keys. One is a key to our building, a second is the key to the offices, and a third is a storage room key. After the first … Read more

I'll never forget the first steps of my daughter. She had already learned to press her hands on our small coffee table and scoot around. Now she was seeking to walk on her own. I held out my hands, "C'mon, … Read more

Every morning, I floss between my teeth, rinse and then brush my teeth. I brush them very vigorously and also massage my gums at the same time. I go through this routine faithfully every day. If I didn't go through … Read more

Living in Northern Ontario, I had occasion about a week ago, to travel even further north to a meeting. The day was warm, sometimes overcast, sometimes brilliantly sunny. Since I was not driving, I was in the passenger side of … Read more

I remember as a young child asking my dad why there were designated hitters in the game of baseball. Why was it that normally pitchers do not bat, but must have a designated hitter to take their place in the … Read more

I was part of a planning committee for our family reunion. This committee had been meeting for several months, discussing, planning, delegating and even setting up various committees to make sure that the event would be a success. The day … Read more

Have you ever been around or spent time with someone who seems to find the bad side to everything? It seems that no matter what comes their way, they manage to find something negative to complain about. They blind themselves … Read more

One of the surest signs that we are growing older, or growing up, as my father would say, appears when we start sounding like our parents. We find ourselves not only making the same points that they made to us, … Read more

For some time now, I have been collecting feathers as I find them while walking. They are not in abundance. Days, sometimes weeks, will go by without seeing a single feather. I have quite a little collection: a seemingly perfectly-formed … Read more