This weekend I went to the mall. People were bustling about, seasonal music was playing in the background, and lights and trees were everywhere. Some folks were searching for a gift to express their love, while others were collecting for … Read more

What is Advent? I researched the word and found that the dictionary defines the word as the arrival or coming of something or someone special, and, specifically, "a penitential season beginning four Sundays before Christmas." I also found that the … Read more

There is something very satisfying in seeing row upon row of canned goods added to my shelves, jars of fruit and vegetables that are the colour of gems: ruby salsa and spaghetti sauce, golden peaches, pale pears, emerald pickles, and … Read more

This summer saw the fruition of two reunions, both of which I had worked on via e-mail over a period of more than a year, with friends I'd not seen for 10 or 15 years. During the planning, we didn't … Read more

Since retiring to live on a hobby farm with my daughter's family, I have taken an interest to try my hand on gardening. I can be found at sunrise planting, raking, cutting grass, and pulling weeds as tall as corn … Read more

I know that when Shakespeare wrote the words of today's title, he was thinking of erotic love, but, this morning, music fed my love for Jesus in a wonderful way. After my morning reading, I listened to a tape of … Read more

We had an endless procession of difficulties marching through our home. At the time that I was having cancer surgery, my husband, Ron, broke his jaw, and then his back, in accidents at work. We were struck by lightning, and … Read more

I have a friend who has a great fear of water. And yet, she recently joined her husband for a day of kayaking on Lake Ontario. Their kayaks were joined together, making them more stable in the waves, and easier … Read more

Dyslexia does funny things to my perception of the written word on the page. Like many others, I am, in some manner, cross-wired in the head. This makes the cost of reading high, and the desire to put our thoughts … Read more

My soul becomes parched and dry; my mind fills with hunger for something new, inspiring, and filling. No matter how hard I try to stay in my structure, fulfilling my role in life, the daily routines have a way of … Read more

I used to wonder at Paul's audacity. He said "I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me." (1 Corinthians 4:16 NASB) Imitators of me? Who did he think he was? Then I read today's scripture verse — I am the … Read more

Of late, I have come to this place to write, and I have started several messages that came to nothing. I paused today and asked God to inspire me, that I may be used of Him to give you a … Read more

Some time back, I took up the habit of keeping a spiritual journal or diary. One of my recent journal entries was about living in the present moment. It seems to me that our western culture is so addicted to … Read more

Most people nowadays prefer some sort of pure drinking water. In our refrigerator, we keep a water jug with a filter, which is purported to filter out a high percentage of the undesirable chemicals and minerals that are in our … Read more

Time is an item that I find to be in short supply. I don't seem to have enough time to get everything done. I have moved through life procrastinating — tomorrow, I'll do it — but tomorrow never comes, and … Read more

They were down to their last fifteen dollars. As she prayed, she said, "God, I am going to take this last fifteen dollars and I am going to use it to have my mother's ring sized to fit me. It … Read more

My hobbies include a vegetable and flower garden. The more I work in the garden, the more I appreciate the wonder of budding, blossoming, and bringing forth fruit. The stewardship of caring for the garden has become an exercise in … Read more

On my way to work early one morning, I ran into a heavy fog that obscured the road. Visibility was so bad that I could not see beyond the front of the car. The car lights seemed to glare into … Read more

We met in the subdivision at six a.m., both of us scurrying along, doing our obligatory twenty minutes. "Nice day," I called out. "I feel sorry for the folks who sleep through this lovely peace and quiet." She replied, "That's … Read more

For eleven years of my life, we lived on a Canadian air base, which previously had been inhabited by air force personnel. However, after the Second World War, our parents, employees of the federal government's Department of Transport, moved into … Read more

Early in my martial arts career, I learned about the Samurai choosing the cherry blossom as his symbol because it had no thorns. The absence of thorns was to highlight the lack of deception. Being totally candid and brutally honest … Read more

Shortly after my wife and I moved to Ontario, Canada, in 1970, we sought out the cemetery containing the grave of Joseph Scrivens, the author of the beloved hymn, What A Friend We Have In Jesus. The cemetery is located … Read more

We have recently moved to a new community and have left behind some very dear friends. We are slowly getting to know people here and are beginning to make some new friends. We've also had several of our old friends … Read more

My sister-in-law, Jean, collected fancy plates. She loved pretty clothes. We often talked about being size 10s some day. But on the day she died, I said to her, "None of it matters, does it, Jean? Not the clothes or … Read more

I turned the key in my ignition. Nothing. I tried it again. Not a sound. That's when I remembered a sermon my pastor gave recently about how God provides for our every need. Car trouble certainly fell into the "need" … Read more

Have you ever reached out to turn the light on and it didn't work? One time when that happened to me, my first thought was that the bulb was burned out and that I should replace it. But then I … Read more

The family adults were on a quest to discover if grandson Daniel needed new walking shoes. I squeezed the end of his little boots and repeatedly asked, "Daniel, where are your toes?" My questions were answered with a silent stare. … Read more

Our home is perched on a hillside, overlooking a lovely, quiet body of water. Until this summer, to reach our basement or to proceed to the lake's calm shore, we have always had to pick our way carefully down that … Read more

For many of us, today's world is full of burdens — too little time, too little money, too many demands, and too much work. We live frazzled lives and feel burdened down. As Christians, we often say, "I feel a … Read more

Years ago, we started out on a holiday, heading from Ontario to British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada. As I drove along, towing a pop-up trailer with my husband, two children, and a dog in the car, we … Read more