Last year, friends of ours who grow roses went on a bus tour and left their car at our place. They arrived with a five-gallon bucket filled with the most gorgeous roses — about 150 of them. All of their … Read more

It seems that the older I get, the more the technology gets ahead of me. I recently got a new cellular phone, and with it came something called "Bluetooth® wireless", which enables me to wear an earpiece and to have the … Read more

Winter is upon us as I write. Fierce winds, heavy snows, pathless streets. Here in Canada, we soldier on, driving where we have to go in spite of what we might encounter on the way. Some will not clean the … Read more

We were on a family vacation, headed toward Texas. There was a lot of road construction going on, and we were being detoured onto unfamiliar roads. We assumed we were halfway across Louisiana when a sign indicated we were headed … Read more

From the middle of May until the end of June in 2005, I travelled each Sunday to the mainland to care for our two little granddaughters aged 1 and 3, and returned home to Vancouver Island late on Friday nights. … Read more

My friend gave me an old magazine to read, with the understanding that I should pass it on to someone else. The first thing I do with my own magazines is to rip out all the hard cardboard bits and … Read more

I was perhaps eight or nine, and I had returned home from school for lunch. I also remember that it was Thinking Day, and I was wearing my Brownie uniform, as we were encouraged to do on that day. My … Read more

What does giving up one's life for Christ mean, and what does this look like today? This past year I have come to know something of what this means. Jesus used a wonderful family to be witnesses for Him. It … Read more

"Stay under God's umbrella." These were the words of a pastor whose television program I was watching one Sunday morning as I was dressing for church. He was teaching his congregation about God's plan to protect us from the storms … Read more

The most beautiful and interesting specialty papers start out as messy, wet clumps of mismatched and shredded papers, bits and pieces of items such as seeds and twigs, yarn and tin foil — all blended into a scary-looking pulp that … Read more

One day a number of years ago, a cousin of mine, his wife, and their three children were picking wild cranberries on an island in the Saskatchewan River. Accompanying them was the elderly uncle of my cousin and me, who … Read more

I was recently given a survey to fill in about a car that we had purchased. I was moving along quite well until I came to this question: Tell Us About Yourself Your age – [_] Box 1: under 25; … Read more

An elderly lady with a walker was ahead of me, when the automatic door refused to open and had to be operated manually. I watched as she approached the door, placed her walker against it, and began to push. I … Read more

Entering a store that carries everything that the handy man or woman would need, I was left alone, looking everywhere for the item I went into the store to get. Finally, I gave up and began to look for a … Read more

In July, a dark grey kitten showed up at our house. She was so loving. She would jump up onto anyone's lap to be petted. Of course, we loved having a cat like that, so we kept her. We named … Read more

When my sister and her friends invited me to go horseback riding, I asked for a gentle horse, and then took my position, last on the trail. Suddenly, my mount took off, and we passed everyone at full gallop. I … Read more

As is tradition in many Canadian families, Fraser has played hockey from an early age. He had skates on almost as soon as he could walk. Four-year-olds on the ice are not really playing hockey, however, but a game of … Read more

"Bunkum" was one of my dad's favourite words. I don't know where he picked it up, because it's not native to the Scottish tongue. He travelled around the world as a merchant seaman, so I'm guessing that he learned it … Read more

In Al Gore's disturbing documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, he quotes two leaked memos. One states, "Reposition global warming as theory rather than fact." The other says, "Doubt is our product, since it is the best means of creating controversy in … Read more

First thing in the morning when I arise, I want to dash to the computer and read my e-mail. I want to see who has written. It could be a sibling; it could be a friend; it could be an … Read more

During recent weeks, I have played with my computer and have spent evenings fiddling with the BIOS/CMOS (low level computer choices) to get it to work properly. In so doing, I remembered an older computer which I had been given … Read more

The following quotation, from one whom I have grown to love, was received by e-mail some time ago: Christmas decorations and the tree that were so late in getting up are still in place, and although I am not in … Read more

During the mid 1980s a lot of people got interested in the reports of near-death experiences that seriously-injured and gravely-ill patients were having all over the world. Some critical event happened that made them feel that they were finally dying. … Read more

The arrangements were to take a recently-sold item to its new home. The driving directions were simple and straightforward. About three-quarters of the way there, we noticed the item moving off the trailer, so we stopped to adjust the load. … Read more

The favourite topic of conversation in my part of the world is the weather. The first thing most people check upon rising in the morning is the temperature and the weather report, and then the day is planned accordingly. When … Read more

I say before the Lord, having questioned myself about what we just read: "Who am I, Lord?" Often this question enters my mind as we begin yet another new year, and the things in which we are involved start up. … Read more

Isn't it fun trying to take a picture of little children? One child at a time is often a challenge. It is hard for them to sit still long enough to take a good picture. I have seen many small … Read more

From the basket, I picked up the last apple to use in the fruit salad which I was preparing. It was a beautiful, bright red apple. I marvelled at its beauty. As the knife sliced through the fruit, though, it … Read more