When we lived on the outskirts of town, every spring, I would go to our bush at the back of the property, gather up dead branches, and cut down and cut up at least one or two trees. In the fall, when the wood was dry, we would split it and …( read more )

In early March, as I sat in the car, waiting for the parents to leave the car park, I noticed a grandmother with a small boy, no more than six years old. She was encouraging the lad to get into school. He wanted the grandmother to walk to …( read more )

Today, I'm thinking about two humongous clouds, both hovering over us. One cloud is a tiny virus engulfing the world in its ominous shadow. We've all paid plenty of attention to that cloud. But how much attention have we paid to the other …( read more )

In early February, I had just left an art store with supplies to make earrings when I saw a city parking officer put an extra coin in an expired meter rather than write a ticket for a battered old car. Her small kindness made me …( read more )

Back in the day, a housewife doing her weekly laundry the good old-fashioned way knew when her clothes were clean. Through various iterations of laundry methods — from washing clothes on the riverbank, to using a washtub and scrub board, …( 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 )

Last winter, I stumbled on a heart-rending story as I surfed the Internet. In a clinic in China, an embattled lady in her frustration littered the floor of the patients' room with her bag full of hard-earned money. She had been diagnosed …( read more )

During the current pandemic, there are many comments appearing about people re-evaluating what is important. It reminded me of a personal experience almost 50 years ago. I was asked by my employer, a large international technology …( read more )

Praise God for the gift of music! Singing songs of praise can lift our spirits and fill us with His joy. I love to sing and give glory to God through praise songs and hymns. I play my favourite CDs when we are in the car. Lately, I have …( read more )

I was folding my husband's jeans and checking the hems for frays. That's how I determine at a glance which are his work jeans versus his dress jeans. The thought came to me that when we live our lives in Christ, we become like a pair of …( read more )

Though I had never seen this person before, I trusted him to guide me for the next hour. My wife and I were on vacation in the mountains of Tennessee, USA, and we wanted to visit somewhere that we hadn't gone before. Forbidden Caverns …( read more )

My father passed away suddenly when I was fifteen, and well I remember the stunned disbelief of family and friends at the loss of a vibrant, gifted husband and dad. In my memory, the funeral was surreal and muted; the still, pale figure in …( read more )

Now that spring has sprung and the ice has melted into the earth, the livestock have been released from the corral to roam the whole property once again. For two weeks prior to the final melting, they would all crowd around the gate every …( read more )

In the present gridlock, we are coping well-ish as a family in the comfort of home. Together, we allocate time to work through chores, exercise, and education. I had not valued our privileges as much before the lockdown as I do now, …( read more )

For a couple of years, I was privileged to lead a number of services at a church without a pastor. When they got a new minister, my regular worship with them was over, and in appreciation, they gave me a rose bush. I planted it behind our …( read more )

Fiery trials of life can be very hard, to the point of causing illness or death. When we come out of them, we may feel toasted from the heat. For the Christian, this is the testing of our mettle. It challenges our resilience and …( read more )

As I look out of the window on my world this morning, I am reminded, once again, of how much I need to thank our Lord for all of the beauty that He has created, for all of His blessings, and most importantly, for all of His love. I also …( read more )

What parents would not choose to wrap their children in an invincible security blanket every morning before sending them off to face the harsh world outside? It often begins at the kitchen table, as we educate them about how big God's …( read more )

My annoyance over telemarketers has occasionally caused me to answer legitimate calls with a rather unfriendly tone. Once, I even hung up on someone. How rude! Thankfully, that person called right back. That got me thinking: How often …( read more )

Sisters Tatyana, Anna, and their mother Anna are Ukrainian immigrants who, along with their families, have lived in my neighbourhood for the past 20 years. These families attend a local American church, and the ladies say that their …( read more )

During this time of social distancing, of staying at home, and of home schooling, I've been watching all kinds of suggestions on social media as to how to keep children entertained at home, while maintaining their education. Many of the …( read more )

I'm headed up the hill, going home. It is Mother's Day, and a sad-faced man is coming towards me with some flowers. "For your mother?" I say, smiling at the bouquet. He doesn't smile back, but he stops, as though he needs to tell …( read more )

At the time of writing this in early March, I have been reeling with the shock of my sister-in-law's recent sudden, unexpected death that has left the family in a state of disbelief. She went to bed with a cold, never to get up. She was …( read more )

We are created as social beings, meant to interact with others. The important thing is whether our interactions with others show God's love. One of the most common greetings is the handshake — now, not allowed. Some of us would …( read more )

"I'm in the middle of the road with a flat tire. Can you tell Dad to come and help me?" My daughter was under the gun. She had given her landlord notice that she was moving out by the month's end. Though she took a few days off from …( read more )

As I answered my ringing telephone, I heard a distressed sob as my daughter pleaded, "Can you come up to the house to help me, please?" Quickly hurrying to the main house, and running up the stairs to the second floor, I was totally …( read more )

Seventy-five years ago, on May 5, 1945, the occupation of the Netherlands was finally over. A great number of people had suffered terribly. Jewish friends and neighbours were taken away to extermination camps, the large majority of them …( 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 )

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual deadline to submit our income tax returns at this time of year has been delayed. It's no-one's favourite thing to do. I don't know of anyone who rushes joyfully to pay their taxes! Instead, we …( read more )

While glancing out my large bay window this morning to check on the weather, and hoping to catch a glimpse of what the squirrels were up to, I was amazed at the sight of a large wave of starlings soaring overhead. They seemed to be …( 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 )