The past three years have been like no other period of my life. As a younger person, I worked full-time while also juggling care of my home and family. I have been deeply involved in church and community work over the years. I also love … Read more

Activists so often move in a mass and carry placards, so that they can be seen and make their voices heard. They are persistent because they are fighting for something, and they won't give up until they get it. In the story of Jesus' … Read more

I crochet many blankets for babies. Recently, I had just begun one when it occurred to me how well this particular colour went with my décor. I thus decided to pick up more yarn and increase the size of the piece. I now have a lovely … Read more

Sin's fallout effects are never pleasant. My wife and I pass a particular church's parking lot each Sunday on the way to our church. We were once affiliated with this church. Then, the parking lot was full, and so were most of the seats … Read more

I shared the workplace lunchroom one day with a co-worker who held very little hope about society's future, and declared that he would never bring children into this world. A little later, he discussed his upcoming wedding plans. As I … Read more

Years ago, I put tabs in my Bible, the kind that are attached to the page with clear pieces of plastic that have very sticky — and permanent — glue on them. One piece goes on the front side of the page and the other on the back, so the … Read more

Throughout my time in the church, I spent most of my service in children's ministries. I cuddled the babies, sang to 3-year-olds, and taught Bible lessons in Sunday school and children's church. I remember teaching the words and movements … Read more

During a recent appointment with an occupational therapist for my injured hand, I was interested to observe the various tools used to measure the mobility and movements of my hand and fingers. One of the tools was a device that had a … Read more

It was October, 1970, and Canada was under a serious terrorist threat. A reporter had asked the Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, how far he would go in dealing with the crisis. "Just watch me!" Trudeau responded. He subsequently ordered the … Read more

Thirteen years ago, in the early spring, my husband and I surveyed with satisfaction our recent purchase, a 22-foot travel trailer. After we retired from teaching, we planned to use it to go south, where the winters would be warmer, and to … Read more

We have a dog called Daisy. She is the sweetest, fluffiest, cuddliest dog that anyone could ever wish to have. I tend to be the one who feeds and does the necessary when called upon to keep everything shipshape, and I appear to be the … Read more

Recently, I was sitting on my couch thinking about my upcoming fiftieth birthday and what we would do to celebrate it. I recently moved from Canada to the Netherlands, and I was missing my own family and friends. I now have a new loving … Read more

We all noticed that Frank, my horse, had been coming out of the barn less and less. He needed to be moved out of his comfort zone, so I put a lead rope on his halter and insisted that he move out into the yard. But I realized immediately … Read more

When I was in high school, English literature, history, and languages were exciting and pleasant in which to immerse myself. Math and chemistry were a different matter! I had an English teacher who saw in me a love for writing and reading, … Read more

My husband Larry was about five years older than his sister, Carol. When she was a teenager, one Valentine's Day, she received a box of candy from her latest beau. Not wanting to disturb the beautiful heart-shaped box, she set it up in … Read more

I once saw a funny cartoon of a man with a placard that said something like "What if Jesus had died on the cross online?" I can't recollect the words exactly, but the point was that people seem to prefer online gathering to physical … Read more

Do you ever feel as though your life is an endless cycle of one step forward, two steps back, despite your greatest efforts? To be sure, there are stretches when things run smoothly for a while, but then, there inevitably comes a bump in … Read more

In life, we often feel as if we're under attack. Tradition says that the running of the bulls began in northeastern Spain during the fourteenth century. Why people would want to run down a crowded street with angry bulls chasing them is … Read more

There is a Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy is telling her brother Linus to get involved. Linus stands sucking his thumb and hanging onto his security blanket, and Lucy says, "You can't drift … Read more

For the last few weeks, I've been having electrical problems. The ceiling light in my craft room started flickering wildly, causing anything that was plugged into that circuit to turn off. Consequently, my computer suddenly shut down in … Read more

I have dogs. My daughter has cats. We each have our own house, but we share the same property. My dogs have thus not grown up with her cats, and her cats have not grown up with my dogs. So, when the dogs go up to the big house with me … Read more

Not always hearing clearly or correctly, I often ask people to repeat what they have said. I need to know if what I thought that I heard is actually what they said. If there is something new to learn, I've needed it repeated several times … Read more

I am not a systematic house cleaner. I tend to clean as I go, or set time aside for a larger task. Sometimes, finding an unexpected cobwebbed corner will push me into action, but it's a not a favourite activity. Cleaning up my spiritual … Read more

As we were walking along one day, my middle-school-aged grandson picked something up off the ground. "What did you find?" I asked him. "A pull tab. Our school is collecting them," he answered. "They make wheelchairs out of them." I … Read more

In late February or early March of the year when I was about ten, my dad took me fishing with him. It was cold, rainy, and miserable, which, to my dad, was perfect timing. After we started catching catfish, which my dad described as … Read more

I have had the opportunity to do some sightseeing in Europe. We travelled to Drielandpunt in Vaals. This is a three-country point, where the borders of Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany meet at a small monument marking this geographical … Read more

We live in anxious times, and I suspect that many of us, including me, are just glad to get through each day. There's so much uncertainty in the world, and it's affecting each one of us. We don't know what lies ahead, and after three … Read more

One Sunday recently, our minister spoke on the passage in the Sermon on the Mount that begins, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life …" (Matthew 6:25 NKJV) and the topic was worry. The message was very much about the … Read more