"Now, you behave." How many times did I hear my mom say that in my childhood? If I had a penny for every time that she told me or my sister, Tracey, to behave before school, at the dinner table, before and during church, or at the mall, … Read more

Recently, I had an interesting "I wonder why…?" conversation with myself. I wondered why God initiated the aging process in nearly every system in His creation. Why didn't He just create everything starting at its prime, mature stage — … Read more

When I was twelve years old, I won a prize at the end of the school year for academic achievement; it was a novel about horses. I didn't think that it was the greatest story, but I was proud of the handwritten inscription in the flyleaf … Read more

In 1991, when my husband, Terry, our three boys, and I went to Slovakia on a short-term educational mission, we were foreigners in the land. Needing groceries, we explored the little hole-in-the-wall shops in our new neighbourhood. There … Read more

In the 1970s, we moved our European/Middle East head office to London, England. At that time, one of our external auditors told me this story. Two men shared an office; they had desks facing each other. They had worked together for a … Read more

Some of my fondest childhood memories take me to an old farm house in which we lived for awhile, near Clinton, Illinois, USA. The old house sat on a hill overlooking rolling pastures and a long lane. What I loved most were the critters … Read more

My neighbour recently dropped by for a visit. She had never been over to our place, even though we lived across the street from one another. As she and her little boy walked up our driveway, she was astounded at the amount of light that … Read more

On this Canada Day, I think back to when our family became Canadian citizens. Having come to Canada from Singapore, which, at that time, was a British colony, we were British subjects, so transferring our citizenship to Canada, with its … Read more

"I guess we're eating out tonight," my son muttered as he surveyed the empty countertop. Just five minutes earlier, he'd set a frozen pizza on the counter and gone upstairs. When he returned, all that remained was the pizza's cardboard … Read more

Recently, I had minor surgery to remove a small skin cancer on my face. Though the surgery left a two-inch scar, I was grateful that the cancer was detected and treated in time. As I recovered, I marvelled at God's handiwork in healing and … Read more

A painting that an artist gave me recently had been no more than a colourful garden scene, until it suddenly exploded with new relevance. That "Aha!" experience was too exciting to keep to myself. So here it goes: It began with an … Read more

Decorating the Christmas tree is an integral part of the celebrations each year. I once helped out at a commercial Christmas tree farm near Ottawa, Canada, in December. It was an impressive operation: planting spruce, balsam fir, and pine … Read more

My youngest son, Jeff, was already a mover and a shaker at two years of age, when his dad and I took him for his first trip to the ocean. Because he could disappear in a flash, we agreed to keep him in tow at all times. He delightedly … Read more

Looking at a first-level workbook in the Accelerated Christian Education system, a high school student exclaimed, "Mrs. B, I want to do this work. It looks so easy!" To him it appeared easy, but to the first grader whose book it was, it … Read more

A stone wall was planned as a retaining wall above our house to keep the sandy bank from eroding. A lovely, mature cedar tree grew there, and we didn't want it to topple onto our house. My husband hired a skilled local mason, and prepared … Read more

During my working career, for a period of about ten years, I travelled considerably. We were stationed in Europe at that time, and I flew to many different countries. When checking in at each airport, I would be told to which gate to go, … Read more

As our pandemic lingers, people naturally yearn for former freedoms — including public worship. Mixed feelings abound over such matters. Restless tension grows between restraints and freedoms. As in any polarized situation, we can easily … Read more

Our use of pronouns can be rather fuzzy. Our "we" may mean "you", as in "Johnny, we mustn't throw toys!" It may mean "they", as in "We won the game!" Or it may mean "I", as in the royal "we" where monarchs use "we" to imply "I". That's … Read more

When I was a student, I spent two summers in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, working in service jobs, as many students still do, earning money for the next university semester. Many mountains encircle Jasper, one being Mount Edith Cavell, its … Read more

I am writing an essay using an online app, and I am being constantly interrupted by popups telling me that I can sell what I'm writing for cash. Students will pay big bucks to cheat rather than to write themselves. It doesn't matter how … Read more

Have you ever had joy in doing a difficult task? Was your joy related to the expected outcome? The writer of the Biblical letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus had joy in His perspective even when enduring the cross, in what we see as … Read more

"We should name him Nemo," I teased, as we lowered our little goldfish into the backyard pond. But then, there were those two cute dots on his tail. "How about 'Deuce'?" my husband suggested. "Perhaps 'Dos'?" I countered. So, it was … Read more

"I do not like this time of year," I declare as I close the window shades at 5:30 p.m. "The days are too short and the nights too long." In Arizona, that means less than 10 hours of daylight, and for those of you further north, even … Read more

One Saturday afternoon, my car suddenly shut down; all the yellow warning lights flashed at me. Conditioned by a similar problem last year with another car, I focused on the battery lights, as I knew that I had just put gas in the … Read more

The church that I attend, like many others today, is searching for a new pastor. Our pastor retired two years ago, after serving us for three decades. He still attends, along with his children and grandchildren. We knew that it would be … Read more

As I'm watching a documentary on New York City, I'm startled to see a much younger Donald Trump on the screen. He is commenting on that period in the city's history when buildings began to rise higher, each owner competing with the … Read more

About 25 years ago, the small church group that my mom belonged to changed their Thursday evening format. Instead, the leader suggested that they pray for family salvation. That Sunday, I had to work, and after my shift, I went down to … Read more

The dictionary defines a role model as a person looked up to by others as an example to be imitated. There are role models everywhere. Some portray an example of good and some of evil. We look to movie stars, entertainers, famous people, … Read more

Build Your Own Website was a course being offered by our local college, so I decided to attend. I didn't want to build a website for myself, but I thought it would be a great idea for our local hardware and general store to have one. … Read more

Some days, I'm in a lot of pain. It seems that my whole body aches. Other days, it's like the pain moves from one place to another. It might be my legs or my feet or my knees or my hands. Oh, the joys of getting older and having arthritis! … Read more

The week before Christmas, one of my sons dropped by to make some adjustments to my computer. It was a quick visit without much conversation. But on his way out, he turned around and said to me, "There were three terrorist attacks today, … Read more

One morning, while I was driving east past our university, the rising sun was at that perfect position to blind my vision. The visor could not help, and neither did my sunglasses. As I kept driving and becoming quite concerned, one of … Read more

As I look out my window this morning, it is terribly dark, and it is raining buckets. Where is the sun? Lord, why do I feel such darkness? I put the television on and hear about a typhoon storming down on Hawaii and a hurricane coming … Read more