In March, 2020, my sister-in-law Joanne passed away very unexpectedly. The family of three — Joanne, Caroline (my wife), and Dora (their mum) — were all very close due to the demise of their dad when the girls were but teenagers. Joanne … Read more

There are so many calls for my attention these days. Recently, my cell phone received a national alert that was only a test, and the message said that I did not need to take any action. My coffee pot beeps when the coffee is ready, and … Read more

Because of my previous experience in raising pigeons, I have a real eye for them, and love having them around. We have a bird feeder behind our house, so, when one day a pigeon showed up, we were thrilled. We kept hoping that more would … Read more

One of the dearest memories that I have from my teenage years is living in an old two-storey cement block house that had very little insulation. In the winter, we put plastic on the inside of the windows in the upstairs bedrooms to reduce … Read more

I saw an advertisement recently on a recycling website for a television sofa where the spelling was out of place. It read, "Loves Eating". They had put the space after the "s" instead of before! A simple mistake to make, but it made me … Read more

When I was a child, the Reverend Bailey was a strong shepherd who taught with conviction and skill. He preached the fear of the Lord: Sunday mornings at church found me snuggled as close as humanly possible to my mother's side while he … Read more

Do you ever keep a journal or diary of things you don't want to forget? I found one I had started writing many years ago. I'd like to share a page with you. It was bedtime. I had just finished reading a story to my children. As they were … Read more

A number of years ago, I decided to keep a weather book. Each day, I record the day of the week, the date, and the outside temperature when I arise. Then the next morning, I add what the weather conditions had been for that day. My … Read more

Over the last several years, I have become increasingly concerned about the explosion of teenage suicides. How do we explain this? According to Timothy Keller in his book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, the Danish … Read more

Rehearsed materials tend to stay around longer. For the final two weeks of school, I required my middle school language arts students to rehearse what they had learned during the year. The final exam would cover the entire book, so I … Read more

Last year, my friend was the victim of identity theft. A dozen new credit cards were issued, but rarely did the credit card companies call first to confirm. The way identity theft works is that the perpetrator provides a false address … Read more

In the last few years, it has happened twice now. I have been busily munching away when — crack — I hear and then feel something go snap in my mouth. Each time that I have experienced this, upon further examination, I have discovered … Read more

Three years ago, I took my mom, then 90, to a nursing home to visit her even more elderly friend, Winnie, who was basically not "with it" anymore. I was in awe of my mother, who despite her own dementia, really "cared" for Winnie. It was … Read more

I sometimes think that we Christians can get a little too smug about what we would and would not do. It's not surprising. After all, we have the benefit of hindsight. We have our Bibles and two thousand years of Christian tradition behind … Read more

Last year, we bought a new house, and this spring, we discovered that there are daffodils in our lawn! "So what?" you might ask. Yes, I do enjoy their colour and beauty — they provide splashes of sunshine wherever they … Read more

Three generations ago, my husband's grandfather planted an apple orchard on nine acres of land. He had several varieties of apples, with other fruit-bearing trees planted among them — trees that would grow more quickly and produce sooner. In between … Read more

At a recent worship service, the congregation witnessed the baptism of a young child, with his parents and grandparents. The mother of the child had grown up through the ranks of the Christian education programme within the church. Now with … Read more

Several times over the years, I have quit a job and looked for a new one. Each time, I have found it difficult to write my resume. I really should have kept a copy of the previous ones so that … Read more

When my granddaughter was four years old, she spent some time with us during the summer. I took her to her favourite fast-food restaurant, and she got the much-anticipated kid's meal with its treasure inside. For some unknown reason, I … Read more

Those who are old hands at grand parenting will well identify with the awe afforded those of us who are relatively new at the game. Without the responsibilities and commitments that come with having one's own children, we are given … Read more

How often do we see or not see the amber light? We travel through our lives on the go. Referring to traffic lights green, amber and red, are we travelling too fast on the green? When the amber light shows, … Read more

After explaining to my six-year old son how a soldier gets ready for the battlefield, I told him that, in the same manner, God has called us to be prepared each moment. Then I showed him a picture of a … Read more

Lately, I have noticed something that I have been doing that I do not like all that much. I have been placing my son second to my own agenda. With the nice weather in Alaska, we try to get out … Read more

One of the surest signs that we are growing older, or growing up, as my father would say, appears when we start sounding like our parents. We find ourselves not only making the same points that they made to us, … Read more

Here we are back to the heart and back to the beginning of the search for our true selves, a search that brings us face to face with the living God. "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest … Read more

A hundred years ago people were different. We were raised on the stories of how hard our grandparents worked, especially as children, and we were told to follow in their footsteps. In the Pictou Advocate of November 1895, an editorial … Read more

Let's leap backward a thousand years or so. Dripping wet from the Jordan's waters, the newly baptized Messiah was driven by the Holy Spirit into the desert. After fasting forty days and nights, Jesus was exhausted and famished. Like Eve, … Read more

In many Jewish homes today you will see a little plaque, about thumb size, at the front door. The plaque bears tiny Hebrew letters, which stand for the ten commandments. The residents of the home reach up and touch the … Read more