The phone rang. When I answered, a deep, intimidating male voice informed me that I was in serious trouble with respect to my income tax. The voice continued saying that the police were now on their way to arrest me, and that my best …( read more )

The heavy weight of the immense snows that we have had this winter has brought destruction upon many of the region's trees: limbs have been snapped off, huge trees have been felled. Others have been bent so low by their icy burden that …( read more )

I'll never forget one Easter morning in my childhood. My dad carried our pet rabbit into the house and let it roam freely on the breakfast table. We siblings gleefully watched our cuddly pet hop amongst bowls of coloured eggs. That was …( read more )

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about " How To Die ", so I thought that I should also write about "How To Live". My first suggestion on how to live is to do everything that we can to communicate with others, even when we are told that we …( read more )

As we turned out of the parking lot, I knew that it would be the last time. Both of my paternal grandparents' sides of the family had annual family reunions, but my family rarely attended. I barely knew many of those who did — people …( read more )

I recently asked my two great-grandsons, "Why did God give us tears?" The three-year-old answered, "Because we're crying", and the six-year-old said, "Hmmm, I got it! Because when we're sad we can't just make a noise. We have to make a …( read more )

Tragedy had struck. What could I say? As a minister, I've watched people endure their share of tragedy. A husband whose wife decided to drive drunk, leading to the death of their small child. A father whose daughter was innocently riding …( read more )

When my husband and I began to travel by boat up the inside passage on the west coast of Canada, there was one stipulation that I made, and that was that we would never travel at night. However, there was one occasion when we were …( read more )

During this past Easter season, there were a number of movies on television which those who make up the schedules felt were appropriate for the season — movies such as The Robe, The King of kings and Easter Parade — just to mention …( read more )

From January 1967 until December 1970, we lived in Vienna, Austria. At that time, Vienna had two major-league soccer teams, one near to where we lived and the other not too far away. Quite often on a Saturday afternoon, our young son and …( read more )

Recently, my family went to see the movie "Risen", a film which uniquely depicts the resurrection through the point of view of an unbeliever. As in a detective story, Clavius, a high-ranking Roman official, is put in charge of solving the …( read more )

"I can't go to visit people when someone close to them has died." Sometimes, the person who utters words like these might fear crying when visiting sorrowing people. Yet, we can remember that God is with us to teach us how to weep with …( read more )

Maybe you've had this experience: you open your Bible, begin to read a familiar story, and then, suddenly, your attention is taken by something you have not seen before. It is fresh and invigorating, and calls you to a new understanding …( read more )

The brilliant mix of reds, oranges, and yellows silhouetted against the blue background of the sky almost takes my breath away. Our heavenly Father, the Great Artist, has splashed a panorama of colours across the canvas of His creation, …( read more )

Recently, an e-mail friend has lost her husband. She faces both the release of knowing that he is at peace and also the sorrow of his departure. This calls for a profound readjustment to accept his absence and allow other … (read more)

I have knitted a few sweaters, socks, and such for family and friends to open as Christmas presents. I am a steady customer at the wool shop, and while shopping, I meet other grandmothers selecting wool for baby shawls, afghans, … (read more)

"Random" is a trend term. Middle school-age students use it for a level of cool. Random is out of our control — we're unable to manage, manipulate, or direct it. Random is unrelated to the thought process of a conversation. … (read more)

Frankie Valli is known for a song back in the 1960s entitled, "Big Girls Don't Cry" — remember? Can you hear him whining "cry-yii-yii"? If you're too young, you might not know this one. You can find it on … (read more)

"Remember to turn your clocks forward on Sunday" was a phrase many of us heard repeatedly during the lead-up to Daylight Saving Time. With that notice, we knew in our hearts that spring was just around the corner. For me, … (read more)

I recently participated in a fascinating, in-depth Bible study that examined the identity of the obscure figure in the fourth gospel referred to four times as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". This intriguing research has been an invaluable source of … (read more)

One winter's evening, I arrived to collect my mother-in-law from where she had arrived at the coach station. I was a few minutes late, so, like a gun dog, I feverishly scanned the horizon for my target. There in the … (read more)

Do you ever start reading something, convinced that you know the main thought or plot and/or how it is going to end up? I do, on occasion, and am sometimes correct. Not so, however, with Julie Bowles' devotional on May … (read more)

Everything went completely black. We had had a power-cut whilst I was working on the computer late at night. This was a bit of a shock, because we live in an area of considerable light pollution from the main road, … (read more)

Memorizing Bible verses was a requirement in my home as a child, and saying a verse at bedtime was a ritual. Some nights I was proud to impress others with my knowledge of long verses, but on the nights I … (read more)

The passing of my dad caused me to look back on my youth, and brought back memories of my mother, a strong woman who never cried. Being close to her, I thought crying was a sign of weakness, and I, … (read more)

On May 19, 2001, I received a telephone call to tell me that my friend, Patrick, had just passed away. I had last talked on the telephone with Patrick exactly a week before, and he had assured me that, though … (read more)

A gang of guys from church were doing a yard clean-up for an elderly lady in our congregation. In her front yard were some of those massive oak trees seen in the deep south — those that spread their branches … (read more)

I recently attended two funeral services. They had several things in common: both were for elderly people who had died after long illnesses; both individuals were parents of people with whom I work. There the similarities end. One person was … (read more)

On a certain Tuesday evening a while ago, I attended a training session for our church's faith visitation programme. In that session, the minister threw out a phrase that was quite simple but has truly captivated my thoughts. One of … (read more)

Walking on the campus of a famous law school, a man fell into conversation with a student. The man asked the student, "When you have completed your studies, what do you intend to do? "I shall take my Doctor's degree." … (read more)

Do you know what I heard on the radio last week? An ad for a local funeral chapel, totally serious and in painfully good taste. "When your loved one dies, come and see us about our new Grief Management Program." … (read more)