Recently, I did something foolish. It began with a decision to brew some specialty coffee as a morning treat for myself. Soon, the lovely cinnamon-hazelnut aroma filled the air. That was a treat in itself! With great anticipation, I poured …( read more )

Prior to holidays or special occasions for which she was baking, my mother bought staples for making all sorts of treats. Borden® Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk was my dad's favourite. With Elsie® the Borden® Cow smiling out …( read more )

Recently, I heard the following advice from a scientist explaining digestion: Before eating, pause and take a few moments to be thankful. This allows your brain time to signal your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for …( read more )

Oh, that shifty word, but! It has an uncanny way of reversing everything. For example, you just heard your superior list several remarkable qualities in you; and then comes that word, "but". You brace yourself, for whatever comes next …( read more )

This is my friend Esther's story: People say that there is no God, that there are many gods, or that our God is not all-powerful. I tell you that there is a perfect, Almighty God, and He is with us through all circumstances. On …( read more )

We celebrate our birthdays in many ways: we send cards, decorate our homes, give presents, and have parties. Christmas is a birthday — Christ's birthday — and by far, celebrated in the most varied ways and by the most diverse groups of …( read more )

A country church in our area has one of those signs which gets changed periodically. Some time ago, it displayed this saying: "Count your blessings, not your troubles." I thought that statement was a really good message. It made me think …( read more )

"Come and see! Come and see!" pleads the child as he tugs on your sleeve. You see the floor where he's pointing; it's a clutter of scattered Lego®. You keep looking because he insists. Finally, you see it. Why, there's an entire Lego® …( read more )

During the 1970s, the pipeline engineering firm for which I worked had a big contract with a French firm, and we had two offices in Paris. As head of the financial division of our firm, I made many trips to our offices. One evening, on the …( read more )

As I write, I am typing this with one finger at a time, as my left arm is badly hurt and too painful to use. Yes, I was careless and fell down on my left side on my arm. Thank the Lord, the arm wasn't broken, just terribly sore. I have …( read more )

I have been working hard to beautify my property. Gardening in the north is difficult because there really isn't what you would call soil. Rocks and something resembling dirt are abundant, but not soil. Thus, I have been planting flowers …( read more )

For the past few weeks, I have been using my road bike more than my trail bike. Both bikes have a side mirror attached to the left handlebar that allows me to see traffic as it approaches from my left. Due to hand and arm placement on my …( read more )

Many years ago when I was a young man and a Christian, but not living for the Lord, my life was not what it should have been. Driving from south-western Ontario to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, I picked up a hitchhiker in northern Ontario. …( read more )

One day, we had a discussion about things that we like to eat and things that we don't like. I can eat most foods, but I do admit that there are some that I have learned to eat over the years, and there are still some that I'm not crazy …( read more )

All of my life, it seems to me that I have been in a hurry for some reason or other. For example, I have always been the first person at the table to finish my meal. I never thought much about it until recently, when God opened my eyes to …( read more )

When the smell wafts through every crevice of our home and finally passes under my nostrils, my mouth waters. Fried chicken … southern style. There's nothing like it. My wife knows how to season it just right. I could eat it every day. …( read more )

Some children are fearless when it comes to trying new challenges. They have the attitude, "I can do it!" We learn fear as we grow and realize that some things are more difficult than others, and we come to understand … (read more)

One of the hardest things in life for an expectant mother is to find out that the baby that she has been carrying for almost eight months is stillborn. In a moment's time, the world of the expectant father and … (read more)

The Bible has many references to the role of angels in our lives. Angels delivered the prophet Elisha and his servant from the king of Syria. God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel spent … (read more)

My horse, Mabel, was the answer for a small boy's broken heart and cry for comfort. Little did I realize, the night I sold her, what a significant role she would play in the small lad's life. Oh, of course, … (read more)

Looking through old recipes one day, I found the recipe for homemade bread that I had tried to make with Mom years ago. The sheet was folded twice and had yellowed with age. A smile crept across my face as … (read more)

My new computer holds a magnifier, but I hadn't bothered figuring out how to use it. However, the Lord knew that I would need it someday. That day is now! I am struggling to see what I am doing. Writing … (read more)

Do you believe in angels? Do they really exist? These questions ran through my mind for quite a few days. Every morning, when I start from my house, I say Psalm 91 along the way. When I come to verses … (read more)

Recently, I felt that I had lost a sense of peace and balance in my life. Life was coming at me way too fast, one day blurring into the next, and I realized how long it had been since I'd … (read more)

I remember well my childhood when money was hard to come by. Bread bought in a store was a luxury; cookies from the store were a treat; an ice cream cone was almost unheard of; a Dixie cup eaten with … (read more)

I walked into my favourite supermarket to find a good friend handing out samples of papaya, which she was promoting. This is something I've avoided all my life, insisting that I did not like it. My friend spotted me right … (read more)

One of my favourite decorative items is a colourful basket of artificial fruit, now on a table on the sun porch. Through the years, it has been used in different areas. Many times, when preparing for a yard sale, I've … (read more)

I am still slogging away at my weight. The numbers are thirty less than this time last year, but it has been "eating season" once again! My goal: more pounds off this year. For many of us, the New Year … (read more)

As a kid, I hated to see spinach on my plate. "Taste it and see; it's good for you!" my mother would say, to persuade me to eat it. At age eight, I saw no good coming out of a … (read more)

After our Ash Wednesday Service in mid-February, I headed home rather late, driving across the city on Cambridge Street. There is only one stoplight, where Southbridge Street crosses Cambridge. The road broadens here, so there are four lanes for traffic, … (read more)

I was handed a new Canadian ten-dollar bill by a customer at work, who asked me if I knew that the poem, "In Flanders Fields," was printed on it. I looked, squinted, and looked again. No way could I read … (read more)

I don't know about others, but I tend to value my sleep. I love to sleep; however, due to my busy schedule I really don't get to go to bed as early as I would like. Usually, I am up … (read more)

Have you ever played a game of hide and seek? The game is well known: several people go and hide, and then one person sets off on a mission to find them, so that on the next turn the one … (read more)