Author: Alice Burnett

Whoo—who-who—whoo "Terry! Wake up! I hear the owl!" I had been hearing this sound every night from inside our cabin at Camp Loma de Vida, in south Texas, USA, during the winter months this year. We had never actually pin-pointed its … Read more

Uniforms were required in the Christian school that my boys attended. They looked smart in their navy-blue dress pants and vests, crisp white shirts, navy socks, and black shoes. School uniforms were part of their training to grow in the … Read more

"What's that?" I asked my friend as we strolled through the market in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, near the Mexican border. She had just bought a cone-shaped object, shrink-wrapped in cellophane. "It's piloncillo, raw sugar. … Read more

My friend sat in her living room and watched as a small Downy Woodpecker flew towards the netting that she had put into place in front of the window, intended to keep birds from hitting it. Instead of coming short of the barrier and … Read more

Three years ago, I volunteered at Gleanings for the Hungry, a mercy ministry in Dinuba, California, USA. One of my jobs was gardening. I like weeding, usually. I like the way that a neat and tidy garden looks, as a result of pulling up … Read more

At the restaurant, I handed out little bags of candy hearts, the kind with words printed on them, to each of the volunteers with whom we were working for the month of February in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Valentine's Day was a good excuse to … Read more

I remember a dream that I had when my oldest son was nine. He and I and two angels dressed in white were standing in heaven beside a giant Bible, taller than we were. The pages of the Bible had fallen open to these words: In the dream, I … Read more

These days, there are few daylight hours. Here in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, at latitude 52 degrees, 16 minutes north, on the winter solstice, December 21st, the shortest day of the year, there were 7 hours and 41 minutes of daylight. That … Read more

Last year, COVID-19 restrictions made life tough for all of us. Here in Alberta, Canada, we couldn't get together for Christmas with our family as usual. Our visits were limited to brief encounters outside as my husband and I delivered … Read more

When my son was little, he and his brother had an Advent calendar for a month before Christmas. Every day, the boys would open a window and see the picture and verse inside — no chocolate in those days! As Christmas approached, they would … Read more