Author: David Gellatly

One of the first things a boy learns to make in Boy Scouts is a tripod. I am constantly amazed how one can take three sticks that cannot even stand up by themselves and by simply leaning them against one … Read more

When I first became active in my son's Scout troop, camping trips were a major source of stress. Scouting emphasizes planning and preparation, and I would worry whether we had planned for every contingency: would the weather co-operate, would the … Read more

For the last several years our church has sent a mission team to Guatemala each summer to help build houses for widows and orphans of the civil war. It is an expensive proposition since there are no discount airfares from … Read more

This last Sunday, I noticed one of the first signs of summer: an announcement in our church bulletin to sign up for this year's Appalachian Service Project. Each summer our church, along with churches throughout the country, sends a group … Read more

Several years ago I was on a train, returning home from a tax seminar. The train was crowded and I was sharing the row with a complete stranger, an older black gentleman. As well-trained and polite travellers should, we acknowledged … Read more

Christmas has become an increasingly trying time for me spiritually, what with the never-ending exhortations to buy; the often fruitless quest to find just the right gift for those who give you no guidance and the every increasing commercialization of … Read more