Author: Parise Arakelian

As I see Christmas approaching, I am reminded of the preparations that have made the season special in our home. One such preparation was to go to a Christmas tree farm where we would choose our tree, and have it cut down and mounted on … Read more

Giving thanks doesn't rate highly in the socially-networked world where everyone is texting — very often to the person sitting next to them. Too many of us are so busy being "connected" that we have become disengaged from the world … Read more

One Saturday morning, a group of like-minded friends decided to attend a session with a colour analyst to "get our colours done". The most well-known approach to analyzing personal colouring is "seasonal" colour analysis, which places … Read more

On a cool, breezy September day, I ventured out with a friend to fly kites at Stinson Beach, which is on the northern coast of California, U.S.A., just north of San Francisco. While we began to fly our kites skyward, our eyes were drawn to … Read more

It was a very warm day in the desert southwest of the United States. My friend and I had just finished lunch after attending church. There we stood in the restaurant parking lot, dressed in our best Sunday clothes, with the engine lid … Read more

Recently, while dining out with some friends and acquaintances, one person at our table began a tirade about the food that had been presented that evening, using Christ's name in vain. This has happened on more than one occasion, so I … Read more

While in a transition period in my career, I chose to transfer from my position in the main operating room to a new aspect of surgical nursing. I was approached by the administrator of the Same Day Surgery Unit. She was inquiring if I knew … Read more

One of the most treasured gifts I own is a wall clock which was given to me by my mother when I moved into my very first apartment. Throughout my life, this battery-operated clock has been my companion as I have moved; it has survived for … Read more

One of my favourite hymns, Jesus Paid It All, has had a profound effect on me, whether I have sung it in church, sung it in a choir, or listened to it on my iPod. Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He … Read more

Let us look in on the Plaza de Sant Roc de Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain. There stands a man with his bass fiddle poised to start playing his instrument. A young girl approaches the man's hat on the ground and drops in a coin. The man draws … Read more