In the last couple of years, our family has been observing fish, and we have been learning a great deal. It all started a couple of years ago when we gave our (then) seven-year-old a small five-gallon fish aquarium with a couple of … Read more

The words "Pro-D Day" (or "PD Day" in some places) will certainly stir up different feelings with anyone who has children in the school system. "Pro-D Day" stands for "Professional Development Day", and that is the day that the children … Read more

Jesus often ended His parables with this phrase: "He who has ears, let him hear". I have a friend who has just returned from a family vacation in Hawaii. She was commenting on how she would sit on the beach in the early morning for her … Read more

One of our Christmas traditions is to remember the whole Christmas story as told in Luke 2. Many people will have a creche in their homes, and some people will start by putting out the angels and an empty manger, and then, as Advent … Read more

Traditions are those things that we do which reinforce our family's personality and link us with our past and our future. We see these traditions when we come to celebrate Advent and Christmas. It is because of our traditions that we have … Read more

One type of things that make personal computers easy to use are the little pictures on the screen called icons. Icons are interesting things — they take up almost no memory, and they exist for only one purpose: to point to the main … Read more

As I was doing some running along a lake path, I decided to do some off-leash training with my small dog, Miss Daisy. This is a path that often has a lot of runners, walkers, dogs, and even the occasional horse. There is a pretty wide … Read more

As I was looking for some information about something the other day on the Internet, I kept landing on a site that was a couple of years old. I knew that there was a more current website, but the search engine couldn't seem to find it for … Read more

As I was waiting for my friend to arrive so that we could go on a bike ride, I found myself watching the clock, as if the phone would ring by my staring at the clock. I knew that my … Read more

One of the things that I enjoy doing is taking pictures of simple things in nature. Often it may be a flower or something in nature that is sometimes overlooked. With today's technology, this is something we can easily do … Read more

I often think of Peter in this situation and wonder whatever possessed him to want to get out of the boat and walk on the water towards Jesus. Peter is one of those guys that we marvel at for his … Read more

During a recent holiday throughout Alaska, we were travelling from Chicken to Eagle on the Taylor Highway. In order to do this, we needed to have a pilot vehicle to go ahead of us. The Taylor Highway is really a … Read more

In my office at work, I am surrounded by many flowers, but most of them are silk. Although they always look very beautiful, they do not provide a fragrance. However, that does not stop many people from entering my office … Read more

There is a weight loss program which gives a point value for every kind of food that we dieters eat. We quickly discover the foods with low point values. On the computer, all we have to do is enter what … Read more

At a recent worship service, the congregation witnessed the baptism of a young child, with his parents and grandparents. The mother of the child had grown up through the ranks of the Christian education programme within the church. Now with … Read more

I am sure that many of us have heard these words spoken at funerals. I just heard them again at a funeral. There are days when I feel that I have had to say good-bye to way too many friends. … Read more

Why is it that our summer holidays always disappear so quickly? Every year as we map out what we want to do, it seems that we think we'll have lots of time to do what we want to, but before … Read more

At a recent conference that I attended, I was reminded about how easy it is to look for answers within our box of understanding. Often it is not until we look beyond the box that we discover the answer to … Read more

I'd like to introduce you to one of the girls who used to ride with me on my school bus. Whenever she would get the tiniest of scratches (or hurts), she would immediately cry out for a band-aid. On all … Read more

When I began driving the school bus, I did not realize the support that I would receive from the other bus drivers. The two-way radio gives the bus drivers a tool for instant communication with each other. Not only are … Read more

I don't know of anyone who doesn't like receiving gifts. I certainly do. For me, the best kinds of presents are the ones that I'm not expecting, and the ones that I'm not expected to pay back. Let me describe … Read more

When my contract with the church came to an end, and I couldn't see any other job opportunities within the church, I knew that I had to look outside the church for work. This was the first time that I … Read more

Living in British Columbia, Canada, we now have a graduated system for driver licensing. When someone wants to learn to drive a car, they must first pass their written test to get their "L", which is their learner's permit. Their … Read more

There are so many things in life that we just can't explain. Often these are the things that are completely beyond our control. Maybe someone we love was taken from us because of a thoughtless accident, or as a result … Read more

This past summer, while we were on holidays, my children challenged me to climb up a forty-foot climbing wall. Wall climbing is not normally an activity that I would choose, but I did not want to disappoint my children, so … Read more

In a recent English class, where we were learning reading and writing skills, we were exploring the meaning behind different words. Our instructor listed a variety of words, and we were asked to choose one word and come up with … Read more

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we stand in silence to remember. We wear the poppies to help us to remember and to help honour those who gave their lives for us, for our … Read more

When Paul wrote these words to the church in Philippi, he was in prison and in chains, and yet he writes this letter which is filled with thanksgiving and hope. How does he do it? Paul had a purpose in … Read more

When my daughter was in Grade Two, she taught us both a very valuable lesson. That was the year that she discovered what an eraser was meant for. My daughter is a perfectionist (I don't know where she gets that … Read more

During the Advent season, as we journey towards the manger, and as we light the fourth candle on our Advent wreath, let us journey with love. We're getting closer, aren't we? Christmas is not far away now. If you have … Read more

During the Advent season, as we journey towards the manger and as we light the third candle on our Advent wreath, let us journey with joy. The third candle in the Advent wreath is often a different colour. On many … Read more

The season of Advent has always been a favourite time for my family and me. I think we've always liked this time of year because it helps us to stop long enough to think about why we celebrate Christmas. If … Read more

During the Advent season, as we journey towards the manger, and as we light the second candle on our Advent wreath, let us journey with peace. What are the things that give us a sense of peace in our lives? … Read more