In my last devotional, It Only Takes A Spark on April 18, 2024, I told how a farmer lost his barn in a fire due to a spark from his tractor. This time, I want to tell how John was involved in the … Read more

John was working with the hired man, Murray, making ductwork in the shop, and I was working in the garden. The shop phone rang and John answered it. He came running to the garden to let me know that the neighbour's barn was on fire. He had … Read more

While we were looking at this parable of Jesus at a Bible study, I was asked the question, "Do you think Santa Claus is God?" I said, "No, I do not." The person then asked me if I had anything of Santa in my home. I gave a negative … Read more

A number of years ago, John and I decided to take a summer vacation in western Canada. We chose to go in a recreational vehicle (RV) so that we could take my younger sister with us. John and I rented the RV and made arrangements to pick up … Read more

When I was a young child, I started to ask for a pony for my birthday. We lived in a town where there was a good-sized empty acreage across the road from our house. I thought that a pony could live there and that I could ride it every day. … Read more

My husband John grew up on a farm that was on a lake, but he never learned to swim. He stayed very close to the shore if he were anywhere near water. In time, our son Donald was born. We decided to give him swimming lessons when he was old … Read more

For a number of weeks through this past winter, I was out in western Canada to visit family. In some places, the ice underfoot was thick and treacherous. I am used to having salt mixed in the gravel that is applied to roads and parking … Read more

When I was eleven years old, I attended children's Bible camp where I committed my life to Jesus Christ. At thirteen years of age, a friend of our family gave me a copy of John Bunyan's novel, The Pilgrim's Progress, written in 1678. I … Read more

December is the last month of the year, but it is a busy month. We put up decorations, wreaths, lights (inside and out), Christmas trees, villages, and so on. Many do extra baking. We shop for perfect gifts for family and friends. Shopping … Read more

Recently, I travelled to visit my in-laws. Due to COVID-19, I had never visited their new place. Before I started the five-and-a-half-hour trip, I put their new address into the navigator (GPS) on the dash of my van. The visit was lovely. … Read more

Recently, I was sitting in my van at Elliot Lake looking out over the water. Being retired allows one to take time to enjoy nature and learn the lessons that God wants to teach His children. At the water's edge, I had gingerly parked the … Read more

Years ago, John and I raised sheep on our farm. During those years of farming, we learned many spiritual lessons. God's creatures can teach us much if we pay attention. Our sheep would come running from the back fields to the barn only if … Read more

On a recent television news broadcast, before the short Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, got up to speak, I saw that a platform or stool was put in behind the lectern. The riser enabled her to use … Read more

One of the dearest memories that I have from my teenage years is living in an old two-storey cement block house that had very little insulation. In the winter, we put plastic on the inside of the windows in the upstairs bedrooms to reduce … Read more

When my husband John was still here, we used to go on short-term mission trips. These trips were four to six weeks long. We were very aware that we could not accomplish a lot in that short time period, but our prayer was that the group … Read more

In the church where I worship, we have a humble man living out his retirement years with his wife of 38 years. Roger sings special music on some Sundays. He composes songs that tell his story and witness for his Saviour. It is an … Read more

Many years ago on the farm, we had chickens for eggs to sell to the neighbouring farms and African Guinea Fowl to grow for meat. This African bird has all brown meat. I was usually able to find a Guinea hen's nest, and I would wait … Read more

During this time of COVID-19, we are all being reminded to wash our hands well. This pleading by those who are trying to keep the general population safe reminds me of an experiment we Registered Nurse students had to do when I was in … Read more

Many years ago, my younger sister was featured on the national news. Her story was quite horrific. She had purchased a Volkswagen bug not too long before. She and her friend were coming home from work on a county road when they were … Read more

When John and I married, the dog on the farm was named Sharp. Sharp would do things to make farming easier for us, like fetching the cows and herding the pigs. He was a good watchdog and would sound the alarm when necessary. One day when … Read more

I have a screen saver on my computer that shows a lake with wildflowers and trees. This setting was the lake behind our house for fifteen years. It was wonderful to hear the loons calling every day through six summers. I used to watch the … Read more

When I was young, our family lived next door to brothers who had a gorgeous apple tree in their yard. The apples looked so good and juicy, and we all wished that we could have one. There were five sisters in my family at this time. A … Read more

As a child in Sunday school, I learned this song: Only a boy named David, only a little sling, Only a boy named David, but he could pray and sing. Only a boy named David, only a rippling … Read more

When John and I were farming, we had a flock of a hundred sheep. The sheep taught us so many lessons, much like the ones found in Scripture. March and April were the months when the new lambs were to be born, so I would spend hours at … Read more

During all the years when John and I farmed, I made bread. When I first started making bread, I stuck to the recipe, but as time went on, my confidence grew in my own ability to know the amounts of the different ingredients needed to make … Read more

On Manitoulin Island, John and I had cattle and sheep on a farm for years. We were very aware of foxes searching for food. They are very cunning animals. They can smell a mouse beneath the snow and catch partridge that burrow under the … Read more

During the 1960s and 1970s while John and I farmed, we also had a heating business servicing all of Manitoulin Island. We were located in the centre of the island, so the distance was pretty well the same for service calls going east or … Read more

I grew up in a family that had the funds for necessities, but nothing for extras. For our birthdays, we never received a gift; we had only a cake. Mother wrapped coins and placed them in between layers of the cake. Each of us always hoped … Read more

At the side of our farm house, there were two majestic silver maple trees that were as high as the peak of the roof. Their shade covered the veranda through the hot days of summer. Each summer, we had many different songbirds that helped … Read more

I keep a box of mementoes in a drawer. Every so often, it is good to look at poems or wise sayings that teach the grace of God in our lives. But I carry one of those keepsakes in my Bible: a ticket for a gondola ride. In 1997, John and I … Read more

Do you ever ask yourself, "What will I be remembered for?" Through the years, John and I felt the call of God to go on short-term mission trips, and in 1987, we went to southern Ireland. I went thinking that I would be marking Bible … Read more

One day when Mother and I were walking the fields on the farm, we came upon one section of the rail fence that was down. We knew that the cattle would get out, so it needed to be fixed. I said to Mother, "I can't fix the fence; I hear the … Read more

On top of an old wooden box telephone hanging on the wall in Mother Rowe's veranda, a robin built her nest. She faithfully set on the eggs and hatched all four. When the babies were just two days old, tragedy struck. A cat got the mother … Read more