Month: July 1998

First in! Cousin Bill and I are the very first in the water this year, wet snow falling as our boats make their first splash. Except mine makes a little extra splash and settles just a little deeper in the … Read more

A paediatric nurse, before listening to the little ones' chests, would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their own hearts. Their eyes would always light up with awe. But she never got a response to … Read more

To be a "listener" is a gift for some, a fine-tuned, practised art for others. There are those of us who do more listening, and those of us who wish to be listened to more. Occasionally, a situation will call … Read more

Many times individuals have asked me what they can do for their illness or other problems. They have in most cases, sought help from someone and are in desperate need for further guidance. It is all this time that I … Read more

Have you ever listened to yourself? No, I mean really listened to what it is that you say to yourself. When times are tough, do you sing a song of praise or one of defeat? When loneliness comes to visit, … Read more

My daughter teaches a grade two class, and she called the other night a little distraught. It seems what was to have been a beautiful day didn't go quite so beautifully. She explained that the class had been "growing" butterflies. … Read more

An elder was finding crumpled-up pieces of paper in the same rear pew after Sunday morning worship services. They each contained pencilled words, like a grocery list; i.e., Clara – ill; Lester – job; rent. He watched, and discovered that … Read more

How often, we like Elijah, try to cop out of our responsibilities, asking, "What can one person do?" Two hundred and twenty-two years ago, the Congress of the United States of America was gathered to debate the Declaration of Independence. … Read more

The small application offered a chance at having one's name drawn as a runner in the Queen's Baton Relay across Canada for the Commonwealth Games at Victoria, British Columbia, in August 1994. It seemed like a "one in a million" … Read more

I am working for St. David's Presbyterian Church in Kelowna, British Columbia, this summer. The beauty I see in creation every day, astounds me as I ride my bicycle through the hills of Kelowna. The other day, as I was … Read more