Month: July 2001

A number of years ago, I had what many would call a "nervous breakdown". An entire generation of my family had died over the course of that year. My job as a family counsellor for a local mental health agency … Read more

My daughter dropped by for a quick visit. We both love and admire our gardens. She talked for a moment about how severely she had pruned back a certain plant and how it was producing many more flowers. I agreed … Read more

Every spring, we plant a large garden in our yard. We plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, corn, and an assortment of other vegetables. My two children have always loved playing and digging in the dirt and helping plant the garden, … Read more

A couple of weeks back, after the church service, there were some young people who wanted to come to my home to see my animals and yard before the next service at 6:00 p.m. I gladly said yes, as I … Read more

"Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun while taking this medication." This is the message or warning that appears on the label of one of my prescriptions. In other words, prolonged exposure to the sun could cause damage to my health … Read more

The weather has been as contrary and unpredictable as the politicians here in the Washington, DC, area for the past few weeks. I think we have had everything but drought and snow and sleet. It was hot, sticky and humid, … Read more

Have you ever seen some phenomenon in nature that could have been put there just for you? Years ago, I was awaiting the end of term, the end of my time in school and my exam results. I was more … Read more

We went to the city recently to run errands. It is always a chore, unbuckling the kids from their car seats, dragging them into the store to pick up what we need, then heading out to the car, buckling them … Read more

To love one's neighbour as oneself is the second most important thing we can do. The other day I learned of the illness of one of our neighbours just across the road. Cancer had struck in their home. A woman … Read more

One warm spring day, my children ventured outdoors with a bucket of sidewalk chalk in hand. The leaves had not yet sprouted on the trees, and the grass had just begun to turn green. We drew a number of brightly-coloured … Read more