Month: November 2002

Early in my martial arts career, I learned about the Samurai choosing the cherry blossom as his symbol because it had no thorns. The absence of thorns was to highlight the lack of deception. Being totally candid and brutally honest … Read more

Shortly after my wife and I moved to Ontario, Canada, in 1970, we sought out the cemetery containing the grave of Joseph Scrivens, the author of the beloved hymn, What A Friend We Have In Jesus. The cemetery is located … Read more

We have recently moved to a new community and have left behind some very dear friends. We are slowly getting to know people here and are beginning to make some new friends. We've also had several of our old friends … Read more

My sister-in-law, Jean, collected fancy plates. She loved pretty clothes. We often talked about being size 10s some day. But on the day she died, I said to her, "None of it matters, does it, Jean? Not the clothes or … Read more

I turned the key in my ignition. Nothing. I tried it again. Not a sound. That's when I remembered a sermon my pastor gave recently about how God provides for our every need. Car trouble certainly fell into the "need" … Read more

Have you ever reached out to turn the light on and it didn't work? One time when that happened to me, my first thought was that the bulb was burned out and that I should replace it. But then I … Read more

The family adults were on a quest to discover if grandson Daniel needed new walking shoes. I squeezed the end of his little boots and repeatedly asked, "Daniel, where are your toes?" My questions were answered with a silent stare. … Read more

Our home is perched on a hillside, overlooking a lovely, quiet body of water. Until this summer, to reach our basement or to proceed to the lake's calm shore, we have always had to pick our way carefully down that … Read more

For many of us, today's world is full of burdens — too little time, too little money, too many demands, and too much work. We live frazzled lives and feel burdened down. As Christians, we often say, "I feel a … Read more

Years ago, we started out on a holiday, heading from Ontario to British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada. As I drove along, towing a pop-up trailer with my husband, two children, and a dog in the car, we … Read more