A few weeks ago, I discovered a robin's nest which had three blue eggs in it. The nest was located in a tree right in front of my living room window. Not long after I spotted the eggs, there was a baby bird inside; after that, two more … Read more
Many years ago when we had three young children, our family went to Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario, Canada. It was a lot of fun — until my five-year-old son, Jonathan, disappeared. He had been firmly told to stay close by us, but … Read more
The road that I travel to work is going to be widened; this work is scheduled to take seven years. When I heard the time frame, I began to grumble about the inconvenience of it taking so long and being my route to work. I began to do the … Read more
I've tried hard to overcome this failing of mine, but I can't abide ungrateful people. I guess it's because I grew up with so little that I feel the need to thank God for everything each day. When I see people in trouble, experiencing … Read more
Have you ever been in the pit of despair, having lost your way in the fog of self-pity and remorse? The other day, I listened to a friend recall how she felt when lost in the fog of despair and anger. It centered on her son's wedding. I … Read more
On April 30th in the Netherlands, a king was crowned for the first time in 123 years. The last one was Willem III, who was replaced by Queen Emma in 1890, Wilhelmina in 1898, Juliana in 1948, and Beatrix in 1980. After 33 years, she … Read more
Recently, I made a cup of tea in my kitchen. Being English, there is nothing special in that, because I am a frequent visitor to the kettle and my tea caddy. So it was with some surprise that, having switched on the kettle to make a … Read more
During one of my recent, frequent forays into composition, I became situated, not for the first time, in a position whereby I needed to access what I had produced before all my presumed improvements had overwritten it. My dilemma was how … Read more
Spring has finally arrived! And with spring, come the usual jobs of raking leaves from the flower beds, loosening the soil around the new growth and of course, pruning some branches from bushes and trees. In our backyard, wild vine had … Read more