She had never met him before, but she cared for him as if he were the most important person in the world. "Ann" knew that she was going to be a single mother in eight months. While she regretted the unfortunate decision that produced the … Read more
Following my father's death earlier this year, family and friends found themselves reflecting on his life. My own memories were stirred when I took a walk through my parents' former farm on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. For about … Read more
At the age of 65, I am simply amazed at the number of adults who still blame their parents for so many of their own issues. They harbour both real and imagined mistreatment they received at parental hands many years ago. Even though they … Read more
During the late 'sixties when I was a musician and singer in a band, I received many requests for the tune, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song characterized the attitudes of a youth generation of … Read more
I felt the slightest whisper of its touch as it lit on my arm. A mosquito! Instead of swatting it, as I normally would, I blew it away. This happened three or four times as I was walking my dog, Sparky, along our favourite trail beside a … Read more
At the beginning of summer, as my job as a crossing guard is shelved until September, and various church and school activities and other social gatherings shut down for nine to twelve weeks, God has repeatedly drawn me to this verse: I … Read more
Because our generous neighbour continually shared the bounty from her pear tree, I had to come up with ways of using the things. You can only eat so many pears. Anyway, I found a recipe for pear mincemeat and made it every summer when the … Read more
The Californian Gold Rush of 1849 is surfacing again, though in a reduced form. It pales in comparison to the real thing in the mid-1800s, when prospectors sometimes just bent down and plucked nuggets of gold off the dirt. It is more than … Read more
I failed only one test when I was at university. It happened in my first semester, and of all things to fail, I failed New Testament. The professor and I didn't see eye to eye, so I think that I was marked out for a humbling experience. I … Read more
In Bird's Hill Park north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, I rested one mid-summer evening on scruffy grass by the side of irregular rows of tall trees. Suddenly, I saw by my feet an ugly, blackish-brown, seemingly almost dead bug half the … Read more