Year: 2014

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

Have you ever tried your best and come up empty? I've fished many times and come up dry, but my grandmother rarely did. Had you seen her on the Santee River in her wooden boat and traditional garb, you would have assumed that she was a … Read more

Just after Christmas, a young teenager came to his grandparents and asked if he could stay with them for a little while, as things at his home weren't going well, and he had nowhere to go. No doubt there was a conversation with his … Read more

The rain continued its onslaught, so I decided to make use of this inside day by setting up our tent in the back room. We bought this tent many years ago and had lent it out to others but had never used it ourselves. Unfortunately, the … Read more

We all know about labels and what they are meant to do: They tell us what's in packages, how to use their contents, and any number of details that we may or may not want to know. Often what we do want to know is not there, but that's … Read more

Many years ago, when my husband and I sailed up the inside passage of the west coast of Canada to the border of Alaska, we had charts and maps to enable us to be aware of rocks and projecting land masses, but there could not be any … Read more

Our daughter, who is deaf, has a special way with animals. She's had a variety of pets over the years: hamsters, ferrets, a rabbit, several dogs and cats, and two horses. While she was working on a horse farm, two stray cats were dumped … Read more

During the past few weeks, I have been reading some historical novels about the time of the Roman occupation of a considerable number of countries in the Middle East and Europe. One book in particular dealt with the capture of Christians … Read more

Mondays seem especially difficult. Then, I notice the emptiness more for some reason, and my heart is especially heavy today. So instead of eating, I write. The television blares behind me, but I don't really pay attention to *America's … Read more