Month: December 2019

"I do not like this time of year," I declare as I close the window shades at 5:30 p.m. "The days are too short and the nights too long." In Arizona, that means less than 10 hours of daylight, and for those of you further north, even … Read more

We're all familiar with the nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again. At times it seems like the world is falling apart, … Read more

In the middle of December last year, I went to our daughter's hairdressing salon to get my hair cut and my beard trimmed. It was the middle of the afternoon, and there was no one in the shop. She told me that business was really slow. She … Read more

When my sister's husband became ill, she had to learn to do many things around the house which she had never done before. There were decisions to be made by her alone, which had once been jointly made. There were items to be fixed that … Read more

God rarely opened His storehouse of snow in the place I lived at six years of age. But snow had been predicted for Christmas. I pressed my nose against the small window and watched in anticipation as the white snowflakes began to fall … Read more

For a few years, American atheists promoted a "Christmas" message: "Keep the merry, dump the myth." This jarring promotion showed a picture of a laughing Santa, next to the suffering face of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. It is quite … Read more

One Christmas in my youth, I received an artist's easel, a pad of large newsprint paper the exact size needed for the easel, and water colours, complete with brushes. This gift was likely expensive and would have given me hours of … Read more

Do you live in or near a city where you can enjoy the annual holiday tradition, Tuba Christmas? Tuba Christmas was conceived in 1974 by a tuba player as a tribute to his teacher and mentor. The very first Tuba Christmas was held at the … Read more

I suspect that you've noticed that good news rarely makes "good" headlines. That could be said for Jesus's birth — and also for those shepherds who experienced the angels. It could be said today for countless individuals in remote … Read more

One Christmas, my 16-year-old sister got pregnant by her boyfriend. I was a year younger, and neither of us had the slightest idea how such a thing could happen. No one had ever told us anything, and we had no friends who might share … Read more