Month: November 2023

No doubt you recall the hymn, "What a Friend we have in Jesus". Just typing out these words has me humming the tune. It always seemed like such a happy, upbeat song, especially for children. Not so! I looked up the background of the hymn … Read more

One of my daily tasks is to empty out the washing machine. I wipe around the flexible rubber seal that connects the washing machine drum and door. During the wash cycle, grease and crud sticks to the rubber over the course of a family's … Read more

Destination weddings are weddings that are located in another city, country, or even a deserted island. One of my grandsons had his in the beautiful hills of Tennessee, USA. The lodge that we stayed in with most of our family looked like a … Read more

At our early morning church service, calling out favourite hymns is part of the worship format, so the pianist never knows from week to week what he may be called upon to play. One Sunday, several songs which the pianist was not overly … Read more

Have you ever heard that saying, "Oh you look just like your father in that photo!"? In many families, there is a striking physical resemblance, or sometimes, it's temperament, talent, or ability. In my mother's family, we share … Read more

He stood by the shopping cart and waited. My middle schoolers are known for some interesting prayer requests. If I ran the statistics, most would relate to sports — safe travels, good sportsmanship, the ability to remember moves, no … Read more

I needed to make an appointment to have my ears checked, so I called my ear, nose, and throat doctor. The next available appointment was a month away, and I booked it. A week before the appointment, I began getting text reminders to … Read more

Recently, I substituted at the last school in which I taught before I retired. It was Wednesday, and the staff was going to a two-day teachers' convention the next day. I considered what to wear. The students and staff of this school had … Read more

In the early 1900s, Wilfrid Huot and his young family relocated from Quebec, Canada, to the rugged, rural, unorganized township of Bigwood in northern Ontario, Canada. Around 1921, he fenced off a one-acre portion of his property from the … Read more

I was always very apprehensive about speaking — in school, for instance, in front of the class, and in public. Later, as a young lad at the youth group or at catechism class at the church, I was always afraid that the leader would ask me … Read more