I first learned about this charming Scandinavian custom of fika through Norwegian missionary friends in Madagascar. Fika is deemed so important to Scandinavian daily life that it can be observed at any time of day. Our Norwegian friends … Read more
My kitchen was a catastrophe. Christmas baking had left detritus on every visible surface. The sink was full of dirty dishes, and every countertop was covered with cookie sheets, flour siftings, eggshells, butter wrappers, and dirty mixing … Read more
I remember the iconic RCA Victor trademark found on old record labels depicting a dog intently listening to "His Master's Voice" coming from the old windup cylinder phonograph. Do you? A dog's rapt attention to his master's voice is an … Read more
Life is a never-ending cycle of first and lasts, isn't it! It would seem logical that firsts should occur most frequently in one's younger years, and lasts would come thick and fast toward the end of life. Not so! Both firsts and lasts … Read more
Recently, I said my final goodbye to one of my dearest friends. Jan and I met as freshmen at our small Bible college in Portland, Oregon, USA. Though we studied hard, we also wholeheartedly enjoyed all the fun that college life had to … Read more
We were a young family living on a single income when I was still a stay-at-home mom, and I had fallen into the familiar trap of "just a little more". I convinced myself that if my husband's paycheque were only a hundred dollars more, life … Read more
I carefully wrote out the cheque for my purchase and handed it to the young cashier. Looking at it almost uncomprehendingly, he called his supervisor over for assistance in filling out a special form needed to account for this purchase by … Read more
In my younger years, I was focused on the busyness of daily life and had little interest in my heritage, but over the past twenty years or so, I've become much more interested in my genealogy. We have tools at our fingertips today that … Read more
After four years, the time has come once again for the Olympic games! The wall-to-wall excitement this summer has already started with each nation's team selections in June and continues on with the opening ceremony along the Seine River … Read more
I love doing jigsaw puzzles, so I was delighted to discover the puzzle table when I moved into our retirement community. This table, located in a central area of our building, is open to anyone who wants to help work on the puzzle. There … Read more