The other day, I accompanied my husband to an early morning appointment with his eye surgeon. As he presented himself at the counter, I looked around for a good place to sit. My eyes were drawn to a row of six or seven empty chairs. … Read more
This summer, I had an opportunity to visit my friend who, with her husband, volunteers at a Christian retreat camp as caretaker. As we casually strolled over the rolling property, she pointed to a wooded area down the hill. "That's the … Read more
The week before Christmas, one of my sons dropped by to make some adjustments to my computer. It was a quick visit without much conversation. But on his way out, he turned around and said to me, "There were three terrorist attacks today, … Read more
The time before Christmas is a period of great stress for many young adults who attend colleges and universities. After several months of study, they have arrived at their final exams. Often there is much at stake. For many students, the … Read more
My mother had the gift of telling us about real-life developments as they unfolded. She kept us spellbound with vivid details, even when the story took several years to reach its secretly hoped-for, but still-unexpected climax. One such … Read more
When my daughter and her husband picked up their kitten from the animal shelter, they were informed that the two-week-old foundling would likely die soon. Undeterred by these foreboding words, they lovingly named their black and white … Read more
At regular intervals, I have a telephone conversation with my lifelong friend in the Netherlands. Our loyalty to each other has been solid since our high school years. Even my move to another part of the world had no bearing on it. … Read more
Together with a few friends, I had the privilege of visiting a small town in the mountains of western Canada. As part of the visit, we decided to find a local park for eating our lunch. After following signs to a picnic table, we arrived … Read more
Our church holds drop-in evenings for neighbours who are curious, hurting, or seeking. During these informal, yet structured, get-togethers, we offer a meal, we share stories, and we talk about King Jesus, Who was sent to earth to save … Read more
Recently, I visited my daughter's family in rural northern Alberta, Canada. As is customary during these visits, I took my grandchildren to the playground at the school nearby. Hardly do these happy children realize how special it is in … Read more