On a visit to London, England, a friend escorted me to a number of historical and popular sites, one being St. Paul's Cathedral. A heroic survivor of the World War II blitz, and site of the 1981 royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady … Read more
Probably the most difficult thing for me to do at times is to experience the joy of the Lord and to be positive when I don't feel it on the inside! The struggles of daily life can be overwhelming on most days. When I read the stirring … Read more
A workplace tradition at Christmas is the practice of assigning each employee the name of another co-worker to be given an anonymous gift. Our office has made our own version of the Secret Santa game: we are to choose a small gift that our … Read more
I once took a class in black-and-white photography at a local art school. Our first assignment was to take interesting photos to develop in the school photo lab. I spent happy hours photographing the Rideau Canal locks here in Ottawa, and … Read more
On a gloriously sunny, cool Sunday in October, I made my way to the Rideau Falls here in Ottawa, the place where the Rideau River tumbles into the Ottawa River, surrounded by parkland and memorial gardens. The week's demands had made my … Read more
I have an artist friend who paints glorious landscapes in amazing detail. His depictions of the Atlantic waves breaking themselves on the rocky shores of Newfoundland, or the gentle slap of fresh water on the burnished, burnt rocks of … Read more
The weather in Mexico during the winter months is beautiful. However, storms can come in quickly from the sea. I witnessed one such tropical tempest one evening — the howling wind of the Pacific whipping the palm trees and shredding … Read more
As a student, I participated in a job experience program for a few weeks at a local newspaper office. One evening, I took the stairs down to the building lobby instead of the elevator, but as the heavy door latched behind me, I found that … Read more
I have had many friends in my life — ones from childhood, my school years, university days, and adulthood. Many of these friendships waned, not for bad reasons, but simply because we moved on with our lives in career, location, and life. … Read more
As a young teenager, I took music lessons at a local music school. My teacher, a nice young man and a very patient instructor, surprised me one day by venting against Jesus Freaks. Not being committed to my faith and questioning Christian … Read more