Dear Mom, It’s been so long since we’ve talked. I never had the chance to say goodbye. We all expected you to come home from the hospital the next day. But that changed. Forever. I think of you often. I have a lifetime of good memories. When I got engaged to Jack one of the…
“Wait ‘til your father gets home!” How many times did my miscreant behaviour provoke those words from my mother’s lips? Make no mistake – Ma had a penchant for law and order and she was quite capable of meting out immediate discipline. But this was her trump card for especially exasperating infractions. Did she realize…
Why did I ever agree to kitchen cabinet refinishing in December? The little voice in my head practically screamed: Just say ‘No!’ December is already busy enough. True. But they happened to have an open week and the man promised our cabinets would be easily completed. Imagine – a beautiful, bright kitchen by Christmas! I…
What’s the best part of ageing? For me it’s the memories. Even better than seniors’ discounts, I have a storehouse of treasured memories to draw from. They often come to mind when I least expect them, and just as I need them most. It happened again the other night as I lay shivering under the…
A lead crystal vase graces the shelf of our old hutch. I hold it, feeling its familiar weightiness. My finger traces the fluted rim until it catches on a jagged point and I’m transported back to my childhood. I was very young, but the event is engraved as deeply in my memory as the design…
Jack and I were newlyweds when the “Charismatic Movement” swept through the church. Yes, even in small town Ontario, even in Reformed circles. I had only become a Christian a few years earlier. Eager to learn about God, I was genuinely interested in spiritual gifts. We had several friends who spoke in tongues, talked about…
A kid in a candy shop – there I stood in front of the rack of flower seeds. Any of them would look spectacular in my garden. Decisions, decisions. But really there was no contest – sunflowers were the obvious choice. Tall. Tenacious. Irresistibly cheerful. They would stand rustically elegant in front of the cedar…
As I’m writing, it’s late summer – the season for Niagara peaches, sweet corn and sun ripened tomatoes. Nature’s bounty flows from the generous hand of its Creator. Turning the calendar to August used to send a shiver of delight through my childish heart. After all, there were still weeks of summer vacation left, back-to-school…
“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” So they say. You know – Hakuna Matata people. They roll with the punches, go with the flow. Me? I’ll take routine and predictability. Make a list. Stick to it. Admittedly, it rarely works. My clever plans are easily derailed. But I…
Stories were an integral part of my childhood. Both of my parents were talented storytellers with no shortage of interesting material: a childhood in pre-war Germany, life through WWII and immigration to Canada. Their stories were often highly entertaining, featuring family characters, historical events and important life lessons. Thanks to their diligence as raconteurs of…
Legend has it that the person who spots the first robin will have good luck all year. Our robins arrived several weeks ago and they didn’t look too lucky – hunkering down under the evergreens, feathers puffed up, wearily eyeing the snow covered lawn for anything that looked like food. While I’m not superstitious, I…
Lent affords a marvelous opportunity for self-examination. Honest soul-searching never fails to amplify the wonder of God’s mercy. Rather than give up some small indulgence for Lent this year, I thought, why not focus on one of my bad habits? (There’s no shortage.) For instance, I’m a little edgy these days. Pandemic fatigue probably has…
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