My parents raised me to respect a solid work ethic and to appreciate the fruits of honest labour. As an adult, I realized the downside of all that is a tendency to confuse who we are with what we do. A visit to Boldt Castle years ago drove the point home for me. Hart Island…
I’ve always thought of algorithms as those sneaky things that monitor my every move online. Oh, it’s for a noble purpose – to filter the information and conveniently present the most relevant material, right? There’s no denying it’s easier than ever to find answers to burning questions like, “Who invented ice cream?” or “How old…
There are moments in life – profoundly ordinary and yet captivatingly beautiful moments – when all my senses are engaged. They converge into a kaleidoscope of things intangible, but exquisite; immanent, but somehow just beyond reach. It’s that walk in the woods, for instance, when last year’s leaves softly squish under each footstep. Ferns and…
Many years ago, the speaker at a women’s breakfast asked, “Does anyone know where the custom of spring cleaning began?” The words escaped my lips without a second thought, “With my mother-in-law!” The room exploded with laughter. Good thing Mom had a sense of humour. I wasn’t altogether joking, though. She was the one who…
Today’s sunshine is a welcome sight for winter-weary eyes. A delicate hoarfrost coats every deciduous branch, transforming our side yard into an enchanted silver forest. Under the cerulean sky, ice diamonds glint, randomly scattered across a royal mantle of snow. There’s no denying the glory of winter, even one as long and harsh as this…
We don’t know very much about Simon of Cyrene. That doesn’t diminish his significance. He’s mentioned in three of the gospels as the man who carried the cross for Jesus. The fact that he’s named in Scripture attests to the honour of his service to our Lord. Since details are sparse, I can’t help but…
Jack and I took a hotel room near the airport to make the morning drive short. We still had to get up at 4:30 a.m. The in-room coffee maker wasn’t working, so I was operating on a caffeine deficit. No matter – we’d arrive at the airport three hours ahead of our flight. Plenty of…
Jack and I are planning an early winter vacation. Lord willing, we’ll trade some of the short, dark days of December for tropical breezes and warm sunshine. Mmm… we’ll linger over morning coffee in the dappled shade of a palm tree, wiggle our toes in the powdery sand and float blissfully on the turquoise waters…
There’s an old French saying: Pas de soleil, pas d’esprit. (Everything sounds pretty in French.) It translates – no sunshine, no spirit. To that I would add, No–vember. Another spectacular fall day unfolds outside my window. Fluffy white clouds float through a cerulean sky like sailing ships on the Caribbean. Magnificently coloured leaves rustle in…
At age 11 I published my first newspaper, dubbing it Life and Times. Hand-printed on leftover notebook pages, produced in triplicate using carbon paper, the price was two cents per copy. Featured stories included: where I had gone on my bike that day; how my dog stole a package of cigarettes from the neighbour’s patio;…
Who doesn’t love July – summer in all its youthful exuberance? Happy childhood memories waft into my mind on the warm breeze. I remember days floating on my back in Lake Erie’s waves, gazing into a sky so deeply blue I imagined it might swallow me whole. Or afternoons spent pumping hard on my bicycle,…
“Check it out,” says Jack. His cellphone screen displays a 1966 Massey Ferguson 165, exactly like the tractor we had when we started farming. “Gas?” I say, “Multi-power?” Jack nods vigorously. “Wow,” I say, duly impressed. “Yeah, and it’s a pretty good price compared to the others.” “Others?” Aha! There’s more to this conversation than…
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