Winter may not be my favourite season, but I do appreciate much of its unique beauty. In the summer I’m often awake early, waiting for the robin’s song to announce sunrise. But in the winter’s darkness I need an alarm clock to rouse me from hibernation. Bleary-eyed, I follow the aroma of fresh coffee into…
I woke up one morning last week convinced that it was Friday. As the coffee surged through my veins, I opened my iPad and noticed the date said Saturday. Several minutes passed before I admitted to myself that I was wrong. Somehow, I was a whole day behind! Although extreme, this is not an isolated…
As daylight dwindled, I sat alone. The crickets chirped their lullaby. The campfire flickered gently. I savoured the peaceful evening and happily pondered the lively afternoon spent with our daughter Stephanie and her girls (ages 9, 7 and 5). September in Ontario had started off with a late summer heatwave and our grandkids enthusiastically churned…
As a teenager I worked in a small town restaurant. Usually it was fun waiting on tables, chatting with happy people and serving good home style food. I saved enough tip money to buy my first car. On busy weekends people lined up out the door to wait for a table. That’s when fun gave…
A familiar sound assailed my ears as I walked to the mailbox several weeks ago. The shrill twitter was accompanied by a frenzy of splayed feathers and an exaggerated limp. The message seemed clear enough – “Catch me if you can! You probably can. Look – I’m over here, totally vulnerable.” Pretty sure that’s what…
You know you’re getting old when you can actually remember the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. It was 1967 – Canada’s centennial. One way or another, the championship would be Canadian as Toronto squared off against Montreal. But it’s more than just hockey that makes that spring 56 years ago stand out…
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…
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