The word “indifference” has a bad reputation. It’s difficult, in fact, to think of any context where the word is used positively, or of any situation where someone would be happy to be described as indifferent. An exception might be in those situations where we must choose between things of little consequence. If it’s a…
The men (they are mostly men) arrive at the clinic and take their seats in the waiting room. It’s a nondescript medical office with a busy receptionist, examination rooms and various types of medical equipment. This clinic is unique, however, because the patients all arrive with a black nylon bag over their shoulders. Some of…
It’s late on a Sunday afternoon and I’m lying on our living room floor as our youngest practices piano – Mozart’s Fantasia in D minor. It’s nearing the end of the piano lesson year, so Esther knows and plays the piece well at this point. It is an astonishingly and achingly beautiful piece of music….
It had been another frustrating day in the lab, and I just wanted to get home. To grab a beer, drop onto the couch and watch another few episodes of Vikings of Valhalla on Netflix. A perfect segue to the weekend. “How many times can an experiment fail, anyway,” I thought to myself as I…
We are more divided than ever, almost unable to share meaningfully across differences of opinion. Whether on vaccine mandates, covid restrictions, gender identity, freedom of expression or a myriad of other issues, we have become far too comfortable in our echo chambers. Our relentless non-engagement with one another is reinforced, today, by increasingly predictable patterns…
As we rattle and rush across the icy surface of Lake Simcoe, I look out the porthole window of the Bombardier R12, watching the snowy world blow by. It’s like being transported in a school bus, really – the same dull roar and smell of exhaust and uncomfortable seats – except with dual tracks and…
As this column appears in your mailbox we are in the season of Epiphany – in the midst of the church’s celebration of light and the one who is the light of the world. The texts that echo in our ears and minds are those that invite: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” Or…
During the Christmas season many of us are drawn into the world of miniatures, though we might not call it that. Ornaments hang on our trees depicting, at a hand-held scale, Jesus nestled in a manger or the wise men visiting a stable. Each year we carefully unwrap the figures of our nativity scenes –…
It was awkward and wonderful at the same time. For 18 months our college community had functioned at a distance – with online classes, virtual prayer times and Zoom worship services. The building had been unnaturally quiet, and the dust had settled in the chapel. But there we were, on September 8, 2021, gathered for…
Have you cried lately? If so, do you know the meaning of your tears? It’s a complicated question. We humans are not fully transparent to ourselves – we are not fully aware of the experiences or realities that shape our emotional lives. Our tears in any situation may result from past experiences, diverse sensitivities, hormonal…
On a summer afternoon I walk into our cul-de-sac and hear the familiar, rich tones of a bassoon. The music is drifting from the open window of our neighbour’s house. Marty plays in the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and is practicing on the second floor of his home. The bassoon doesn’t always have the most…
Words are more than their definitions and letters. They are not limited to their pixelated representations on a screen. Words overflow, pouring and flowing in all directions according to the gravitational pull of history and of our experiences. Apricot, a word for summer 2021. This May I planted two apricot trees purchased from a local…
|
Uploaded
Failed
|
 |
