My Dutch Canadian friends and acquaintances tell stories of how, in 1811, Napoleon compelled residents of the Netherlands to adopt surnames. Prior to that year, many people in the Low Countries had gone by patronymics based on their respective fathers’ first names. Assuming that surnames were a passing fashion, many Netherlanders adopted humorous names, with…
In 1998, I was teaching middle school students in Minnesota. I wasn’t aware that Australian sociologist Judy Singer and American journalist Harvey Blume were discussing the idea of individual differences in brain variation and neurodiversity. What I did know at that time was Parker Palmer’s book The Courage to Teach. His words, written then, echo…
When 19-year-old B.C. wildfire fighter Devyn Gale died on the job in July 2023, it hit Ella Ringma, Sarah Phangura and Lucy Roseboom, all members of Terrace Christian Reformed Church (CRC), especially hard. Their kids are also wildfire fighters. “It made it real for our kids too, because this girl was their age. She was…
During the closing prayer at my friend’s memorial a few months ago, the officiating pastor included a request for “the courage to grieve.” This phrase still hovered in my mind as I opened Jason Dykstra’s memoir about the stillborn death of his third child, Ezra. What does courageous grief look like when a much-loved son…
Around the time Brenda and I put our Michigan house up for sale, six months into the pandemic, we spent some time discussing what we wanted our life in Toronto to look like. As we now prepare to move for a second time within Toronto – our landlord wants us out of our rental by…
Safe Families Canada works to fill the gaps in child and family support services across Canada. Families who access support from Safe Families Canada may be dealing with financial instability (due to unemployment or the rising cost of living), housing insecurity, substance abuse, incarceration or illness. Motivated by grace, volunteers come alongside families in crisis…
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