Unexpected Blessings
“Hay’s for horses,” we used to say as kids. “But straw is cheaper.” Truthfully, when Jack and I were newlyweds I didn’t know the difference between a hay field and a wheat field. Over the last 40 years...
View ArticleBack to Normal
Jack’s knee replacement loomed large on the horizon. We scrambled to cover all the bases ahead of time, anticipating his six weeks of recovery as best we could. Plans for a quick vacation before the...
View ArticleAuthentic Prosperity
Years ago we had a young friend who longed to be a missionary. He pursued his calling with proper training and education. In the process, in spite of holding down a couple of part-time jobs, he accrued...
View ArticleA Legacy of Faith
When I first met Gerda Hesselink she was in her 80s, but there was nothing old about her. With clear, bright eyes and an easy smile, she was always ready for worthwhile conversation. Keen to listen to...
View ArticleA Clean Slate
For kids growing up in the 60s “screen time” usually meant sitting in front of a black and white television with the family. We watched shows like Walt Disney, Ed Sullivan, the Beverly Hillbillies and...
View ArticleNo Time Like the Present
The other day, Hanna, my not quite four-year-old granddaughter, said to me, “Nana, I stood by the window all morning. I waited for you for HOURS.” I smiled as I pictured her forehead pressed against...
View ArticleOf Potatoes and Perseverance
He’s been Dad to me for more than 40 years. Our family patriarch just turned 90. I want to dedicate a few words to his character. Believe me – he is a character. Dad was born in Willemstad, Holland,...
View ArticleSome Things Never Change
Remember The Jetsons? They were the space-age antithesis to The Flintstones (the “modern stone-age family”). Both were cartoon series created in the 1960s for prime-time television. Family life has...
View ArticleThis Old House
When I first met Jack he was in the process of buying a farm. “There’s a 125-year-old house on it,” he told me. I pictured a stately stone mansion. “Not exactly,” he said. “It’s fairly small and...
View ArticleThe Hidden Hoarder in Each of Us
My mother and her parents survived the Second World War in Germany. The family was completely bombed out three times – their worldly possessions and their home destroyed. Finding suitable housing was a...
View ArticleRecapturing the Rhythm
Our four-year-old grandson wriggled in his chair. “RJ, do you have ants in your pants?” asked Poppa. His deep brown eyes widened as he seriously considered the idea. “No . . . I don’t think so,” he...
View ArticleGlimpses of Eden
The COVID crisis sparks a broad spectrum of emotions for me. Some days I’m faithfully optimistic – trusting God’s promise that he works all things for the good of those who love him. Other times I’m...
View ArticleGoing Off Course in a Pre-GPS World
The year I got my motorcycle licence, our first long distance ride was to Quebec. Jack and I spent one night in Algonquin Park, then traveled happily along the ruggedly beautiful back roads of Ontario....
View ArticlePleasant Places
A colourful five-by-three-foot map graces my office wall – an impulse buy on a recent shopping trip. For less than $20 I can see all the nations of the world anytime I want. Some are tiny, others vast....
View ArticleLet’s make a deal!
I grew up in a typical Canadian household through the 1960s. Major appliances were expected to last 20 years or more. Our small town had an appliance repairman and two TV/electronics repair shops....
View ArticleThe scent of salvation
My father had a green thumb. It seemed whatever he planted flourished – vegetables, fruits, flowers, shrubs and houseplants. He loved all things horticultural. Our dining room looked like a greenhouse....
View ArticleWelcome Spring
A strange sound greeted me as I stepped out the back door the other day. I paused for a second to determine its source. Birds! Hundreds of birds sat in our big maple trees, singing joyfully. No robins...
View ArticleLang zal ze leven!
For my mother-in-law’s 50th birthday I gave her two more grandchildren. Okay, Jack helped. But I still think I outdid myself. Time flies. I can’t believe my sweet twins turn 40 this year. (Their “baby”...
View ArticleSummer of ‘65’
In the summer of 1965 Jack and I were both happy-go-lucky nine-year-olds, living life between grades three and four. We grew up about 15 miles apart. Although we never met, I wonder if maybe we ever...
View ArticleIt’s about time
Among my fondest childhood memories are summer nights spent sprawled flat out on the lawn, studying the starry sky with my father. He showed me how to find the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and the North...
View ArticleA life well lived
“Debra’s been transferred to hospice,” said Bob. “So if you’d like to see her, you should probably do it soon.” My heart sank. We knew it was coming, but we clung to the futile hope that there might be...
View ArticleShe rides again!
Like small, dark clouds dotting the horizon, I should have recognised those random twinges as indicators of a bigger issue to come. While riding my motorcycle last year I noticed odd little surges of...
View ArticleWeather or not
Had King David lived in Ontario, I think a September day might well have inspired him to write Psalm 19. You know the sort – where the sapphire sky beckons your gaze irresistibly upward and your heart...
View ArticlePa-rum-pa-pum-pum
It was an annual tradition back in my days at College Street Public School. Every Friday morning from mid-November until Christmas break, the whole school – grades one through eight – crammed into a...
View ArticleAlways and forever
The photo on my desk was taken 71 years ago. It shows my in-laws on their wedding day – February 14, 1951. Dad looks dapper in his dark, double-breasted suit; Mom is resplendent in her gorgeous white...
View ArticleBad habits die hard
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...
View ArticleConsider the robins
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...
View ArticleTell me a story
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...
View ArticleBlessed are the flexible
“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...
View ArticleA joyful melancholy
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...
View ArticleHigh hopes
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...
View ArticleA Spirit Thing
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...
View ArticleCrystal clear
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...
View ArticleAs time goes by
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,...
View ArticleKitchen chaos
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...
View ArticleA Father’s love
“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...
View ArticleFlowers for Mom
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....
View ArticleHockey and heartbreak
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...
View ArticleStand firm
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...
View ArticleStress less
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...
View ArticleMaking memories
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...
View ArticleIn the nick of time
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...
View ArticleSimpler times?
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...
View ArticleThe strange case of Robert Plant
My daughter Jessica showed up one day with a couple of plant stalks in her hands. “Do you want these, Mom?” she asked, “A woman at church gave them to me.” I examined the pieces – healthy green stems,...
View ArticleGot joy?
“So. Heidi. What gives you joy?” My new friend’s question wasn’t meant to be deep or probing, just a cordial segue into light conversation. Still, I had to think a minute before answering. “My...
View ArticleThe farmer takes a wife
A city kid, Jack dreamed of being a farmer someday. At the age of 21, against the odds, his dream was about to come true. With significant help from his parents and a rare opportunity, he would soon...
View ArticleTake comfort: you’re being watched
“You are being watched.” This ominous warning began each episode of Person of Interest. The science-fiction crime series ran for five seasons. The plot centred around “the Machine,” a sophisticated...
View Article‘Did you see me?’
A few years ago, Jack and I stayed in a vacation rental home in Florida. It was nice enough, but the ornate chandelier was thick with dust and cobwebs. Even Jack saw it. (This is a man who believes...
View ArticleOut of the blue
Norton and I wander down the path through the cornfield. Tall, lush plants wall us in. Tropical conditions this summer have been ideal for corn. It could be a bumper crop. Or it could be a repeat of...
View ArticleDown but not defeated
Steel-grey clouds cluttered the sky as I drove, interrupted only by a few scattered patches of bright blue. On the distant horizon shafts of rain plunged straight down from heaven to earth. In the...
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