Work to do — a holy calling
Grieving is a process that we cannot rush. Just when we think we’ve dealt with the worst of it, something in the air triggers a new wave of sadness, often without us realizing its source. There’s no...
View ArticleOf pain and purpose
All afternoon I thought about that dear woman. I wished I could tell her that her daughter has it wrong, that she is still a lovely woman, still a worthwhile human being; that her suffering has only...
View ArticleLooking for miracles
Aaron and his parents came into the waiting room. All three of them beamed. With a huge smile my son-in-law hugged me and said, “Congratulations! You have a brand new, beautiful baby. . .” (he paused...
View ArticleReason to celebrate
My mother was no pushover when it came to discipline and I never felt like I got away with much when I was a kid. But when the infraction was particularly serious she would resort to those fearsome...
View ArticleHighway robbery
They say it was the coldest winter since the late 1800s for Southern Ontario. Who could blame us for trading howling winds for a few weeks of borrowed sunshine in Florida? Ah, Florida – land of balmy...
View ArticleLessons from the chessboard
I haven’t played chess in years. It’s longer still since I’ve seen my dad. He died in 1976. But I still remember much of what he showed me, mostly by his example. Among other things he taught me to...
View ArticleLearning to let go
I can relate better to Corrie ten Boom’s philosophy. She once said, “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” Truly, I have far too many possessions...
View ArticleExcuses, excuses
Every spring I pull my bicycle out of the storage shed and wheel it into the shop. Jack pumps up the tires for me. I hop on, circle the yard and pull it into the garage. I promise myself to take...
View ArticleAlready and not yet
Leaving this place isn’t easy. Memories of our family life are as vivid here as the September sunsets.
View ArticleMarking time with nickels and dimes
2016 is what I call a nickel and dime year. As a family we will mark several special occasions that end in either a five or a zero.
View ArticleTennis, anyone?
I had this notion that we needed to cultivate some kind of common interest to keep our relationship fresh. At the time we didn’t even have our work in common. Jack was just starting out on the farm and...
View ArticleLadies and gentlemen
Our writers’ group met the other night – four of us who have been friends long enough to say whatever needs to be said, and not take offense. We sat together reading each other’s work and trading...
View ArticleMotherhood never gets old
This Mother’s Day I will thank the Lord for the mothers in my life, young and old, across the generations. I’ll thank him for the gift of being a mother and grandmother myself, for the special bond of...
View ArticleBad habits die hard
On a beautiful spring morning Jack called me to pick him up from our son’s farm, roughly a 45 minute drive from here. I jumped into the pickup truck, cranked up the radio and started singing along with...
View ArticleWhere the heart is
My latest project has been cleaning underneath a grove of mature trees that stands along the northwest side of the property.
View ArticleA work in progress
Retirement is a relatively modern concept. Prior to the late 1800s, except for the privileged few, most folks who wanted to keep eating had to keep working.
View ArticleOne wrong move
First of all, the Lord is sovereign and I am subject. I might not always like his plan, but as a solid Calvinist, I have to concede that his ways are better than mine. Always.
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