Godbwye —“God be with ye”
On Saturday, October 22, the autumn sun peeked in and out of the clouds. The wind oscillated from gentle and accommodating to cold and brisk. The leaves radiated their brilliant fall colours. And my family said godbwye—goodbye—to my sister for the last time. Mary did not want any fuss, so family and friends stood at the edge of the Scattering Garden in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in London, Ontario as her ashes were scattered beneath her picture. And I sobbed. Saying a final goodbye is...
Read MoreI’m Too Young to be This Old!
Do you find it frustrating, maybe even annoying, when a song keeps playing nonstop in your head? I’m not talking about the one that you’ve heard recently; I’m talking about the one that you have no recollection of hearing, possibly for decades. That’s where I’ve been these past few days with a song The Byrds recorded in 1965 entitled, Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There is a Season.* What’s that all about! I never paid much attention to it then— perhaps because I was too busy...
Read MoreGod Sees the Little Nuthatch Fall…
The patio door was hit with a thud and I knew instantly what had happened. I was afraid to look out, but when I did, I saw nothing and sighed with relief. I walked carefully onto our deck and, again, saw nothing. And again, I sighed with relief…until I looked down. And there it was: a small, white-breasted nuthatch. Unlike its cousin—the red-breasted nuthatch that is bold and cocky—the white-breasted version is timid and flighty, not staying at the feeder to eat, but taking a nut or...
Read MoreThe Glory and Dangers of Success
Cathy Foyston, owner of Back of Beyond Equine Centre in Huntsville, Ontario has enjoyed the success of teaching a faith-based, interactive horse camp for young girls. The son-in-law of good friends of mine has recently experienced success in setting a new record for a 50-K run in the Blue Mountains of Ontario. And I have been advised to “enjoy the moment,” having been successful in winning the 2016 Word Alive Press Fiction writing contest. Do these experiences define success? I...
Read MoreRepetition Is Memory’s Best Friend
I have a sweat shirt that reads, Too many books. Not enough time. Have you ever felt like that, not necessarily with just books, but with time in general? There never seems to be enough of it. I am quite convinced that had the creator(s) of our 7-day week made it an 8-day week, we would still complain that there was never enough time. But back to the theme of books! Having just come from the 2016 Write! Canada Conference in Toronto sponsored by The Word Guild, the word books seemed to be the...
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