I hadn’t seen Clarence for several years, but I recognized his voice as soon as I stepped into the room. I could tell from the cadence of his sonorous voice that Clarence was in full storytelling mode. Clarence was a fixture at our family gatherings. He was my Aunt Lottie’s son, thus my cousin, though … Continue reading Memories of Clarence
Stories from my life
The best Christmas gift
We had our family Christmas gathering on Boxing Day. There was grandpa, grandma, daughter, son-in-law, two grandsons and two granddaughters. In the afternoon the table was laden with various snacks and we were all working away at reducing the quantities. Evan, our youngest grandson, two years and one month old, picked up a big handful … Continue reading The best Christmas gift
Memories of Christmases past
December 24, 1955. At 11:15 PM my parents and I got into our old GMC half ton and drove into town and through it to the little white Anglican church on the north side. I was driving, even though I was only thirteen, almost fourteen. An RCMP constable attended this church, too, but he carefully … Continue reading Memories of Christmases past
Still missing Penny
Penny was the only dog I ever really loved. He was the family dog of my childhood, an old-fashioned shaggy farm collie, not a narrow-headed, pointy-nosed mutant like today’s purebreds. He was black in colour, with a white collar and chest, and a white stripe down his face, very mild-mannered in disposition, not at all … Continue reading Still missing Penny
Business and Church
I grew up on the edge of a small Saskatchewan town. There were four grocery stores and three churches. One store was owned by a cousin quite a few years older than myself, another by an old friend of my family, another was owned by a Catholic family and the fourth was the local Co-op. … Continue reading Business and Church
Missing Fathers
Twenty years ago, Québec psychologist Guy Corneau published a book entitled père manquant, fils manqué. The title is a French play on words that is untranslatable, but means that there is something lacking in the development of a son when the father is missing. Mr. Corneau explained that he did not only mean fathers who … Continue reading Missing Fathers
The mommy cat did it
I was visiting with my neighbour’s one hot Sunday afternoon, sitting outside with them on the shady side of the house by the back door. Their children were playing around us and going in and out the door. After a while, a half-grown kitten came out the door and we all took note that the … Continue reading The mommy cat did it
Buckley’s Mixture versus Christian Evangelism
In the mid-nineties I saw posters in Montreal’s buses and subway trains showing a bottle of Buckley’s Mixture with these words beside it: You’d have to be really sick to take that!, followed by the question: Are you sick? (I’m translating from French here; the English version of the ad campaign may have been worded … Continue reading Buckley’s Mixture versus Christian Evangelism
Being thankful for little things
Today I woke up early, sat up in bed, stood up, had a shower, got dressed, read a chapter in my Bible, had breakfast. I walked, bent over, sat down, got up, knelt down and got up. In all of this I did not feel any excruciating pain. Today I rejoice in being able to … Continue reading Being thankful for little things
A family heirloom
A little said, and truly said, Can greater joy impart, Than hosts of words that reach the head, But never touch the heart. Autograph books originated hundreds of years ago among university students in Europe. Fellow students, and later on professional colleagues, would sign each others books, adding well wishes or short poems. For a … Continue reading A family heirloom
Flatlander Faith 