[This is an excerpt from When I Was Thirteen, copyright the estate of Christina Young Plumb. It is the diary of a thirteen year old girl in south-western Ontario at the end of the nineteenth century.] April 12, 1897 - This is Good Friday, so we had no school today, and Monday will be a … Continue reading The saint of the neighbourhood
The decline and fall of public education
Chris was 17 when we got married and had just finished Grade 11. She enrolled in Grade 12 that fall and rode the school bus to the nearest large town with a high school. It didn’t last long — she was in a new community where she didn’t know any of her fellow students, she … Continue reading The decline and fall of public education
Kids are different today
"Kids are different today," I hear ev'ry mother say Mother needs something today to calm her down And though she's not really ill There's a little yellow pill She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day. For readers not … Continue reading Kids are different today
Problematic behaviours in children and adolescents – Our family’s experience
I listened with bemused interest as my daughter described racing the Moose Jaw city bus to the end of the block. There was a bus stop in front of the second house on our block and she would wait there on the sidewalk with her trike until the bus left the stop and then pump … Continue reading Problematic behaviours in children and adolescents – Our family’s experience
Problematic behaviours in children and adolescents
Georges P Vanier was a distinguished Canadian military officer in the First World War, being decorated by both Great Britain and France . He was seriously injured near the end of the war, losing a leg as a result. He eventually attained the rank of Major-General. Later he served as Canada's ambassador to France. He … Continue reading Problematic behaviours in children and adolescents
Illusions
Tweetie-tweet-tweet-tweet — thunk! Tweetie-tweet-tweet-tweet — thunk! The sound was coming from just outside our bedroom window. I roused myself groggily and peered through the blind. Here was a yellow warbler on the window ledge outside. He would sing his song, then fly up toward the top corner of the window — and bump into the … Continue reading Illusions
Memories of Clarence
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
Can anyone join the Church of God in Christ Mennonite?
The above question was typed into a search engine and brought someone to my blog yesterday. It seems to me this is a question that merits a straightforward answer, so here goes. Perhaps the best place to start is with the questions asked at baptism. The first three questions deal with belief in the Father, … Continue reading Can anyone join the Church of God in Christ Mennonite?
Book Review: Embracing Obscurity, by anonymous
There's no end to the amount of good a person can do, if they don't care who gets the credit for it. I presume the person who said that doesn't mind that I don't remember who he or she was. I aspire to be a person such as this sentence describes. Or do I? There … Continue reading Book Review: Embracing Obscurity, by anonymous
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
