Uncle Gary is my mother’s second youngest brother, the last one still living of a family of fourteen. He will be 90 in August. My grandparents were members of a small congregation of Sommerfelder Mennonites in southwestern Saskatchewan that was somewhat isolated from other Mennonite communities. They spoke Plautdietsch and English at home; the church … Continue reading In memory of Mauvereen
family
Remeniscences
My cousin Julia was 18 years old when I was born. I think she started teaching in a one room country school in the fall of that year, taught for two years, then married Ed Ludke. Their first child, Doreen, was born a year later. I knew nothing of Julia without Ed until he passed … Continue reading Remeniscences
Do Intelligence and Irresponsibility go together?
I was reading several years before I started school, I always did well in school and through reading I began to accumulate a very eclectic storehouse of information. I began to develop confidence that I could figure things out on my own. It happened one day that a counsellor presented me with an aptitude test, … Continue reading Do Intelligence and Irresponsibility go together?
Public Schools: mediocrity is the goal
There was a time, about 120 years ago, when almost everyone in Canada could read and write well, could do the math calculations needed in their daily life and work, often without pencil and paper, knew a good bit about world history and understood how governments worked. It is not that way today. It is … Continue reading Public Schools: mediocrity is the goal
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
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
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
Thou shalt love
God tells us nine times in the Holy Bible to love our neighbour as ourself, two times to love a stranger as ourself, five times to love God, and husbands are twice commanded to love their wives. Pop culture tells us that love is a feeling that sometimes comes and sometimes goes. Is love really … Continue reading Thou shalt love
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
Book review: Hold On to Your Kids
Hold On to Your Kids: Why parents need to matter more than peers, by Gordon Neufeld, © 2004. This book is for parents who feel their children are slipping away from them. Doctor Neufeld is a child psychologist in Vancouver, B.C. who believes that parents need to be the strongest influence in the development of … Continue reading Book review: Hold On to Your Kids
Flatlander Faith 