Some reports say that 75% of the deaths from COVID-19 occurred in long-term residences for seniors. I don't find that hard to believe. Here is Saskatchewan there have been 130 deaths so far this year, 25% of those deaths occurred during one recent outbreak in one residence. I believe everyone did the best they could … Continue reading What went wrong?
family
Yesterday didn’t turn out as planned
Our garage was new seven or eight years ago, the walls of osb panels which should have been covered by siding long ago. That never happened; finally I decided that at least we could paint it. So I bought the supplies and started to clean up in preparation for painting, trimming the grass around the … Continue reading Yesterday didn’t turn out as planned
Is this the best way to spend your final years?
Most of the people dying from COVID-19 are in nursing homes. Families, friends, pastors, priests, rabbis are not allowed to visit in those places. Many of the staff members that the residents have grown to know have contacted the disease and been replaced by strangers. Is this the way things are supposed to be? Right … Continue reading Is this the best way to spend your final years?
Only an empty box
Agnes grew up 100 years ago on a farm in southwestern Saskatchewan. Her parents were members of a church which called itself Mennonite and worshipped in the German language. At home the family spoke a Low German dialect called Plautdietsch, and English. There were 14 children in the family, spaced about two years apart. Agnes … Continue reading Only an empty box
Report on a drive-by shouting in our community
A newspaper in a small Saskatchewan city recently reported on a shocking rise in drive-by shoutings. That trend has now come to our tiny hamlet of Swanson. In this hamlet there is a seniors’ residence; yesterday two of the residents had a birthday. Melvin was 86 and Wilbert was 91. With no visitors allowed, a … Continue reading Report on a drive-by shouting in our community
School at home
It looks like children will have to learn at home at least until the end of April. Does that seem overwhelming? Here are a few thoughts that might make it easier. Begin the day with God. Read from the Bible and pray with your children. Children have more time in the day now, since they … Continue reading School at home
But God Can Save Us Yet
[This is an excerpt from a Canadian Classic, Roughing it in the Bush, by Susanna Moodie, first published in 1852. At the climax of the crisis described here, she buries her head in her apron. It was her custom to pull up her apron to cover her head for privacy when praying.] The winter and … Continue reading But God Can Save Us Yet
And be ye thankful
Reading the news can can give one the impression that everything around us is changing, crumbling, ready to collapse. But when I pause to reflect, there are a lot of things in my day to day life that have not changed, and I take courage. Here are a few things that come to my mind: … Continue reading And be ye thankful
The hoary head and wisdom
Today I am 78 years old – it’s surprising how normal that feels. I knew old people when I was a little boy, they seemed like regular people, but I couldn’t imagine myself ever getting that old. Now here I am. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is the fear … Continue reading The hoary head and wisdom
What is a Biblical ethic of work and wealth?
There are Christians who revere voluntary poverty, seeing it as a means of escaping from the materialism of the world and of not abusing the resources of the earth. Other Christians revere work and consider the benefits that flow from it to be good stewardship and evidence of the blessing of God. Those in each … Continue reading What is a Biblical ethic of work and wealth?
Flatlander Faith 