I once saw a church fall apart because the leaders tried too hard to return to the old paths, and in so doing, became legalistic and excommunicated a third of their members. Eventually, they were not able to support a pastor. They disbanded within two years of the initial split. Last year I saw another church fall apart because some of the leaders thought it was not important to stay faithful to the old paths, and thought they knew better…
This is the ring my father gave my mother for her 20th birthday, May 13, 1952. It was a combination birthday/birthstone/engagement ring, with her initials inscribed on it. Mom gave it to me when I was in high school, I later gave it to my oldest daughter. We three — Mom, myself, and my daughter — all share the first name, Willena, and it seemed fitting to give it to my daughter. The ring inspired the following fiction story, which…
The first time I read this was two years ago today, the day before my husband Ian’s funeral. “God’s people have their trials. It was never designed by God, when He chose His people, that they should be an untried people. They were chosen in the furnace of affliction; they were never chosen to worldly peace and joy.” At the time, I was troubled about the possible effect Ian’s death would have on each of our children – especially Timothy,…
December 29, 198_ began like any other winter morning in northern Alberta. But when they laid a tiny bundle in my arms early that afternoon, I knew my life would never be the same again. Six more children were born to us through the years. But there is something special about the firstborn child. As I gazed into her wonderful blue eyes and nuzzled her fuzzy blonde head, I prayed that Ian and I would be all she needed in…
I’m not superstitious, and have nothing against the 13th – Friday or otherwise. My mom was born Fri. May 13, 1932. Ian and I were married on Sat. Feb. 13, 1982. But I can see how superstitions get started for some people. My life does seem to have a lot of parallels and accompanying lessons. Take Sunday, December 13th, for example… Sunday, December 13, 2009 was the day Pastor Lyle did not preach the sermon he had prepared for that…
JAMES GORDON FLEWELLING July 10, 1984 – Dec. 12, 2009. Some people called him a big teddy bear. I called him my Gentle Giant. From the time he was born we knew James was going to be a big guy. Apparently he was in a hurry to be born, but didn’t want to venture out on his own… the doctors were convinced that he was malnourished and needed help being born ahead of schedule… but when he arrived, we could…
Eleven years ago tonight, on Friday, December 11, 2009, our family got together to celebrate the marriage of our eldest daughter, Irene, to her best friend, Sean. Sean was from Southern California, and had not been able to return to Alberta with Irene on Dec. 2. He surprised her by telling her he would arrive on Saturday, December 12. We didn’t know this until the day before our celebration was scheduled. When I asked Irene if we should postpone it…
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. – Luke 2:11-14 We hear these verses so often at this time of year….
NaNoWriMo is a funny word that stands for National Novel Writing Month. This year was my 16th consecutive year of participation — and as of today, it is also my 16th consecutive year of reaching the goal of 50,000 words. What follows is something I wrote during one of our fun times, ten years ago, when as many as five or six members of our family took part in it, and we would all go to the NaNoWriMo kick-off party…
Two years ago I wanted to write a book called, “Life Begins at 65”, because mine certainly did in many respects. I’m not sure where it started, really. Maybe it was six or seven years ago when I realized my life was getting smaller and smaller, and I wanted to get to know some more of the people I admired at church. We had been attending the same Bible study for several years, and the attendance had dwindled so that…