How to stop the bunnies from eating the lettuce in the garden before I do. How to sleep through thunderstorms. How to weed the garden and spread mulch without straining my back. How to decide what to have for lunch when the fridge is full. How to fit in a trip to the gym. How…
Being on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution in spring is akin to being inside a gentle giant that is waking up after a long winter‘s slumber. As the air warms up, the giant starts to stretch and becomes active. Legions of tradespeople start working on landscaping, house building, house repairs, road work and of…
2017 is Canada’s 150th birthday and different forms of celebration are happening in many communities. The biggest party will be on July 1 (Canada Day). But I wonder if every Canadian sees reason to celebrate? Recently at our Ontario Branch Convention, we participated in a blanket exercise. You see, as a Branch, we have been…
What stops you from asking? Are you comfortable asking for funds, asking for help, asking a friend to join, or asking your Circle to try a new way or a new project, for example? I do better with some forms of asking. I can and do write proposals for grants, I can suggest a new…
This week at the gym, Taylor, our personal trainer, did what he does best. He had John and me push to a new level of activity. We work up to these new levels bit by bit. But when we start something just that much harder, it challenges not only my strength, agility, and endurance but…
On April 7, Stephanie and I spent the day at Highclere Castle, more popularly known as Downton Abby. While lined up outside waiting to get in, we noticed that above every ground floor window was the family motto carved in stone. Repeated at least a dozen times across the front of this magnificent house was…
Not far from Basingstoke in England, there is a very old, tiny church where Jane Austen’s father once preached. It’s a simple unadorned building with a “porch” area that we would call the church vestibule. Curious markings are faintly visible in the stone work. Scratches in the shape of crosses, symbols of the trinity and…
Many years ago when I was the Director, Chautauqua Scholarship Department, Kevin Sixbey was a summer employee of the Chautauqua Department of Religion. He and his colleagues organized programs and events for all college aged students on the grounds. Fast-forward 10 years…I ‘m at Chautauqua sailing downhill on my bike when a friendly voice hails…
Recently, I learned that according to the LA Times, the average home in North America has 300,000 items. About 10% of us rent extra off-site storage. Regularly my favourite Bible study teacher would ask, “do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you?” So, when my church issued a re-purposing challenge I decided…
It’s the hard part of life’s journey and one that none of us can avoid. Last Sunday Susan Summerbell died after a long, long battle with an unusual form of cancer. She is among the many KDS members whom I miss. I think of those who welcomed me into the Adanac Circle more than 25…
Regularly John and I go for an urban hike, walking about 5 kilometres. It’s a must that we stop at our local coffee shop. One of the regulars is a large man who, from all appearances, has not had an easy life. “His” table is the one nearest the bathrooms – not a place that…
Ever since my hair turned white, young people hold the door open for me. In the old days of my feminist leanings, I would have felt somewhat put out by that. Now I just appreciate it for what it is – a small act of kindness. Those small acts – a gesture, a word of…
Honestly, how many times have you used the word, forbearance, in a recent conversation? I’m guessing not many. Yet this wonderful word conveys an important idea – the idea that includes patient self-control, but is greater than mere tolerance. It means extending understanding and empathy to those who disappoint or anger us. It means feeling…
Several years ago a quick-witted friend said, “Never pray for patience because the Lord will give you many opportunities to practice it.” Patience is in short supply in a world of constantly changing technology, increasingly crowded roadways, a culture that encourages us to always be first, and to chase after an endless variety of consumer…
All around me I see disruption in people’s lives. Cherished family members are gone, illness is challenging others, and the news is constantly filled with decisions that affect millions of people – it all seems unsettling, to say the least. As a result, many are searching for peace. I suggest that obtaining our own peace…