One of the main characteristics of our North American society is its focus on money and entertainment. Everywhere we look there are opportunities and offers of services, goods to buy, and recreation. Advertising blitzes us continuously, mostly portraying smiling, beautiful people sharing a good time and taking possession of something they really want. And if… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Trying hard
Waiting Long – a poem for moving on
I recently attended a party held outdoors in farming country. Near the road was an old piece of farm machinery, slowly rusting. I wrote this poem for what is past and unchangeable: Waiting long: For men to bind me to their task. For sun and wind and dirt and grass. For purposed motion past that… Continue Reading
The New Glory Days – Pruning back former glory to find new joy
One of my favorite summer flowers is the garden geranium, with its beautiful, summer-long color. It is the type of flower that you can count on, week after week, month after month. With only a bit of watering, and some essential pruning, they will continue to make your life brighter. Growing up, our family hung… Continue Reading
Climb the Right Mountain
"It takes as much work to climb the wrong mountain as it does the right mountain," says Brian Warren, the Founder of KidsFest. In the same way that KidsFest helps low-income children achieve their full potential, each of us needs a reawakening, and a fresh commitment to truly living our lives. In our busy world… Continue Reading
The Olympic flame is within us
As the 2010 Winter Olympics come to a close, wonderful memories and a sense of encouragement remain from our shared experience of Vancouver and Whistler, BC. Athletes and administrators, volunteers and fans, families and global friends — we all came together to honour excellence and commitment. While I enjoyed the excitement of the competitions, it… Continue Reading
Something you CAN take with you
We have all heard the saying “You can’t take it with you.” The saying is very old, though not as old as the Egyptian pharaohs, who stocked their pyramid burial chambers with lots of goodies for the next world. The pharaohs thought of themselves as gods, so if they wanted to bring some golden cats… Continue Reading
Hearing and saying “I appreciate you”
Our world depends on a lot of people getting things done. We all have our roles and our tasks, and every day has more than enough to do. And swirling through our days are people. Some of them we see every day, like those we work with. Some people we only see for a minute,… Continue Reading
No way to play a guitar
I love music, and I always have. It makes my body move and my spirit soar. I have many favorite songs and passages, and I can listen to them repeatedly — thrilling to the skill and nuance of the performers. My brain plays songs I’ve heard, like a tape recorder in my head. But sometimes… Continue Reading
Doing our part to help things work out
At the core of our lives are two powerful traits: responsibility and compassion. While they sound like lofty ideals, responsibility and compassion are actually life’s calls to action, built into each of us. We know there are things we should do, and we know when we should be helpful and sensitive to others. Knowing these… Continue Reading
You will be eating again soon
The finishing moment of many pleasant restaurant meals is having a fortune cookie. Dropped off with the cheque, fortune cookies are a final treat, and usually a source of optimistic wisdom. So it surprised me when I opened my fortune cookie to find this message: “You may be hungry soon: order a takeout now.” At… Continue Reading