I know a little bit about centering a ball of clay. Or not centering it. As a young housewife, I took a night class in a western Canadian city and I still remember the feel of the clay in my hand. Making a pinch pot. Firing it. Glazing it. And […]
Marie Snider – This Side of 60
We all need healing in our lives. Sometimes we need healing from unbearable grief and loneliness; at other times from broken bones or pulled muscles. Sometimes it’s simply the deep sadness of our souls that needs healing. Little scrapes and big bruises. It could be many things that come into […]
It’s been a long time since I first read about her–12 years to be exact. And I can’t help wondering where she is by now. Her age would be 89 now. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s still zipping down the highway in her red convertible! “She’s cruisin’ at […]
It was a long time ago that I taught in Canada, and it’s hard to imagine that some of my high school students are now “retired.” But every now and then, I remember with nostalgia those four years. Fun-filled and frightening at the same time. Simply put, I felt too […]
One of my favourite things about childhood was day-long fishing trips to north country lakes. Lakes that were cool and clear. And very deep. It took an enormously long fishing line to reach the bottom, where the best bullheads and the largest perch waited. But my favourite way of fishing […]
It was way too early. But never mind, spring still came to the prairie last week. The sun was bright and the sky blue. The breezes were light and the temperature soothing. The Carolina Wren that stayed with us all winter trilled and twittered in delight. Dozens of bright sunny […]
So far, I’ve never been to England. But when I do go, I know exactly what my first stop will be–Hewstead Abbey. And once at the abbey, I will head straight for an ancient marker and stoop to read the words etched in stone nearly two centuries ago. The occasion […]
Shouldn’t January be the most productive, joyous, and stress-free time of the year? Think about it. We hold in the palms of our hands a brand new year. And what fun it is to dream about the possibilities and pleasures ahead! Anything could happen in 1999. Think of the gifts […]
It’s been a long time since I heard the fairy tale; and at the moment, I can’t find it in my library. But that really doesn’t matter because like so many things from childhood, the details may fade but the core facts are forever. It seems a struggling shoemaker and […]
Christmas is long past. But whatever our personal religious commitments, now that the new year has dawned, the words of hope and peace of one religion still ring in our ears. For nearly two months late last year, we heard the carols. In chimes and bells. From street carollers and […]
Once again today, it’s time to say “happy birthday.” Not once but 30,000 times because that’s the number of our fellow citizens who, on this one day, will turn over the calendar to age 60. It would have been a very different picture had we lived 300 years ago. In […]
Some words are destined from the beginning to last forever. And no matter how long we live, we never forget them. “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” “Give me liberty or […]
