Mary Muirhead Listening to the CBC, I overheard a conversation with a young man who had just written a book. OK, there are lots of new books out there, but my ears perked up when he mentioned his Buddhist upbringing. His family had stressed the importance of being helpful and useful to others; in fact, the message of his book was to point out the importance of our everyday contacts as we go about doing what we do. I think we all agree with him; we know this. We have heard, and perhaps have ourselves told stories of kind words…

Glenda Jacobs When Walking with Our Sisters came to Red Deer, Alberta, it was one of those events that happen once in a lifetime; it changed not only me, but also my community.  For nine months, we prepared for the sisters to arrive. For my settler descendant community, it was an art installation at our museum; for the aboriginal community, it was ceremony which brought an opportunity for healing. Walking with Our Sisters was created to raise awareness and action about murdered and missing Aboriginal women and children. In the installation, each woman and girl is recognized by vamps, which…

Andrea Muirhead A few years ago I heard one my friends talking about something that he referred to as “First World Problems.” These are the things in life like complaining about your slow Wi-Fi connection, or your bottled water being warm, modern conveniences that we take for granted and then we complain about them. I appreciate that I live in Canada. I am thankful for more than one set of clothing and more than one pair of shoes. I am grateful for my education, my family, my friends, and the freedom to be a Christian. Fall is a great time…

Jen Cook I have been married now for six months. My husband and I dated for about 3 years before we got married. I always used to look at those women who nagged at or berated their husbands and thought, “I will never be like that.” I thought the bitter wife scriptures and being submissive to your husband scriptures would not be an issue for me. Despite my 30 years of singleness and years of dating before marriage, I am those women I used to pity. I am having a truly hard time being kind, sweet, and submissive to my…

Sara Pippus “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings” – Lao Tzu Setting out early, he smiled a warm smile as he saw the sign for the Boreal trail. This spot was special. He had taken many a long stroll through the high pines and trembling aspens. Over the years, he walked it alone but more often he held the hand of a grandchild or listened to one of his daughters tell stories as they wandered through the curves in the trail. Now the path narrowed into the moist morning air as he looked for the boat he left…

Janelle Ross There is a scene in one of the episodes of the television show Friends (The One with Ross’s Wedding, Part 1, if you’re a fan). The gang is in London, England, and Joey and Chandler are about to head out to see the sights. Joey pulls out a map and when he opens it, the tourist attractions pop up like they might in a children’s book. After trying for a few unsuccessful minutes to figure out where he wants to go, he simply puts the map on the ground and steps right into it. Chandler is embarrassed by Joey’s…