Home from Retreat
Vivian Dunn We are home from Moose Jaw and the experience of “Encouraging One Another”. I am going to share with you on one of the subjects spoken about: reaching out to immigrants. When I lost my husband to cancer and I was sitting in my suite like a “basket case”, I prayed to God and asked him to help me find someone to help, so I could get my mind off of “Vivian”. God answered my prayer and my first immigrant friend was a young Mexican boy who found out I had been a teacher and knocked on my…
Read MoreTo Be Okay in My Heart
Sheena Koops My hands are in the hot, soapy water; I can smell the orange fragrant bubbles, but my forehead is like a clenched fist and I swish each glass as fast as I can. I remember attending a mindfulness meeting and the facilitator said that washing dishes can be done mindfully. I breathe deeply, slowly into my belly. My tight temples relax. One more breathe in and I see that the bubbles are white and beautiful. One more breathe, seeking peace, but I just can’t slow my hands down, and pretty soon I’m thinking about the turkey soup I…
Read MoreA Little Girl’s Lament
Andrea Muirhead When I was little, I wrote a poem entitled “Why Me”. The poem was basically me complaining to God about my childish struggles. It was kind of cute, now that I think about it asan adult, but it didn’t feel cute then, and it doesn’t now when I still find myself talking to God this way. Why am I single? Why am I a plus-sized girl? Why don’t I feel more successful at my job? If you are also asking God, “Why me” about something in your life, you are not alone. Twice today, I have found myself…
Read MoreOld Pages
Sara Pippus Anticipation hung next to the weather-worn tools in the back porch and chased her all morning as she waited on the fresh heat of spring to fill the yard. By noon, she could not wait any longer. Jill ran down the back steps, gathering her gloves as she went, and out into the blue and green swirling hues of the large back garden. Fear, mixed with joy, sat at the edges of her gentle brown eyes. She could almost hear her grandmother’s voice as the soft breeze brushed past her pale cheeks. This year, though, could be nothing…
Read MoreFrom the Village
Over the holidays, we played numerous board games. We put puzzles together. We skated. We tobogganed. We read books. We ate good food. We stayed up. We slept in. We sang songs and my son made some up. We laughed. The kids cried a little. We shopped a little and a lot. We wrapped gifts. We unwrapped gifts. We hugged. We decorated. I reflected. Now, as I am contemplating heading back to work and a return to our regular programming, I am a little hesitant. It is not that I do not love our daily living. I like that our…
Read MoreAfter Sabbath
Deanna Cook Sunday evenings is very ritualistic in my life. It is a time of preparation for the next school week: preparing lunches, laying out clothes, and packing back packs. I have found this time essential- a way to frame the next week so it is more peaceful and more prepared. Those Sunday evenings I choose not to partake in the ritual, I end up regretting it as my Monday morning is spent rushing around making decisions, throwing together a bag lunch, and searching for lost keys. As I thought about this topic, I did some research. Did you know…
Read MoreTime
I have an electric wall clock that I am trying to recycle (code for throw away), but it is not an easy thing to do. It was my mother’s, and hung on the kitchen wall in our Winnipeg home. It is not in any way an object of beauty, having a basic round face set into a couple of inches of some dreadful pale pink plastic. When plugged in, it makes a whirring noise as it continues to lose time, despite all attempts to improve its performance! It also rattles at every opportunity, due to the collection of screws or…
Read MoreThe Business of Living
In the midst of all my after-Christmas cleaning, while I’m wiping out the cupboards and using up the leftovers in the fridge, I buy a bird cage. I don’t own a bird. I don’t have plans to acquire a bird. In fact, I’ve been on a simplify-my-life kick for a while now, and I think long and hard about the purchases I make. I am not in the habit of buying useless birdcages, that’s for sure. It’s been a puzzle. I’ve looked at that cage, sitting there on my bookshelf among the photographs of my children and the prayer book…
Read MoreA New Adventure
We talked about it quite a long time ago, but it didn’t seem possible – even if we had thought it was a good idea or the right time. . . . But now, the time is right! After this last issue that went to print, Sister Triangle will be published online as an on-going magazine, which can be accessed for free from anywhere in the world. Of course if you are like me and, prefer to hold paper in your hand, you may print out the articles, or get someone to do it for you. For me, that will…
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