What will my children’s future be like?  It is a question that we all ponder as parents, sometimes with hope, sometimes with fear.  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to explore some aspects of this topic such as “Will my child have a job?”  “How can I help them succeed?”  “What kind of world will they live in?” “How can I protect them?” “How can I help them be resilient?” and more.   What will my children’s future be like?  There is so much that feels out of our control as parents.  How often do we feel helpless? Rapid technological...

“Enemy Aliens” – that is how my Ukrainian ancestors were labelled by the Canadian government during the first World War, and how they labelled Japanese Canadians during the second World War, using the label to justify confiscation of property, savings and possessions, and confinement to internment camps.  “Enemy Aliens” – two words that demonized people, proclaiming loudly that, because of their ethnic group, they were one of the “others”, definitely not “us,” and definitely to be feared. There was no assessment of whether the person might have arrived as a refugee in Canada fleeing persecution and conscription (as did my Ukrainian...

It was the morning for my son to write his Grade 12 diploma exam for Social Studies.  The day before the news had been filled with the presentation of “alternative facts” and “post facts.”  I looked at my son as I dropped off at school and said, “I think for your exam you might want to stick to the facts and not give “alternative fact” answers.”  He smiled, nodded, and said, “I probably will, Mom,” as he got out of the vehicle and headed into the school.   I can’t imagine any of us as parents telling our kids that it...

We live in a digital world. We parent and grandparent in a digitally driven world.  Remember the fear on New Year’s Eve, 1999, that the whole world might come crashing to a halt as computers failed to make the transfer to the year 2000.  Yet here we are seventeen years later, with more technology than ever driving our daily lives, and our children’s lives.    I was in EB games the other day to order the newest Nintendo gaming system, Nintendo Switch, for our oldest son.  Another family was there ordering one of these new systems for each member of the...

Are you getting enough sleep?  Maybe you’ve heard the numbers.  Adults need 7-8 hours to stay healthy, alert and emotionally well.  Children need 10-11 hours.  Teens probably need at least that if not more.   However, we live in a society that does not make room for sleep.  To many who are so-called successful in their work brag about how little sleep they can get by on.  Politicians are making major decisions that affect all of our lives and affect the world after long sessions into the wee hours of the morning or through the night (though that is more in the...

During this season when we are still waiting for more sunshine and less cold, warm your days with prayer.  You are invited to use these prayers for morning, noon and evening to stay rooted in the love of God.   Using the same prayers over and over again, day by day, is a way of deepening your connection with God and with your own faith.   A new set of prayers will be made available for the beginning of Lent.   Daily Prayers for Epiphany* (*Epiphany: from January 6 to February 28th - a season of the church year which celebrates Jesus as...

One day is not enough to celebrate the birth of God’s son – the amazing gift of Jesus, aka “Emmanuel” which means “God-with-us.”   One day is just not enough to celebrate, give thanks, and let sink into our hearts the wonder of the gift of God’s presence in Jesus.  So traditionally twelve days were celebrated – a good biblical number which means the complete amount needed, the full amount, the perfect amount, as in the twelve disciples or the twelve tribes of Israel.  So twelve days is the perfect number of days to celebrate Jesus’ birth.   Now we all know...

December 18 – Advent 4 Delight. Joy. Mystery. Wonder. Awe. Amazement. Love. That`s what a baby’s birth is all about. Sometimes there are challenging circumstances that surround the baby`s birth. Sometimes there are medical concerns for baby or mother. Most often we can celebrate  by welcoming the baby with love that overflows our hearts and joy that is indescribable.   Jesus` birth was more than that.  He came as a gift to the whole wide world.  Yes, his parents adored him and smiled the big smiles of new parents, in spite of his birth in a barn far from their home...

Books about faith and Christmas to give to children & grandchildren. Selected from Susan’s library, some may only be available used.   Pre-School “The Animals’ Christmas Eve” by Gale Wiersum (Golden Book, 1977) “Bless Us All: A Child’s Yearbook of Blessings” by Cynthia Rylant (Simon & Schuster 1998) “The Christmas Fox” by Anik McGrory (Knopf 2016) “Christmas in the Barn” by Margaret Wise Brown (Harper 2016)  “Jesus’ Christmas Party” by Nicholas Allan (Random House 1991) “The Lord’s Prayer” by Rick Warren & Richard Jesse Watson (ZonderKidz 2010) “Room for a Little One” by Martin Waddell (Simon & Schuster 2004)  “What Can I Give...

December 11 – Advent 3 Giving isn’t a natural thing.  Oh, I know you could tell me about that spontaneous moment when your heart overpoured with love and you just had to give something special to someone. But I still believe that giving isn’t natural to human beings.  If it were, we wouldn’t have the top 1% of the world’s people controlling over 50% of the world’s wealth and resources.  If giving were natural, then we wouldn’t have hunger, homelessness or refugees.  There are enough resources in the world so that no one needs to be hungry or homeless, but sharing...