Lighting a Candle of God’s Presence   We need both light and dark in the world.  Yet both can be overwhelming.  Too much daylight and we long for the dark which brings stillness, quiet and rest.  Too much dark and we look for light to guide our way.    For me, one of the best sights in the world is the warmth of light glowing from a window, seen as I walk through the dark toward the house. Or a campfire guiding the way through the shadowed forest. Or a candle burning on the table in a dark room.  There is...

Why do we say Grace before a meal?   The word grace has the same roots as the word grateful.  So saying Grace is about giving thanks, specifically thanks to God, the Creator of the Universe.   But grace also refers to something that is not earned, not deserved, a gift freely given.   So when we say Grace before a meal we are remembering that what we have before us is something that is a gift and a blessing.  And even if we, or our parents, have worked to grow and harvest the food or to earn the money to...

Practicing the Presence of God Brother Lawrence lived in the 1600’s in France.  He felt God calling him to be a monk.  He imagined himself involved in spiritual activities that would deepen his relationship with God.  He didn’t imagine himself sorting and cleaning raisins in the kitchen day after day.  But that is where he found himself, doing one of the most menial and boring tasks.   In his later years, he became a repairer of sandals.  It was in these every day tasks, he discovered God.  To some he is known as ‘the Kitchen Saint.’ He learned to pray in every...

Tikkun Olam – The Repair of the World   We all know that we live in a broken world.  In the beginning, God declared that creation was very good.  Yet, it is easy to look around and find so many situations in our own lives and around the earth that are not good.  Children notice and are touched by the pain and sorrow in the world as well.   In Jewish wisdom, there is the concept of “tikkun olam,” a phrase which means “repair of the world.”  The idea is that we as human beings have a role to play in...

“I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where will my help come?” (Psalm 121:1)  That’s how the writer of Psalm 121 begins a psalm that is a statement of belief in the power and presence of God.  The First Nations people look to the mountains, the rivers, the sky, the wind and the creatures of earth, sea & sky to know God’s presence and power.  Rather than having a book of scripture, all of creation reveals and speaks of God within First Nations’ tradition.  The foundation of their teachings lies in the four directions: east, south, west and north. ...

How much time do we spend resisting time itself?  We try to escape the aging that comes naturally with the passage of time, buying products and clothes that we hope will make us look younger.  We cram more and more into less time, and grasp at any time-saving device that might add some of that precious time back into the pot to be used for another purpose.  We build faster modes of transportation to take us faster to the places we want to go, so we'll have more time to do what we want when we get there. We grab pre-packaged...

I remember my playhouse as a child.  It was my place of freedom, of exploration and of adventure.  It was nestled in the trees of the shelter belt on our farm, built by a cousin who worked for us for the summer.  I’d climb up the tree beside it to get to the rounded roof, where I could sit for hours reading or pondering life, or drawing with chalk on the roof, designs and pictures that would wash away in the next rain, creating a new canvas for more designs and drawings.  I would rearrange the furniture inside so that sometimes...

Play! When is the last time that you, as an adult, have played?  That is, when have you last let loose in an activity with no specific goal in mind, lived in the moment, engaged imagination and creativity and maybe even laughed a little?   Lately I’ve happened to read some stories from the 1800’s and what jumped out for me was that adults were playing games that we now think of as only for early elementary and pre-school aged children.  In the stories, the adults were having great fun engaging in pick-up sticks, jacks, blind man’s bluff, guessing games, eye...

“It’s Your Kid, not a Gerbil”  I couldn’t resist picking up this book by Dr. Kevin Leman.  I love the title and I love the concept he goes after.  The sub-title is “Creating a Happier & Less-Stressed Home.”   When our children arrive in our lives, we fall in love with them.  We want the best for them. We imagine all the possibilities for their lives.  We want them to have every opportunity.   As we hold that precious child, we dream big dreams for their lives. As have parents through the centuries….but we are the first generation or two in...

Not quite three years after the flood disaster here in High River, we find ourselves journeying with another town facing disaster in Alberta – Fort McMurray.  While wild fires create different issues and circumstances, there is so much the same.  I find myself watching the news and hearing comments of people who are being evacuated, and remember making those comments myself or hearing others in High River make those comments.  I look at the people’s faces and I know the feelings: the fear, the disbelief, the pain, the deep sadness, the confusion, the frustration and the utter exhaustion.   As a...