On my refrigerator are pictures of friends and family and animals and one of my dad falling off a chair laughing. There are magnets too. Imitation cabbages, cauliflowers, bittermelons, and pumpkins—all fitting the decor of the kitchen. The dieter’s favorite Bible verse is there: “He must increase but I must decrease.” Here are a few of my...

Back when our kids wanted to travel in the same car as their parents, we journeyed three days to get to a camp in Iowa where I was to speak. I've discovered that the best way for a speaker to gain credibility at family camp is to leave his children at home, but ours have always come along. And I think it's been comforting to other parents to watch...

My mother is in a nursing home and the doctor just gave her six months to live. But when he found out she couldn’t pay her bill, he gave her another year. Last night after spending some time with her, the thought hit me, If I stay in peak physical condition, I will live long enough to be a drain on the medical system. And so I have uncovered three...

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. Time waits for no man, and very few women, my father used to say. Like the New Year, the wise men came after Christmas. They’re not really part of the nativity set. Scholars believe the magi were Gentiles who had come from the east and that it’s possible perhaps that at least one of them...

William Shakespeare once wrote, “I am wealthy in my friends.” I agree wholeheartedly. Friendship is a gift we give ourselves. But friends are like houseplants. They need constant care and careful watering. I learned this lesson the hard way one August when a complete stranger moved in next door. After shutting off my electric lawnmower, I...

Thanks in part to our great uncle Air Miles, our family of five was privileged to spend a week in Mexico, suffering in the sand and pounding the streets of Mazatlan looking for cheap t-shirts. We sampled the local cuisine and interacted with street people—many of them without limbs, most of them without hope. On the trip home, United Airlines...

For many years it was my habit to start the day with the newspaper. I savored my customary peanut butter and honey sandwich (lightly buttered) and washed it down with milk, while digesting the Calgary Herald, a long-time friend who greeted me seven days a week at our front door. As a writer and editor, I need to be aware of current trends and events,...