Half a century ago most families stayed in the same area. You lived your life in close proximity to most of your relatives. Children would marry and move away from home. This “moving away from home” usually meant a few miles or at most it may have been the next town where they established their roots. There is an old Dutch proverb that says:...

This is Part 2 of a 2 part series - Getting Old How do we face the twilight years of life? With feelings of dread…or of hope? The French-born film and vaudeville actor Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) remarked glibly, "Growing old is inevitable for all of us. The clever thing is to accept it and always plan your next move well in advance." His...

This is Part 1 of a 2 part series - Getting Old I am 68 years of age and retired, so I suppose I am considered old. In our politically correct times, I am called either a "senior citizen" or "chronologically gifted." What is aging? How do we react to it? These questions are no longer academic for me. When I was in my teens, I thought that...

One night I had an unusual dream. "Lord," I asked, "what is this dream telling me?" The answer came into my mind: my father would die, my mother would run out under heavy dark clouds - and her neighbors would comfort her. The Lord gave me the reason for the prayer too: I was to be my parents' neighbor when they needed me; I was to buy a house in...

Pray for understanding, guidance, help, wisdom and mercy. Try to understand about the fears, quirks and frustrations that beset the elderly. My mother had a strong faith in her Lord. Uplifters for elderly parents: hearing Bible read, singing praise songs and praying with them. \ Organizations can help: Cancer Societies, Life Abilities,...

Ailie Watt loved teaching young children how to read. Although she taught English and Art at Trinity Western University in the 1970s, she still remained committed to ushering five-year-olds into the world of literacy at a local elementary school. For more than a decade she taught both kindergarten and university students, daily seeing both ends...

For those whose grandchildren go to live at a distance, even another country. “Bye-bye Nanna, bye-bye Nanna, bye-bye Nanna....” The clear, childish voice faded as the beloved small figure of my three-year old granddaughter climbed the ship’s gangway and disappeared behind the canvas- filled rails of the large white ferry that would carry...