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Here is some of what has been good, because I know you would have told me to look for it, and to reach toward it and name it when I find it. Our children. How they reach out across the chasm you ...

Our church in Ottawa asks people of the pews to share on Good Friday, and last year I was one of them. Each speaker is assigned a portion of scripture which are the words Jesus spoke from the cross.  "Why did I ...

The obituary of the Rev. Dr. Canon Gordon Brent Stiller “Look at that golden light!” That is what Brent would say as he steered a boat past the woods and the rocks of the Kawartha Lakes at a certain time in the ...

Dewey was born almost 14 years ago, in an Ontario town I can't recall. He was the only boy puppy left of his litter, and he sat timidly in the back of the pen, trembling amongst all the girls vying to come ...

The other day I walked by a young girl who lives on our street, sitting outside on the bottom step, reading a book. I felt an instant camaraderie with her, as a reader, first, but specifically as an outdoor reader. When we ...

My dad, who is 85,  spent a few months in Spain a couple of years ago, sitting on a deck writing his memoir out by hand on legal pads. He conquered it by writing various topics one after another, and he worked ...

Today, I clipped the leash onto Dewey, my most reliable walking partner -- he always says yes, he never says no -- and coaxed him 4275 steps, according to my iPhone. It was a fruitful walk. I complimented a woman on her ...

I am waiting with bated breath for a memoir to arrive in my inbox, written by my father. Working title? My Story by Russell S. Durling. I've been a tiny bit coach and a big part cheerleader for my 85-year old dad, ...

Discouragement over pastors and leaders who fall is weighing heavy on almost everyone I know, especially women. It is a thick, wet fog. A long and depressing bewilderment. I spoke to a good friend the other day, and part of our conversation ...

Every now and then during church, Brent does something that makes me so uncomfortable that I try not to glance around nervously to see how other people are taking it. (Generally speaking, spouses try not to swivel their heads around to see ...

The other day the bottom fell out of my bag of pears. If the bag is the flimsy grocery store produce one, light green and very difficult to open once pulled from the roll (especially now that we do not lick our ...

Ta da! This is an announcement that I have finally finished Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, compiled and edited by Mason Currey. My sometimes-writing partner Patricia owned it first, and intrigued, I ordered it from a bookstore called Perfect Books, using a ...