Original art on the Gray Family living room wall by Victoria artist Lisa Hebden 10 Quotes From Mary Oliver, the Patron Saint of Paying AttentionBy Jenna Barnett in Sojourners, Apr 14, 2025 I like to think of the late poet Mary Oliver as the patron saint of paying attention. She taught us to not take... Continue Reading →
When Trees Receive Rights โ What Can Churches Learn?
By Prof. Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackadu, Kerala, India This post is edited for length. The full post with additional context is here A centuries-old assumption was dramatically challenged on 9 June 2026, when the municipal council of Terrasse-Vaudreuil, a small town west of Montreal in Quebec, Canada, unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the Universal... Continue Reading →
Remembering Tom
The Honourable Tom Siddon, PC (1941โ2026) โ Obituary on Castanet [First, from Tomโs family] It is with heavy hearts, but with heads full of happy memories and passed down knowledge, that we must announce the passing of The Honourable Thomas Edward Siddon, P.C., on June 28, 2026. Tom was surrounded by family when he peacefully... Continue Reading →
Thanks Moravians – So much Good News here
The Rev. John Jackman, a man with a white beard and hair, and a boy of about 9 in a Scout uniform are shown at the altar of a church, with colorful confetti floating around them. Heard on US National Public Radio, June 28, 2026Noam Levey for KFF Health News WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. โ Some issues,... Continue Reading →
I’m not a country fan, but if I were, he would be my guy
From 940 CFCW, London, ONT Tommy Hunter, one of the most beloved figures in Canadian television and country music, has died. Born Thomas James Hunter on March 20, 1937, in London, Ontario, Hunter passed away on July 2, 2026, of natural causes. He was 89. Known to generations of viewers as "Canada's Country Gentleman," Hunter... Continue Reading →
Stop cheering Big Oil — Our children, and the planet will lose
Charlie Angus / The Resistance - Jul 03, 2026 Do you remember the summers we grew up with? Those long, lazy, hazy, crazy days that seemed to last forever? When dealing with forest fires was handled by college students as a summer job? Before the mass evacuations and the heat domes? Before the Super El... Continue Reading →
Grace: Beauty out of ugly things
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, Sunday, July 5th, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray Did you know that the Bible was written for the benefit of psychotherapists? Probably not; but given St. Paulโs confessional language in Romans chapter 7 such a case can be made. For example: I do not... Continue Reading →
My personal tips for low-vision photographers
So great to find an article recently on Photoblogger.com about low-vision photography. With other โlegally blindโ photographers, (<20/200, uncorrectable) I am not alone in facing challenges using my digital mirrorless camera (Fuji XT-5), a machine designed with fully sighted photographers in mind, though increasingly responding to the needs of us living with sight challenges. Chris... Continue Reading →
With thanks to Bill and Anne
I lost touch with Bill and Anne Osborne many years ago. An online search tells me that Bill died in 2018; Anne is likely still living in Victoria somewhere. (Please forward this blog to her if you are in contact with her.) We shared music, church, and the arts together in the mid-1970s. Bill was... Continue Reading →
Kristie Noem Is a Threat to Canada
Reposted from Charlie Angus / The Resistance, Jun 30, 2026 [Charlie Angus - The Resistance] Canadians were shocked and offended when it was announced that Kristi Noem was appointed to the board of a Vancouver-listed mining company. Noemโs horrific human rights abuses as head of homeland security raise serious questions about why NovaRed Mining brought... Continue Reading →