Another story in the series Stories from Somewhere, by me, Ken Gray Case #1993-642 The blaring ghetto blaster is getting on Janetโs nerves. Joni Mitchell, whose music is a favourite around the police station, seems to be playing on an endless loop. Detachment Sergeant, Duncan Jaimeson, loves his 60s and 70s folk tunes โ Joan... Continue Reading →
A new take on Chaos and Craziness by Anne Lamott
A few days old but Too good not to share. [Anne Lamott on Facebook] We are not crazy. Things really are catastrophically bad. Jesus lies down daily with a cool compress on His head. My friends and I await the rain of frogs. Of course we experience hopelessness in the face of the murder in... Continue Reading →
Gone Fishinโ
Chapter ten in the series Stories from Somewhere, by me, Ken Gray โMayday*Mayday*Mayday.โ My shouted distress call must have looked silly. There I was, standing in a wobbly west coast dory, shouting into a bank of dense fog that had quickly appeared out of nowhere, covering us in our little skiff. Close to the shore... Continue Reading →
Ahab and Donald — How the king got his vineyard
And other short stories about leaders who lie Graphic assembled in Canva. Photos L-R: Karoline Leavitt (Bruce Chaff CC 4.0), Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Stephen Miller (all public domain) Story by Bri-anne Swan on Substack and the Wilderness Times - Jan 11, 2026 [Bri-anne Swan] Itโs difficult to escape the fatigue that sets... Continue Reading →
Between the covers
Another in a series of short personal fictional stories about a mystery church with a quirky minister in an unnamed community, though not in a galaxy far away. Enjoy. Between the covers A face stares up at me from a large bowl of Bouillabaisse, a French seafood stew โ the version before me with a... Continue Reading →
How to Follow the Right Star โ Directions for Epiphany
Photo credit: Michael Shapcott A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Epiphany 2025 โ The Very Rev. Ken Gray Before one sets off on an Epiphany journey itโs important to know which star to follow. There must have been dozens of bright lights in the Middle Eastern sky, many visible to the ancient... Continue Reading →
Anne Lamott on “All things new”
A New Year's Day reflection by Anne Lamott [Anne Lamott] I will flinch a bit today whenever someone exhorts me to have a happy new year. It might be the word โhappy,โ which is so giddy and clown-shoe slappy, in combination with my walking personality disorder. Itโs also that the emphasis will be on Hap,... Continue Reading →
Inspiration for the New Year
On New Years Day I typically share W. H. Audenโs poem New Year Letter, a truly imaginative and insightful piece I commend to you once again. This year however, I want to share something different, a sort of what I got for Christmas this year kind of report. I have almost finished "Joyride: A Memoir"... Continue Reading →
Within a hair
Another in a series by me. For other chapters see below โWhat clipper did I use last time? Number three, or number four?โ I had procrastinated long enough. Looking like a modern day Einstein, my hair scrambled madly off in all directions, a sort of Labradoodle look with a dry, scratchy beard attached. It was... Continue Reading →
Essential “night before” listening for all ages
It is indeed ages since I have read or heard this poem. A marvellous presentation by Louis Armstrong (Sachmo). Not sure of the piano accompanist but might have been Marian McPartland. Brilliant and sensitive playing. Other great seasonal links in the Youtube comments and description. Happy Christmas to all. https://youtu.be/cmt2TZWGoO8