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 →
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 →
I haven’t done my own work on this yet – I am curious, and very hopeful
Christopher Lamb on CNN Pope Leo XIV says control of artificial intelligence must not remain in the hands โof a fewโ while warning that technology is fueling world conflicts, setting out his proposals in the first major theological document of his pontificate. These include protecting the distinctive โgrandeur of humanityโ amid rapidly changing technology and... Continue Reading →
Call the Midwife — Kindness on full display
Credit: Neal Street Productions/BBC Posted by Michelle Collins on May 12, 2026 via NPR SOME SPOILERS โSometimes, our new beginnings have been yearned for. We have chosen them. Others lie in wait...โ Jennifer Worthโs words (as spoken by Vanessa Redgrave) kick off the season finale. This final episode offers a deeply moving look at what... Continue Reading →
The legacy of Rachel Held Evans
A Memory from Jim Palmer on Facebook About eighteen years ago a young woman named Rachel Held Evans contacted me because she was beginning to see Christianity differently and wanted to write about it. She sent me her manuscript, and we worked on her book together. She published four books in total. I got to... Continue Reading →
Literary guardrails in an AI world
Ken Gray, with materials from CBC News, Apr 12, 2026 Jenna Benchetrit explores AI implications for writers. โHi; my name is Ken.โ โHi Ken.โ โI occasionally use AI.โ โWow; did you make that up yourself Ken? Or did AI help? And if it did, how did AI help you?โ โNo I did not use AI... Continue Reading →
How an old Jewish legend encourages me personally
From Jim Palmer on Facebook [Ken Gray writes] In my never-ending attempt to deal with my own ego needs I found this piece by Jim Palmer interesting and encouraging. In other words: โWhat to do when the spotlight fades . . .โ [Jim Palmer] There is an old Jewish legend that in every generation there... Continue Reading →
Moving on
She is so beautiful. I cannot believe my good fortune to have found a partner in love who is not only smart, and tenacious, and principled, and funny โ and did I say, gorgeous? Of course healthy relationships must be more than skin deep. But beautiful skin, dark hair, and blue eyes, a fit and... Continue Reading →
Ancient sites, academic centres, community libraries, memory is being destroyed in Gaza
From Truthout. Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation. More than 87 public libraries and archives in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed by Israelโs genocide. By Eman Abu Zayed , Truthout Published... Continue Reading →
Barricade
Another in the series: โStories from Somewhereโ by Ken Gray Barricade โ (from French barrique 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. The day has finally arrived. After many weeks of planning, our small group of... Continue Reading →