From Who We Are: Four Questions For a Life and a Nationby Murray Sinclair , Sara Sinclair, Niigaan SinclairLearn about this very special book here As we grow oldthe ground we walk onrises upso that,as each of those few momentsleft to uspass byand we grow oldand hair turns greyer stillwe move a bit more slowly.... Continue Reading →
Winter’s Cloak — A poem
With thanks to Karen Pidcock for the share. This year I do not wantthe dark to leave me.I need its wrapof silent stillness,its cloakof long lasting embrace.Too much lighthas pulled me awayfrom the chamberof gestation. Let the dawnscome late,let the sunsetsarrive early,let the eveningsextend themselveswhile I lean intothe abyss of my being. Let me lie... Continue Reading →
There Will Come Soft Rains — Story, Word, and Song
Amidst the seasonal flurry of activity, and given much anxiety of global and national geopolitics, here is a refreshing story, word, and song. Enjoy. “There Will Come Soft Rains” is a lyric poem by Sara Teasdale published in the July 18 issue of “Harper’s” magazine, just after the start of the 1918 German Spring Offensive... Continue Reading →
Keeping the flame alive
Cónal Creedon is a critically acclaimed novelist, playwright and documentary filmmaker. Many readers will already be familiar with him. I was not, until a writer friend, Norma, shared with me a CBC Radio Ideas special event from McGill University in Montreal. Writing in USA Review Of Books, Kate Robinson describes Creedon’s work this way: “Creedon’s... Continue Reading →
A different Advent hymn
Growing up as a boy chorister at St. John the Divine in Victoria I remember well the hymns of Advent. “Come thou redeemer of the earth,” “Lo, He comes with clouds, descending,” “On Jordan’s bank the Baptist cry,” with many others. These well populate my musical memory in a wonderful way, though I must say... Continue Reading →
God the Creator?
Jesse Zink is Principal of Montreal Diocesan Theological College and canon theologian in the Diocese of Montreal. His recent book Faithful, Hopeful, Creative: Fifteen Theses for Christians in a Crisis-Shaped World is now widely available. The following post by Jesse Zink was first published on Substack.com [Jesse Zink] A high-profile international gathering in Assisi earlier this... Continue Reading →
Finding our proper place — An ancient scene revisited
Walter Brueggemann is one of the foremost interpreters of the Old Testament of our day. As an American Christian educator he reflects here a day after the recent US federal election. He turns to Holy Scripture and to the prophet Elijah In the wake of the 2024 presidential election and its acute disappointment for many,... Continue Reading →
Now is not the time to be afraid of the dark
Two responses to the 2024 elections From Jennifer Henry, United Church of Canada national staff and former director of KIROS Ecumenical Justice Initiative (shared Wednesday November 6) I don't have any place in my head or heart for pundits or analysts today. Certainly no place for "I told you so's" or "who cares anyway." I... Continue Reading →
And in other news — Wisdom for today from the late Justice Murray Sinclair
The Hon. Justice Murray Sinclair died Monday November 4, 2024. My own acknowledgement is here. Written in 2021 here are some of Justice Sinclair’s words. His inspiration continues . . . If you know your Creation story, Then you know from where you have come And you know where you are going And what you... Continue Reading →
There are some good people left – Some very good people
Author Wendell Berry, a Kentucky native who turned 90 years old on 8/5/24, studied at Stanford University, visited Tuscany for a year as a Guggenheim fellow, and then taught at New York University for two years. An invitation to teach at the University of Kentucky, however, carried him back home. He bought a farm near... Continue Reading →