As I write, Lola (my four-year-old cockapoo) is curled at my feet with no desire to be anywhere else in this wide world – or to be with anyone else. She and I happily co-habitate in the simple delight of each other's company.Pets are wonderful gifts from God. Following my divorce, I was very lonely and shall never regret adopting Lola. She truly has been a life saver.I have had many pets through the years – cats named Pasha, Geraldine, Zoe, Agatha, Clara Tabiltha, Mrs. Krinkletail, Sox, Hooligan Gilligan, Mr. Gump, Brother and Portia; dogs named Waggo, Zsa-Zsa, Samantha, Beaureguard, [...]

Here it is after midnight again and I'm just starting to blog. I've been moving all day and am exhausted, but feel great because I got my new kitchen all organized today - must take some pics for the blog.My new landlord has been wonderful about getting everything tickety-boo for me before the big move. He's been putting up crown molding, painting, installing a new washer/dryer etc. etc. - all very physical stuff and tonight he was telling me how much pain he is in daily with his back. He went on to describe the seriousness of his condition. I [...]

In 2005, I discovered that I had a brother, five years older than I – my father's only son. I had always wanted a big brother but never dreamt that it would happen like this. I cried for three days, mourning the loss of the reality I had known, before concluding that I needed to celebrate this new relationship and enfold it into my new reality.When Richard discovered that he had a sister who writes, he decided to try his hand at it and started whipping off novels, not to publish, just for his own interest. I was amazed! It [...]

Okay – so I'm human. Although I've accepted the fact that I can't purchase my own home yet and have to rent again, I'm  ticked off about having to move. If I could see purpose in this move beyond my landlord needing the space for his newly-acquired family, I wouldn't have a problem. If I knew for sure that God had a purpose, I'd be totally on side. However, from my present perspective, all I see is the huge job of moving, the confusion of changing my address and contact info, and a monumental interruption to my work. I am [...]

My youngest son, Todd, and his wife Jenny recently welcomed their first child – Noah Tennyson Chaytor-Lee – a beautiful name for a beautiful child. If there could be a perfect entry into the world, that would be the birth story of little Noah.Not so with his father! Three months into my 1973 pregnancy with Todd, we moved to Montreal. Because my then-husband was already working there, it was up to me to pack up our Ontario home and move the family. Boxes had to be packed, heavy things had to be lifted and I did what I had to [...]

The material I had to work with for my first book with Rev. Gordon Williams (Like a Rushing Mighty Wind) was so rich with stories of miracles that it was difficult to choose one for the introduction.We settled on the story of a little girl with buck teeth who asked Jesus for a miracle and received one. The Preface began...  “'Do you want to see what Jesus did for me?'    I looked down at the eleven-year-old freckled face smiling broadly up into my own.  The face looked vaguely familiar, and I began to remember praying for the child in the [...]

With all the uncertainty of this move, I have felt as though my life is totally upside down. I have not been able to focus on my work and, with all my belongings packed in boxes, everything is in disarray.In the midst of all of this, Jane-Anne invited me to her cottage for a couple of days and I accepted gladly – anything to escape the confusion. The thought of serenity beside a lake was most welcome.What follows may not seem like a miracle, but the restoration that has taken place since my arrival yesterday is truly remarkable. This morning, [...]

My son Timothy has led a very adventurous life, for which I am sure God has had to commission a whole legion of angels for protection! Tim is now 40 and a Forensic Fire Investigation Engineer and I am very proud of him, but there have been more hills and valleys in his life than there are crossing the Rockies to reach him where he now resides in B.C. with his family.When Tim was 12, he was visiting friends of our family on a farm. Their two-story farm house had a steep roof, over which was a tree branch where [...]

People talk all the time about the "miracle of life." It is very fresh in my heart with the arrival of Noah, my newest grandson, in March. There is no disputing the miracle of ten perfect little toes and ears that unfold like petals.But how about the miracle of ten gnarled toes and ears that no longer hear as easily as they once did - when they leave this world?My mom and I were very close. On the night she died at the age of 96, I was stroking her hair, lying on the bed beside her, singing an old [...]

A few years ago, I was sitting at dinner with friends at a writers' conference (Write Canada!). They began to discuss the poetry contest which was to be judged later that night. I had forgotten to submit anything, but when it was announced that submissions would still be accepted until the end of dinner, I quickly grabbed a pen from my purse and began to scribble. The topic we had been given was, "Compare an Orange to a Sheep." Can you imagine? What a crazy challenge!I prayed that God would give me something and here is what developed in the [...]