I never really wondered why bananas are shaped the way that they are until I saw a children's program about them on television. I was intrigued, so I looked up the details on Google, and here is what I found out. Banana plants look like … Read more

One of the many important gifts that God has given to human beings is the ability to remember. While memories are sometimes unpleasant, most often they are helpful, enjoyable, and, in some circumstances, even essential, as our society … Read more

The first family road trip that I remember taking happened when I was eleven years old. From our home on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, we travelled all the way to the Okanagan. Now an easy trip of eight or nine hours, it took … Read more

Years ago, I used to be a Vision and Values governor for a school where I did my best to uphold Christian values in a state-financed, nominally Christian school. My work as a governor made me realize that what I said and did, or assented … Read more

No one has penned the "if only" conundrum more appropriately than poet Robert Frost in the selection, "The Road Not Taken": Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And … Read more

When I was a very young girl, until I heard the lonesome steam whistle, I didn't know that a section of California's Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks were six miles down the mountain from my grandparents' sheep ranch. The wind … Read more

Whenever I walked up to the main house in the morning to look after my granddaughters while my daughter went to work, I always put small treats in my pocket. There were two hard, green spearmint candies — one for Ade, who is the older … Read more

The society that we live in offers an abundance of choices — at times, too many to take in. I find big-box stores to be overwhelming to enter, with their cavernous ceilings and seemingly endless rows of goods piled high. Finding what I … Read more

The warning was clear: "Back off!" I'll never forget it. I had been calmly strolling down the farm lane when suddenly, I found myself being chased by a raging gander, spewing hisses and honks. He swiftly approached me with outstretched … Read more

I love the genial attitude of Paul when he is being interrogated by the local Roman rulers in today's passage. He knows that his life is on the line, but instead of remaining fearfully silent or pleading for forgiveness, he shares his … Read more