One of the riveting stores of my youth was of the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians of Ecuador. So when I found End of the Spear by Steve Saint in our church library, I eagerly plucked it off the shelf. Author Steve Saint is the son of pilot Nate Saint, who flew the… Continue reading End of the Spear – review
My Mother the Man Eater by Tracy KraussMy rating: 4 of 5 stars MA host of issues resurface when Joleen Allen’s ex-husband Harold—newly out of prison—sues her for a bundle of money. Does he even have a case? What (besides the money) is his motive? Joleen suspects a main one is to turn their five… Continue reading My Mother the Man-Eater – review
"Waterlilies" - painted card by Violet Nesdoly Do you have some favourite routines or rituals that you go through at the beginning of the year? To my mind, starting a new calendar with a new “last name” lends itself to several traditions that I’ve enjoyed for many years. One of them is choosing a word… Continue reading Choosing a word for the year
Christmas lights in Douglas Park this year, photographed after a snowfall a few weeks ago. On this day before Christmas Eve, I wish all who read here a Christmas filled with love, warmth, light, family, friendship, and health. Let Christmas Come Let strings of rainbows ringing patios,and radiant pearls outlining roofsblink into the twilight. Let… Continue reading Let Christmas Come
A Christmas Prayer Bring the Christmas life into our lives.Don’t let the hustle-hurry steal our joythe cashier lineups, traffic jams annoy.Flood us with peace till Christmas day arrives. Help us to hear the words of Christmas songsand let them calm us in the busy throngs.When beggars hold out hands, help us be wiseto see the… Continue reading A Christmas Prayer
A few years ago, our church’s Christmas production included selected individuals telling their own Christmas stories. One of the storytellers, Keri, came from an addiction fueled life on the streets. Her journey to Jesus and sobriety began with an anonymous gift given to her by someone handing out food in Vancouver’s downtown east side. I… Continue reading Christmas Seed
Welcome to December! In this month’s blogs, I’ll be sharing poems with you—mostly reflections on Christmas. In this first poem, I write about what I’ve spent most of yesterday and today doing: decorating my home for Christmas. At our house that’s a pretty predictable process. But not all Christmas preparations are as easy to list.… Continue reading Advent Preparations
When presented, by my writing group, with the challenge to write about my experience during the pandemic, my first thought was to do it in poem form (seeing as how it’s April and National Poetry Month). “Pandemic Lifestyle” is a snapshot of some of the things that have characterized the last months for me and… Continue reading Pandemic Lifestyle – a poem
The Minister's Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Forgiveness, and More by Karen StillerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I first discovered this book when I attended a webinar on writing spiritual memoir hosted by an Ottawa writing group, where the author, Karen Stiller, was the presenter. I was intrigued. Watching a later… Continue reading The Minister’s Wife – review
Here, on Good Friday, the last day of Lent, Laurel and I conclude our Lenten conversation with one more poem and image. Laurel’s poem prompt, “Quicken,” articulates the restless dissatisfaction and the sense of “dare I hope that things can be different?” characteristic of us in our human state. Those feelings have only been amplified… Continue reading Lent Conversation — Conclusion
Violet Nesdoly 