Celebrating Advent with Mary, Joseph, and Faithful As a child, I loved when Christmas was coming. Can we reconnect with that joy as busy, stressed adults? Advent may help. This is also the story of my road back to church, aided by one or two dead women.
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It was hard to put down this riveting first-hand account of a Mennonite family’s hardship in the 1930s Soviet Union and the Second World War, ending with freedom in Canada. It was like sitting around the kitchen table listening to the author’s mother, two aunts and an uncle, share their intimate stories of survival. Insightful historical background is added to the eyewitness records. After writing my blog post, “How can I forgive?” I found a book that explains exactly how, using a four-step process. I had to see it. Delightful novel written almost entirely in the form of letters. The diary-like letters are the sole condition for Samantha’s grant to attend a journalism program. My father explains how his family survived famine My father lived through Ukraine's forced famine in 1932-34. Millions died. His family survived. This marvellous book follows a week-long conversation between two dear friends when Desmond Tutu visited the Dalai Lama at his adopted home in India in 2015. Both have experienced immense hardship but are able to model amazing joy. Writer Douglas Abrams brings to life their conversations on how that’s possible in a beautiful, often lyrical way. My Valentine's Gift for supporting the Surrey Community Cat Coalition Valentine’s Day can be difficult if you’re single, but this year it was lovely. It began with a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates, a prize for donating to the Surrey Community Cat Coalition. My love and concern for homeless cats was returned in a tasty gift. Local snowdrops bring cheer on wintry days An instrument of torture used to kill Jesus, the cross seems central to the Christian faith. Is there a way to see it that is uplifting rather than depressing? Can we apply it to our own trying times? My radical reading in the 1980s We wore soft cream-coloured raincoats over our undergarments. I had watched others being baptized at the front of the sanctuary for years, wishing I was tall enough not to drown. Now I was ready.
Campbell Valley Regional Park, the site of some risky driving behaviour We can’t always avoid crashing, but our attitude and even prayer can protect us. As I’ve seen the devastating impacts of road crashes, when I drive, I often pray for a safe journey. I recently learned a more powerful way to pray.
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WriterIrene Plett is a writer, poet and animal lover living in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Categories
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