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Tag Archives: grief
The wilted reverend: How to write a great eulogy
Last week, I found myself a little wilted after listening to eleven eulogies in only two funeral services. Yes, eleven. And while I listened to each one (which got to be rather challenging near the seventh or eighth, but I … Continue reading
The real dirt on a new neighourhood
I have been thinking about dirt lately. Because if you drive near my house you will see a lot of it. Just north of our neighbourhood, underneath huge dump trucks and excavators, there are acres of dusty brown earth. For … Continue reading
Sometimes even in the springtime hope is hard to find
A woman from our neighbourhood died. For ten years our families have shared an unremarkable friendship, really. We chatted in the doorway at birthday parties, arranged play dates, and exchanged stories about our kids. There was no drama, no intensity, … Continue reading
Every hospital needs a garden
Most pastors have reason to visit the hospital with fair regularity, but last week my visit was different. Wearing street clothes instead of a collar, I went to Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga and found my way to Palliative Care. … Continue reading
Seasons change and so does a bunch of other stuff
A fresh new school year has arrived and at our house we are all about new pencils, filling out school forms and a return to music lessons. So long, holidays. Adios, warm evenings on the patio. Goodbye fresh basil and tomatoes … Continue reading
Disappointment in the dirt
My fall crop was a dud. Yes, the fall crop I was so excited about, the fall crop I had managed to plant for the very first time, the fall crop of beets, turnips, lettuce and radishes–it failed. Miserably. With all … Continue reading
When I am old…
I have always been bothered by purple asters. Every year about this time they come into bloom with their fine mauve petals and tiny yellow centres. I see them everywhere growing on roadsides, in ditches and along the wooded trails by … Continue reading
Love the ones you’re with
Stirling—who was also Moe to some and grandpa to others—liked a good meal. His end of the table was always quiet at Christmas dinner as he settled into a heaping plateful of food that included the turkey neck that had been … Continue reading
Today I dealt with beans and carrots
Just as I began serving as a congregational minister in Strathroy, an elderly woman in the congregation was dying. She and her husband had both served as elders while they raised their eight children. She was beloved by many and a pillar of the … Continue reading
Gardening may not always be serene
Gardening is often thought to be a quiet activity. Here on sabbatical, you might imagine me spending my time among the flowers in a haze of peace and tranquility. In your mind’s eye there is only the humming of bees or the singing … Continue reading
bloomingreverend 