Reaction vs Response

Suddenly, a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on her. I wondered if this was the cockroach’s response to all the glory that was spoken about it! She started screaming out of fear. With panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started doing jumping, with both...

The Orange Table Top

It was without a doubt the best sledding hill imaginable, incredibly steep at the top, a long steep run in the middle and a flat stretch at the bottom. And today, the conditions were perfect. From the windows of our Preteign Heights Public School classrooms we had...

The Way Home

I’d spent the night rushing to the window every time I heard a branch fall. Now, looking out into the early morning light, the devastation was obvious. Not one tree in our rural neighbourhoodin Kingston Ontario had been left untouched. Jagged branches lay...

Whatever You Need

I was working as a consultant in a beer company, helping the president and senior vice-presidents formulate and implement their new strategic vision. It was an enormous challenge. At the same time, my mother was in the final stages of cancer. I worked during the day...

It’s Never Too Late

It was an unusually busy day for the hospital staff on the sixth floor. Ten new patients were admitted and Nurse Susan spent the morning and afternoon checking them in. Her friend Sharron, an aide, prepared ten rooms for the patients and made sure they were...

The Cowboy Way

My father is fond of a phrase: “That would be the easy way, but it wouldn’t be the cowboy way.” And while it sounds a little nonsensical, you have to understand that my dad grew up watching Roy Rogers on TV. And Roy Rogers could always be counted on....