The people of God were worried. They saw suffering, hardship, and injustice all around them. They saw corruption from their country’s leaders and they didn’t know what to do. So they went to the leaders of their churches. What shall we do? they asked. Nothing, said the church leaders. It would be against God to…
Why I like craft
This is not going to turn into a craft expert blog, basically because I’m no expert. But that’s not important, because that’s not why I do it. Making something with your own hands is extremely therapeutic. We live in a world where everything is pre-made, pre-packaged, and just handed to us. While I am as…
Late bloomers
A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. The term is used metaphorically to describe a child or adolescent who develops slower than others in their age group, but eventually catches up and in some cases overtakes their peers, or an adult whose talent…
Bullying – why does it happen?
As long as people have been around, there have been bullies, and their victims. We like to think that we are becoming more civilized, but some things never seem to change, in spite of laws and rules of conduct. I believe that there are certain aspects of human behaviour that are so deeply ingrained that…
Encounters with Ursula Le Guin
This week the author Ursula Le Guin passed away at the age of 88. As one of my favourite authors from a very young age, I wanted to write a tribute to her work, and how it has impacted me over the years. Unlike many fans, my first encounter was not with the Earthsea trilogy,…
A parliamentary plea
We can’t afford it, the government cries We can’t let the poor eat Because then we’d miss out on the next gala brunch Offering all that is tasty and sweet We can’t tax big business, The poor things must keep what they’ve got Everyone knows that taxing should only Be paid by those who…
Why do people gossip?
Gossip is a bad word. We shake our heads and do not approve. So why do we do it? There are a lot of reasons given for gossip. In some contexts, gossip can be seen as positive. In the work place it can keep lines of communication open, foster a sense of community, and helps…
Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are useful. The problem is that we go about this in entirely the wrong way. The whole new year resolution thing has become something of a joke and a cliche. The consensus seems to be that you will decide to turn over a new leaf, make all sorts of plans, and that…
A perfect little Christmas
We’ve seen a million articles decrying the commercialization of Christmas and exhorting everyone to find meaning in other ways than spending money. The real problem with all this advertising is the message that Christmas must be perfect in order to be enjoyable. At this time of the year we get inundated with commercials, brochures, and…
Eclectic Assemblage 