It was our first camping trip to Elora Gorge conservation area. It would be one that we'd never forget.  Drivers in a storm My girlfriend and others waited for our arrival. We almost didn't make it. The two and half hour drive should have been easy enough. The weather decided that easy, was not an option. The rain followed us from our home in Windsor Ontario. The time we made up speeding down highway was lost driving the rural roads outside Elora Ontario. We were lost. We dodged lighting bolts that seemed to crash beside us. We were losing hope until we spotted a church. Looking for a sign The muddy parking lot was packed with vehicles. We liked our chances, so we decided to walk inside and ask for directions. The irony was uncanny; Two lost souls, looking for hope. Inside we could hear a what  could  only  be described as a cult speaking in tongues; that's what it sounded like. We had survived the frightful storm but feared something bigger: The ...

You may never catch a falling star but if you're lucky enough you can catch one flying by. It was a cool summer night. I was laying on the ground looking up at the splendors of heaven above. I'm weird that way -looking up while standing up, is a pain in the neck. My stepson came by and asked "whatcha doing?"  "I'm looking for a star" The sky was filled with stars so it was no surprise, he looked at me a little strange. He didn't have to say a word. I knew what he was thinking. "Should be easy enough to do"  I explained that once in a while you can see one streak across the sky. "They call them falling stars" He looked up for a while but his attention faded and was getting ready to leave. "You're going to miss it" I said. "Miss what?" he said. "That one special star" I said. "I know a secret" Suddenly, he was interested. "A secret? What kind of secret?" There was a p...

A Cup of Caring We notice what we notice, and too often, we focus on not noticing. The painful things we ignore or suppress. We hide pain and forget joy. Pain, like joy, is all around us. I search for joy. I am not saying that I don't see pain; I do. But most pain is out of our control. Joy is always in our control; We just need to see it. I saw it this morning. I was early for our Tuesday morning coffee club. While I waited for friends to arrive, I had time to write, think, and get a glimpse of pure joy.   There in front of me is a young man who is a caregiver to an old man who is noticeably mentally challenged. Every Tuesday they sit at the same booth by the window. I had seen them there before but today would be different. I was seeing them for the first time with my heart, instead of just my eyes. The old man is drinking coffee and eating a muffin. The young man looks at his cell phone between lulls in conversation.  They both take turns looking out the w...

I do not walk in shadows but beside shadows cast by those who have left room for me to do so. There is no proof of their existence (present day) but their light, I carry with me. My face is warmed by the glow of the sun but also warmed from within, with memories and together we cast the shadows. By the grace of God, illuminated by the sun. My pics: Seacliffe Park. Leamington, On, Canada. 

            Wednesday May 27/2026 Todays golf game wasn't the best but the company like always was good. It was a hot afternoon but now freshly showered, I am enjoying a cool evening breeze on my front porch. The sun is hidden from the view only to stretch shadows across lush green grass. In front of me is a huge red maple. Leaves are rustling and are turned up looking for moisture.  The Robin's nest that was visible just a week ago is now barricaded in a splendor of red and green. I can hear birds chirping. Sparrows and Robbins compete for my attention. I like to presume that is the case. In the far distance I can hear a red winged black bird.  The other day a hummingbird stopped by and hovered above our Rose of Sharon. I wondered if it was the same one from last year. I have waited for his return. And the return of my morning routine of writing and looking out my window seeing my little winged friend dancing from one blossom to the n...

It was a night of bar hopping. I had a few fuzzy navels in me and a little liquid courage. I had been trying to get the courage to ask this girl out all night, I will name her Becky. My attempt at being macho had backfired. She knew who I was and I knew I wasn't fooling anyone. I could have used a better pick up line. There was a guy she liked who wasn't wearing five pleated le Chatueu pants and a short collared Alexander Julian button down shirt. No, he was rugged and void of anything that could called  style. He was a white tee shirt and jeans grease ball.  "Hey Becky! Why don't you get rid of Tony Danza so we make some music together!" This was not my best pick up line. I was never good at pick up lines. To be totally truthful I have always been intimidated by pretty people. It didn’t matter if they were male or female. In my mind I was an average guy with an above average phobia of pretty people. Tony Danza was not real Tony Danza, he just looked like him. And...