Articles

What are you excited about today? What bounced you out of bed this morning? Was it one of the kids? Ours used to bounce us out of bed Christmas morning at 4 am. I’d say, “Hey! Go back to bed. It’s October.” We can all use an injection of enthusiasm now and then. So, I…

While I was writing the book, To Be Perfectly Honest, a daily diary of me trying to live without a lie, I wondered; “How honest should I be with my wife? I mean, when she asks me how the soup is, do I say, “Honey, normally your soup is amazing. But even Mozart wrote some…

I’m an optimist. Not even gravity can get me down. Recently I celebrated another birthday. A younger friend called and sang, “Hair Plugs Keep Fallin’ Off My Head.” I told him, “Hey! I feel pretty chipper. And last I checked no one had used the word ‘chipper’ for about 30 years.” Another friend didn’t celebrate…

One holiday weekend, my friends Bob and Audrey left Winnipeg, Manitoba, their van piled high with sleeping bags and children, then steered across 1,000 miles of open prairie to see the in-laws in Michigan. Sunday night they headed for home, driving through the night. When Audrey offered to drive, Bob clambered into the back and…

Have you ever wondered what people did before certain inventions? Like the breath mint. Or the singing fish? Or heated seats? I love heated seats because my dear wife has something called hot flashes and, boy can you have fun playing with the heated seat button in the summer. I’ve only done this once. Honest.…

During the Christmas holidays, a boy turned the pages on the old family Bible and was fascinated by the colourful artwork. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and held it to the light. It was an old leaf his mother had pressed between the pages. “Mom,” he said, “look what I found.” “What…

When I was a child, my parents weren’t able to afford much for Christmas, so I didn’t expect much. And the beauty of low expectations is that you’re content with almost anything. “A walnut, why thank you. You shouldn’t have.”  “Socks. Wow. I thought I was getting my brother’s old socks this year. But these…

When I was a kid, I loved to sneak around at Christmas. We were forbidden to touch gifts beneath the tree. Or shake them. So naturally, I waited until everyone was asleep to do so. I loved sneaking around, spying on people, seeing how high I could get them to jump. Teenagers were the best…

  A grandfather lived a thousand miles from his nine grandkids. On December 1st he wrote a generous check to each of them. “This year you can buy your own present,” he wrote on the cards, then popped them in the mail. Christmas came and went. January passed. He wondered why he hadn’t heard from…