A Text Message Will Never Last 50 Years With Valentine’s Day coming up, millions of digital messages will be sent this Saturday. Emojis of hearts, quick “Luv U” texts, and funny GIFs. They are instant, efficient, and… completely temporary. I was rummaging through a box in the closet recently and found a bundle of letters … Read more
“Going Steady” and The Terror of the Front Porch I read an article the other day about how young people date now. Apparently, they “swipe left” or “swipe right” on their phones. There is no introduction, no nervousness, and certainly no meeting the parents—at least not at first. It got me thinking about the Rules … Read more
When I was growing up on the Canadian Prairies, the Eaton’s Christmas catalogue was the most read publication in our house. That is saying a lot, because any printed material was highly valued. The Country Guide and The Western Producer were near the top of the list, but the Christmas Catalogue was in a league … Read more
“This Sunday, I want to share a personal story about friendship and how it sometimes shows up in unexpected ways.” Today I want to tell you about a guy called Ross St. Quintin. Ross lives in a suburb of Perth, Australia, with his lovely wife, Jan. They have three grown daughters and a few grandchildren … Read more
Happy Weekend, Friends! Love is in the air this week… but unfortunately, so are the scammers. With Valentine’s Day coming up next Saturday, we want to start this roundup with a very timely warning. 🚨 Scam Alert: The “Sweetheart Swindle” The week leading up to Valentine’s Day is the busiest time of year for Romance … Read more
“Canada’s Sweetheart” Strikes Gold On February 6, 1948, 19-year-old Barbara Ann Scott of Ottawa skated her way into history—and our hearts. At the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, she won Canada’s first-ever gold medal in figure skating. It wasn’t just a win; it was a coronation. Skating on an outdoor rink that had been … Read more
We have spent the last few days talking about connection—how to find a safe, quiet corner of the internet to meet friends and share hobbies. But community isn’t just about chatting. It is also about growing. There is a Japanese concept called ikigai, which roughly translates to “a reason for being.” It suggests that happiness … Read more
Yesterday, we talked about the “noise” of the internet—that feeling of being in a crowded room where everyone is shouting. Today, let’s talk about the alternative: finding a room where people are actually talking about the things you love. One of the great myths about getting older is that our circles naturally shrink. We retire, … Read more
It’s Tuesday morning. The coffee is hot, the house is quiet—maybe a little too quiet—and outside, the Canadian winter is doing its best to keep us indoors. For many of us, this is the time of day when the iPad or the laptop comes out. We log on, looking for… well, something. A distraction? A … Read more
We’re going to spend some time this week talking about the internet and how we connect today. But long before Facebook, Twitter, or “Group Chats,” we had the original social network. The Party Line. If you grew up on the Prairies like I did (or really, anywhere rural in Canada back then), you know exactly … Read more
The Springhill Coal Mine Disaster in Nova Scotia was a catastrophic explosion in the No. 4 Colliery on November 1st, 1956. It started when runaway coal cars struck a high-voltage power line, igniting coal dust and causing widespread devastation, the explosion killed 39 miners and trapped many more. Massive rescue efforts saved many lives, including … Read more
Good morning, friends! We hope you are keeping warm. As we turn the calendar from January to February this weekend, the winter carnival season is officially kicking into high gear across the country. Whether you are brave enough to venture out into the snow or prefer to watch the festivities from a warm window with … Read more
Welcome back to our Friday history recap. We have some interesting bits for you this week. January 30, 1923: The Birth of CN Rail On this day, the Grand Trunk Railway was officially integrated into the Canadian National Railways (CNR). This was a massive moment for Canadian infrastructure. The federal government took over the struggling … Read more
We often look at our lives through the lens of the everyday—the chores, the shifts, the quiet moments on the porch. We tend to think that because we weren’t world leaders or famous explorers, our stories are just “ordinary.” But if there is one thing I have learned in my 70-plus years, it is this: … Read more
From the 60th Parallel to Miami, and All Points Between They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I’m not sure who “they” are, but I suspect they never spent 43 years wrestling a long-haul rig through a whiteout blizzard in the Kootenays or navigating the sweltering, … Read more
Why Your Story Deserves a Second Pair of Eyes There is a common misconception among new writers that hiring an editor is an admission of defeat—as if needing a second pair of eyes means you didn’t do the job right the first time. But in my years as a freelance editor, I’ve found the opposite … Read more
Hi Folks. Today we’re beginning a brand new series that we hope will keep us going for some time to come. We’re calling it REMEMBER WHEN and each week we will focus on something commonplace in most of our lives. This week’s Remember When is about my first car. They say you never forget … Read more
My mother and Muriel Henwood had been best friends since their early school days. Their friendship continued throughout the war years, and even after they were both married. Muriel’s husband, Henry Brine, was a miner who worked underground in the Springhill coal mines. During the summer months, Muriel and Henry often visited us on the … Read more
Good morning, friends! As we close out the first month of 2026, the winter rhythm has truly set in. Whether you are watching the snow fly in the Maritimes or seeing the first hints of early spring rain in BC, this is the time of year when staying connected—to our news and each other—keeps us … Read more
The Story: January 23, 1922 It is rare that we can point to a single day and say: “The world changed here.” But for millions of people, that day was January 23, 1922. In a hospital ward at Toronto General, a 14-year-old boy named Leonard Thompson was dying. He weighed only 65 pounds. He had … Read more