There were children playing on the Johnson property everywhere. In the barn, a giant ship-mooring rope hung from a centre beam, with an enormous knot at its end, large enough to hold several children. “Hey, jump on!” prodded one of the bigger kids. “Are you sure it's OK?” I asked. “Oh yeah, we do this all the time.” There were four of us, and we climbed aboard, adding to an already overcrowded knot. We began swinging the knot back and forth like a giant pendulum. Soon after,

It was a warm summer day at a family picnic table near the shore of the Bay of Quinte. Uncle Earl “Sonny” Green sat with three enthusiastic children, their eager faces turned toward him as he recalled moments from a life which had known both extraordinary sorrow and exuberant joy. At eighty-seven, his face was etched with time, but his eyes still carried a remarkable spark. His memories reached back to his early years at the Brantford Mohawk Residential School and forward to

Editorial by TODD GREEN The Standard Fathers. I've had three in my life, two of them contributed more than they know. The first father I had, brought me into this world. He was a bit of a train wreck, marriage wise, but while in their lives, he was fiercely loyal to those around him, stimulating a return in kind. One of his passions was creative writing. In part, I have reaped a blessing from that lineage, and you are experiencing it now. His other main passion was being a ca

It's a time of casting off the callousness, encasing one's existence, and soaking up something new offered there. Like when a seed discards its outer shell and is given new life, provided by the bacteria from the soil, an entirely new manner and direction of growth is activated. The transformation is radical, a seed radical, if you will. This is when new purpose is begun, living in darkness below the soil is ended, and a stage of soaking in the light, a dependency on the sun,

This past week was Groundhog Day, a day to look forward with expectancy and hope. By the way, Wiarton Willie has predicted only two more weeks of winter. It is also a day to gather warm memories and anticipate many more to come. Sunshine... on my shoulders makes me happy. Sunshine... in my eyes can make me cry. Sunshine... on the water looks so lovely. Sunshine... almost always makes me high. Many of our readers will remember these words, sung by John Denver, in the song apt

Durham Region and Kawartha Lakes are facing a housing crisis. First-time buyers struggle to afford homes, seniors seek manageable living options, and many residents simply cannot find stable, affordable housing. As local leaders search for solutions, one idea deserves serious attention: tiny homes. Tiny homes, compact, efficient dwellings often under 500 square feet, are more than a trendy concept. They provide affordable, flexible housing for a wide range of residents. Young

Canada was built on the idea people should be free to believe, or not believe, without government interference. From the country’s earliest days, religious freedom helped shape our communities. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other faith groups helped build schools, hospitals and charities which still serve Canadians today. This was possible because the state did not control belief and belief did not control the state. That balance is now being questioned by Bill C-9. Supp

Gifts are given, the days been lived in. The children have spent the day in delight, the big feed has happened, and maybe some laughs and memories have passed between family members who came to visit. A flurry of phone calls, Zoom calls, and texts have taken place and a warm glow of support and renewed connection is in the atmosphere. Well, what's next, tomorrow? Do we continue on, in this newly asserted goodwill, or do we malinger back into the distances we have become accu

I thought I would share of some of the Christmas traditions we have entered into, in our home and family time. Christmas, many will agree, is especially marketed to children these days, however, it's truth has nothing to do with children frantically opening boxes of gifts, set aside so quickly they have no time to truly appreciate the thought behind the offering. In our early years of being married, my wife Colleen and I attempted to start a new Christmas tradition of making