Caring for our family
To the Anabaptist Mennonites and Brethren in Christ around the globe: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant disruption, pain and loss. We mourn with those who have lost loved ones and grieve the loss of livelihood for others. We long to gather freely again, to share a meal, and worship without constraints, because this is…
Holding the hope
Amidst the darkness and uncertainties of the past year, there have been some gifts in this pandemic time. One of these gifts has been increased acknowledgement of the existence of mental-health challenges, and of the reality that, for many, this is a profound struggle. Headlines this year have focused on the pervasive negative impacts of…
Readers write: May 10, 2021 issue
Venn diagram needs political domain Re: “Avoiding an environmental shipwreck,” March 29, page 4. Thanks for Tim Wiebe-Neufeld’s feature article. I applaud his call to both personal and congregational responsibility to make decisions based on environmental considerations. While his colourful Venn diagram shows domains, all of them right and valid, that address a more responsible…
Dreaming of a good night’s sleep
To some, rest is a four-letter word. There are a myriad of reasons why people avoid sleep: some restrict it in a counterproductive attempt to increase work output; others devalue sleep for the preference of entertainment; still others are reluctant to acknowledge their limits and they push through when their body signals it’s time to…
Helena Reimer
To celebrate Manitoba’s 150th birthday, the Trailblazer’s Award was established. Helena Reimer (1905-1993) of Steinbach, Man., was a recipient. Reimer was a nurse, educator, administrator and a pioneer. She was one of the first nurses in Canada selected to participate overseas in the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration during the Second World War. She…
Saying goodbye, then hello again
From 1992 to ’95 I worked at Rosthern (Sask.) Junior College as dean in the men’s dormitory. It was my first step away from the farm. I was 40 when I moved there, and the experience was rich and challenging. It was rich in that I was reminded that we are created in the holy…
Vaccination colonialism
Some of us are getting vaccinated against COVID-19, and more are on lists, anxiously waiting for supplies to become more robust, and hoping dearly that the end of the pandemic is in sight. Imagine being the Indigenous people of a land where the government doesn’t provide for you to get vaccinated, but it provides for…
Mennonites in Myanmar facing desperate situation
Amid mass protests, lethal military response and UN warnings of Myanmar becoming a “new Syria,” one Mennonite source in the country said, “We are in darkness, full of fear and with no hope for the future.” Canadian Mennonite has agreed not to use the source’s name due to the threat to those who speak critically…
Whoever has a nose, let them smell
It was the first Sunday of Advent and we had lit a single candle in our living room as part of our online worship service. Our Advent wreath was neatly set up on the coffee table, safely away from anything flammable, and our children are old enough to know to be careful with fire. Afterwards,…
