Ninety-two-year-old artist publishes children’s book
When Rita Dahl was a child, the bottom third of the family’s kitchen door was her canvas. The top sections were for her older sisters to draw on. “We were products of the Depression and we couldn’t buy a lot of paper, so our mother let us draw on the kitchen door,” she said. “We…
The practice of writing
In his book Bread for the Journey, Henri Nouwen had this to say about the practice of writing: “Writing can be a true spiritual discipline. Writing can help us to concentrate, to get in touch with the deeper stirrings of our hearts, to clarify our minds, to process confusing emotions, to reflect on our experiences,…
Reading, watching, listening: A buffet
When the conversation is lagging in social situations, one of my favourite questions to ask is, “What are you reading?” This inquiry often leads to an interesting interchange of ideas and suggestions. Today, I’ll turn the table and tell you about some things that I’ve been reading. And watching. And listening to. Here are a…
‘I do believe in prayer because I believe in poetry’
Sarah Ens’s writing career started at the age of six with a story suspiciously similar to the children’s book, Julie and the Wolves. But since those early days, she has grown into an award-winning poet. Earlier this month, she won an honourable mention and $150 in a competition for the Young Buck Poetry Prize, a…
Prayer and a Paper Shredder
I just read through my “morning pages,” looking for nuggets to blog about and ripping out pages to shred. “Morning pages” come from a class I took last year. It focused on “Disciplines for the Peacebuilder” and maintaining balance, and emotional and spiritual health when involved in the intense work of peacebuilding. The instructions were…
