Canada in Pictures by Steph Beth Nickel

How best to express my feelings about "our home and native land"? Why not share some photos I've taken?

 Mom & the Kids

Cottage Country

Autumn Canvas

The Weight of Winter

Canada 150: Proudly Canadian by Sandi Somers

Today is Canada’s 150^th birthday as a nation. Throughout the country, celebrations commemorate our history, our heritage and our nationhood. This month our writers will honour Canada, focusing any Canadian theme that resonates.

A Legacy of Faith and God’s Faithfulness

November, 2004.

 “There it is,” said my nephew Trevor, driving into the parking lot. Across the street stood the Joseph Schneider Haus, almost hidden behind an old spruce.

At the Joseph Schneider Haus

This house, the first home in what is now Kitchener, Ontario, was built in 1816. It has been restored and is now a National Historic Site. But beyond the historical significance, it had special meaning for us: Joseph Schneider was my great-great-great grandfather.

Several years earlier, I had heard about this part of our family heritage. I was eager to learn more, and so when I attended a conference in Toronto, I connected with my nephew Trevor who lived in the area, and together we travelled to Kitchener.

 As we toured the house and outbuildings, I couldn’t help but think of the legacy Joseph and his family left us.

Joseph and his family arrived in Canada to set down family roots.

Trevor and I had come to explore our family roots.

          Touring the Haus and museum, we learned Joseph and his family had travelled by Conestoga wagon from Pennsylvania, taking over seven weeks. In contrast, I had flown from Calgary to Toronto in an afternoon.  

The day after touring the Haus and graveyard where Joseph and his wife Barbara were buried, and then watching the Grey Cup game (by the way, the Toronto Argonauts defeated the BC Lions 27-19), Trevor and I headed to the library at the University of Waterloo to see our Schneider Family Bible. Our forefathers had lived in Switzerland and purchased this Froschauer Bible in 1561. It’s a rare book indeed, one of only eight known copies of this edition! It even predates our English King James Bible by fifty years!

The librarian welcomed our visit. “About five or six family members from across Canada and United States come every year to look at the Bible and touch their family’s history,” he said, pulling the big brown book from the reference shelf.

Trevor Examining the Bible

He gave us white gloves before touching the antique book. I was already familiar with the Bible, having received pictures from a distant relative. But now touching it was electrifying.

           I felt the leather cover. The Bible had once been a high quality book, very expensive, but over the years it had become worn. Jewels once decorated the front cover. Had family members sold a jewel or two to pay for a passage to the next destination?

The Bible had been through a dramatic history, transported through boat trips, on wagons in winter and summer weather, surviving move after move after move through Europe, into Pennsylvania, and then to Kitchener. The centuries of use and travel had been hard on it.

If only it could tell it story! Those details are lost to history, but as Trevor and leafed through the pages delicate with age, we discovered clues. Corners and edges of the front and back pages, once worn away, had been restored. The book of James, the three Johns and Revelation, had fallen out. But someone with a vested interest in preserving the Bible had hand written those books.

Lastly, we looked through the pages containing the family genealogy, beginning in 1534. Different heads of families recorded marriages, children and deaths. The person who received the Bible after the father passed away wrote this important transfer. Migration from one location or country to another were noted. The personalities of the writers shone through with their artistic Swiss handwriting that included unique flairs and swirls. We couldn’t read the German, but on further pages someone had neatly translated the German into English.

I tried to imagine my ancestors who had owned the Bible. Had the father pulled his family together each evening to read the next chapter? Did they discuss God's faithfulness from His Word? Had they memorized large portions? I could only peek into this written heritage of their lives and journeys.

However, their voices behind the written genealogy echo across almost six centuries and across two continents, and speak of perseverance and faith in God.

It was a strategic weekend, as Trevor and I knew we were the recipients of a great heritage. Our forefathers had been part of making Canada the great nation that it is today. But more, we had touched their legacy of faith and God’s faithfulness.

“The faith we often take for granted has been defended at great cost,” wrote Lloyd John Ogilvie. “We are fortunate to have freedom of worship in which we can openly follow Christ. But we dare not take it for granted. It should spur us on to faithfulness and obedience to Christ today.”

I prayed that we, too, would leave a godly heritage to our families, churches, communities and Canada itself.

It's What's Inside That Counts: Journaling by Bob Jones

Here I am getting ready for the 29^th of the month. Again.

And again, women and men of Inscribe Writers Online have shared incredible insights on the subject of journaling. I enjoyed reading them all. I learned (and laughed) so much.

(But I do wonder what happened to the writers for June 2^nd, 5^th, 7^th, 11^th, 13^th 23^rd, and 24^th. Maybe they were too busy journaling to post.)

So – and here’s a writer’s favorite question – “What can I write about that hasn’t already been shared?”  I feel such a temptation to plagiarize. (Note to self – write July’s post before July 1^st)

I look at my current journal and it reminds me of why I journal. This journal was a 2016 Christmas present.

On the cover is the quote - “It’s what inside that counts.” On the inside cover page is an inscription from one of my sons, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters.

“Dad, Another year, another journal, another glimpse into your journey. We pray you are blessed beyond measure in the coming year.”

I can’t read these words, let alone type them without losing my ability to see clearly.

The penmanship tells me that it was my daughter-in-law that wrote the words. That means all the more to me. To be loved by the woman your son chose to be his wife and the mother of my grand girls is beyond words.

Why do I journal?

Because I keep receiving journals as Christmas presents.

Because I’m reminded that my writing is valued by people other than me.

Because journaling keeps me alert to what really matters.

Because I would easily forget the good that comes to me “on my journey” if I didn’t journal.

Now, I’m ready for July.

Bob is a recovering perfectionist, who collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and drinks Iced Tea. His office walls are adorned with his sons’ framed football jerseys, and his library shelves, with soul food. He writes to inspire people to be real, grow an authentic faith in Jesus, enjoy healthy relationships and discover their life purpose.  

Follow his writing at Pointe's of View.

Take Note of Note Takers -- Bruce Atchison

I blogged some years ago about how my journal helped me remember my vacation to Trinidad in 1982. It certainly did help with the details when I wrote my How I Was Razed memoir. Many of the incidents either had faded from my mind or I misremembered them.

But notebooks aren't the only way we can remember times in our lives. Looking at photos and videos show subtleties which our notes might miss.

The snapshots and home videos of my bunnies sure helped me with details which I wrote in When a Man Loves a Rabbit. Seeing them doing all their cute things helped me to add an extra layer of description to my narrative.

When I wrote Deliverance from Jericho, I had few photos and no video reminders. Instead, I listened to songs from the sixties which brought back memories of those times. Some of those recollections were quite painful but writing them down became excellent therapy for me.

Old e-mail and newsgroup posts were also a great help with my writing. I save my correspondence and that helped me with my recalling of exactly what happened. The paper letters I kept likewise remind me of what people wrote and even the style of their writing.

One thing I enjoy doing when on vacation is recording local radio stations. The cassettes I taped in Trinidad as well as when I visited Moscow in 1997 gave me the local cultural flavour of the two countries. I still treasure those recordings and I've digitized them.

I'm glad I hung on to all those letters, floppy disks, tapes, photos, and videos. And thanks to YouTube, I was able to find songs which I didn't have in my music collection. In future, I'd like to scan all of these letters so  I can preserve them. My nephews and nieces might be curious someday about what their strange uncle with the rabbits wrote.