A Fellow Traveller

clipart from weddings.lovetoknow.com Two brides, both in their twenties, waiting to see their bridegrooms, two continents apart with entirely different circumstances, both are finally face to face on the same day with their groom. One bride waits because she married a foreigner and is suddenly barred from entering the United States from Canada.  The other is the bride of Christ, waiting as cancer shuts down her earthly body, till her spirit can fly to the heavenly kingdom. Families in both situations storm heaven’s gates, asking for a miracle.  Many tears are shed but both wait with hearts of acceptance, knowing things are beyond their control.  Both brides experience the emotional tearing of leaving family, yet know that greater things are ahead…..eventually! Pledges of commitment were spoken in front of a joyous audience of family and friends, one at a wedding and the other at a baptism years ago.  A seal of that commitment for one was a ring, for t...

A writing prompt was given to me by Rebel Diaries, a community I've joined for the next 10 weeks.  With pen in hand, I asked myself THE question, "Who am I?" My growing list of self-identity statements dragged on past mother, wife, teacher and friend to writer, encourager and listener.  Before long it included things like dreamer, searcher and rebel of status quo.  I also had to include victim, rescuer and protector.  I was past forty on my list before adding leader, follower and thinker.  Is this mess of complexity really who I am? I started another list - Who am I in Christ?  Adopted by God, wildly loved and forgiven topped my list.  It grew to include righteous, alive in Jesus and the apple of God's eye.  Masterpiece, pleasing to God and transformed made me catch my breath.  Did I really believe all that was on this second list? I woke in the night with anxious thoughts swirling once again.  The antidote for elusive sleep turned...

This was written by my mom a few years ago, to be shared at their 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration with family and friends.  She has been sharing copies with friends ever since until now the print copies are gone.  Thinking that it might be easier to share digitally, I add it now to my own stories, told in the voice of Mary Sider. Stones of Remembrance BACKGROUND                 The Bible study class at church was studying the book of Joshua and we were reading the story of the people miraculously crossing the Jordan River.  After getting across safely, God told the leaders to pick twelve stones out of the river.  They were to carry them to the other side to build a memorial to God.  Joshua told them, “When your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ you are to tell them what God did so amazingly to get the people across the river.”            ...

I want to thank you for maintaining the clarion bells that chime from your bell tower. It was Tuesday March 11 at five p.m.  My husband and I had spent the day as tourists in Old Town, St. Augustine.  I had a tea in my hand, he a coffee and we were relaxing in the square across the street beside the cannon. After the five hour chimes, bells started filling the air with praise, continuing for a full half hour. Come thou fount of every blessing.......Blest be the tie.....old hymns of faith from ages past. I knew most of the words and my heart soared as I worshipped. I felt as an island in the middle of the hub-bub around me but that seemed not to matter. The Harley's were steadily pulling out of town and my husband was busy admiring each group.  The trolley tours were clanging past so no one could even hear the chimes, just the talk from the tour guides. The horse and carriage came by but not a mention was made other than this being one of many churches in the area. I s...

Celebrating one hundred days of school can be an opportunity to have fun with big numbers. A colleague mentioned in the staff room that in a couple of years, she would like to bring her ninety eight year old grandma to school. My reaction was, "Why wait? Would she be able to come this year?"  (Understanding a century is a math expectation for grade four students.) It began last week with the writing down of our wonderings e.g "Were you one of the Pioneers?" "Did you have computers?..... restaurants?.....medical service?" We soon had a full range of questions for this special lady to answer when she came to visit our classroom. I have not seen my students so engaged and quiet, listening intently as she responded to their wonderings, needing her granddaughter sitting beside her because she doesn't like hearing aids. We heard about her experience in a tornado, about her amazement riding in a car for the first time, about pumping water into the kitc...

I left my classroom in June with everything packed up so a new floor could be laid down.  I returned in August to find no change; the broken tiles still there in their ugliness.  A school board inspector walking around even took a picture of it when I asked her, replying, "I'm sure you'll get a new floor NEXT summer!"  That was not the answer I was looking for. Even though there was only two weeks left,  I felt like it could happen, though likely impossible.  I flippantly said to a friend the Sunday before, "Only God could get me a new floor now." When I got an email that started with, "Bad news....they just ripped up your classroom floor last night,"  I had to smile and reflect on this good gift being given to me, even at such a late date.  God was getting me my new floor so I had better be patient and not start complaining. I filled the week with organizing things at home.  I did some curriculum planning for the new grade fours I was addin...

I get up before 6 a.m. to see my daughter off to work.  I grab my water and head out the door for a brisk walk, taking out the morning newspaper from it's box. It's sure a thick one, full of flyers!  The morning colours of a pink and purple sky bring a smile to my face.  It's going to be a good day. As I start down the street, I remember delivering the morning papers last summer.  I remember how I love seeing the morning sky as a moving canvas of swirling, changing colours.  Since my injuries sidelined that form of regular exercise, I've been slowly working up to walking again. My knee is starting to feel like it used to...finally! My neighbour also delivers and I know she's away in Stratford for a few days.  The thought crosses my mind, "I wonder who is doing her papers?  The way I'm feeling, I might be able to sub for her some day." Because of that thought, I turn right instead of my usual left and soon see her daughter with a heavy bag. Grand...