A Prescription for Preventing Hardening of the Heart

This past summer, in the middle of a pandemic, I underwent open-heart-triple-valve-repair surgery. That experience has led me to frequently considering the state of my heart, not just the body's blood pumping organ, but also the state of my other heart—the heart of the soul—the heart at the core of my affections and dreams. 

The Bible has a great deal to say about that heart. The prophet Jeremiah states, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it" (Jeremiah 17:9)? 

This devotional, which will appear in Volume II of Psalms 365, speaks to the 'heart' of the matter. And yes, it offers a cure if we will only take heed. 

Reading: Psalm 95

(Verses 7-11)
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
    as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest’” (NIV).*

[c Photo by Andreas Wohlfahrt on Pexels.com

Reflection
Long before we knew about the medical condition known as hardening of the arteries, there existed another condition called hardening of the heart. Hardening of the heart is not a deadly medical condition; it's a deadly spiritual condition. Those who suffer from hardening of the heart have a hard time hearing God, and when they do hear God, they tend to stop their ears, or they do their best to pretend that God hasn't spoken. 

Although we can safely say that this condition has existed since the human species stepped out of Eden, the first reported case of hardening of the heart occurred about 3,500 years ago. In the Book of Exodus we read that Pharaoh developed a severe case of hardening of the heart. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said (Exodus 8:15).

Time and again as the ten plagues ravaged Egypt, we read that Pharaoh hardened his heart and he would not let the people of Israel go. In several instances we read that the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart. But let's be clear about this condition. Heart hardening only happens with the willing participation of the individual. Don't go about blaming God for your hard heart. Hearts harden due to our willful disregard of God's Spirit and His laws.

Neither should we presume that heart hardening only happens with a certain type of person. We are all prone to develop this spiritual malady. Our ancestry or genetic makeup offers no protection. The Egyptian Pharaoh developed a heart, but ultimately the Israelites—the people that the LORD pried free from Pharaoh also developed the same condition. That's why the psalmist issues this warning: Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,  where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did."  

The key to avoiding a hard heart is hearing and heeding the voice of God. It's just that simple.

Response: LORD, give me ears that hear your voice gently speaking to me. Give me a heart that is quick to obey. I want a tender heart that reflects your love for me and for others. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Your Turn: Does a hard heart toward others result in a hard heart toward God? What are your thoughts?

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

General William and Catherine Booth: The Blood & The Fire

 

By Rev. Dr. Ed and Janice Hird

-previously published in the August 2020 Light Magazine

 

Cholera. Everyone’s fear, and it was happening again. William and Catherine Booth were there to help feed, clothe, and care for the sick in the stinky, rancid streets of East London.  It was 1866. 

The incoming tide from the Thames River dumped sewage into East London’s water reservoir. Almost 6,000 people died.  Two years earlier, Catherine and William Booth had started the Christian Mission in this part of London.  This is where the poorest of the poor lived.

Charles Dickens commented: “I consider the offensive smells, even in that short whiff, have been of a most head and stomach-distending nature.” The smell from the Thames was so bad that people became violently ill.  The Great Stink was not completely dealt with until 1875. 

Catherine, because of scoliosis curvature of the spine at age 14 and incipient tuberculosis at age 18, was often forced to spend weeks lying in bed.  Nothing however stopped her passion to make a difference in the lives of lost and hurting people.  She was always kind to everyone and never told a lie.

She had a strong Methodist upbringing, reading the Bible through eight times before the age of 12. As a preteen, she became concerned with the effects of alcoholism on the community, serving as Secretary for the Juvenile Temperance Society. Her father, while part of a total-abstinence league, used to periodically fall off the wagon.

At the home of Edward Rabbits, in 1851, she met William Booth, who, like Catherine, had been expelled by the Wesleyans for reform sympathies. He was reciting a temperance poem, “The Grog-seller’s Dream,” which appealed to Catherine.

As a vegetarian, she abhorred cruelty to animals.  If she saw a driver mistreating a horse, she would rush out onto the street and compel the driver to treat the horse more humanely.  Catherine, despite her natural shyness, would go to the slum tenements in East London, knock on doors, and ask them ‘Can I tell you about Jesus?” Some people say that she was a better preacher than her husband William.  She even wrote a 10,000-word essay, asserting equality for women in ministry.  Although William Booth had initially rejected the idea of women preachers, he changed his mind, later writing that "the best men in my Army are the women."  One of Catherine’s sons later commented, "She reminded me again and again of counsel pleading with judge and jury for the life of the prisoner. The fixed attention of the court, the mastery of facts, the absolute self-forgetfulness of the advocate, the ebb and flow of feeling, the hush during the vital passages—all were there."

Catherine Booth lobbied Queen Victoria to successfully support the "Parliamentary Bill for the protection of girls", changing the age of consent form 13 to 16.  Three hundred and forty thousand people signed her petition to end sex trafficking of thirteen-year olds.  Catherine Booth started the Food-for-the-Million Shops where the poor could purchase hot soup and a three-course dinner for just sixpence. On special occasions such as Christmas Day, Catherine would cook over 300 dinners to be distributed to the poor of East London. She became known as the “Mother of The Salvation Army”. Queen Victoria noted, “Her majesty learns with much satisfaction that you have with other members of your society been successful in your efforts to win many thousands to the ways of temperance, virtue and religion.”

William, originally a pawnbroker’s assistant, was a practical doer. In 1865, he used a tent on a used Quaker graveyard in East London.  His passion was for soup, soap and salvation. His motto was to ‘go for souls and go for the worst.’  Many of the local churches didn’t want William’s poor young converts because they would soil the seats.

In 1867, the Booths only had 10 full-time workers, but by 1874, the ‘Hallelujah Army’ had grown to 1,000 volunteers and 42 evangelists, all serving under the name “The Christian Mission.” In 1878, William changed the name to Salvation Army, with all the converts becoming soldiers or officers.  “Onward Christians Soldiers” became their favorite marching song.  In 1882, 669 Salvationists were brutally assaulted, with one woman dying.  During 1881 to 1885, 250,000 people were converted and joined the Army. More Londoners in an 1882 survey were worshipping with the Salvation Army than all the other churches combined.

Catherine designed the Salvation Army flag and bonnets which served as helmets to protect from rocks and rotten eggs.  The red on the flag symbolizes the blood shed by Christ, the yellow for the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blue for the purity of God the Father. The star contains the Salvation Army's motto, 'Blood and Fire'. This describes the blood of Jesus shed on the cross to save all people, and the fire of the Holy Spirit which purifies believers.  The Salvation Army uses this flag in their marches of witness, dedication of children and the swearing-in of soldiers. It is sometimes placed on the coffin at the funeral of a Salvationist.  Catherine had the Salvation Army flag brought into her bedroom as she was dying, saying “the blood and fire, that has been my life.  It has been a constant fight.”

Catherine and William revolutionized the match factories.  Women were earning a pittance for sixteen-hour days.  The deadly fumes from the yellow phosphorus rotted their jaws, turning their face green and black with foul-smelling pus.  Catherine pointed out that other European countries produced matches tipped with harmless red phosphorus.  The factory owners Bryant and May said that red phosphorus was too expensive to make the switch.  After Catherine’s death from breast cancer in 1890, her grief-stricken husband William opened a Salvation Army match factory, paying the workers twice the usual wage while using harmless red phosphorus. He organized tours by MPs and journalists to meet the yellow phosphorus victims, and to see the new alternative red phosphorus match factory.  In 1901,  Bryant and May buckled under the pressure and stopped using the toxic yellow phosphorus. 

Catherine loved the poor.  “With all their faults”, she said, “they have larger hearts than the rich.”  William said at her funeral, “She was love. Her whole soul was full of tender deep compassion.  Oh, how she loved.” Catherine believed that “if we are to better the future, we must disturb the present.” May the blood and fire of William and Catherine Booth’s ministry inspire us to disturb our present with love.

Rev. Dr. Ed and Janice Hird

-co-authors, Blue Sky novel

Repairing the Doors - The Way to a New Beginning by Rose McCormick Brandon

In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them. 2 Chronicles 29:3 

Young King Hezekiah, devout and earnest, ascended to Israel’s throne after the death of his idolatrous father, Ahaz. The citizens rejoiced because the new king had the heart of his ancestor, David, and not that of his father. 

The first thing Hezekiah did was open the temple and repair its doors. This act set the tone for his reign. God first. Led by their godly ruler, the nation repented of their sins and committed to serving God. That meant doing away with idols and living a holy life. 

What a great beginning! No to sin and the neglect of spiritual things. Yes to giving God first place. 

After Hezekiah repaired the temple doors, revival swept across Israel. Leaders who had followed the previous king into idol worship confessed their sins, rid their homes of false gods and committed to living in obedience to God.

One of the ways we can repair the gates of our lives is to come back to the cross. 

The act of painting blood on the lintel and the doorposts of their houses concluded Israel’s 400 year sojourn in Egypt. All other homes, including Pharaoh’s, lost their firstborn son on the night God sent the destroyer. Households under the sign of the cross were protected.

Crosses today are made of gold, silver and costly woods. The first cross consisted of blood on the warped rough wood of a peasant’s door. Jesus’ cross was made from wood of the cheapest quality. The best was reserved for palace furnishings not for crucifixions.

The cross, the symbol of Christianity, is disdained by some who prefer a tidy version of the gospel. Without the cross there is no gospel, nothing to save us from our sins. Paul preached “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (I Cor. 2:2).

Behind blood-stained doors Israelite families ate their final meals in the land of their bondage. The next morning more than a million men, women and children struck out on a journey to the Promised Land. Their first sweet day of freedom.

 Every journey with Christ begins at the cross, the doorway to Heaven. God used the stark ugliness of the cross to display the beauty of His mercy. There’s no getting over it or around it, all must go through the cross to experience forgiveness of sins.

“. . . God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .” (Gal. 6:14). 

Are the doors of your life in disrepair? Has Bible reading and prayer taken a backseat? Has the cross diminished in value? It’s time to repair the doors, set them solidly on the hinges of our lives. Time to get familiar with the squeak of the prayer closet door because that door determines the future.

SAME FAITH – DIFFERENT EXPRESSION by Eleanor Shepherd

One of the loveliest gifts that I received this Christmas was not intended as a Christmas gift. In mid-December we had the opportunity for a brief masked socially-distanced encounter with my older brother and his wife who live in St. Catharines, Ontario.

While visiting together, David gave me a notebook my parents shared over a period of years when they were young. It included interesting handwritten tidbits from their developing teaching and pastoring careers. Near the back of the book, I found prayers written out in my mother’s script.

I suspect these prayers were prepared for public events where Mom had been asked to offer prayer on behalf of those gathered.

Reading it, I realized how much I missed my parents’ daily prayers for family. For more than 65 years I was lifted up in prayer every day. It began before I was born and continued until they both left this earth. What did it mean – these prayers of my parents for me?

It was not an insurance policy. While I am sure I was protected from many disasters, I still experienced the accidents and illnesses that are a part of human life in this world, yet I thrived and developed.

Many opportunities and blessings also came my way, not because I was special nor did anything to merit them. They were gifts of grace and some I am sure coincided with the prayers of my parents as they presented my needs to God.

My journey of faith was no doubt influenced by their prayers. Their faith was unique to them and their era and I needed to discover my own. One of the important elements in this was language.

My parents’ faith was anchored in the language of the Bible they read and applied to their lives. That Bible was written in the 1611 English of the King James Version of the Bible. It was not surprizing that the language of their prayers was also King James English. As a child, I came to understand that to be the language of their faith. However, for me, this was not the case.

Like contemporary English for an immigrant who comes to this country, I understood and could communicate in King James English but when I really wanted to be understood, I used modern English. Thus, from a fairly young age, I began to speak to God myself in my English.

As part of my faith journey, I accepted the discipline of reading the Scriptures every day, in the faith language of my ancestors – King James English. Although I understood it, the world of which it spoke seemed distant and remote from my every day life.

Then when we were in our mid-twenties, the prayers of my parents for my developing faith were answered in a unique way by a gift to us from my husband, Glen’s parents. They gave us a copy of the newly available Living Bible. This was a version of the Bible that Ken Taylor had initially carefully paraphrased from King James English into contemporary English for his own family.

I began to read it immediately and the Bible really did come alive for me. As I read the stories of the life of Jesus, I could hear Him speaking in words that were meaningful for me. It was the words that were part of my everyday life. They enabled me to see more clearly how what He said and did could make a difference in my day-to-day life.

This was a helpful lesson for me as I matured and joined my parents in bringing to the Lord my concern for the faith development of my own children. Their faith journey has taken them into the 21^st century. They need to find the tools appropriate to their generation, like the YouVersion Bible on their devices and Pray-As-You-Go.  Their expression of faith is not the same as mine or my parents but is just as genuine and continues to grow as they learn to apply it to their lives in the world in which they live.

As we travel into 2021, may we each have eyes to see resources unique to our needs that the Lord continues to provide so we can comprehend the height and depth and width of God’s unfailing love for us – drawing us closer to Him.

Word Guild Award
2011

Word Guild Award
2009

Word Guild Award
2018

 

An Early Christmas Glow

What do writers want for Christmas? Here's a hint: It's a four letter word starting with the letter b and ending with k. If you guessed a book pat yourself on the back. But writers don't want just any book for Christmas. Most of all, they want a book with their name on the front cover. Well, you might say Christmas came early to our house this year with the arrival of my newest book last week. I'm still basking in the sunrise glow. Continue reading for a quick introduction to this first volume in a three book set.

Why dig into the Psalms? The Psalms are a poetic feast for the mind, soul and spirit. In them, you will find intimacy with God. For a hundred generations, hungry souls have found nourishment there.

Psalms 365 is specifically designed to help you develop a life of worship and prayer like the biblical David. Let author David Kitz take you on a journey—a journey to a deeper understanding of God’s will and his ways for your life. Each daily reading provides insight and inspiration for practical Christian living, allowing the Good Shepherd to guide you to the center of his will.

This 265-page volume packs a punch. It's slightly larger than the standard paperback size allowing for the use of a larger font. The end result is a cover and print content that is very easy on the eyes.

In total, this volume has 120 daily readings, spanning Psalm 1 through Psalm 51. Volumes two and three will be released as 2021 progresses allowing readers to journey through the entire 150 Psalms in the span of a year, hence the title Psalms 365.

Now is an ideal time to commit to a daily, year-long, devotional journey through the Psalms. Psalms 365 is written by Word Guild award-winning author David Kitz, is published by Elk Lake Publishing, and is available through Amazon and other retailers.

Despite the difficulties, isolation, and setbacks of this year, I want to wish you a very merry Christmas and a new year that sets your heart aglow. May there be good books—inspiring books—under your tree this Christmas.

David Kitz is the chair of The Word Guild, an avid blogger, and the author of several books.

Immanuel and the Man on the Moon by Rose McCormick Brandon

 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23

Jesus, our Immanuel, is our very own God to love and cherish. Immanuel knows us, listens for our voice, hears our prayers, revels in our praises. He is always with us – in the uncomplicated days of youth and in the trenches when life gets tough. Wherever we are, He is there. If we could soar to the moon, as James Irwin did, Emmanuel would be there with us.

“I felt the power of God as I’d never felt it before,” Irwin said of his Apollo 15 mission in July 1971. From his vantage point on the moon earth appeared the size of a thumbnail. It reminded him of a fragile Christmas ornament hanging in space. “It was touching to see the earth from this perspective,” he said. Irwin felt God so near He looked over his shoulder expecting to see Him.

Prior to his moon mission Irwin was a self-described “bump on a log Christian.” Afterwards, he formed The High Flight Foundation and devoted his life to sharing the love of Jesus

On the moon Irwin felt inspired to quote from Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

Soar to the heavens. Immanuel is there. Sink to the depths. He is there (Psa. 139:8). Immanuel, God with us, fills the soul with wonder and takes the fear out of living.

No power can wield any strength against me when He is with me (Rom. 8:31).

Before lifting off the earth to return to His rightful place at God’s right hand, Immanuel spoke these unforgettable words: 

“I am with you always, to the very end” (Matt. 28:20).

Prayer: Today, my Lord, I take time to consider that You are with me, always and forever. I’m never alone.

***

Rose McCormick Brandon lives in Caledonia, Ontario with husband Doug. An award-winning personal experience and inspirational writer, Rose contributes to denominational publications and devotionals. She writes and teaches Bible Studies, authors biblical essays and is the author of the Canadian history book, Promises of Home – Stories of Canada’s British Home Children. Her book, One Good Word Makes all the Difference, contains stories of her personal journey from prodigal to passionate follower of Jesus. She is the mother of three adult children and grandmother of four. 

What Will a Covid Christmas Look Like? by Eleanor Shepherd

             

   I think we are all wondering what Christmas is going to look like for us this year.  It will be different from our usual customs in so many ways because of Covid and the way that it has impacted our lives this year.

                For many of us there will be sadness at the renewed realization that someone we love is no longer with us, snatched from us in a most ungracious manner by this disease or another. We will mourn not only the loss of their presence with us, but also an inadequate opportunity to pay tribute to their life and memory in the way we would have wanted to do. We have not been able to hear about their kind deeds and friendly acts from friends and colleagues in the way we so often do when we meet for a memorial service to honour their memory.

                We will also realize that there are living relatives that we hoped to spend this Christmas with, but because of the isolation imposed upon us by Covid we will not be able to meet together in our usual large family gatherings, because of the risk of us infecting one another and then having to bear the guilt of that particularly if older members of the family become the victims.

                Children and grandchildren will be robbed of time to hear the stories of past Christmases from parents and grandparents and laugh together at some of the fun times that were had and cry together about disappointments experienced. Does that mean that Christmas will be all doom and gloom this year?  

                I don’t think it has to be. We can choose. We can make the most of some of the positive aspects of a Covid Christmas. Are there some? Let’s think about it.

                Covid will force us to keep our gatherings smaller and more manageable and we will not have to run around until the last minute making sure that we have everything just right. Hopefully we have learned during our lockdowns, that we really do not need all that we have. Many of us have spent the time at home profitably in ridding ourselves of acquired goods and chattel that we really do not need. With the peace and calm the lack of clutter has brought into our living spaces, hopefully we can remember that more important than the things we have are those who are with us. Then we can focus more fully on relationship time, instead of trying to impress those who know us so well that we do not fool them. That would take so much of the fuss and bother out of our Christmas preparations. We will be able to enjoy the beauty of simplicity.

                We may also arrive at the day of our Christmas celebration, not bone tired from the obligatory attendance at so many festive events that have filled our calendar. They may have been spectacular and enjoyable but were also exhausting and we often found ourselves running on adrenaline. This year we will be able to watch them on Zoom or YouTube and relax in our homes at the same time with our family or a close friend. 

 

                 Perhaps this year the gift giving frenzy will also be diminished with purchasing just a few things that we think those we love will really appreciate. We have the option of going on line and ordering something for family who cannot be with us and can connect with them electronically to watch them open our gift. Reduced shopping fatigue and careful unhurried selection of gifts will also impact the headaches in January when the bills come in. This will enable us to begin 2021 in a more positive and hopeful frame of mind.

                Hopefully when Christmas is over and we are able to begin receiving the Covid vaccine we will be aware that there have been some significant benefits to this unusual and challenging time. Like most of the difficult experiences we have in life, in choosing to face up to the challenges we will discover within ourselves a new depth of character that makes us people who are more attuned to the needs of others. My hope is that we will realize that this growth was fostered by a divine purpose for our good, in negative circumstances, and we have not gone through this alone. The Christ of Christmas has been with us.  

Heart Issues

In the introduction to Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, which will be released later this month, I make this statement, "Whatever state you find yourself in, there’s a psalm for that—a psalm for every situation and human need."

When you make statements like that you can expect your words to be put to the test. And they have!

This summer on July 16th, I collapsed on the floor of my study, and was rushed to hospital by ambulance. On July 24th, I had open-heart valve repair surgery. Three of my heart's four valves needed repair.

The recovery process has been long, slow and painful, but it's now apparent the worst is behind me.

What have I learned during that time? It can be summarized in the verse pictured below.

When your flesh and your heart fail, is God there to receive you—to strengthen you?

From personal experience, I can now say, "Yes, He is. God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

This verse from the Psalms speaks of resilience—a resilience that comes from a relationship with God. He is after all the God of resurrection and restoration. It's this heaven-born resilience that we all need during these trying times of economic woes and pandemic setbacks.

My collapse this summer came as a shock, but it wasn't totally unexpected. For my entire adult life, I was aware that I had heart issues. At age seventeen in preparation for college entrance, I was diagnosed with a barely perceptible heart murmur, technically called a mitral valve prolapse. None of this hindered my involvement in sports or fitness activities. In fact, later in life, my cardiologist encouraged me to stay active and go jogging.

I largely followed that advice. In the months and days before my collapse, I was averaging 10,000 steps per day on a weekly basis. The day before my first fainting spell I did 41 pushups extending myself out from the seat of a chair. Not too shabby for a 68 year-old man.

Suddenly, despite superior fitness, my flesh and my heart failed me. Did my heart fail me during an exercise routine? No. I collapsed while sitting at my desk staring at a computer screen. Apparently, sudden reversals like this are common for people with heart valve disfunctions.

The road to recovery has been hard on this old body—despite my recovery being aided by overall fitness before my collapse.

When your heart and flesh fail God is free to step in. You have nothing left. The reserve you need doesn't come from within. It comes directly from Him. "Underneath are the everlasting arms." See Deuteronomy 33:26-28.

Heart issues are best left in His hands.

David Kitz serves as chair of The Word Guild. His most recent published work is a translation of Mind Rooms, a psychological thriller by best-selling Turkish author Cem Gulbent.  

Honouring those who served

 

It’s hard to imagine, for the youth of our time, how veterans, once young people themselves, went off to a war they didn’t conceive.

My father was a young teen when the Second World War raged in Europe and beyond. He saw young men, older than himself, in uniform, and he told us, in our parents' collected stories, how handsome they looked, yet he never told us and perhaps didn’t know of the brokenness in those young men who returned home at the end of the war.

Not long after my father turned 16, as a young man living on a farm, the war ended. And although my dad as the youngest could have been called on to serve, he was not required to do so after all. I'm grateful he was spared.

A friend of mine who looked after her father in his last years of life recalled nights of terror for an old man reliving war memories. Make no mistake, being in the war fighting was no glorious thing, not proud as watching young men and women in uniform going off to serve their country in whatever capacity they were able.

A late minister of our home church worked as a cook on a ship as a young man. He told us stories in our confirmation class of how that ship was cleaned until it shone, and of meals he cooked in that navy vessel.

And we could listen to an account from a storyteller who made famous an imagined tale of a truce on Christmas Eve—just a short one—for the soldiers to take a short break from fighting. It didn’t really happen like that.

Even those not in the midst of fighting could tell stories—people who ran for their lives, or whose home was taken over by soldiers. We heard a few of those stories in our lifetime and many of them were challenged in telling it, recounting the emotions that went along with it. Something I do not know of, but honoured their true stories nonetheless.

A war, no matter whose conflict it is, is not a glorious thing, and those who did serve their country—to keep the freedoms we know and experience—gave more than you or me and lost more than both of us. 

I cannot imagine the horrors because I did not live them, and I would prefer not to, but I do acknowledge in the wearing of my poppy this week that others did and many never returned, but perished.

A memorial exists in a Guelph downtown church of Colonel John McCrae who wrote In Flanders Fields. The McCrae family had attended that church, one I imagine that was solemn as they learned that another one of their young bright men had died. That would have happened in countless places across Canada.

In Flanders fields the poppies grow…”

Let us not forget this November 11^th the democracy and freedoms we have that were so dearly bought. Let us remember that.

 

Carolyn R. Wilker, editor, author and storyteller

https://www.carolynwilker.ca/about/