Category Society
At Essex Farm
I listened to the national Remembrance Day ceremonies from Ottawa on the radio this year. Felt strange to be observing a time of silence at 5 p.m. my time instead of the traditional 11 a.m. As always on November 11, I was thinking of my maternal grandfather, who came home from that First World War, […]
Remembrance Day 2020
I’m not sure what the ceremonies in Ottawa will look like today. Normally I would tune in for the 11 a.m. service, and will probably still do so. Here in Germany they don’t remember their war dead on November 11, so I won’t be attending anything locally. Over the years I have taken many pictures […]
The Child Soldier
Continuing our lead-up to remembrance day, a post from November 2014. When we visited the Commonwealth Military Cemetery at Essex Farm, near Ypres, Belgium, our guide pointed out the grave of V.J. Strudwick, who was killed in action January 14, 1916 at age 15. The official age to enlist was 18, for overseas service 19. […]
Time To Remember
I was planning on continuing my commentary on the US election today, then I looked at the calendar. It is almost November 11, Remembrance Day. We who have never experienced war can only dimly understand the sacrifices previous generations paid for our freedom. Today though, and for the next couple of days, some older posts […]
When It Is All Over…
I’m writing this shortly after midnight in the eastern US, and there is no winner yet in the American presidential election. There may not be by the time you read this. I have great respect for the Republican party’s ability, as the minority party, to get their supporters to the polls. That is how Donald […]
Who Is That Masked Man?
Does it feel to you like April has come back, even though it is November? Germany today increases its COVID-19 restrictions to pretty much what it was like in the Spring. Schools and churches remain open (for now), as do most shops (with restrictions on the number of people allowed inside at a time). Restaurants […]
Handling A Crisis
I remember waking up when the bomb went off, though I didn’t know what it was. I found out the next morning that there had been a terrorist attack on a nearby bridge. That was 1963. We think of Canada as a peaceful place, but growing up in Montreal in the 1960s we were very […]
Gotcha!?
Several years ago a friend introduced me to the satirical Babylon Bee website. Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s friends didn’t tell him about it. Maybe that is due to a lack of friends with a sense of humor. Or of friends who would frequent a Christian site such as the Bee. Whatever the reason, last week Trump […]
You’ve never heard of him, but…
…he was a big deal long before Christopher Columbus “discovered” America. Three years ago yesterday, I happened upon his statue while wandering through Bern, Switzerland. Adrian von Bubenberg was such a big deal that, after he died and was buried in Bern’s cathedral, the Pope wanted to dig up his grave and move the body […]
Reminder for Tough Times
A friend posted this on Facebook, and I though it worth passing on. This has been a rough year for so many people in so many ways. It isn’t always easy to keep a positive attitude. It reminded me of a passage from The Bible, from the fourth chapter of Philippians: Do not be anxious […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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