marriage

The upside of the “Get Married” mantra

Here’s something for young people. Who you marry will have a larger impact on your life than your career. I’m reading about it in The New York Times and The Atlantic. There’s a new wave of research. Marry and be happy. This is what it says. It’s interesting because it’s easy to assume

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Being good at being single

Most of us have no clue what we’re doing in these matters of the heart, but if you’re looking, and if it’s any help, here’s something for a summer day. It starts with a fine young lady, Corinna. Little Boy Hopeless, that’s me, hit her with a rock. In Grade 2. Seated behind her, I’d also pull her dark, silky hair. I liked her

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Waiting and living: an Advent reflection

Eat. Read. Pray. Fly out the door. School mornings this is the routine in our home.

A recent reading was about waiting. Cereal went into empty stomachs. I closed the book and made a comment about slowness. The children’s mother said, “But remember, with God a day is like

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Hey, let’s talk about sex!

In a few days the children’s mother and I are at a marriage retreat. It’s our first since I can’t remember when. The invitation, by fluke, came a day after I was propositioned to have an affair. Now, in this space, I don’t talk much about it, sex and all. This is because Mennonites didn’t even know what sex was until 1985,

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The fragrance of (my) life

So I’m in the middle of Africa dining with a colleague and he declares, “That’s great news about Jean. Congratulations!”

Out comes his phone and all the details and I’m in the dark and feeling rather sheepish about it. My bride, the children’s mother, in her natural humility, hadn’t told me of her recent recognition as a Canadian

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An anniversary wish to the music of my life

(The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, July 29, 2016)

HAMILTON, CANADA ✦ It’s a warm and ordinary day, warm and ordinary enough to run around in shorts and bare feet.

The children’s mother, your babe, that is your bride, is playing your song. The cats are in front and the dog’s in back and the kids are doing homework and nothing much is happening, except this song from the piano in the other room, the piece that makes your blood jump every time.

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The news of the week is good news

The news of the week is good news. Our family friend, Dorothy, a Ugandan who has filled this space from time to time, had a change of heart and mind and decided, with her husband Patrick, to get herself to a Kampala hospital for a planned caesarian section after all. You’ll recall the great concern

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