Can you remember a time when a simple phrase from another person changed your life? It probably happened when you weren’t seeking or expecting life-altering advice. Maybe it was from someone you didn’t even know.

My friend, Karen, is a born teacher; she has a calling, if you will. One of the characteristics that make her a natural teacher is her ability to accept each child as is and to provide even the most challenging children with unconditional love.

On Christmas Eves in the past, my friend Barry drove his large flatbed trailer downtown so the Shepherds of Good Hope could use it as a platform for their Christmas Eve services. My friend Barry helped clear the snow off the neighbourhood rink every year.

"I don't believe in Santa Claus," she said in a voice loud enough for every child within 15 feet to hear. "My parents put the presents in the stocking."

I have one of my grandmother’s quilts. It is made up of 12 blocks of hand-embroidered roses. Eleven of those blocks point the same direction—toward the top of the quilt. One does not. The middle block in the bottom row turns to the side of the quilt like a disobedient child.

Did you know that it costs less to provide housing for the homeless than it does to leave them on the street?

How does that work? I'm glad you asked. Individuals in managed housing programs stay healthy or heal faster, and that keeps them out of the hospital, and that saves money.

Are you an idealist? An optimist? A realist? Or are you in Eeyore’s camp?

The main reason I have faith is because it is the only thing that separates me from pointlessness. Looking at the universe as a charged atomic soup and nothing more leads me to ask, as Peggy Lee did, “Is that all there is?”

Here's something to try: when you hear the word "love," make a practice of translating it to "compassion."

What a difference it makes.

What better time than Hallowe’en to write about magic and the battle between the forces of good and evil? Stephen Holmes, the acting head of divinity at St.