I was surprised by the USA Today’s feature story entitled: “Who’s a Real Indian?” I am sensitive to the tragic history of the First Nations people of North America. They have suffered from racism, discrimination, and shameful treatment in the past. So I reacted to the term “Indian”. To me it has a negative connotation – sadly, I’ve heard it used as a label of contempt. Recognizing the painful past of the First Nations and the struggles of the present, I read the latest story with concern.

[Read the rest of this article...]

You’re not safe until you’re inside. It’s comforting to make it to the doorstep but until you’re inside you can’t relax.

After living many years in Alberta, Canada, Enard Petipas decided to return to his roots in Newfoundland. He moved to Whitbourne, an eastern town 85 kilometers from St. John’s. Not long after his return to his home province, he experienced health problems.

[Read the rest of this article...]

It’s an old cemetery off the beaten track. Maybe it was a busy thruway for horse drawn buggies of the past – but today it’s a quiet country road near Dunkerton, Iowa.

The cemetery was quiet and old but not quite abandoned. Some headstones were broken, others were moss covered and most looked very old. A century and a half earlier families and friends watered the soil with tears, lingered in silence and then quietly left Lester Cemetery. Another one gone.

[Read the rest of this article...]