Author Archives: Bert Hielema

January 16, 2024 THE IRONY OF WATER. Some happenings are uncanny and unforgettable. One of them is my emotional experience, standing in front of Lake Louise, in Banff National Park. There, in a sudden, uncontrollable outburst of elation and exultation, … Continue reading →

January 9 2024 Has my disciplined life made me guilty of manslaughter? The Bible is big on discipline: the word appears 124 times there, most often as a reminder that the Lord ‘disciplines’ a person who swerves away from his … Continue reading →

January 1, 2024 2024+: THE YEARS AHEAD. The Economist, a British weekly, still thriving since 1843, publishes each yearend, a 90 pages projection of the following year. Where they need 90 pages, I will do in less than 900 words, … Continue reading →

December 26, 2023 WHAT’S IN A NAME? “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”  William Shakespeare uses this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of … Continue reading →

December 18 2023 NATURE AND MIRACLE. I have a Dutch book, called Natuur en Wonder, written by Dr. J. H. Diemer, who died in a German Concentration Camp in 1945, being arrested for his anti-Nazi work during the 1940-45 German occupation … Continue reading →

Monday December 11 2024  More random sayings (3), perhaps better described as  “incoherent utterances.” More aphorisms next week.