Mireille Mishriky

Musings and Reflections

This International Women’s Day Let’s Introduce Our Children to Fierce Biblical Women Who Changed the Course of History!

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Modern Day Icons When we think of  International Women’s Day, we invariably think of certain icons; at least I do. To name a few, the following women spring to my mind: Frida Kahlo, Jane Austin, Rosa Parks, Catherine the Great, Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Frank,  Sojourner Truth. Each one of these women accomplished what, up until their lifetime, would have been considered impossible. Whether in art, literature, politics or activism, they left their imprint on the world. They were fierce, determined, passionate, brave, heroic, strong. How often do we think of Biblical Women in those same terms? Do our children...

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God always provides: what I learned from Captain Crow

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When you lose a confrontation with a crow and it teaches you a valuable lesson! God always provides, I learnt this lesson in the most unsuspecting ways and from a rather intimidating teacher. He had been staring at me since I sat down. I took one look at him and decided that my usual indifference might be upgraded to annoyance, for this occasion. As I was accustomed to these looks, intense, unflinching, and almost predatory, I tried to ignore him. Usually, I took comfort in the fact that a window separated us and that we each go our separate way,...

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Why was the Samaritan woman drawing water at noon? Because of me.

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Why was the Samaritan woman drawing water at noon? Because of me. The Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus was ground-breaking. It was such a monumental event that the Church selected this Gospel reading as one of the 7 Sunday readings during Lent; we listened to her story this past Sunday. It was an encounter that would change her life and the lives of many. Her story has been analyzed and explained by the giants of the Ancient Church (here is a link to Saint John Chrysostom's homily on the Samaritan woman http://orthochristian.com/70769.html), so I hardly feel qualified to write any...

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New Year’s List of Solutions not Resolutions

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This New Year, commit to a set of Solutions, not Resolutions There is something intimidating about New Year’s Day. While it is a blessing to have a new beginning, a clean slate, a blank canvas, it is also overwhelming. The possibilities are endless but also limited by our individual set of circumstances. Example: it is possible to book a one-way ticket to Paris, open a ting bookstore/café and spend the days with fellow minded bookworms munching on buttery croissants. My circumstances kindly remind me of my responsibilities and point me towards alternatives: Montreal has quaint bookstores, delicious cafes and its...

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Sunday School Lesson: How do we practice Hospitality?

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Do we practice hospitality only with our friends and family members or do we practice hospitality on a daily basis? How many times have we opened our homes to complete strangers? Let me rephrase this question (I realize that safety concerns may have led you to answer my question with a resounding “Never”.)

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Thanksgiving Reflection – More than puppets.

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Forever Grateful If one were to spend 24 hours a day, every day of the year, thanking God, it would not be enough. Thanksgiving provides an official, nationwide day to thank God for His bounty, grace, mercy, love and care. One can easily find a thousand reasons to be grateful. Today, I would like to reflect on a sentence I heard during a thanksgiving exercise. As everyone took a turn to express their gratitude, the following words hit a cord: "Thank you, God, for not treating us like puppets." It was said by a second-grader, in my Sunday School class....

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Why Does Time For Ourselves Evoke Guilty Feelings?

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Saturday Morning might mean driving one child to a soccer practice, another to a birthday party, dropping off the dry clean, picking up the first child from soccer and the second one from swimming or was the second one at a birthday party? This means that the closest you ever get to a leisurely breakfast is watching other families enjoying theirs as you wait for your latte in the drive-through lane.

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