From Hockey to Heroin to Hope

Jul 13, 2021

My name is Brady Leavold. I am a former professional hockey player who has been battling addiction for 10 years. I’m currently incarcerated—somewhere I never could have imaged myself in a million years. I spent the better part of 2 years behind bars in my home province of BC, but upon release I moved to be with my girlfriend, who moved to Ontario just prior to my arrest. I now find myself in a foreign province with no family and support and behind bars yet again. Addiction is the reason I’ve ended up here.

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Meet Mary.

Jun 28, 2021

Mary was struggling. In fact, she was at the end of her rope. No matter which way she turned, negativity surrounded her--on the radio, on the news, and worst of all, in her own mind. You see, Mary struggled with her mental health. Since she was a teenager, anxiety, worry, and depression had ravaged her mind, leaving her hopeless and without peace. She was desperate and alone.

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Spanking Out of Spite: Parenting with Patience, Not Anger

May 19, 2021

We have a joke in our family. It surrounds an incident that happened years ago, when I was a young mom, flustered at my three-year-old for his poor behaviour and his seeming cheekiness to me. He wasn’t listening to me. And I was mad. So, I spanked him. And he giggled. So I spanked him a bit harder. And he giggled again. And, then, I took my anger out on my son’s bottom, spanking him so hard, I left a red hand mark on his bum.

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A "Whale" of an Investment: 3 Ways to Teach Your Kids How to "Invest"

May 19, 2021

My son wants to save the whales. It started when he started paging through a National Geographic. A pamphlet with a picture of a humpback whale slipped out. The pamphlet said, “Give a Gift.” A few minutes later, my son set $3.25 on my desk, wanting me to mail in his coins to the organization. I have to admit, I was endeared. I mean, how cute was that, sharing his hard-earned coins for the whales? I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. A few years ago, my husband and I bought our kids 3 piggybanks: one for saving, one for spending, and one for sharing. We wanted to teach our kids that money wasn’t just for themselves; it was meant to be invested in causes and people important to their hearts as well.

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10 Simple Ways to Leave a Legacy to Future Generations

May 19, 2021

A few years ago I was walking in downtown Toronto when I stopped in front of its university. There, in front of me, was a statue that my brother and sister-in-law had created. My brother and sister-in-law are full-time artists. A rarity these days. But as luck—or more specifically, talent—would have it, they have created amazing 30-foot statues for hospitals, parks, libraries, and (as I was seeing now), universities as well. And it struck me: how cool was that—that long after they’re gone, their work will live on and bring enjoyment to many others.

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Thunder Bay Unites in Prayer - join us on the third Thursday of each month!

May 12, 2021

In dark times, it’s easy to give up. It almost feels therapeutic. It’s like when the Apostle Peter was in jail and everyone knew that he was going to be executed the next day. But they decided to gather to pray anyways. And Peter decided to sleep while chained between two soldiers...

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