This book is a collection of short reflections on everyday life. Like a modern St. Francis, Stan Hindmarsh has a great delight and interest in the small details of life. As he reflects on his encounters with nature, family members, and friends, he finds meaning, personal significance, and a profoundly deep yet simple purpose in it all. As he says, “I continue to believe that God has built loving systems into His creation that can teach us how to live.” These stories are meant to be read as conversations over a cup of coffee, They were inspired as he reflected on his surroundings—a cabin in British Columbia’s Cariboo region, a condo in North Vancouver, his rural home in Abbotsford, B.C., friendships developed within Hallmark Retirement Communities, and trips to Guatemala—and as God seemed to speak to him through them. Trinity Western University President Bob Kuhn, who wrote the Introduction to this book, states, “Like life, the stories told here are ordinary and inspiring at the same time. They encompass all of life from the mundane to the mystical, the sacred to the silly. This book is not about Stan or his life, as interesting as they are. It is not about events or the author’s perceptions, as interesting and insightful as they are. It is about life, all muddled together, full of mistakes and mishaps, fear and boredom, moments of breath-stopping exhilaration and moments of heart-numbing hopelessness.”
Industry Reviews
"Stan is a gifted individual who can take a routine observation and weave it into an interesting story that will challenge your way of thinking. He lives life large and is an inspiration to all who cross his path."
Tim Miller,
Partner and Director of Marketing & Advertising,
La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries of Greater Vancouver
"Stan's word pictures take you on a warm and friendly journey to beautiful places that are actually just over the next tree line on familiar trails. Reading them is like taking a stroll side by side with someone you've always known. Your surroundings melt away as you trek along deep in thought-and you are sure you detect a mischievous glint in Stan's eye. You'll want the stories to keep flowing and flowing."
Steve Farrant,
Retired Senior Hospital Executive, Paris, Ontario
"Well done, Stan, for taking what many men consider a barrier (vulnerability) and converting it into an emotional drawbridge, as you urge us to cross over with you and experience real life! Thank you for bringing us along on your journey."
Michael and Adele Robert,
The Crossroads, Panajachel, Guatemala
"Stan Hindmarsh's reflections and photographs are a shared feast, offering a hard-won glimpse into the goodness at the heart of life. Endlessly curious, he immerses himself in whatever comes-family, friends and the natural world-then opens a window into his own inner thoughts and beliefs. Typically those willing to get out and plumb the deep recesses of life as Stan does don't take time to write about it. A lot of heart and life lived have gone into these writings, and it shows."
Melody Goetz,
Chief Cultural Officer, Hallmark Communities
"It is a true blessing and an excellent adventure to share this 'walk home' with a good friend like Stan. He has a totally different view of the smallest things. He has opened many doors into people's lives and stayed a while to understand them and care for them."
Ron Martens, Managing Principal,
Keystone Architecture & Planning Ltd.
"Stan writes how friends should communicate. This is what friends do for each other."
Vern Heidebrecht, Pastor Emeritus,
Northview Community Church, Abbotsford, B.C.
