Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

Many books were read in 2022. Some of them were life-changing. Others...horrible. Let's focus on the good. Here are the top 7 books I read in 2022.  Note: The books on this list are just those that I read for the first time in 2022. So no Hobbit , etc. No, I didn't put my books on the list. I'm not that conceited... 7. Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts Ryan Holiday A bit off my usual reading-interest with this first one. However, I published two books in 2022 and, as part of the process, I've had to educate myself on how things work. This book was excellent. The emphasis was on producing quality work that, though maybe not an overnight sensation, has the qualities needed to stand the test of time. 6. Prairie Lion: The Life & Times of Ted Byfield Jonathan Van Maren Of course I grew up seeing copies of The Western Report/Alberta Standard lying around. The highlight was always Ted Byfield's column at the end. However, I really had n

Merry Christmas from the Millette Family!  Here is our annual Christmas letter, as well as a bonus video at the end: And, from the grade 5 Christmas Concert I held on Dec. 20... Enjoy!

Not to brag, but I’m engaged in some high-end professional research right now with someone named John. However, I will let you be privy to the details. You see, a staff washroom at the school I teach at has a toilet not working properly. The handle sticks when you flush it. It’s an easy fix–I’ve checked. Yet it won’t be me who has the honor of restoring this throne to its former glory. I learned my lesson that one time I changed a lightbulb in my classroom and subsequently received a lecture on how that heinous act steals jobs from union members. I practically took food out of the mouths of innocent children by changing that light bulb. Not this time. The union kids will eat well tonight. A company Help Ticket has been requested to fix the toilet. And–here is my research–I am now tracking the days… weeks… months…  before it gets fixed. In this new and improved world of equality and wokeness, just how long does it take for a toilet to get fixed? The question makes my brain swirl. Gr

The moment has finally arrived. It's out there. Yes, my latest book just went live on Amazon. I'm excited for Escape to the Wild. The adventure has been amped up. So too the humour and action. It's Count of Monte Cristo meets Hatchet meets Ma and Pa Kettle meets... Ok, enough chatting. Please consider purchasing a copy (and leaving a stunning review!). Even downloading an e-copy (just 99 cents this week) would be fantastic. Thank you all for the tremendous support! It means the world to me. Some helpful links: Canadian Paperback: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052533 Canadian eBook: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BJW14M7T American Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052533 American eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJW14M7T

 A friend snapped this picture of me receiving Holy Communion at the Mass for Christ the King. There's a lot going on here. In particular, there are two aspects that really struck me. The first is the priest's face. There is an intense care on his face. He has this look as though he's giving me everything he can, everything he has, to help me become a holy husband/father. Of course, what he is giving is everything I could ever want or need. Thank you Father W. The second aspect concerns my three-year-old son beside me. He's staring at me as I receive, gazing with interest and awe. I never knew this. I'm thankful for the picture. Such moments must play a crucial role in his spiritual development. So we have the action of the priest passing through me and down to my son. As God intended it to be.

Escape to the Wild Ages 10 and Up. 166 pages. Available on Amazon, mid October, 2022. Influences: Wendell Berry, Wilson Rawls, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gary Paulsen, Alexandre Dumas, Ma and Pa Kettle.   The process of writing a book is difficult to explain. I've heard author's use analogies such as "giving birth" to a book. This "bears" some truth. Being pregnant for nine months is difficult, or so I see. When the baby is born, there is much joy. And yet...the work, difficult as it has been for nine months, is really just beginning. There are many blessings and sorrows that follow. It is charming. It is chaos. It is sweet. It is stressful. Let's be honest, babies are louder on the outside versus the inside. And then, when life seems to settle down, guess what? Another baby is on the way. If you can overlook the weirdness of where this analogy is leading, then carry on. This is where I am at right now. I wrote my first book and "gave birth" to it in Mar

Coming soon. The sequel to Disconnected: The Broken Path. Escape to the Wild Ages 10 and Up. 166 pages. Available on Amazon, late October/early November, 2022. Influences: Wendell Berry, Wilson Rawls, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gary Paulsen, Alexandre Dumas, Ma and Pa Kettle.   * * * Two days later Ben was out by the river, fishing with John-Paul and John-John. Little three-year-old John-Darr also tagged along.   The boys had caught a few trout an hour earlier, but as the heat of the sun beat down, the fish stopped biting. They decided to come back in the evening when the fishing would be better.   Not wanting to leave the river just yet, John-John suggested they catch crayfish instead. And so the boys rolled up their pant legs and waded out in a shallow area of the river where rocks rested and slimy weeds grew. Turning over rocks and grabbing at the crayfish soon mesmerized the boys. Laughing, they snatched at the little creatures, counting aloud who was in the lead for the most catches. Boys ar

We decided, somewhat last minute, to take a quick one-night camping trip this weekend. I suppose there are a few reasons why: 1) The school year has already been off to a rough start. Gotta clear my head after just two weeks. 2) Our summer, by and large, was quite difficult. The newborn was colicky, and it made life unbearable at times. 3) When we did finally brave the world and go to the mountains for a crazy week of camping, it was glorious. It should've been a total train wreck. It was the opposite. 4) And now that we know our little guy loves the outdoors so much, we want to get out more in order to make up for the lackluster summer. 5) Oh, and it never hurts to be able to get in a traditional Latin Mass, and see some family/friends. Check out the hiking/camping expedition here: But I really want to "camp out" on point #2. I've heard it from several teachers I work with. And I heard it several times from family and friends this weekend. For far too many people tha

  It is late on a Friday night. The van is packed, ready for a major adventure. I am alone in our living room, staring out into a dark night. Four of the kids are asleep. Becca is downstairs with baby Ben (8 weeks old). Things are not good. I go down and see, and hear, Ben screaming his mind out. This is not unusual. All summer he's been colicky. The worst we've ever seen with a baby, and that's saying something. Becca is holding him, sitting on the floor, crying. This is too much. We can't go. There's no way.  But we can't stay, either. We've been stuck at home all summer. More than that, this proposed trip is not so much a vacation (ha! not at all), but a significant milestone. Ten months earlier I was facing a job loss, thanks to a draconian vaccine-mandate announcement. You know how it goes. At one point things seemed pretty hopeless. At that moment I turned to Becca and said, "I don't know how, but somehow, someway, we are going to make it to T