Welcome 2026

Red River Hot Cereal- Feeding Canadians for 100 years!

I awoke this morning with a most mundane memory of breakfast time during my growing-up years. Our home was not a model of magazine-perfection, but Mom always maintained tidiness and order with consistent routines. She was responsible for feeding five children on a tight budget and kept an economical menu rotation. 

On weekday mornings, we always had Red River hot cereal with milk and a spoonful of brown sugar. There was one slice of whole wheat toast for everyone, and we spread it with one of Mom's homemade jams (apricot was my favourite!) On Saturdays, we had a bowl of Shreddies, a great treat, and on Sunday mornings, before church, we had oatmeal with RAISINS. Everyone had a small glass of apple juice, and once I was a teenager, I was served a hot mug of Postum on the side. No one was offered alternate menu choices, and I remember times when my younger brothers stared at the Red River porridge until it was cold, so reluctant were they to eat it. 

I have been buying Canadian products as much as possible in the past year, which means that I avoid most of the boxes of cereal at the grocery store. Red River hot cereal, a mixture of cracked wheat, cracked rye and flaxseed, is one of the few Canadian offerings available, so I bought some for old times' sake and made it for my first breakfast of 2026.

The hot cereal tasted better than I remembered, even without brown sugar

Mom's adherence to time, task, and mealtime routines was very efficient, and I do not remember her being overwhelmed because she was too busy. She completed chores with cheerfulness and purpose. She always took a coffee break at 10 AM and played a couple of songs on the piano in the evening as dinner finished cooking. We had a tent trailer for summer holiday travel, and even then, Mom pulled out a folding table and Coleman stove to make breakfast porridge and other simple meals along the route.

We have so many choices and options available today, and I find myself wasting time when deciding what to eat, or what to buy, or what movie to watch, what book to read, or what playlist to listen to. That does not even include time lost to the online world's black hole. If I followed all the internet's suggestions for improving my life in 2026,  I would definitely need more hours in my day. While childhood memories may be idyllic, they instruct me wisely to make better use of the time I do have. 

I like the reset that New Year's Day provides, but I have learned to keep my resolutions low-key and achievable. It is a good day to look back as well as forward. The year 2026 will be like all others, a year of mundane routines along with events that bring joy as well as inevitable sorrow and loss. But I, for one, am happy to be here for another trip around the sun!

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendour to their children.

May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:14-17