I was visiting friends at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi recently when I met this young man towing a piece of cardboard on a string. He is proud of his hand-fashioned pull-car, so I ask if I can take his picture. Standing tall, he strikes a pose that displays his creation to advantage and stares… Continue reading creativity
My 4-year-old grandson and I spend a good part of the morning scanning the partially-frozen backyard creek for crocodiles. Nose pressed to a 2nd-story window, he yells each time another chunk of ice floats under the bridge and flows slowly downstream. There's another one, Nana! This one's a baby! Actually, they do look like crocodiles from this… Continue reading crocodiles in party hats
Last year, a few weeks before Mother's Day, we laid mom to rest next to the love of her life. Rarely separated in life, we were surprised that mom lasted twenty-two months before joining dad in death. They're fine now; the rest of us are getting through it a step at a time. Truth be… Continue reading remembering
I look out my bedroom window and see a tree uprooted by a violent storm during the night. This tree grew tall over decades - stretching, sprouting, defying the elements. Suddenly, it no longer towers over the rest of us; it no longer provides shelter for small creatures or shade to block out the noon… Continue reading a crossing
Annie Dillard has long been a favorite writer of mine. This morning, a walk in the woods with my 18 year old daughter got me thinking about Dillard's essay, Living Like Weasels from her book, Teaching a Stone to Talk. Hana and I were discussing life after graduation and the various career paths suited to her… Continue reading stalk your calling
It's been a bit of a dark joke for years, my birthday. Adolf Hitler was born on the same day - a fact people love to remind me of annually (with the appropriate look of horror). Then there are the tragic events that seem to cluster around April 20th. The Columbine High School massacre happened… Continue reading Goodbye Bloody April
Paper Thin Places 