For many people, waiting is an awful desert between where they are and where they want to go. And people do not like such a place. They want to get out of it by doing something. Henri NouwenWatch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas Waiting is not a popular pastime in our culture.… Continue reading Desert Discipline
I rise before dawn to light the first advent candle of the season. There is a proper way to light advent candles, I'm told - one at a time, week by week until all four blazing tapers are joined by the center candle on Christmas Day, completing the Advent journey. My way is a bit… Continue reading Advent
I stopped at TJ Maxx the other day and was surprised to see the store jam-packed with people. Like much of the country, Ohio is experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases, and our county is among the worst. We must be extra vigilant these days because of an immunocompromised family member, so I chose not… Continue reading Blessed
I've never really gotten my feet under me on this blog site. I have written a bit here and there over the years, mostly in fits and starts, with alot of quitting in between. There are myriad reasons behind this, all dealing with what author Steven Pressfield calls Resistance. In his book The War of… Continue reading A Fresh Start
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 